On September 6, 1968, guitarist Eric Clapton entered Abbey Road Studio Two in London to overdub lead guitar onto a newly recorded Beatles song called "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."
During the recording of The Beatles (aka the White Album), Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo Starr were getting on each other's nerves. To lighten the mood a bit, Harrison asked his friend Clapton to play on his new song, which he felt was being unfairly overshadowed by John Lennon's and Paul McCartney's new songs anyway.
Clapton originally wasn't all that into the idea, saying, "Nobody ever plays on the Beatles' records." "So what?" Harrison said. "It's my song." So Clapton showed up—and, as it turned out, the battling Beatles were on their best behavior that day. Anyway, the clip below, which has been available on YouTube for a few years—on and off, features a beautiful isolated recording of Clapton's guitar track from the song—solo and all.
Of course, if you've played The Beatles Rock Band, you might already know about this (and other isolated tracks from Beatles songs). Gear-wise, Clapton played Harrison's red 1957 Gibson Les Paul through a Fender Deluxe amp; other Beatles know-it-alls say it was a Gibson SG with a Maestro Vibrola. You decide! (Hint: It was the Les Paul.)
As a bonus, we've thrown in McCartney's isolated bass track from the song. Enjoy!
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
