The captions tell us that Billy is off doing Lulu’s TV show; he is, after all, in town to get his own career off the ground. John remarks that Apple managed to sign Billy, and that George will be producing him. George, ever fiscally responsible, comments that they’d have to figure out how to pay him; were they to use Nicky Hopkins or somebody like that, union session rates would dictate. John and George figure Billy might as well become a full-fledged fifth Beatle, while Paul counters, humorously yet accurately, that it’s “bad enough with four.”
Michael asks if they have any new numbers; George Martin remarks, “You’re writing all the time, aren’t you, John?” This prompts John to pull out “Child Of Nature”, still referred to as “On The Road To Marrakesh”, which is somewhat limp. Glyn, still hammering out the sound, asks Paul to try a different bass, and we see him switch to the Rickenbacker, resplendent in its psychedelic paint job. After a few snatches of oldies, John remarks, “We seem to be at a loss without Billy”; based on their performances so far today, he’s not wrong.
In order to boost their energy, they decide to work on ones that haven’t been worked on as much, starting with “Two Of Us”. For a chance of pace, they try it acoustic, as opposed to the rocked-up versions at Twickenham. There is discussion about the pros and cons of using bass on the song, but they soon find their way to the tempo and style of the finished track. John and Paul find their Everly Brothers harmonies right away, to John’s visible delight. Yoko is at his side, but not in anybody’s way. Ethan can be spotted crouching throughout the studio space, but they don’t seem to notice or mind him either. Mal, who was seen earlier playing a tambourine with absolutely no sense of rhythm, takes the lunch orders while George thanks him for the bow ties he found. He also continues to dutifully write down any lyrics that emerge just in case.
In between takes of “Two Of Us”, John submits “Polythene Pam” and George tries out the “Hawaiian” lap steel while Paul plays “Her Majesty”, then tries to teach them “Teddy Boy”. It’s a complicated song, so John starts doing square dance calls to mask his disinterest. Billy arrives in time for tea and a few busks of “Maggie Mae”, one of which will make the eventual album, while another morphs into “Fancy My Chances With You”, another early Lennon-McCartney original.
Up until now, Ringo has been thumping along, merely keeping time, but the scene switches to a loose jam around a “can you dig it” theme, with John on the Hawaiian and Paul back on bass. The jam ends just as Pattie Harrison is seen for the first time all month, making her way through the cables to greet George with a kiss. John explains, “That was ‘Can You Dig It’ by Georgie Wood, and now we’d like to do ‘‘Ark the Angels Come’,” a quip that will be included on the eventual album.
John is still playing his electric guitar as the day wraps up, Ringo shows off his new Sony camcorder, and George asks George Martin how his own studio is coming together. For his part, Big George comments, “You’re working so well together. You’re looking at each other, you’re seeing each other. It’s happening, isn’t it?”
It’s not the most musically exciting day, but they’re simply doing what they do. The discomfort and ennui from earlier in the month seem ages ago. As we near the end of part 2 of Jackson’s edit, they’re on their way to something.
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