Wah-Wah | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

This hugely-reverby production lets the song down a bit I feel. It’s got some terrific Ringo fills, uncompromising guitar from Eric, great vocal performance from George, its a great song. It just sounds its being played a mile away in an aircraft hanger. I’m not sure of the significance of a racing car at the end but George was quoted as to the origin of the song:

That was the song, when I left from the Let It Be movie, there’s a scene where Paul and I are having an argument, and we’re trying to cover it up. Then the next scene I’m not there and Yoko’s just screaming, doing her screeching number. Well, that’s where I’d left, and I went home to write ‘Wah-Wah .’ It had given me a Wah-Wah , like I had such a headache with that whole argument. It was such a headache.

Bobby Whitlock, who was part of Derek and the Dominos isn’t credited but played on this and other tracks on the album:

Songfacts: What do you remember about recording All Things Must Pass ?

Bobby: There’s a song called “Wah-Wah .” I was the last one to show up at the session – I was running late and my car went down on me. It was getting started, I walked in and Phil Spector said, “Phase those drums! Phase those guitars!” He’s standing there looking out like he’s the captain of a ship, and he says, “Phase everything!” A guy had to operate this phase shifter by hand, his name was Eddie Albert, and he had to work it by twisting this knob to the left, to the right, to the left, to the right. You had to do it manually then.

He’s saying, “Phase this, phase that,” I come in, I’m late and Billy Preston’s sitting down at the organ, Gary Brooker is on the piano, where’s my spot? Everything was on the downbeat. I said, “I’ve got it, give me that little piano over there, I’ve got my part.” I played everything that nobody was playing – I played on the upbeat. That’s me on the electric piano playing the exact opposite.

That whole session was great. George Harrison , what a wonderful man. All the time that I ever knew him, which was from 1969 to his passing, he was a wonderful man. He included everyone on everything he did because there was enough for all.

We were recording on the same equipment The Beatles used when they did all their stuff – we did it at Abbey Road .

Songfacts: What songs struck you from those sessions?

Bobby: “Beware Of Darkness ” was the first time I ever played piano. They needed a piano player for that, and I decided that’s what I’m going to do. That was my first recorded piano thing.

What many people don’t know, the O’Hara-Smith singers, that’s Eric Clapton and me. If you listen, you can hear Eric and me wailing away.