The »The End« guitar solos
or "how to subtly show your love by playing guitar together, when talking about problems is apparently not a possibility"
Quotes by Geoff Emerick, sound engineer and record producer:
'I know!' he (John) said mischievously, unwilling to let it go. 'Why don't we all play the solo? We can take turns and trade licks.' Long guitar solos with dueling lead guitarists were becoming the vogue at the time, so it was a suggestion that clearly had merit. George (Martin) looked dubious, but Paul not only embraced the idea but upped the ante further still: 'Better yet,' he said, 'why don't all three of us play it live?' Lennon loved the idea – for the first time in weeks I saw a real gleam in his eye. It didn't take long for John's enthusiasm to rub off on George Harrison, who finally got into the spirit of things.
John, Paul and George looked like they had gone back in time, like they were kids again, playing together for the sheer enjoyment of it. More than anything, they reminded me of gunslingers, with their guitars strapped on, looks of steely-eyed resolve, determined to outdo one another. Yet there was no animosity, no tension at all – you could tell they were simply having fun.
The order was Paul first, then George, then John, and they went back and forth. They ran down their ideas a few times and before you knew it, they were ready to go. Their amps were lined up together and we recorded their parts on one track.
You could really see the joy in their faces as they played; it was like they were teenagers again. One take was all we needed. The musical telepathy between them was mind-boggling.
Incredibly, after just a brief period of rehearsal, they nailed it in a single take. When it was over, there was no backslapping or hugging – The Beatles rarely expressed themselves physically like that – but there were lots of broad grins.
I guess there's also the possibility that, as they were performing the solo, they realized they might never get to play together again; perhaps they were viewing that moment as a poignant farewell. It was the first time in a long time that the three of them were actually playing together in the studio.
Of the newly completed 'Now and Then,' Martin says, 'It's not some sort of cynical marketing exercise to try and push catalog sales.… I think Paul just misses John and he wants to work on a song with him. It’s as simple as that.'
i really don't care about the beatles... i used to when i was like 13 to 15 but i think a lot of that had to do with how a lot of artists i loved really appreciated them so i felt obligated to get to know their music and understand their influence. which is something i can appreciate, and i still love some of their songs, but overall they kind of get on my nerves lol anyway at some point i scratched some words from across the universe on my bedroom wall (not even so much because of the beatles but because of fiona apple's cover) and i also had a poster of sgt pepper's, and when my parents were selling the apartment i heard that the girl who was moving in was a huge beatles fan and asked if she could keep the poster and said she loved the lyrics on the wall. that was so sweet.
PAUL: [The audiences] are so good these days. I mean, they always were. Except in the very early days of the Beatles, when they were terrible, and in the very early days of Wings, when they were also terrible! But nowadays they're really good, and the warmth that comes of them is palpable.
Q: What do you mean they're really good, what's so good about them?
PAUL: I used to wonder when I was younger why I got nervous at things. And I kind of finally worked it out; it was that I didn't think they liked me. You always think there are some people in the audience who hate you. So you get nervous. And then I said, "Wait a minute, these people are all paying for a ticket; they've all come to see you!" There'll be a few blokes who've been dragged along by their wives. But most of them are really keen to see you, so you can relax. So I do!
— Paul McCartney, interviewed by Sarah Ferguson for ABC News' 7.30 (August 2nd, 2023).
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[I don't know if I missed this quote drifting around on here, but I wanted to transcribe it because I feel this is the first time I've heard Paul discuss his performance anxiety so explicitly.
It also surprised me to hear him describe some audiences as "terrible", mainly because Paul tends to downplay his negative feelings or experiences. I'd expect him to say some audiences were "not very good", so when I heard him say "terrible" in the interview, my ears perked up! I was glad the interviewer asked that follow-up question because I wasn't sure what he meant by "terrible". Were they just too loud and not paying attention to the music? So imagine my surprise when he follows that up by explaining that his perception of the audience is tied up to his anxiety and vice-versa. It makes his recollections of "terrible" audiences at the start of both the Beatles and Wings even more fascinating!]