Video: Lost George Harrison guitar solo for "Here Comes The Sun" discovered

[Tig]

A guitar solo from the George Harrison-penned Beatles song, "Here Comes the Sun," has been discovered at Abbey Road Studios after 43 years.

The solo, which didn't make the final cut onto one of Harrison's two contributions to The Beatles' 1969 Abbey Road album (the other song being "Something"), was found by Harrison's son, Dhani, Beatles' producer Sir George Martin and Martin's son, Giles, during a recent visit to Abbey Road Studios in London.

The missing solo starts at 1 minute

 

[R_of_G]

Love that tone. I wonder if George played it on that black Tele he used for a lot of the last sessions.

 

[Spudman]

Thanks for posting that Tig. Any reason to listen to the Beatles or George is a good reason.:AOK

 

[player]

Great find Tig.it sounds like if they had heard that solo it would have been included.Good Stuff Thanks

 

[Tig]

The solo sounds nice, but I don't know if it really fits the song. Maybe years of listening to it without a solo makes it not feel right. The original song has a nice simplicity to it.

 

[R_of_G]

The solo sounds nice, but I don't know if it really fits the song. Maybe years of listening to it without a solo makes it not feel right. The original song has a nice simplicity to it.

I'm with you there.

What makes it most interesting to me is hearing where George's head was in terms of what kind of soloing he would do with the song. Though this solo didn't make the Beatles' record, it does exhibit a lot of what I love about George's post-Beatles' style.

 

[Bookkeeper's Son]

Well....."lost" and "discarded" don't exactly mean the same thing.

 

[R_of_G]

Well....."lost" and "discarded" don't exactly mean the same thing.

No, they don't, but I'm not sure where "discarded" entered the conversation prior to now.

 

[Bookkeeper's Son]

Obviously, the solo was discarded, and from the sound of it, it should have been. Imagine how many tracks end up on the proverbial cutting room floor.

 

[msteeln]

It was worth it just to see Martin play a moment of air cello.

 

[aeolian]

I am a huge Beatles fan, but I have to agree that this is not the best solo for this song. On other hand I don't know if this may be the very first attempt by George to put something down. I have heard many versions of Beatles songs recorded during the process of working out their songs, I am always amazed at how dramatically certain songs evolved and how perfect the final recordings are.

 

[Tig]

While we're on the subject of Beatles songs, this tidbit about "I've Got A Feeling" came up in an email today.
http://www.guitarworld.com/song-facts-beatles-ive-got-feeling

The powerful and bluesy "I've Got A Feeling," which John Lennon jokingly called "I've Got A Fever," is a true Lennon/McCartney composition. It blends -- via alternation and superimposition -- two incomplete songs, one by Paul McCartney, one by Lennon.

Both happened to have been written around the same period and based on the same two-chord motif built around a first-position A chord (with the high A note fingered with the pinky). It is the last true collaboration by Lennon and McCartney.

McCartney's share of the song, called "I've Got A Feeling" from the get-go, includes a verse, chorus and bridge and was inspired by his relationship with his soon-to-be-wife, Linda Eastman. Lennon provides alternate verses inspired by his personal upheavals of 1968.

"I've Got A Feeling" is one of three "live" songs to be included on Let It Be, having been performed as part of the January 30, 1969, rooftop concert. It features McCartney on vocals and his 1963 Hofner 500/1 (adorned with the rectangular "Bassman" sticker from his Fender Bassman amp), Lennon on vocals and his Epiphone Casino, George Harrison on backing vocals and his rosewood Fender Telecaster, Ringo Starr on Ludwig Hollywood Maple drums and Billy Preston on Hohner electric piano.

The gritty, hard-edged song, which McCartney still performs live today (See below), benefits from McCartney's screaming vocals, creative, octave-infused bass line (especially during Lennon's portion of the song) and Harrison's tasteful bends and double stops during McCartney's raucous bridge.

Although the version featured on Let It Be is the result of a single live take, Phil Spector edited together three mixes to come up with the final product.

 

[tjcurtin1]

Great stuff, Tig, thanks! So interesting to get a window into the creative process of such talented musicians/artists.

 

[player]

The solo sounds nice, but I don't know if it really fits the song. Maybe years of listening to it without a solo makes it not feel right. The original song has a nice simplicity to it.

ditto R_ of G
just listened to it again.like Tig said it sounds good but does not belong in the simplicity of the original.good call on Georges post Beatle sound.

 

[Robert]

I thought it was pretty cool.