The Beatles: Get Back (2021) - General Discussion

[VCRTracking]

 

 

[Ashforth]

I came here to post this! It did bring a smile and made me jam out on my couch. 

[Morrigan2575]

Saw this on Twitter earlier. It really made me happy and a little sad

[VCRTracking]

13 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Saw this on Twitter earlier. It really made me happy and a little sad

So I have a theory that the reason the Beatles remembered the "Get Back" sessions as "miserable"  was because they were meant to be for something bigger. It was all supposed to lead to a triumphant return to performing onstage, hence the title "Get Back". The cameras were there to record rehearsal for this big concert which was also going to be released as a live album. Paul especially wanted to play in front of an audience again. All the songs were written to be played live instead of Sgt Pepper-style studio productions. None of the Beatles could agree on what the venue should be. Finally after weeks of indecision they gave up and settled on just going up on the roof and playing during lunch hour when all the office workers in London's financial district were out which must have felt anticlimactic for them at the time. They went from Shea Stadium to playing for bankers on a lunch break, and it only got a minor mention in the local papers the next day. Weeks of rehearsal were seemingly wasted. It's no wonder they wanted to move on and left what they recorded to Phil Spector. It was only a year later, when the movie came out(now titled LET IT BE) and they officially broke up that the rooftop show gained legendary status for being the last live performance by the Beatles. 

Edited December 22, 2020 by VCRTracking

[WendyCR72]

Can't wait to see this! Loved the sneak peek! The Beatles site also has a companion book up for pre-order.

[Kromm]

On 12/21/2020 at 8:33 PM, Morrigan2575 said:

Saw this on Twitter earlier. It really made me happy and a little sad

Yeah, almost immediately we get to see Yoko:  The Band Ruiner!  So a little sad... 

[Simon Boccanegra]

I only got to see the original Let It Be documentary a few years ago. For about 40 years it has been kept off the market, and I'd heard about how dreary and acrimonious it was, how it painted the group's members in the worst light. Maybe going into it with those expectations affected the way I perceived it, but it really wasn't so bad. Certainly, it isn't the nonstop bickering and bad feeling I'd expected. And it's good fun to hear them sounding so ragged in rehearsals, trying to find the right shape for now-famous songs that were in various stages of completeness.

The worst I could say, really, is that the first hour or so is disjointed and meandering. Lindsay-Hogge just runs a lot of episodes and incidents in a random sequence: here's something cute, here's something intriguing, here's something tedious that goes on too long, and you only really know we've moved to a different day because the clothes change. It only takes off as a special documentary when they get to the rooftop.

I'm eager to see the new film.

[VCRTracking]

1 hour ago, Simon Boccanegra said:

I only got to see the original Let It Be documentary a few years ago. For about 40 years it has been kept off the market, and I'd heard about how dreary and acrimonious it was, how it painted the group's members in the worst light. Maybe going into it with those expectations affected the way I perceived it, but it really wasn't so bad. Certainly, it isn't the nonstop bickering and bad feeling I'd expected. And it's good fun to hear them sounding so ragged in rehearsals, trying to find the right shape for now-famous songs that were in various stages of completeness.

The worst I could say, really, is that the first hour or so is disjointed and meandering. Lindsay-Hogge just runs a lot of episodes and incidents in a random sequence: here's something cute, here's something intriguing, here's something tedious that goes on too long, and you only really know we've moved to a different day because the clothes change. It only takes off as a special documentary when they get to the rooftop.

I'm eager to see the new film.

My guess is Hogge wanted to get away from the Beatles' image of "lovable, cheeky moptops" from A HARD DAYS NIGHT and HELP! and portray them as serious musicians who sometimes argue with each other. He couldn't have known  that when the movie was finally released a year later the band was going to break up and the film would turn into a documentary of that. 

[rmontro]

On 12/25/2020 at 12:32 PM, Simon Boccanegra said:

The worst I could say, really, is that the first hour or so is disjointed and meandering.

Agree with your assessment.  I have Let it Be on Betamax in a box somewhere.  I probably could have gotten decent money for it on eBay at one time.  Anyway, I always thought Let it Be was so sloppily and haphazardly slapped together.  I'm hoping that Peter Jackson can find some sort of coherent structure in there and present that.

