Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Engineer: Ken Scott
George Harrison’s song ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ was completed on this day.
Harrison overdubbed organ and two lead vocals, Paul McCartney added vocal harmonies and a distorted bass guitar part, and Ringo Starr played tambourine and castanets.
Mono and stereo mixes were made on 7 October, but these were improved upon on 14 October.
For many years it was believed that this was the recording session in which Eric Clapton overdubbed his lead guitar solo. This was incorrect, and in fact Clapton played live with The Beatles on each of the takes recorded the previous day.
Last updated: 27 June 2023
Also on this day...
- 2022: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Lyric Performing Arts Center, Baltimore
- 2010: Ringo’s Beatles debut venue burns down
- 2003: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles
- 1993: Paul McCartney live: Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna
- 1992: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Circus Maximus Showroom, Las Vegas
- 1968: Television: Paul McCartney and Mary Hopkin filmed for Magpie
- 1967: Recording, mixing: I Am The Walrus, The Fool On The Hill, Blue Jay Way
- 1966: John Lennon begins wearing ‘granny’ glasses
- 1964: The Beatles live: Olympia Stadium, Detroit
- 1963: The Beatles live: Odeon Cinema, Luton
- 1963: UK EP release: The Beatles’ Hits
- 1962: The Beatles live: Rialto Ballroom, Liverpool
- 1962: The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
- 1961: The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (evening)
- 1960: The Beatles live: Indra Club, Hamburg
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
I’ve read that Eric Clapton gave George Harrison the Gibson Les Paul guitar in August 1968 (not the other way around) about a month before the “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” recording session. I’ve also read that the guitar was given to George shortly after this recording session. Could anyone definitely confirm which is accurate? I’ve also read differing accounts on who played the high-pitched organ notes in this song. Was it John during a previous recording session (since he wasn’t in attendance on this night) or George?
Thanks in advance!
Warren
I think it’s recorded on the Beatles-owned Gibson SG with a maestro vibrola. If you listen to the isolated guitar track available on YouTube, you clearly hear the vibrato bar in 3:05, 3:50 and the outro. You can hear the banging noise from the bar. The overall sound isn’t that of a Les Paul, in my opinion.
I am a guitarist with 40 years experience…
That’s most definitely a vibrato arm in use.
Quite separate from the manual flanging applied to the track, which is also audible on the isolated YouTube track.
George had several vibrato-equipped guitars.
I have no opinion as to which guitar we’re hearing
(Definitely NOT the Stratocaster, though).
Curious that Lennon wasn’t present to contribute anything additional on this day as Paul and Ringo did. From listening to the final track (and from what I’ve learned from this site – thanks!) his role appears to have been reduced to just a few notes thrown in at the end.
According to this video John did participate in the backing vocals on the outro.
The vibrato sound was not a whammy bar but was made by running the guitar track through an ACT circuit, operated by assistant engineer Chris Thomas. Clapton didn’t want just his regular sound. He asked for something that sounded more bizarre and “Beatley” so Thomas manually waggled the oscillator knob during the solos, to the extreme at times, which is what Clapton had wanted. And Eric did use “Lucy”, the Les Paul that he had given to George just prior to the session.
@Rob. There are two types of pitch modulation on this recording, A.D.T. with lots of wobbling and also guitar vibrato. The vibrato is heard in the guitar bleed on the drums track, a product of cross-talk between the tape tracks. Since the drums are not treated with A.D.T., then the guitar bleed is not either. This clearly shows that the vibrato was during the performance, rather than during mixing stage as it would have been with the application of A.D.T.
I think it’s just Eric string-bending. I suspect extra light gauge strings.
I’ve recreated this solo just with vibrato technique. I’m sure if I can do it, Clapton could especially as most reports reckon this was played on a Les Paul
There are two organ parts on the song – one is John’s and the other is George’s. George overdubbed his organ on top of John’s, so that the two blended in very well together.
I have listened to Take 27 of the final version on YouTube and John is evidently playing the organ in the bridges, no different to what appeared in the final mix, so it’s possible that George overdubbed his parts in the coda.