While My Guitar Gently Weeps

FM rock radio really did not come into full flower until the early 70's, which unfortunately was after the Beatles had disbanded.  Songs by the Fab Four thus were not featured as much as those of more contemporary acts - they already fell into the category which would come to be known as classic rock.  Only a few recordings of the Beatles achieved prominence during this time, and one of them was not even by the prolific songwriting team of Lennon and McCartney, but rather by their junior partner George Harrison.  With its heavy sound, deep lyrics and wailing lead guitar, While My Guitar Gently Weeps became a staple on rock radio stations all across the USA for many years.

Its earliest incarnations, however, were anything but heavy.  George first committed the song to tape when the group gathered at his house in late May of 1968 to record demos of the many songs to be considered for their next album.  As can be heard on the 50th anniversary editions of the "White Album," the tempo is somewhat faster than the final version we all know.  And, while most of the lyrics are in place, some are not yet set, and there is an additional verse.  Like most of the demos from this day, the vocal and acoustic guitar parts are double-tracked. 

It was almost a full two months before George returned to the song - his first for what was becoming a sprawling double album - on July 25th.  Only Paul joined him in the studio as he taped another gentle acoustic version with some more variations to the lyrics and the extra verse.  The tempo is closer to the full band version, and Paul plays a simple organ part during the latter third of the song.  When this take was released on Anthology 3 in 1995, many hailed it as the best they had ever heard.  What we did not know at that time, was that the tape kept rolling and a second take was attempted.  Though not as good as take one, this was finally made available on the 50th anniversary deluxe edition a few years ago.

In his book The Beatles: Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn reports that all four Beatles were actually present on this date, and that they did rehearse the song.  They did not return to the song for a few weeks, however, not until August 16th, to be exact.  They recorded fourteen takes with a lineup of George on guitar, Paul on bass, John on organ and Ringo on drums.  George seemed pleased as the session progressed, and the final take was marked as the best, but he knew that the recording was not yet complete.

Again, a few weeks passed.  In the interim, John, Paul and George had discovered the joys of eight-track recording at Trident Studios.  They now learned that Abbey Road had such equipment, but it was undergoing testing and not yet installed.  Without permission, they insisted that one of the new machines be brought into Studio Two for their immediate use on September 3rd.  George had the best take of While My Guitar Gently Weeps transferred from four-track to eight-track tape, then overdubbed his double-tracked lead vocals, plus an intricate backwards guitar part, in much the same way as he had done for Lennon's song I'm Only Sleeping in 1966.  He was hoping that this would give him the desired effect of a weeping guitar.

Two days later, on September 5th, the overdubs continued, but George finally decided that the track simply wasn't to his liking, so they began a remake starting at take seventeen.  A fresh lineup had George on acoustic guitar, Ringo on drums, Paul within reach of both a piano and an organ, and John on electric guitar.  John stood down, however, when guest Eric Clapton appeared in the studio.  George had asked his good friend to attend the session, partly to get the guitar sound that he wanted and partly to get the other Beatles to give more attention to his song, something he felt had not been happening.  It worked like a charm.

Sources over the years have often claimed that Clapton added his guitar part as an overdub on September 6th, but he is clearly evident on the September 5th tape, when George pushed everyone to record takes seventeen through forty-four.  Such a high number proved to be unnecessary, as take twenty-five became the master.  The 50th anniversary edition of the "White Album" allows us to hear take twenty-seven, leaving no doubt that it is Eric, not John, playing variations on some of the same lead guitar phrases from the master.

What did occur on September 6th was the taping of several other overdubs onto take twenty-five.  These include tambourine from Ringo, more organ from George and a bit more guitar played by Paul.  The big surprise is that it is most likely John, not Paul, adding the very heavy bass line on this day.

For most fans, While My Guitar Gently Weeps quickly became the standout of the four Harrisongs on the double album The Beatles when it was released in November of 1968.  When the first post-career compilations of the group arrived in 1973, the song appeared on the Blue Album.  By this time, George had already played it live along with Eric and Ringo at the famous Concert for Bangladesh.  He also featured it on his tours of North America in 1974 and Japan in 1991.

Two outstanding performances of the song occurred after his death, one being at the Concert for George featuring Eric, Paul and Ringo in 2003.  But, for my money, and with all due respect for Eric Clapton's guitar work on every other version, the best guitar solo on the song was that played by Prince at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2004.  This jaw-dropping performance is all the more impressive if, as the Purple One claimed, he wasn't really very familiar with the beloved Beatles' track until just a few days before!