Random Behind Scene Stories From Recording Of Beatles' 'Abbey Road' (15 items)

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  (#12) Ringo Didn't Want To Play The Drum Solo On 'The End'

  While most drummers would jump at the chance to play a solo, Starr was completely resistant to the concept throughout his career - which his bandmates appreciated. That is, until it came time to record "The End."

  During production, the song's solo was suggested and Ringo initially refused. Engineer Geoff Emerick later spoke of the drummer's resistance towards the solo, and the resulting performance that helped make the song:

  The thing that always amused me was how much persuasion it took to get Ringo to play that solo. Usually, you have to try to talk drummers out of doing solos! [laughs] He didn't want to do it, but everybody said, 'No, no, it'll be fantastic!' So he gave in - and turned in a bloody marvelous performance.

  It took a while to get right, and I think Paul helped with some ideas, but it's fantastic. I always want to hear more - that's how good it is. It's so musical, it's not just a drummer going off.
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  (#4) The Vocals For 'Oh! Darling' Took A Week To Record

  The lead vocal on "Oh! Darling" took an entire week to get right, but it wasn't because McCartney couldn't sing it properly. What he envisioned for the track was the vocal sounding strained, as if he'd been singing the song all week. To achieve the effect, McCartney literally tracked vocals for the song every single day for an entire week. 

  Interestingly enough, Lennon requested that he be the one to sing the song, seeing as he was known for taking on the more hard-edged vocals. McCartney, being the writer of the song, ultimately decided he wanted to sing it himself. Lennon later admitted he felt McCartney should have let him sing "Oh! Darling." 
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  (#14) 'She Came In Through The Bathroom Window' Was About Crazed Beatles Fans

  The story behind "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" began with a group of women referred to as the Apple Scruffs - a name given to Beatles groupies who would often find their way into McCartney's home. Margo Bird, a fan, later explained:

  There were really two groups of Apple Scruffs - those who would break in and those who would just wait outside with cameras and autograph books. I used to take Paul's dog for a walk and got to know him quite well.

  One day, McCartney's neighbors notified him that people had been breaking into his home and getting in through his bathroom window. The line, "Sunday's on the phone to Monday, Tuesday's on the phone to me," was inspired by the call from his neighbors.
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  (#11) Harrison Recorded A Solo On 'Here Comes The Sun' That Was Lost For Decades

  In 2012, George Harrison's son, Dhani, came together with George Martin and his son, Giles, and listened to the original sessions for "Here Comes The Sun," an Abbey Road standout and Harrison classic. Midway through listening, they discovered a lost solo in the middle of the song that was cut from the final version of the song. 

  Despite the Beatles' archives being carefully preserved and tended to over the course of many years, nobody was previously aware that Harrison's "Sun" solo existed - including the producer himself. 
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  (#3) Nobody Liked 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer'

  The legend is true - nobody in the band liked Paul McCartney's "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," and particularly loathed his tendency to write somewhat corny songs. George Harrison said in 1977:

  Sometimes Paul would make us do these really fruity songs. I mean, my god, Maxwell's Silver Hammer was so fruity. After a while we did a good job on it, but when Paul got an idea or an arrangement in his head...

  John Lennon later said he hated it and that McCartney forced the band to record the song "a hundred million times."
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  (#5) John Lennon Stole From Chuck Berry On 'Come Together'

  While writing the now-legendary "Come Together," John Lennon took cues from, and lifted certain aspects of, Chuck Berry's hit song "You Can't Catch Me." McCartney even pointed out that the two songs were similar, prompting Lennon to change certain aspects of it.

  "John acknowledged it was rather close to it, so I said, ‘Well, anything you can do to get away from that,'" McCartney said.

  Music publisher Morris Levy, who owned the Berry song, sued Lennon in 1973 for ripping off the song, later reaching a settlement that forced Lennon to cover three songs he owned. He ended up recording a version of "You Can't Catch Me" as part of the settlement. 

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