On Wednesday 9 July 1969, The Beatles began recording 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' at Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road. The session ran from 2.30pm to 10.15pm. The producer was George Martin; the engineer was Phil McDonald.
It was the first of three consecutive July sessions that would complete the song ā aside from a Moog synthesiser overdub added in August. By the end of the day, 21 takes of the backing track had been recorded, with acoustic guitar overdubs added to the final two choruses of take 21. The session also introduced one of the more unusual features of the Abbey Road recordings: a hospital bed, installed in the studio for Yoko Ono.
Yoko Ono's Bed in Studio Two
On 1 July 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono had been involved in a car crash in Scotland. Ono was still recuperating when the Abbey Road sessions resumed, and Lennon insisted she be present. A double bed was brought into Studio Two and an ambulance delivered Ono to the session, where she was lowered onto it. A microphone was set up above her in case she wished to participate.
"We were setting up the microphones for the session and this huge double-bed arrived. An ambulance brought Yoko in and she was lowered down onto the bed, we set up a microphone over her in case she wanted to participate and then we all carried on as before! We were saying, 'Now we've seen it all, folks!'"
ā Martin Benge, studio technician, quoted in The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn
Paul McCartney later reflected on the strain this arrangement placed on the sessions:
"This was one of the things that put a strain on the sessions. From their point of view, it was just that she had been ordered by a doctor to lie down and that John needed her to be with him. The three of us, we didn't quite get it. It was completely unusual for the Beatles to work in that way and it put a strain on it. Yoko has since told me that if for any reason she ever sat remotely nearer to me than to John, then he would give her hell when he got her home. 'You were sitting nearer to Paul than to me!' John was very paranoid in that way. One of the things most people don't know about John is that a lot of his genius was a cover-up for his paranoia."
ā Paul McCartney, Many Years From Now by Barry Miles
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The Session: 21 Takes
The backing track for 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' was recorded across 21 numbered takes, though takes 6 through 10 were not used ā making the effective count 16 usable takes. The lineup for the backing track was:
- Paul McCartney ā piano and guide vocals (track three and track eight)
- George Harrison ā bass guitar (track one)
- Ringo Starr ā drums (track two)
Towards the end of the session, acoustic guitars were overdubbed onto the last two choruses of take 21. The session established the basic architecture of the released version, which would be completed across two further sessions later in July, with a Moog synthesiser overdub added in August.
Take 5 from this session was later released on the Anthology 3 album, offering a rare glimpse of the song at this early stage: McCartney singing and playing piano, Harrison on bass, Starr on drums, with the arrangement still taking shape.
Take 12 was included on some formats of the 50th anniversary reissue of Abbey Road, released in 2019.
Maxwell's Silver Hammer: The Song's History
'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' had a longer pre-history than most Abbey Road tracks. Paul McCartney had first performed it during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions in January 1969, playing it on 7 January and on 3, 8, and 10 January as well. McCartney was convinced it was a potential single. The rest of the group were considerably less enthusiastic.
John Lennon's view of the song was famously dismissive. He regarded it as exactly the kind of lightweight, music-hall-inflected pop that he had been trying to move away from since the mid-1960s. George Harrison and Ringo Starr were similarly unenthusiastic about the amount of studio time it consumed. The song's cheerful melody ā set against lyrics about a serial killer named Maxwell Edison who dispatches his victims with a silver hammer ā was precisely the kind of McCartney composition that divided the band.
McCartney, however, was determined. The Abbey Road sessions gave him the opportunity to record it properly, and he took it. Three consecutive July sessions ā 9, 10, and 11 July ā plus the August Moog overdub produced the finished track.
Phil McDonald: The Engineer
The session was engineered by Phil McDonald, who had been working at EMI Studios since the mid-1960s and had been involved in Beatles recordings from Sgt. Pepper's onwards. McDonald took over as principal engineer for the Abbey Road sessions after Geoff Emerick ā who had engineered the early White Album sessions ā returned to the project. (Emerick had walked out of the White Album sessions in July 1968 but came back for Abbey Road.)
McDonald's role on Abbey Road was significant: he was present for many of the album's key sessions and his work contributed to the album's distinctive, clean sound ā a deliberate contrast to the more experimental textures of the White Album.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Maxwell's Silver Hammer recorded?
Maxwell's Silver Hammer was recorded across three consecutive sessions at Abbey Road: 9, 10, and 11 July 1969. A Moog synthesiser overdub was added in August 1969. The song had previously been performed during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions in January 1969.
How many takes did it take to record Maxwell's Silver Hammer?
On 9 July 1969 alone, 21 takes were numbered, though takes 6ā10 were not used, making 16 effective takes on that day. The song was completed across three sessions in July 1969 plus a Moog overdub in August.
Why was there a bed in Abbey Road Studio Two during the Maxwell's Silver Hammer session?
Yoko Ono had been injured in a car crash on 1 July 1969. John Lennon insisted she be present at the sessions while she recuperated. A double bed was brought into Studio Two and Ono was delivered by ambulance. A microphone was set up above her in case she wished to participate.
Is Maxwell's Silver Hammer on Anthology 3?
Yes. Take 5 from the 9 July 1969 session was released on Anthology 3, featuring Paul McCartney on piano and vocals, George Harrison on bass, and Ringo Starr on drums. Take 12 from the same session was included on some formats of the 50th anniversary Abbey Road reissue in 2019.
Who played what on Maxwell's Silver Hammer?
On the 9 July 1969 backing track session: Paul McCartney played piano and sang guide vocals; George Harrison played bass guitar; Ringo Starr played drums. Acoustic guitar overdubs were added later in the session. A Moog synthesiser overdub was added in August 1969.
More from On This Day in Beatles History
- Abbey Road: The Beatles' Final Masterpiece
- Get Back/Let It Be Sessions ā 7 January 1969
- Recording: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da / Revolution ā 9 July 1968
- On This Day in Beatles History ā full archive
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