Here, There and Everywhere

This exquisitely beautiful ballad by McCartney was one of the last songs to be recorded for the album Revolver.  Paul wrote it out by the pool at John's house only days earlier, and had it almost finished by the time he played it for John. 

The first session for the recording of the song was on June 14th, 1966.  Paul chose to play rhythm guitar himself, alongside George on lead guitar and Ringo on drums.  Four takes were attempted, but only the final one was complete.  With producer George Martin coaching them, John, Paul and George then gathered around a microphone and sang the gorgeous block harmonies.  This version was slightly faster than the finished product as we know it.

On June 16th, they began anew on the slower version, using the same instrumentation for the basic track.  Paul sang a guide vocal on this day as he, George and Ringo recorded takes five through thirteen.  With the final take as the best, John, Paul and George recorded a new set of block harmonies, overdubbing them a second time for a fuller effect.  George also decided to double-track his lead guitar passage and Paul added his bass line.  Finally, Paul sang his delicate lead vocal, which was subjected to vari-speed to make it sound a bit higher on the record.  Paul chose to double-track his vocal on June 17th, featuring some very subtle variations in the third verse.

The song has long been one of Paul's personal favorites.  Many fans and critics consider it to be his finest composition, and even the highly-critical John Lennon had nothing but admiration for the piece.

It was a natural for inclusion on the 1977 compilation Love Songs.  And it was among the handful of Beatles songs that Paul chose to re-record for the soundtrack of his 1984 film Give My Regards to Broad Street.  Though the Beatles never played it live, Paul has added it to the set list a few times over the years on various tours.

The Real Love EP from 1996, which was a tie-in to Anthology 2, presents take seven of the basic track.  Since the instrumental performance is almost identical to that on the master, Paul's guide vocal stands out as the most interesting feature of this selection.  To augment this spare production, the backing block harmonies are brought in for the final verse.

Here Comes the Sun

Tired of the tension-filled meetings that were becoming the norm in the business of running Apple, George Harrison took a break from the Beatles one sunny spring day in 1969 and visited the home of his good friend Eric Clapton.  Sitting in the garden, guitar in hand, inspiration struck and one of his finest compositions was born.

It is no small irony that Harrison was reaching his peak as a songwriter during the waning days of the group's career.  At the same time, he was finally developing his signature sound as a guitarist, settling on a simple, fluid style that became instantly identifiable for the rest of his life.

Sadly, John Lennon once again played no part in the recording of a Harrison composition.  Initially, he had good reason, as he was recuperating from an automobile accident, yet even when he was available for later sessions of work on the song, he did not participate.  Only George, Paul and Ringo gathered at Abbey Road Studios on July 7th, 1969 to record the basic track.  With Paul on bass and Ringo on drums, George played an acoustic guitar and sang a guide vocal until he was happy with take thirteen.  He then re-recorded his acoustic guitar part before calling it a day.

June 8th saw George record his lead vocal, then double-track backing vocals with Paul's assistance.  A week later, on July 16th, a session was devoted to adding a series of handclaps at various points in the song.  By this time, John Lennon was back but, as stated above, he did not join in.  George also reportedly overdubbed a harmonium part.  On August 4th, a stereo mix of the song was prepared so George could decide what else could be added to the recording.

The next new overdub was an additional guitar part recorded on August 6th.  This included the forgotten lead guitar solo discovered by Dhani Harrison and the Martins - George and Giles - in 2012.  It's well worth the time searching for the video of this remarkable discovery on YouTube.  Yet another guitar line was added on the 11th.

The two Georges - Harrison and Martin - collaborated on the orchestral overdub added on August 15th.  It was the last of five songs to receive a George Martin arrangement on this long day, but the assembled musicians saw it through to their mutual satisfaction.  Finally, on August 19th, George played his Moog synthesizer to put some finishing touches on the recording.

The result was a pastoral delight which instantly became one of Harrison's most popular compositions.  It was chosen to open side two of the album Abbey Road, a very prominent position.  George played it at the Concert of Bangladesh in 1971, alongside Pete Ham of the group Badfinger.  And, in 1976, he appeared on Saturday Night Live and played the song with host Paul Simon.

Though the song made the cut for the Blue Album in 1973, it has hardly surfaced on any other compilations.