What Terrified Paul McCartney About the Beatles' First Recording Session
If you read about Paul McCartney in the studio with The Beatles, writers often focus on his professionalism and, at times, perfectionism to a fault. While recording Abbey Road, Paul drove the entire band nuts recording “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.” It simply took too long.
For Paul, it was just another day (or three) at the office. From the books published on The Beatles, he seems like the band member who always felt comfortable in the studio. Whatever it took to get a track right, Paul was ready to do it — even if it pissed off John Lennon to no end.
At the Beatles’ first recording sessions in 1962, Paul arrived confident and ready to play. After some discussion, producer George Martin allowed them to try out their own composition, “Love Me Do.” But he asked for a last-minute change.
Rather than keep John singing and playing harmonica (which cut off some lyrics), Martin asked Paul to sing the chorus on his own. Suddenly, Paul realized he’d be singing the break without any music behind him. The idea terrified him.
Source: cheatsheet.com
