Why Paul McCartney Took Over the 'Sgt. Pepper' Guitar Solo From George Harrison
Early on, George Harrison realized he wasn’t guaranteed the guitar solo on every song The Beatles recorded. In late 1964, while the band was laying down “I’ll Follow the Sun,” George had to campaign to get the lead part on the Paul McCartney track.
Geoff Emerick, the engineer on most of the Fab Four’s best recordings, recalled George walking into the control booth at Abbey Road studios to demand he get the solo on that song.
“I am supposed to be the lead guitarist in the band, after all,” Emerick quoted George saying in the book, Here, There and Everywhere. (George got his wish, but not without Emerick calling the solo “embarrassing.”)
As the ’60s wore on and George experimented with the sitar (at the expense of his guitar playing), the Beatles’ lead guitarist found himself ceding more solos to his bandmates (usually, Paul). On the title track of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, it happened again.
Source: cheatsheet.com
