The Beatles recorded most of their catalog on four- and eight-track tape at Abbey Road, so isolated tracks reveal decisions you’d never notice in the full mix. Hear Ringo Starr’s drums on Come Together, Paul McCartney’s bass on A Day in the Life, Eric Clapton’s uncredited solo on While My Guitar Gently Weeps and more.
The Beatles isolated tracks on Multitrack Master
| Song | Isolated parts |
|---|---|
| Come Together | drums only |
| Something | drums only, organ and strings only |
| While My Guitar Gently Weeps | Eric Clapton guitar |
| A Day In The Life | bass and drums only |
| Helter Skelter | guitars only |
| I Want You (She's So Heavy) | organ/drums/bass focused mix |
| Oh! Darling | vocal only |
| And Your Bird Can Sing | vocal only |
| Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight | piano only |
| Michelle | guitar only |
What to listen for in The Beatles’s isolated tracks
- Ringo’s fills. Come Together drums-only shows how his loose tom fills became part of the song’s identity.
- McCartney’s melodic bass. On A Day in the Life and Something, the bass plays counter-melodies rather than just root notes.
- Track bouncing. Because they worked on limited tracks, several instruments were often combined onto one tape track, which is why some “isolated” parts contain more than one instrument.
- Lennon and McCartney vocals. Oh! Darling (McCartney) and And Your Bird Can Sing (Lennon) show how different their lead voices were.
About The Beatles
The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) formed in Liverpool and became the most successful band in history. Working with producer George Martin at Abbey Road Studios, they turned the studio itself into an instrument on albums like Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road. In 2023, machine-learning audio separation developed for Peter Jackson’s Get Back was used to rescue John Lennon’s voice from an old demo for the final Beatles song, Now and Then.
The Beatles at a glance
Genre
Rock, pop
Labels
Pariophone
Apple
Capitol
Artist Website Link: https://www.thebeatles.com/
Discography
Please Please Me – Released: 22 March 1963
With The Beatles – Released: 22 November 1963
A Hard Day’s Night – Released: 10 July 1964
Beatles For Sale – Released: 4 December 1964
Help! – Released: 6 August 1965
Rubber Soul – Released: 3 December 1965
Revolver – Released: 5 August 1966
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – Released: 26 May 1967
Magical Mystery Tour – Released: 27 November 1967 (US LP)
8 December 1967 (UK double EP)
The Beatles – Released: 22 November 1968
Yellow Submarine – Released: 13 January 1969
Abbey Road – Released: 26 September 1969
Let It Be – Released: 8 May 1970
MultiTracks
Come Together (drums only) – Beatles
X Beatles | While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Eric Clapton guitar)
Beatles | Something (drums only, organ and strings only)
Beatles | And Your Bird Can Sing (vocal only)
Beatles | I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (organ/drums/bass focused mix)
Beatles | Oh! Darling (vocal only)
Beatles | Golden Slumbers | Carry That Weight (piano only)
Beatles | A Day In The Life (bass and drums only)
Beatles | Helter Skelter (guitars only)
Beatles | Michelle (guitar only)
The Beatles isolated tracks: FAQ
Who played the guitar solo on While My Guitar Gently Weeps?
Eric Clapton played the lead guitar on George Harrison’s While My Guitar Gently Weeps, uncredited on the original White Album release.
How many tracks did the Beatles record on?
Early records used two- and four-track machines; from 1968 Abbey Road had eight-track recorders.
How were the vocals isolated on Now and Then?
Audio separation software developed for the Get Back documentary split Lennon’s voice from the piano on his late-1970s demo, the same idea behind modern AI stem separation.
Want to make your own isolated track of any song? See our guide: Isolated Tracks: What They Are, Where They Come From and How to Make Your Own.