According to NME , an audio clip recorded on a previously unreleased tape reveals that the Beatles considered replacing George Harrison with Eric Clapton .
The material in question is part of more than 120 hours of never-before-heard audio and 50 hours of never-before-seen footage that were recorded while the band was working on their last album, Let It Be . Some of the rare material will be included in the Disney+ The Beatles: Get Back , directed by Peter Jackson ( The Lord of the Rings ).
The tape in question reportedly shows a conversation between John Lennon , Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr about the temporary absence of George Harrison, who had left the band in 1969 claiming that his music wasn't receiving as much attention as Lennon and McCartney's. The departure worried Paul and Ringo, but John Lennon was more pragmatic.
“[Harrison’s attitude] was an open wound and we allowed it to get deeper and didn’t even give him bandages,” says Lennon. “I think if George doesn’t come back by [next week] we’ll have to ask Eric Clapton to play.”
Six days later, George Harrison was back in the studio and a replacement wasn't needed.
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