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A Lost Beatles Solo and the Art of Omission

It’s never easy practicing the Art of Omission when working on a mix. What stays? What do you get rid of? Anyone who’s ever sat behind a console has faced these questions at some point—even recording legends like George Martin, as you’ll see in this video clip that includes a “lost” guitar solo left off a classic Beatles track.

It’s never easy practicing the Art of Omission when working on a mix. What stays? What do you get rid of? Anyone who’s ever sat behind a console has faced these questions at some point—even recording legends like George Martin, as you’ll see in this video clip that includes a “lost” guitar solo left off a classic Beatles track.

In the video, Sir George Martin, Giles Martin and Dhani Harrison hear individual tracks from “Here Comes The Sun.” As the tune spools along, the three listen intently, soloing George Harrison’s vocals and enjoying what they find, until they unearth a surprise: a forgotten electric guitar solo left out of the final mix that everyone knows today.

It’s cool to hear a new variation on the familiar tune and envision the elder Harrison in the studio exploring possibilities with this harmony lead. In the end, of course, the solo was scuttled, which brings up the simple but provocative question: Why?

Editing a mix is never easy and knowing when you’ve taken a song a little too far is always a tough call; perhaps they decided that the strident solo might overpower the rest of the piece. On the other hand, it’s a melodic lead and one could argue that they hurt the song by leaving it out.

So what’s your call? Did they made the right choice by scrapping it? Was it a terrible mistake? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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