[Milburn Stone]

So, the 56 hours of never-before-seen footage that the new film is made from--is that footage shot by Lindsay-Hogg for Let It Be but never used? If not, what are the sources of the footage?

[Simon Boccanegra]

@Milburn Stone: Yes. Lindsay-Hogg and his crew were shooting at Twickenham for the whole of January 1969. What made it into Let It Be was just an 80-minute sliver.    

In fact, the rough cut of Lindsay-Hogg's film itself was an hour longer than what was eventually released to theaters. That version was only seen by the inner circle. Apparently it had a lot more of Yoko in it ("[T]he other three didn't really think that was appropriate," per Lindsay-Hogg).  

It's possible the Jackson film will have some overlap with Lindsay-Hogg's, but I gather that the majority of it will be new.

[VCRTracking]

From the album Wikipedia page.

"[6] According to journalist Michael Housego of the Daily Sketch, disagreements between Harrison and Lennon descended into violence with them allegedly throwing punches at each other. Harrison denied this in a 16 January interview for the Daily Express, saying: "There was no punch-up. We just fell out." After lunch, Harrison announced that he was "leaving the band now" and told the others "see you round the clubs".

This is probably the reason for this moment in the trailer presumably after they relocated to the Apple building:

 

 

Edited January 20, 2021 by VCRTracking

[BetterButter]

Peter Jackson’s ‘The Beatles: Get Back’ is Now a Six-Hour Documentary Series, Will Hit Disney+ in November

[Morrigan2575]

4 hours ago, BetterButter said:

Peter Jackson’s ‘The Beatles: Get Back’ is Now a Six-Hour Documentary Series, Will Hit Disney+ in November

Oh that's awesome

[Fool to cry]

New trailer:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Morrigan2575]

Watching the first part. I'm enjoying it, it's amazing to see the songs take shape and come to life. 

The relationships are fascinating as well. How they interact with each other and, even the most basic scene of George and Ringo talking about something they watched on BBC2

[Fool to cry]

Favorite moment is an hour in, it's the morning of Day 4. John is late, and the other Beatles are sitting there waiting. Paul passes the time strumming his bass uptempo and mumbling in front of a bored George and Ringo. After a few minutes of fiddling around Paul's riff turns into what we recognize as "Get Back" with improvised lyrics. George realizes he has something good and starts playing along with guitar. Ringo begins clapping a rhythm then goes to his drums. John finally arrives and without a word just sits down, takes his guitar and plays with the three of them as they all play on "Get Back" for the first time. Magic.

 

Edited November 29, 2021 by Fool to cry

[stonehaven]

I'm only 40 minutes in and oh God, do I love it....George doing an early version of All Things Must Pass. John and Paul figuring out the bridge of "I've Got a Feeling"..and George breaking into "Every Little Thing". The magic, the relationship...all there....and there's still so much more to see and savor....

[Inquisitionist]

Mistakes in the opening minute of Get Back:

John invited Paul to join the Quarrymen in 1957 not 1956, at which time Paul was 15 not 14. George was 14, not 13, when he joined the group. This is so well documented, how could Peter Jackson get it wrong? Grrrr.

[Morrigan2575]

13 hours ago, Fool to cry said:

Favorite moment is an hour in, it's the morning of Day 4. John is late, and the other Beatles are sitting there waiting. Paul passes the time strumming his unplugged bass uptempo and mumbling in front of a bored George and Ringo. After a few minutes of fiddling around Paul's riff turns into what we recognize as "Get Back" with improvised lyrics. George realizes he has something good and starts playing along with guitar. Ringo begins clapping a rhythm then goes to his drums. John finally arrives and without a word just sits down, takes his guitar and plays with the three of them as they all play on "Get Back" for the first time. Magic.

 

I did love that too.

[WendyCR72]

I debated putting this here or in the music forum. Before I did, I did a search, and nothing popped up for this. Since it is a "special", I decided this is where it belongs. (If not, one of my fellow mods can alert me! Ditto if something for this already exists.)

Has anyone been watching? I loved Part 1. Even started Part 2, but with it dropping at 3:00 a.m. ET, no way was I watching over 2 hours' worth then!

