At Abbey Road, George Harrison scared the other members of the Beatles in the middle of recording ‘Helter Skelter’
Normally, there aren’t many surprises when recording songs and records in a studio. However, the legendary guitarist George Harrison almost ended the Beatles with fire in Abbey Roadwhen the Fab Four produced the songHelter Skelter.”
It’s worth remembering howHelter Skelter” is part of the album The Beatles (1968), also known as The White Album. The track was recorded on September 10, 1968, with production by Chris Thomas It is Ken Scott as an engineer.
According to information from Showbiz Cheat Sheetin the book The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (1988), written by Mark Lewisohnit was reported how this session was filled with chaos, mainly due to George Harrison.
“While Paul McCartney did the vocals [de ‘Helter Skelter‘], George Harrison had set fire to an ashtray and was running around the studio with it above his head,” he said. Chris Thomas in the book. “In short, a rather rambunctious session, one might say!”
As the site reported, on some of the multitrack versions of the iconic song, you can hear McCartney saying, “You coming, son? I saw you do it, you brat. Put your goddamn hands on your head, let’s go!” One of the hypotheses is that this speech may have been a response to what Harrison he did.
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Ringo Starr was also traumatized by recording ‘Helter Skelter’ with the Beatles
drummer of Beatles, Ringo Starr revealed difficulties playing the instrument in the recording of “Helter Skelter,” so much so that he shouted “I have blisters on my fingers” at the end of the track. The musician witnessed the start of a fire caused by George Harrison and recalled how the scene was “complete madness.”
‘Helter Skelter‘ was a track we did in total madness and hysteria in the studio. Sometimes you just needed to shake up the ad-libs, and with that song – the bass line from paul and my battery – paul started screaming and screaming and made it all up on the spot.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
