Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 24 July 1969
Producer: Paul McCartney
Engineer: Phil McDonald
Released: 28 October 1996
Paul McCartney: vocals, piano, bass, drums, maracas
Available on:
Anthology 3
This solo Paul McCartney demo was recorded during the Abbey Road sessions. While briefly considered for Abbey Road, it was given to the Apple group The Iveys, renamed Badfinger prior to the single's release.
McCartney's version was widely bootlegged before it was officially released on Anthology 3. The song was a thinly-veiled commentary on the state of Apple, which was losing large amounts of money by 1969.
I'd written the song Come And Get It and I'd made a fairly decent demo. Because I lived locally, I could get in half an hour before a Beatles session at Abbey Road - knowing it would be empty and all the stuff would be set up - and I'd use Ringo's equipment to put a drum track down, put some piano down, quickly put some bass down, do the vocal, and double-track it. I said to Badfinger, 'OK, it's got to be exactly like this demo,' because it had a great feeling onit. They actually wanted to put their own variations on, but I said, 'No, this really is the right way.' They listened to me - I was producing, after all - and they were good. The song was a hit in 1970.
Anthology
Badfinger's version, sung by fellow Liverpudlian Tom Evans, was mostly identical to McCartney's demo. The final version was in E flat, a semitone lower than McCartney's, possibly due to varispeeding during the mixing stage. Recorded nine days later, Badfinger's recording became a top five single and was the main theme for the Peter Sellers/Ringo Starr film The Magic Christian.
In the studio
Paul McCartney recorded Come And Get It on 24 July 1969, working with engineer Phil McDonald. John Lennon was in the control room observing, though declined to contribute.
McCartney recorded a single take, singing and playing piano. He then double tracked his vocals and played maracas. Drums were added next, and finally came a bass guitar part. It took less than an hour to complete.
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If The Beatles had recorded this instead of, say, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," side 1 of Abbey Road would have been impeccable, and they probably would have had another #1.