One of the things that struck me was how unobtrusive Yoko Ono seemed to be in Part 1. For all of the talk of Yoko breaking up the Beatles, I thought she would have been obnoxious or something. But she sat quietly, and even chatted with the future Linda McCartney affably enough.

Speaking of which, it was obvious by their little cuddle between musical numbers just how much Paul and Linda were taken with each other.

1969 Ringo was still as chill as 2021 Ringo, except for being younger, and except for defending his mates for being cranky.

It stunned me how it seemed Paul pulled the seeds for "Get Back" out of thin air.

What do you think?

[chitowngirl]

26 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

I debated putting this here or in the music forum. Before I did, I did a search, and nothing popped up for this. Since it is a "special", I decided this is where it belongs. (If not, one of my fellow mods can alert me! Ditto if something for this already exists.)

Has anyone been watching? I loved Part 1. Even started Part 2, but with it dropping at 3:00 a.m. ET, no way was I watching over 2 hours' worth then!

One of the things that struck me was how unobtrusive Yoko Ono seemed to be in Part 1. For all of the talk of Yoko breaking up the Beatles, I thought she would have been obnoxious or something. But she sat quietly, and even chatted with the future Linda McCartney affably enough.

Speaking of which, it was obvious by their little cuddle between musical numbers just how much Paul and Linda were taken with each other.

1969 Ringo was still as chill as 2021 Ringo, except for being younger, and except for defending his mates for being cranky.

It stunned me how it seemed Paul pulled the seeds for "Get Back" out of thin air.

What do you think?

There’s a thread going in the Movies section….

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, chitowngirl said:

There’s a thread going in the Movies section….

Thanks! Will lock this one. :)

[WendyCR72]

7 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I did love that too.

Loved that, too.

Paul seemed to pull the seeds of "Get Back" out of thin air, too. Amazing.

What got me is how respectful/quiet Yoko Ono was. For all the talk of how she "broke up The Beatles", she seemed to stay out of the way and seemed to get along with Linda (Eastman) McCartney.

I did feel for George, seeing Paul/John just gelling together, probably feeling left out/ignored. I can see why things went as they did at the end. Started Part 2 - but as it was just after 3:00 a.m., stopped. Will go watch now.

But I like this a lot so far!

[tessaray]

I only had a chance to see the first hour or so last night but was fascinated watching the songs develop. The Two of Us is one of my favorite songs. Not a huge fan of Get Back but yes, it was amazing to see it just appear out of nowhere and the other guys jump in.

All the reviews seem to complain about it being too long and jumbled with no narrative line but as the days are crossed off the calendar,  you can feel the tension start to ratchet up. So I disagree with that assessment. 

[rmontro]

49 minutes ago, tessaray said:

All the reviews seem to complain about it being too long and jumbled with no narrative line but as the days are crossed off the calendar,  you can feel the tension start to ratchet up. 

I agree, I like the added feature of the days being crossed off.  It seems like their schedule was crazy, and they must have had a lot of confidence in their songwriting and creative abilities to work under such a short deadline.  The result wasn't one of their best loved albums, but it's still impressive, especially with John and Paul largely depleted from having done the White Album.

[WendyCR72]

This has often been said by fans, but I will say this much, regarding "Two of Us" in Part 2: I have often heard that Paul McCartney has claimed it was about him and Linda, but watching it come alive, I will never believe that. It screams John and Paul, to me.

ETA: Seeing/hearing so many songs from "Abbey Road" being "born" here, I forgot that the guys were also recording that, and it was actually the true final album. ("Let It Be" was released to - IIRC - fulfill a contractual obligation as the band still owed the label an album.)

[rmontro]

2 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

This has often been said by fans, but I will say this much, regarding "Two of Us" in Part 2: I have often heard that Paul McCartney has claimed it was about him and Linda, but watching it come alive, I will never believe that. It screams John and Paul, to me.

It really does seem like they're singing to each other.  I've always seen it that way, and probably always will.  And they probably were, on some level.  But I've heard an interview with McCartney, and he talks about how "wearing raincoats", "Sunday driving", "writing letters", and "chasing paper" were actually things he and Linda had recently done on an outing.  So it does appear to have actually been about him and Linda.  Even if, as you say, it takes on new life in the studio.

