Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Phil McDonald
Overdubs were added to three Abbey Road songs during this 2.30pm-midnight session.
It began with more recording for ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’. George Harrison added extra lead guitar to the choruses, then he and Paul McCartney taped more vocals to the final line, “Silver hammer, man”.
Attentions then returned to ‘Something’, which had been started in May 1969 but left unfinished. On this day Harrison recorded his lead vocals, which he double-tracked in the choruses, and Billy Preston added a Hammond organ part.
The eight-track tape was now full, so a reduction mix was required to allow for further work on ‘Something’. This mix was numbered take 37, and combined the piano and lead guitar onto track one, and both vocal tracks onto track seven. Otherwise the recording was unchanged: drums remained on track two, bass guitar was on five, rhythm guitar was on track six, and Preston’s organ part was on eight.
It has been reported that Harrison later re-recorded his lead guitar part during the 15 August orchestral overdub session. However, the take 37 reduction mix made on this day contains Harrison’s final solo, recorded on 5 May.
Tracks three and four were left clear for the time being. Harrison re-recorded his vocals later that week, however, rendering this reduction mix unnecessary. Four rough stereo mixes were also made during this session.
The session ended with a bass guitar part added to ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’, which was played by McCartney and recorded onto track seven of the tape.
Poor John must have started hating July 11 recording sessions — the previous year, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da… this year, Maxwell’s Silver Hammer… a day for Paul’s unbearable “granny music!”
John did not play at all on Maxwell as he was still in the hospital in Scotland. From reports the actual recording of Maxwell for Abbey Road was done quite quickly and without problems.
He and Yoko were actually back from Scotland by then, but they were obviously under doctor’s orders to rest.
Geoff Emerick’s “recollections” of the sessions and John’s alleged refusal to play on the song out of dislike clearly have no validity, as a) John was obviously under doctor’s orders to rest, like I said, and b) Geoff was not even working at those sessions, let alone present, so he wouldn’t have known what went down.