As one of rock’s most celebrated guitarists, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones knows the difference between a great performance and a great recording. While Richards has praised George Harrison’s playing over the years, he’s admitted that some early Beatles albums didn’t flatter Harrison’s guitar tone.
Richards on Early Beatles Recordings
In The Beatles’ early days, they were often compared to The Rolling Stones as the two biggest British rock acts of the 1960s. But Richards insists the bands’ backgrounds were different.
The Beatles cut their teeth in the gritty Hamburg club scene, while The Stones emerged from London’s blues underground. Still, not all of that live rawness translated well to the studio — especially on their first albums.
The band’s debut, Please Please Me (1963), was famously recorded in a single day to capture their stage energy. John Lennon shredded his voice on “Twist and Shout” during the final take, but Richards felt that speed came at a cost to Harrison’s guitar sound.
The Guitar Tone Problem
Richards noted that early Beatles guitar tracks could sound thin, distant, or even out of tune. He singled out songs like “Do You Want to Know a Secret” for their tuning issues, and suggested the production played a big role:
“I think George would agree with me that George Martin didn’t serve his guitar sound as well as it could have been done. But it was early days, and they were recording an album at night… It was purely the recording sound, nothing to do with George, who was a great friend of mine.”
Harrison’s Growth into a Guitar Great
While Richards had his critiques, he also acknowledged Harrison’s remarkable evolution. As The Beatles embraced new studio techniques and effects, Harrison developed a lyrical, song-serving style.
From the elegant solo on “Something” to the shimmering Leslie-processed guitar on “Let It Be,” Harrison became one of rock’s most tasteful and inventive players.
From Rough Beginnings to Studio Mastery
For Richards, those early Beatles albums — imperfections and all — are still vital to the band’s legacy. They tell the story of a group that grew from raw club energy into one of the most sophisticated recording acts in history. Without those rough beginnings, classics like “Taxman” and “Nowhere Man” might never have happened.