John had a history of thinking Paul's lyrics referred to him (Hey Jude and Too Many People come to mind), but I don't remember any comments about this song that he made.  Hey Jude was of course written to comfort Julian after John and Cynthia divorced.  But there were more layers to it than that.  When John heard it, he said "It's me, isn't it?".  And Paul said "No, it's me".  Speaks a little bit about the universal appeal of the lyrics, which I always thought were among Paul's best. 

[Jeebus Cripes]

6 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

What got me is how respectful/quiet Yoko Ono was. For all the talk of how she "broke up The Beatles", she seemed to stay out of the way and seemed to get along with Linda (Eastman) McCartney.

I did feel for George, seeing Paul/John just gelling together, probably feeling left out/ignored. I can see why things went as they did at the end. Started Part 2 - but as it was just after 3:00 a.m., stopped. Will go watch now.

The thing bothered me about Yoko is not that she's there but that she's literally sitting up front as though she is a member of the band. Not just on one occasion but on what seems like a daily basis. This would irritate me beyond the telling even though she isn't saying a word. It's incredibly intrusive. I noticed when Linda was there that she respectively sat a distance away, which is appropriate because she's not a member of the band. I just find it rude on the part of John and Yoko. 

Poor George. I said aloud, "George is so over it" about one minute before he stood up and declared he quit. 

[WendyCR72]

On another note, for anyone that has finished part 2, did anyone else like the more bluesy "Love Me Do" playing in the ending credits?

Just me?  😊

Okay, then! 😎

[Fool to cry]

Honestly I found director Michael Lindsay-Hogg to be far more annoying than Yoko. Despite all the Beatles shooting it down he would just not stop pushing his idea for a live show in an amphitheater in Libya!

[nilyank]

4 minutes ago, Fool to cry said:

Honestly I found director Michael Lindsay-Hogg to be far more annoying than Yoko. Despite all the Beatles shooting it down he would just not stop pushing his idea for a live show in an amphitheater in Libya!

My god that was the absolutely most annoying thing. He would not shut up about his idea in Tripoli.

[WendyCR72]

21 minutes ago, nilyank said:

My god that was the absolutely most annoying thing. He would not shut up about his idea in Tripoli.

And when Linda was talking to him and mentioned how she was talking as a fan, and he is all "I'm a bigger fan than you!" Maybe someone already said this, but that just struck me as an epic douchey thing to say, especially to the girlfriend (at the time) of one of the actual Beatles.

Like, dude, shut up.

And I guess he is still at it today: Rolling Stone had a story on its site about Hogg still stung about the "Let It Be" film 40 years on, and grumbling how he doesn't care if Ringo Starr hated it, etc.

[Fool to cry]

Seeing George in vain giving the reasons why the idea for doing a show in Libya wouldn't work just for practical reasons l now realize George quitting was less his being mad at not having any more songs on his album and more "What we are doing now is insane". To have only two weeks to come up with 14 new songs to perform live for a TV special when they haven't played in front of an audience in two and a half years and most of the songs they've written since required lots of overdubs when they even havent figured out where it's going to be held, all while being filmed by a documentary in a strange empty film studio was INSANE.

[Inquisitionist]

17 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

What got me is how respectful/quiet Yoko Ono was. For all the talk of how she "broke up The Beatles", she seemed to stay out of the way and seemed to get along with Linda (Eastman) McCartney.

 Could be respectful editing.  She screeches in Part II.  And asks George Martin where one can purchase classical music scores.  Seriously? 

10 hours ago, Jeebus Cripes said:

The thing bothered me about Yoko is not that she's there but that she's literally sitting up front as though she is a member of the band. Not just on one occasion but on what seems like a daily basis. This would irritate me beyond the telling even though she isn't saying a word. It's incredibly intrusive. I noticed when Linda was there that she respectively sat a distance away, which is appropriate because she's not a member of the band. I just find it rude on the part of John and Yoko. 

Poor George. I said aloud, "George is so over it" about one minute before he stood up and declared he quit. 

Amen to both of these observations.  George got such short shrift. 

I had not known about his Hare Krishna friends attending at Twickenham, but they also sat quietly at a distance. 

