Recording and mixing "Old Brown Shoe", recording "Something"

The first session of the day, from 2:30 to 5:00 pm, featured George Harrison recording a solo demo of “Old Brown Shoe” in a single take. The song had previously been rehearsed by The Beatles during the “Get Back” sessions on January 27, 28, and 29, 1969. George had also recorded an earlier demo on February 25, 1969.

For the second session of the day (from 7 pm to 2:45 am), George was joined by Paul McCartney and John Lennon to continue work on “Old Brown Shoe.” The presence of Ringo Starr — and who played which instrument — varies depending on the source:

• According to “The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions” by Mark Lewisohn, Ringo was present. For the four takes of the basic track, George played guitar and sang, John was on rhythm guitar, Paul played a “jangle” piano, and Ringo was on drums.

• However, the “Abbey Road” Super Deluxe edition book by Kevin Howlett offers a different account. It states that Ringo was absent, due to filming commitments for “The Magic Christian.” In this version, George handled guitar and vocals, John played the “jangle” piano, and Paul took over on drums.

The site beatlesebooks.com leans toward Mark Lewisohn’s version:

Noteworthy of mention here is the additional assertion by Kevin Howlett that the drums on the official recording of “Old Brown Shoe” were performed by Paul. While Ringo was indeed in the process of filming the movie “The Magic Christian” at the time, it was primarily filmed on location in London, which would make him available for this evening’s Beatles recording session. Upon listening to the late January “Get Back / Let It Be” rehearsals of “Old Brown Shoe,” Ringo’s drum performances developed quite closely to what we hear on the rhythm track as recorded on April 16th. Paul’s rudimentary drum-work, as witnessed on “The Ballad Of John And Yoko,” “Dear Prudence” and “Back In The U.S.S.R.,” the latter song being a composite of Paul, John and George playing drums by the use of overdubs, appears to not be of the caliber of what we hear on the released “Old Brown Shoe.” “Anything I really can’t do is ‘shuffles,’” Paul himself admitted during a filmed interview in the 1990’s concerning his drumming ability. “They’re difficult to do. That’s just the coordination I can’t do…But I can do more of just a straight sort of rock (beat),” which he then demonstrates for the cameras. Therefore, it appears most likely that Ringo broke away from his acting duties to join The Beatles for this April evening’s recording session, something George Harrison would undoubtedly have preferred for recording one of his songs.

From beatlesebooks.com

Four takes of the basic track were recorded during the session, all complete except for Take 1. Take 3 was later released on the “Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)” in 2019.

Take 4 was deemed the best and became the foundation for further overdubs. Paul added a bass part, while George recorded an additional guitar line to complement the bass. George also re-recorded his lead vocals, supported by harmonies from Paul and John. The two then double-tracked their backing vocals, with George also double-tracking his lead vocals in some parts.

Four stereo mixes were subsequently prepared. A few final overdubs would be added, and the song completed, on April 18, 1969.

After completing work on “Old Brown Shoe,” The Beatles turned their attention to George’s “Something”.

Like “Old Brown Shoe,” “Something” had been rehearsed during the “Get Back” sessions (on January 28 and 29) and demoed by George on February 25, 1969.

Late that night, the band recorded 13 instrumental takes of the basic track. As with “Old Brown Shoe,” the personnel credits vary depending on the source:

• According to Mark Lewisohn, George played guitar, Paul was on bass, Ringo on drums, and George Martin contributed piano. John did not participate in the recording.

• In contrast, Kevin Howlett reports that George played guitar, John handled the bass, Ringo was on drums, and George Martin played piano.

Ultimately, these takes were abandoned in favour of a remake recorded on May 2, 1969.

Session activities

1. Old Brown Shoe

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 1

2. Old Brown Shoe

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 1

3. Old Brown Shoe

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 2

   AlbumOfficially released on Abbey Road (50th anniversary boxset)

4. Old Brown Shoe

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 3

5. Old Brown Shoe

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 4

6. Something

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 1

7. Something

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 2

8. Something

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 3

9. Something

   Written by George Harrison

   Recording • Take 4

10. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 5

11. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 6

12. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 7

13. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 8

14. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 9

15. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 10

16. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 11

17. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 12

18. Something

    Written by George Harrison

    Recording • Take 13

19. Old Brown Shoe

    Written by George Harrison

    Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 1 from take 4

20. Old Brown Shoe

    Written by George Harrison

    Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 2 from take 4

21. Old Brown Shoe

    Written by George Harrison

    Mixing • Stereo mixing - Remix 3 from take 4

Staff

Musicians on "Something"

Musicians on "Old Brown Shoe"

Production staff

Going further

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