The very last song The Beatles recorded before they broke up was ‘I Me Mine’ but it wasn’t all of The Beatles.
As many people learned watching Peter Jackson’s ‘Get Back’, the album that became ‘Let It Be’ was recorded before ‘Abbey Road’ but released after ‘Abbey Road’.
The ‘Let It Be’ album was delayed a: because the planned ‘Get Back’ album was scrapped (it is now part of the new ‘Let It Be’ box set) and b: The ‘Let It Be’ album was awaiting the release of the ‘Let It Be’ movie (the original footage that Jackson used to create the ‘Get Back’ series.
The Beatles finished the ‘Get Back’ sessions in January 1969. In February 1969 they started work on the ‘Abbey Road’ album. ‘Abbey Road’ was released on 26 September 1969 and the ‘Let It Be’ album was released on 8 May 1970.
‘I Me Mine’ was rehearsed during the ‘Get Back’ sessions but John Lennon showed little interest in it. Lennon left the band in September 1969 around the time of ‘Abbey Road’.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg completed the editing of the ‘Let It Be’ movie which featured the rehearsal version of ‘I Me Mine’ from the ‘Get Back’ sessions but there was no completed studio version to go on the album. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr decided to complete the song and on 3 January 1970 met at Abbey Road studios without Lennon to record it.
16 takes of the song were recorded with producer George Martin. The recorded track only lasted 1 minute 34 seconds so Phil Spector extended the recording but repeating the chorus in the middle and second verse and adding a choir. The Spector version, based on the Martin recording was the track used on the original ‘Let It Be’ album and became the last song The Beatles recorded under The Beatles name.
Two more songs were later recorded by Paul, George and Ringo as The Beatles using solo recordings of John Lennon.
The first ‘Free As A Bird’ was included on Anthology 1 (1995) and released as a single. Lennon recorded his home demo in 1977. George, Paul and Ringo recorded their bits in February and March 1994.
The second George, Paul and Ringo with John version of ‘Real Love’ was released in 1996 on the Anthology 2 album. It was based on demos Lennon made in 1979 and 1980. An earlier Lennon only version was released on the ‘Imagine: John Lennon’ soundtrack in 1988.
One other song, ‘All Those Years Ago’ by George Harrison as a tribute to John featured Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr together for the first time since ‘I Me Mine’. It was released by George as a single in 1981.
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Gavin Ryan reports with thanks to Australian-Charts.com