One of my favorite moments is Paul's passive aggressiveness in Part I.  Someone asks his opinion about a graphic design, and he says something like "Ask John and Yoko -- they're artists." (Meanwhile, I'll just sit at the piano spinning out one memorable tune after another.)

[stonehaven]

The descending notes in Let it Be came from George? That was something I did not know. I had heard a bootleg of George doing Mama You've Been on My Mind years ago so to hear it here blew me away. Seeing the guys do "High Heeled Sneakers" was fun especially since that's one of my favorite tracks from Paul's Unplugged.

Seeing George quit was sad and it was even sadder when the others were so "yeah, okay, moving on". Just adding another guitarist won't cut it when it's always been the four of them. There's a connection that even Claption couldn't pierce at that point. 

Across the Universe and Let It Be were things of beauty  from John and Paul but George's songwriting surpass them all.

I thought I would be further along but I've only made it to the end of Part 1. There's just too much to savor...

[ProudMary]

Probably TL;DR but here goes anyway...

Watching the way both Paul and John treated George broke my heart; so dismissive of a talent every bit as strong as their individual talents. You can see the brotherly dynamics at work. First off, they're all still SO young here. Paul, who's also attempting to fill the managerial leadership role of the departed "Mr. Epstein," is all of 26 years old! Old man Lennon's only 28! Baby brother George at 25 is continually having his ideas pushed aside by his big brothers, which we can surmise has been the dynamic since young George joined the band.

George seems to have little recognition of his worth as the lead guitarist for the world's greatest band. While George is a wonderful guitarist, there's a point where he tells Paul that he just can't do what Paul wants him to and if he can't accept that, he should just "get Eric." I can't help but wonder if George's best friend Eric was also sometimes dismissive of George's abilities.

It was great to see/hear the beginnings of a number of songs by George, John and Paul that would ultimately land on their early solo albums, especially George who positively shone as an individual artist following the break-up of the band.

The sequence showing the conception of "Get Back" was truly amazing, seeing McCartney's mind at work. So intimate. It was also extraordinary to hear the original idea for strongly political, pro-immigration lyrics, especially coming from the creative mind of the guy ultimately known for "silly love songs." It really makes you wonder what the world's reaction would have been like had the song been released with those lyrics in 1969.

I'm halfway through Part 2 and I'm really looking forward to seeing the rest of this series. It's truly an historical document.

Edited to add: Yoko really bugged. I'd have had no issues with her presence had she sat off to the side, but being right there with the band was extraordinarily presumptuous and just flat-out wrong. Was John so messed up at this point that he needed an emotional support animal directly by his side at all times? It would have to have been John who told her to stay right with him. I can't imagine any human being who would have the unmitigated gall to put themself directly inside creative sessions of any band, let alone The Beatles. 

There were just so many forces at work here contributing to the band's ultimate demise: The end of the closeness that comes from touring together, especially to the writing duo of Lennon and McCartney; the death of Brian Epstein and the band electing to do it all by themselves; the rise of Harrison as a high-quality songwriter also wanting his talents highlighted. It certainly was far more than, "Yoko broke up the Beatles" as many of us assumed back in the day.

Edited December 4, 2021 by ProudMary

[Inquisitionist]

2 hours ago, ProudMary said:

Baby brother George at 24(!) is continually having his ideas pushed aside by his big brothers, which we can surmise has been the dynamic since young George joined the band.
...

The sequence showing the conception of "Get Back" was truly amazing, seeing McCartney's mind at work. So intimate. 

...

Was John so messed up at this point that he needed an emotional support animal directly by his side at all times?

Not TL at all!  George was actually 25 and close to 26 when this was filmed in Jan. 1969.  He was born in Feburary, 1943.  Paul is 20 months younger than John, and George is only 8 months younger than Paul.  But if you look at photos of 14-year-old George (the age at which he joined the group), he really looks like a little kid.  John and Paul tended to keep him in that "box" despite his growing maturity and creativity.  It really is a little sad.   

It's not often we see the creative process at work so clearly.  I know Paul would often have a tune worked out before coming to the studio, but with Get Back, he really does seem to be composing on the spot.  Extraordinary.

