GET BACK SESSION 1969: DAY 15

During this particular session, The Beatles pressed on with their “Get Back” recordings at London’s Apple Studio, marking their fourth day at the new venue and the fifteenth day of the project in its entirety.

The morning commenced in the absence of Billy Preston, who was busy practicing for a television appearance. Without his input, the group drifted away from polishing “Get Back” and instead dedicated their energy to “Two of Us.” While they initially experimented with an upbeat electric style similar to their earlier Twickenham rehearsals, they eventually decided on a stripped-back, acoustic folk-rock sound. Although these remained rehearsal takes, engineer Glyn Johns archived several on multi-track tape; one later surfaced on the 1996 “Anthology 3” set, while another was earmarked for Johns’ original, unreleased versions of the “Get Back” LP.

This date also saw the first formal recording attempts for two specific tracks. Paul McCartney introduced “Teddy Boy,” a piece composed during their time in India and briefly touched upon earlier in the month. A version from this day was later spliced with footage from January 28 for the “Anthology” series, though Paul eventually re-recorded it for his first solo album in 1970. Meanwhile, John Lennon’s “Dig It” began to coalesce as an improvised blues-rock jam. The band ran through four variations, and a brief spoken-word snippet from John during this session was famously preserved for the final “Let It Be” album.

The itinerary was remarkably diverse, featuring Paul testing out unreleased material like “Every Night” and “Hot As Sun,” alongside “There You Are, Eddie,” a song dedicated to biographer Hunter Davies. John offered the only session performance of “Polythene Pam” and revisited old Quarrymen-era tunes like “Maggie Mae” and “Fancy My Chances With You.” In contrast, George Harrison’s contributions were sparse, focusing primarily on the unreleased “Window, Window,” which never made it to an official studio album.

Once Billy Preston joined them in the late afternoon, the quartet circled back to “Get Back.” However, because the day was drawing to a close, they made little headway, choosing to postpone intensive work on the song. That night, Glyn Johns relocated to Olympic Sound Studios to begin mixing the week’s progress. Rather than taking a break, the band opted to work through the weekend, returning to Apple the next morning to review Johns’ late-night mixes.

While the band was working in the studio, John Lennon proposed the concept of pairing their upcoming record with a dedicated photography book. This vision eventually materialized with the 1970 launch of Let It Be, which arrived as a prestigious limited edition package containing a 164-page volume. The publication provided an immersive experience for listeners, filled with candid snapshots and transcribed conversations that gave fans a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on the group’s creative process.