No one can cut down a piece of music quite like the person who made it, and that includes members of bands who changed the world with their albums. George Harrison of The Beatles proved that to stunning effect as he and his former bandmates, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, sat in Abbey Road and listened to mixes from their 1969 album of the same name with producer George Martin as part of the Anthology series.<\/p>\n
The clip is only seconds long<\/a>, but it almost reads like a scene straight from The Office. As \u201cCarry That Weight\u201d plays over the studio speakers, Harrison looks directly at the camera. As the triumphant orchestral feature brings in the melody of \u201cYou Never Give Me Your Money\u201d, Harrison turns to McCartney and Starr and says matter-of-factly, \u201cA bit cheesy, that.\u201d<\/p>\n If McCartney and Starr wanted to react, they didn\u2019t seem to have time to do so. Martin interjected with a heads-up that the guitar solo was coming, and the musicians continued to listen. Then, as the vocal harmonies came in, Harrison commented that he didn\u2019t remember singing on it. McCartney didn\u2019t say anything, obviously trying to focus on the mix. But the explanation is simple: Harrison didn\u2019t sing that. McCartney overdubbed those vocals.<\/p>\n A Flippant Response to \u201cCarry That Weight\u201d and the Globally Loved Album It Helps Close<\/p>\n Listening back with objective ears can be difficult for a musician. On the one hand, a lifelong player will always be improving, which means that the skill levels demonstrated on an old recording might seem cringey compared to where that player is when they hear it back. On the other hand, creating highly emotional, dramatic music can sometimes seem, as George Harrison put it, a \u201cbit cheesy\u201d when you\u2019re listening to it as a standalone feature.<\/p>\n