The John/Yoko dynamic eludes me to this day.  John was certainly in the thrall of heavy drugs (though perhaps less so in Jan. 1969 than he had been during the White Album sessions, when Ono first became glued to his side).  I've read and watched a ton of interviews with John and I believe he had some serious psychological issues, including narcissism and paranoia -- a rather deadly combination.  I wish he'd gotten some real treatment somewhere along the way rather than the various snake-oil fads that Yoko appears to have conned him into trying. 

And while McCartney sometimes draws criticism for alleged "revisionism" of the Beatles story... John was a master at this.  I've seen an interview where he slams Let It Be as "granny music" and says he doesn't know what Paul is thinking when he writes something like that.  He didn't seem to mind recording the song, and surely he must have known that "mother Mary" was a reference to Paul's deceased mother.  Even if Paul didn't come out and say that directly to John, it doesn't take a genius to figure it out.  

[WendyCR72]

Just started part 3 (and the last part, which...wah!), and I liked that even Ringo finally gets his due as we see the seeds of "Octopus' Garden" take shape. As I posted prior, I had forgotten (even as I had read such before!) that the songs from "Let It Be" and "Abbey Road" were so linked since they were actually working on the latter, as well, during these sessions.

As I was born in 1972, all of this was just before my time, and it has been such a treat to actually see things one has only read about prior.

[Fool to cry]

There's a moment in the Beatles Anthology documentary that crystalized for me why the band was ultimately doomed.  After manager Brian Epstein has died present day(1995) Paul in a THs "It was sad but we were already starting to manage ourselves by that point." While a post breakup audio of John goes: "I was scared. I had no misconceptions about our ability to just play music. I thought 'We f@#king had it now.'" 

 

Edited November 28, 2021 by Fool to cry

[WendyCR72]

Awww, and George, at the piano with Ringo, helps Ringo sort out the melody for "Octopus' Garden" when Ringo appears a bit stuck. Lennon/McCartney were songwriting geniuses, no doubt, but in the end, so was George Harrison.

It's just too bad it took the end of The Beatles and for "All Things Must Pass" (the album) to make everyone else realize it.

Because Paul McCartney certainly finally got it what with playing some of George's songs at tribute concerts and such.

Makes me sad to think what could have been had John lived and George not gotten cancer. I'd like to think they could have reunited down the road and let all of their combined talents shine to their fullest. Would have made an already iconic band even more mind blowing...

[Scout Finch]

4 hours ago, ProudMary said:

It certainly was far more than, "Yoko broke up the Beatles" as many of us assumed back in the day.

Allen Klein had a large part in that because Paul sued to get free of Klein, who he hadn't wanted to sign with but the other three did. He felt his only way to get out of it was to break up The Beatles by suing them in court. He wanted to sign with Linda's father and brother, who were high-powered New York attorneys. Klein managed the other three's solo careers but eventually they realized that he was basically an underhanded grifter, and they chose not to renew their contracts. John said, "Let's say possibly Paul's suspicions were right...and the timing was right" as one of the reasons. Ensuing legal action between them against Klein and vice versa took place.

Seeing Mal Evans, whose nickname was the "Gentle Giant," was so sad. He was shot to death by police in 1976 in Los Angeles, when they answered an emergency call and mistook the air rifle that Mal, depressed and drugged out on Valium, pointed at them, which they thought was a real rifle.

I can happily go without hearing Yoko's caterwauling. Yikes!

Edited November 28, 2021 by Scout Finch

[Scout Finch]

My mother's generation remembers where they were when they heard JFK was killed and I think the equivalent for my generation (I was born in 1963) has to be John Lennon. I can't remember a time when I didn't love the Beatles and my mom documented in my baby book that I became a fan at age 2. They were my imaginary playmates--along with Gumby and Pokey! My mom also told me that when I was four, there was one day in the car when I was begging her to invite them to dinner and she says she pulled over, opened the door, and said, "Get in, Beatles." I was apparently NOT amused!

Edited November 28, 2021 by Scout Finch

[rmontro]

6 hours ago, ProudMary said:

Watching the way both Paul and John treated George broke my heart; so dismissive of a talent every bit as strong as their individual talents. You can see the brotherly dynamics at work.

