John – lead
vocals, acoustic guitar
Paul – piano
George – rhythm guitar
Ringo – drums
Billy Preston – organ
George Martin – shaker
You wait years for a Beatle song in triple time to come along, and then three turn up at once. Following John’s 3/4 ‘Dig A Pony’ and George’s heavy waltz, comes this contribution to the mix. Just two songs in the Beatles’ catalogue are credited to all four members, the instrumental ‘Flying’ and the glorified jamming session of ‘Dig It’.
‘Dig It’ is, of course, really John’s song, and this is a mere fifty-second excerpt from a twelve-and-a-half minute epic. A longer extract can be seen in the Let It Be film (and heard on the aborted Get Back LP). It is a rolling, four-bar exercise in word association, with a blues-based F–Bb–C–Bb (I–IV–V–IV) progression, a varying tempo, and an instrumental free-for-all. Strange but true, although the song sounds like a one-off jam, it was played in the sessions on 24, 26, 27 and 29 January, although in rather different guises. The first version, from 24 January, is heavier in style and strangely repeats the same list of a dozen or so songs recorded during the sessions: “… Don’t Let Me Down, Get Back, I’ve Got A Feeling, Two Of Us, All I Want Is You, Teddy Boy, One After 909, All Things Must Pass …”.
The released track is the second version of the song, the beginning of which features a bit of youthful harmonising from Paul’s soon-to-be step-daughter Heather. Paul’s own supporting vocal is mixed out of the last part of the album track. The final two versions of the song were merely recaps, the 27 January take being somewhat reminiscent of ‘I’ve Got A Feeling’, and the last version featuring scat vocals from Paul.
The link into the following track – “that was ‘Can You Dig It’ by Georgie Wood. Now we’d like to do ‘’Ark The Angels Come’” – which was taken from version one of the song, is brilliantly, mischievously inspired.