One member of The Beatles does not get enough credit for their work on While My Guitar Gently Weeps according to fans of the group.
The Fab Four’s White Album features some of the Beatles‘ all-time greatest efforts. Back in the U.S.S.R, Dear Prudence, and Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, feature on the 1968 release. Though considered one of their greatest achievements, the relationship between the band members was reportedly fractious. Ringo Starr briefly left the group and holidayed in Sardinia as tensions rose between the four-piece. Paul McCartney has since been singled out by fans as the member who does not get enough credit on one of the White Album‘s best songs. A post to the r/PaulMcCartney subreddit saw fans suggest the Wings frontman was behind one of the best-ever moments on the George Harrison-penned While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
The fan praised McCartney’s additions to the song, writing: “I don’t think Paul gets enough credit for While My Guitar Gently Weeps. The bass really drives the song. And I don’t know if that was his violin bass or a Rickenbacker, but the tone he gets in 1968 was just plain heavy duty.
“Chris Squire must have been paying attention to that rich tone. I always hear that Eric Clapton was playing lead, and so he was part of White Album lore – but for me Paul’s bass really makes the songs relentless groove. I did not like the anniversary Giles Martin remix.
“The first 1968 mix was so organic and had a perfect interplay between Clapton’s lead and George’s vocal moaning as the song faded – it was impossible to distinguish between guitar and voice. They nailed it. But in this case, the remix gave too much clarity and made the whole gestalt of the song shift in a less interesting result.”
They continued by criticising the remixed and remastered versions of the song, which seem to take away the “nuanced” power of the original. They added: “Don’t fuck with perfection Giles! It’s about feeling, not technical perfection from a textbook.
“And there was no way to make Paul’s tone more intense, and the result was the new mix, the base is more isolated and emphasised- when the original was nuanced yet so powerful.”
Fans have agreed, and say McCartney does not get enough credit for the contributions he made to Harrison’s work. One wrote: “McCartney doesn’t get enough credit for his contributions to most of George’s songs. He contributed significantly to While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Taxman, Something, Here Comes The Sun…”
Another added: “Even George’s later solo songs are partly influenced by John and Paul. For example, isn’t it a pity it was rehearsed before and I am pretty sure he later just slapped the Hey Jude outro in. John even made suggestions for All Things Must Pass lyrics.”
A third wrote: “George created the riff on And I Love Her. And there’s no And I Love Her without that, but he doesn’t get enough credit either.”
Some users have disagreed, though, and say McCartney already receives enough credit for his work with Harrison. One wrote: “Paul gets plenty of credit. It was George who didn’t get credit for his contributions. Like lyrically on Eleanor Rigby, for example.”
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