Recording, mixing: Old Brown Shoe, I Want You (She’s So Heavy)

Studios Two and Three, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: Chris Thomas
Engineer: Jeff Jarratt

The Beatles finished the recording of George Harrison’s song ‘Old Brown Shoe’ on this day, and continued work on the Abbey Road song ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’.

Harrison worked alone on ‘Old Brown Shoe’, recording an organ part on track eight. He then overdubbed a guitar solo – fed through a Leslie speaker – onto track seven, after which the recording was complete.

The recording session was notably lengthy, lasting from 2.30-10.30pm in Studio Three. Harrison and producer Chris Thomas then mixed Old Brown Shoe in stereo in 19 attempts, which were numbered 5-23, in the studio control room. They completed the work at 1am.

Studio Two had also been booked for work on ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’. Harrison, Lennon, Thomas, balance engineer Jeff Jarratt and tape operator John Kurlander were present for the overdubbing of guitars, in a late session lasting from 1-4.30am.

The Beatles had begun recording the song on 22 February 1969, and a master tape was assembled from three different takes on the following day.

On this early morning they added several unnumbered guitar overdubs, to build up the song’s crescendo. A reduction mix was then made to allow more work at a later date, and combined Lennon’s vocals and guitar on track eight.

John and George went into the far left-hand corner of number two to overdub those guitar. They wanted a massive sound so they kept tracking and tracking, over and over.

A rough stereo mix was made at the end of the session, which was taken away by George Harrison.