Kreen-Akrore

The final track on Paul McCartney’s début solo album was inspired by a television documentary on a UK television documentary on the Kreen-Akrore Indians, titled The Tribe That Hides From Man.

There was a film on TV about the Kreen-Akrore Indians living in the Brazilian jungle, their lives, and how the white man is trying to change their way of life to his, so the next day, after lunch, I did some drumming. The idea behind it was to get the feeling of their hunt. So later piano, guitar and organ were added to the first section.

The second had a few tracks of voices (Linda and I) and the end had overdubbed breathing, going into organ, and two lead guitars in harmony.

Done at Morgan. Engineer, Robin Black.

The end of the first section has Linda and I doing animal noises (speeded up) and an arrow sound (done live with bow and arrow – the bow broke), then animals stampeding across a guitar case.

There are two drum tracks.

We built a fire in the studio but didn’t use it (but used the sound of the twigs breaking).

The Kreen-Akrore tribe inhabited the Brazilian jungle and was known to kill intruders who encroached upon their way of life. The documentary, which revealed how European settlers were encroaching upon their land, was made by ATV and aired on the UK’s ITV network on 11 February 1970.

McCartney recorded the basic drum track on 12 February at Morgan Studios, London. In subsequent sessions he overdubbed guitars, keyboards, animal noises and vocals, the latter with the help of his wife Linda.

A guitar case was used as a percussion instrument, and a bow and arrow provided further sound effects. The instrumental piece was a daring way to end the McCartney album, which hinted at his willingness to continue recording experimental pieces outside The Beatles.