It is sad to watch, especially from George's point of view.  I can kind of understand it though.  George's songwriting talents had been slowly blooming throughout the Beatles career, and the band had done just fine with Lennon/McCartney as the main creative force.  I could see why they might be hesitant to make changes to the very successful way the band was operating.  When you have lightning in a bottle, you might not want to change the formula.

It doesn't help that George presents his material in such a self deprecating manner, he doesn't seem to have much confidence in any particular song's chances of being accepted.  John and Paul are like "Okay, we're doing this one", while George seems to have to run his songs through an audition process.  And John and Paul don't always appreciate the brilliance of a particular song while they are still in a raw demo form.

Had they stayed together, I think they would have given George a larger share of songs.  John in one interview talked about a 4/4/4 setup, where an album would have four from Paul, four from John, and four from George.  With a track or two for Ringo.  I think that may have been partly an attempt to slow Paul's input down, because he had become incredibly prolific.  Add that in to a good work ethic, and Paul could churn out the songs.  Meanwhile, John was distracted with Yoko, drugs, and whatever else.

[Fool to cry]

The documentary is getting people to reevaluate Paul's importance. We take it for granted because he is still with us and but he was phenomenally talented. A musical genius and the driving force of the group in the later years. And while John may not be as prolific in these sessions the new footage shows why he was the leader for so long especially in episodes 2 and 3 when he becomes more engaged. He is incredibly charismatic. Funny and magnetic personality and you don't blame Paul for idolizing him or Yoko for wanting to be with him or poor Cynthia too. 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2021 by Fool to cry

[tessaray]

I'm only halfway thru the second episode but just wanted to comment on how much the mood changes (for the better) once Billy Preston comes into the mix. And the move to the Apple studio helped too. Twickenham was so dreary.

[rmontro]

Just finished watching day six and it's amazing how the songs are just flying out from McCartney.  The timing of this filming might have been a bit unfortunate, since John seems to be in a bit of down period, but wow Paul is a song machine here.  Not only has he come up with three of his most classic songs (Let it Be, Long and Winding Road, and Get Back), but also bits from the Abbey Road suite, a later solo hit (Another Day), plus other songs for the album/show.

[Brn2bwild]

I'm working my way through Part 3, but so far, one surprise is how civilized the Beatles sound when they argue, even when they don't know they're being filmed/recorded.  Given John's famous nasty temper, I expected him to start screaming at Paul during their recorded conversation about George.  Instead they sounded polite and reasonable.  In fact, John was fairly agreeable throughout the entire process, whereas George more openly pushed back at ideas that were stupid or wouldn't work.  (Maybe John only screamed at his wives and children?)  

[Inquisitionist]

2 hours ago, Brn2bwild said:

 In fact, John was fairly agreeable throughout the entire process, whereas George more openly pushed back at ideas that were stupid or wouldn't work.  (Maybe John only screamed at his wives and children?)  

John seemed pretty stoned much of the time.

[Trillian]

On 11/26/2021 at 5:57 PM, WendyCR72 said:

Paul seemed to pull the seeds of "Get Back" out of thin air, too. Amazing.

As has been said of an earlier musical genius:  it’s as if he were taking dictation from God.  The scene gave me shivers.

I don’t know if it’s the original film or - more likely - Peter Jackson’s brilliant restoration and editing, but I felt like I was there in the room with them.  When they were talking about set design or some such thing (no idea what because I was so distracted by what was happening in the background) I kept trying to wave them off to be silent:  “Paul’s composing The Long and Winding Road!  Shut up and listen!”   So magical.

 

21 hours ago, Scout Finch said:

My mother's generation remembers where they were when they heard JFK was killed and I think the equivalent for my generation (I was born in 1963) has to be John Lennon. I can't remember a time when I didn't love the Beatles and my mom documented in my baby book that I became a fan at age 2. They were my imaginary playmates--along with Gumby and Pokey! My mom also told me that when I was four, there was one day in the car when I was begging her to invite them to dinner and she says she pulled over, opened the door, and said, "Get in, Beatles." I was apparently NOT amused!

Oh, we are of an age and you took me back to high school, specifically December 9, 1980. Hearing the news before leaving the house, and then, at school, kids wandering the halls crying; others sitting in groups on the floor singing Imagine.  Feeling shell-shocked and numb all day.  You’re right, I think. For a generation (ours), it was one of those “where were you” moments.