GET BACK SESSIONS 1969: DAY 7

George Harrison walked out of the session on this day; there was tension within the group and he decided to leave. The Beatles were being constantly filmed at Twickenham Film Studios, which also contributed to that tension.

The group was visited by their music publisher, Dick James, who spoke with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr about Northern Songs’ recent purchase of the Lawrence Wright Music catalogue. Paul played several songs on the piano for James: “The Long And Winding Road“, “Let It Be“,”Maxwell’s Silver Hammer“,”Don’t Let Me Down” and “I’ve Got A Feeling“.

On this day, work on “Get Back” was prioritized during the morning, and they also worked on “Two Of Us”. George left the studio after the lunch break.

“At Twickenham, The Beatles, Yoko, and I, often joined by our cameraman Tony Richmond, would have a proper lunch in the small dining room up a flight of stairs, adjoining a bar where some crew members and studio office workers would be sinking their couple of pints of beer before going off to their own lunch…George was usually with us, joining in the conversation, affable and friendly and interested in the give-and-take, but on the day of the Tunisian discussion, he wasn’t with us as the meal started. At the morning rehearsal, I could tell by his silence and withdrawal that something was simmering inside him, and so in my role as documentarian, I’d asked our soundman to bug the flower pot on the lunch table.

We’d finished the first course when George arrived to stand at the end of the table. We looked at him as he stood silent for a moment. “See you ’round the clubs,” he said. That was his good-bye. He left.

John, a person who reacted aggressively to provocation, immediately said, “Let’s get in Eric [Clapton]. He’s just as good and not such a headache.” Paul and Ringo would not be drawn in, and after lunch we went back to the studio where Paul, John, and Ringo improvised a ferocious riff, half an hour of anger and frustration expressed with guitars and drums. Yoko sat on the edge of the ostrum on the blue cushion which had been George’s and howled into his mike. (My bug had only picked up the sounds of cutlery banging on china plates, obscuring what the muffled voices had said.)

Michael Lindsay-Hogg

Following his departure, Yoko Ono sat on the blue cushion that George had been using and began improvising wails, moans, and screams over harsh blues jams played by the remaining three Beatles.

They later performed “I’ve Got A Feeling” and “Don’t Let Me Down,” featuring screams from John during the final section, followed by a few cover songs. The Beatles then took some time to discuss the future of the Get Back project with the crew, although McCartney eventually returned to his piano. The cameras captured John in conversation with director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, during which John suggested replacing George with Eric Clapton if George did not return within a few days.

The jams continued with Yoko Ono, and finally, Paul took over on drums while John played guitar and Ringo took the microphone to improvise some spoken lines. The performances of “The Long And Winding Road,” “Get Back,” and the jam with Yoko Ono appear in part one of the 2021 documentary, Get Back.

The songs they played during this session:

‘The Long And Winding Road’ ( 3 versions)

‘Let It Be’

‘Don’t Let Me Down’ (2 versions)

‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ (4 versions)

‘I’ve Got A Feeling’ (4 versions)

‘Get Back’ (22 versions)

‘She’s A Woman’

‘Hi Heel Sneakers’ (Tommy Tucker) ( 2 versions)

‘Long Tall Sally’

‘Theme from The Beatles Cartoons’

‘Catch A Falling Star’ (Perry Como)