Producer Eddie Kramer told The French Connection podcast that The Beatles recorded background vocals at a studio for The Rolling Stones, and then were unable to get into the studio sometime later. The Beatles ‘Saved Life’ Of U2 Member.
And the two Beatles sessions you were involved with?
“‘All You Need Is Love,’ which I did, and also ‘Baby You’re a Rich Man.’ The Beatles actually came to the Olympic twice.
“The first time they came was to do ‘Baby You’re a Rich Man.’ Both times they couldn’t get into their own bloody studio, which is hilarious.”
It was booked to someone else?
“It was booked, they couldn’t get in, so who do they call? Olympic. Because we were cool, we weren’t controlled by any of the major labels.
“Because you know what happens, in those days the EMI, Phillips, all of those labels had their own studios, and they insisted that the artists record in those studios.
“On this occasion, they couldn’t get in, and they said, ‘Olympic? Yeah, we know these guys.’ In fact, The Beatles had already been there to help The Stones sing background vocals.
“But still, having The Beatles come to Olympic, it was like, ‘Whew, OK, rock royalty is coming.’ Yeah, we’re doing The Stones, Hendrix and all the rest of that, it was fantastic, but The Beatles were on a different level in some ways.
“Then they came back for ‘All You Need Is Love,’ and I got the call to do the session, and they walk in, ‘Hey, guys, how are you doing?’
“And John [Lennon] sits next to me at the producer’s desk, pulls out an acoustic guitar and starts jamming, and I’m thinking, ‘He wants to sit there and he wants to sing while they’re in there.’
“That’s what I surmised, he didn’t say, and I quickly figured how to patch the vocal mic, which was the talk-back mic into the headphones, and the guys were just walking out of the studio.
“There goes George [Harrison], ‘Oh, yeah, I think I’ll play this harpsichord over here,’ and Paul [McCartney] goes out into the studio, ‘Oh, this string bass over here, I think I’ll play the string bass.’
“It was his bass, and he just picks it up, ‘Right, quick, bring the bloody mic over.'” Ultimate-Guitar transcribed his comments.
