Glyn Johns

Glyn Thomas Johns (born 15 February 1942) is an English recording engineer and record producer. He has worked with many of the most famous rock recording acts from both the UK and abroad, such as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Kinks, Eagles, Bob Dylan, the Band, Eric Clapton, the Clash, the Steve Miller Band, Small Faces, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and Joan Armatrading.

The years 1964–1984 marked Johns's peak era of activity in which he engineered or produced numerous hit records. In 1965 Johns became one of the first independent British recording engineers to operate freelance rather than under the hire of a particular record label or studio. He was involved in making some of the most influential albums of the rock era such as Beggars Banquet and Let it Bleed by the Rolling Stones, Who's Next by the Who, and Led Zeppelin's debut album. Johns was the chief engineer during the Beatles' Get Back sessions for what became the Let It Be album, as documented in the films Let it Be (1970) and The Beatles: Get Back (2021). Since 1984 Johns has continued to be active in the industry.

Work with The Beatles
Glyn Johns worked as the chief recording engineer on the Beatles' "Get Back" sessions, which were both taped and filmed. The project resulted the Let It Be album and Let it Be (1970) and The Beatles: Get Back (2021) documentary films. In 1969, Paul McCartney called Johns and asked him to assist with sessions. George Martin, though officially listed as the producer, only made occasional appearances. During taping and shooting, John Lennon in jest referred to him as "Glynis" (referring to the apparently unrelated actress Glynis Johns).

According to Johns, he suggested that band play a concert on the rooftop of their Apple Studio facility, where much of the sessions were being recorded and filmed, and rigged the recording wires onto the rooftop connected to control room for the performance. He also recommended that the album be structured as an "audio documentary" with talk and banter included between each track. Johns helped the band compile several versions of the album, all of which got shelved before the project was turned over to producer Phil Spector in 1970, who reworked it and released it as the album Let It Be.

Johns engineered early recorded parts of the song "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" at Trident Studios on 23 February 1969, that in later finished form appeared on the Abbey Road album. For Abbey Road 's remaining tracks, the group returned to EMI Studios and re-united with producer George Martin and a team of engineers including Geoff Emerick, Phil McDonald, Alan Parsons.

Johns assisted with early sessions of Paul McCartney and Wings' Red Rose Speedway. Johns quit the project due to what he described as his lack of satisfaction with the material.