Recording studio: EMI Studios, Room 4, Abbey Road
Session Mar 25, 1970 • Mixing "Let It Be" album #2
Session Mar 26, 1970 • Mixing "Let It Be" album #3
Session Mar 27, 1970 • Mixing "Let It Be" album #4
Album Mar 27, 1970 • "Sentimental Journey" by Ringo Starr released in the UK
AlbumSome of the songs worked on during this session were first released on the "Let It Be (Limited Edition)" LP
This was the fourth day of work for Phil Spector on the “Get Back” tapes recorded in January 1969. On this day, he worked on “Dig It” and added snippets of dialogue between songs.
For “Dig It“, Phil Spector chose the same take of the song as Glyn Johns for his “Get Back” LP (this take was recorded on January 26, 1969). From beatlesebooks.com:
[Phil Spector] selected the same January 26th rendition of the song as Glyn Johns had chosen but edited it down to the :49 “like a rolling stone…Matt Busby” section for inclusion on the album. Although vocalizations from Paul were heard during this segment of the performance, especially during the “like a rolling stone” lyrics, Phil Spector decided to pan this out of the mix entirely. Since McCartney was not involved in the mixing of the album and Lennon was instrumental in Phil Spector taking on this project, one can assume that Paul’s vocal contributions were omitted at John’s request. Phil Spector also chose the “…’Hark, The Angels Come’” announcement from January 24th to use as a segue to the song “Let It Be” as Glyn Johns originally proposed.
Phil Spector then dug into the “Get Back” tapes to find snippets of dialogue to use between songs. Aside from the piece of dialogue “That was ‘Can You Dig It’ by Georgie Wood, now we’d like to ‘Hark The Angels Come’” used between “Dig It” and “Let It Be“, two other snippets mixed on this day were used on the final mix of the album.
John Lennon’s spoken words “I Dig A Pygmy’ by Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf-Aids! Phase one, in which Doris gets her oats!” were added to the beginning of “Two Of Us“. John’s comments at the end of the rooftop show (“Thanks Mo“, “I hope we passed the audition“) were added at the end of “Get Back” and therefore at the end of the album.
Phil Spector continued his work on the “Get Back” tapes on March 30, 1970.
Written by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 1
AlbumOfficially released on Let It Be (Limited Edition)
Dialogue and miscelleneous pieces
Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 1-8
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions • Mark Lewisohn
The definitive guide for every Beatles recording sessions from 1962 to 1970.
We owe a lot to Mark Lewisohn for the creation of those session pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details - the number of takes for each song, who contributed what, a description of the context and how each session went, various photographies... And an introductory interview with Paul McCartney!
Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989
With 25 albums of pop music, 5 of classical – a total of around 500 songs – released over the course of more than half a century, Paul McCartney's career, on his own and with Wings, boasts an incredible catalogue that's always striving to free itself from the shadow of The Beatles. The stories behind the songs, demos and studio recordings, unreleased tracks, recording dates, musicians, live performances and tours, covers, events: Music Is Ideas Volume 1 traces McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1970 to 1989 in the form of 346 song sheets, filled with details of the recordings and stories behind the sessions. Accompanied by photos, and drawing on interviews and contemporary reviews, this reference book draws the portrait of a musical craftsman who has elevated popular song to an art-form.
Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium
We owe a lot to Chip Madinger and Mark Easter for the creation of those session pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details!
Eight Arms To Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium is the ultimate look at the careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr beyond the Beatles. Every aspect of their professional careers as solo artists is explored, from recording sessions, record releases and tours, to television, film and music videos, including everything in between. From their early film soundtrack work to the officially released retrospectives, all solo efforts by the four men are exhaustively examined.
As the paperback version is out of print, you can buy a PDF version on the authors' website
If we modestly consider the Paul McCartney Project to be the premier online resource for all things Paul McCartney, it is undeniable that The Beatles Bible stands as the definitive online site dedicated to the Beatles. While there is some overlap in content between the two sites, they differ significantly in their approach.
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