The Beatles: Get Back (2021)

[SoMuchTV]

23 hours ago, rmontro said:

 

Don't want to let this thread pass without giving props to Heather for her dead on Yoko impression.  

 

Oh, with all the throwing-in-the-air and kitten-eating, I completely missed this. Can you point out which episode and more or less how far in?  I’ll have to go back and check it out. 

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, SoMuchTV said:

Oh, with all the throwing-in-the-air and kitten-eating, I completely missed this. Can you point out which episode and more or less how far in?  I’ll have to go back and check it out. 

According to Google, it's around 8:35 of part 3.  I think it's a bit before the throwing in the air, and after the kitten eating (although that may have been a different episode).  Heather yells into the mic and John immediately says "Yoko!".  She does it a few times during that visit.  If this information isn't correct, let me know and I will physically hunt it down for you, because it's definitely worth a watch.

Edited December 7, 2021 by rmontro

[Inquisitionist]

Re Epstein's death -- there are so many "what ifs" about the Beatles.   Personally, I've often wondered if they would even have existed if Paul's mother had not died when he was 14.  Mary was quite set on him pursuing his education and Hamburg would not have set well with her -- let alone John Lennon.

I finally got around to reading Tune In a few months ago.  This is the first volume of a planned 3-part definitive biography of the Beatles by Mark Lewisohn.  800 pages covering them through the end of 1962.  They could have fallen apart many times before then -- coincidences played a large role in their ability to continue.  Quite amazing to ponder!

[NoReally]

57 minutes ago, Inquisitionist said:

Re Epstein's death -- there are so many "what ifs" about the Beatles.   Personally, I've often wondered if they would even have existed if Paul's mother had not died when he was 14.  Mary was quite set on him pursuing his education and Hamburg would not have set well with her -- let alone John Lennon.

I finally got around to reading Tune In a few months ago.  This is the first volume of a planned 3-part definitive biography of the Beatles by Mark Lewisohn.  800 pages covering them through the end of 1962.  They could have fallen apart many times before then -- coincidences played a large role in their ability to continue.  Quite amazing to ponder!

Fantastic book! A must-read for any Beatles fan.

[ChicksDigScars]

On 12/4/2021 at 2:39 AM, Jeebus Cripes said:

Facts. George's songs resonate with me the most. While My Guitar Gently Weeps is my favorite Beatles song, and the All Things Must Pass album is just phenomenal. 

And Something remains one of their most covered songs. One of the most covered songs by other artists, in history.

On that thought, Pattie Boyd was the inspiration for Something, as well as Layla and Wonderful Tonight by Clapton. What an icon!

 

 

[ChicksDigScars]

On 11/27/2021 at 7:58 PM, 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!

Yes, this is true. I was nine months old when JFK was assassinated, so my response when anyone asks me "where were you when," is always, "in my playpen." But I do remember the night that I heard Lennon had died (on Monday Night Football from Howard Cosell) and my mother's visceral reaction (he was her favorite Beatle).  When I was going through my mother's things after she died in 2001, she had kept a copy of the next day's Milwaukee Journal, with the headline that Lennon had died. There was a picture of MDC accompanying the article, which she had slashed. Left the article in tact, but slashed Chapman's photo with a scissors or sharp object. 

[katisha]

And it's 41 years ago that we lost John, to the day. 😢

[rmontro]

7 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

But I do remember the night that I heard Lennon had died (on Monday Night Football from Howard Cosell) and my mother's visceral reaction (he was her favorite Beatle). 

I remember it all too well.  Even after all these years I still get upset about it.  Such a horrible act.  For a long time, I would read or watch everything I could get my hands on about the assassination.  But in recent years it's something I would rather avoid thinking about.

[meep.meep]

I finally finished this.  I had the third episode running and my daughter came in and wanted to know if we had time to do something.  Glanced at the screen - they were putting the equipment on the roof and I said, "Sure, it'll take them months to actually get up there."  She replied, "the dwarves assemble a dresser from Ikea."

The man needs an editor.  If you made a drinking game out of every time they play Get Back in Episode 3, you'd get alcohol poisoning.

 

[Inquisitionist]

12 hours ago, meep.meep said:

The man needs an editor.  If you made a drinking game out of every time they play Get Back in Episode 3, you'd get alcohol poisoning.

On the other hand, I'd had no idea they played Get Back so many times.  I enjoyed getting the full rooftop effect, even though it kind of dragged on.

[Fool to cry]

On 12/8/2021 at 6:33 AM, ChicksDigScars said:

Yes, this is true. I was nine months old when JFK was assassinated, so my response when anyone asks me "where were you when," is always, "in my playpen." But I do remember the night that I heard Lennon had died (on Monday Night Football from Howard Cosell) and my mother's visceral reaction (he was her favorite Beatle).  When I was going through my mother's things after she died in 2001, she had kept a copy of the next day's Milwaukee Journal, with the headline that Lennon had died. There was a picture of MDC accompanying the article, which she had slashed. Left the article in tact, but slashed Chapman's photo with a scissors or sharp object. 

I was only 3 when he died. I first learned  about him and the Beatles from a set of 1982 edition encyclopedias my parents bought a few years later. There was one page about the Beatles and the last lines were something like "Fans hopes for a reunion were when ended when John Lennon was assassinated on December 8, 1980. The Magical Mystery Tour was truly over."

 

[Fool to cry]

Also this was the picture on the Beatles encyclopedia article:

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Fool to cry

[Rootbeer]

On 12/7/2021 at 8:14 AM, Inquisitionist said:

Re Epstein's death -- there are so many "what ifs" about the Beatles.   Personally, I've often wondered if they would even have existed if Paul's mother had not died when he was 14.  Mary was quite set on him pursuing his education and Hamburg would not have set well with her -- let alone John Lennon.

I finally got around to reading Tune In a few months ago.  This is the first volume of a planned 3-part definitive biography of the Beatles by Mark Lewisohn.  800 pages covering them through the end of 1962.  They could have fallen apart many times before then -- coincidences played a large role in their ability to continue.  Quite amazing to ponder!

I think you're right, although Paul's tremendous natural talent for music would've led him in that direction career-wise, I think.  There's also the fact that both Paul and John lost their mothers at the same stage in life and I think that commonality helped bring them together as friends and collaborators.

Edited December 14, 2021 by Rootbeer

[Fool to cry]

 

 

 

[katisha]

So I finally finished watching 'Get Back' a week or so ago and as pretty much a lifelong Beatles fan, I have to say I really enjoyed it.  Still trying to gather my thoughts but here are a few random observations.

• One of the more enjoyable Beatles books I've read is 'Waiting For the Beatles' by Carole Bedford, one of the famous Apple Scruffs, and it was good to see the Scruffs represented with a couple of interviews in the documentary.  
• I've always believed that by the time The Beatles were working on 'Let It Be', they were mostly at odds with one another and sometimes could barely stand to be in the same room, so I was quite shocked at how much camaraderie there still was between the four of them, but I was especially surprised to see how John and Paul could still strike sparks off one another creatively.  No wonder poor George had started to feel like the third wheel - because he really was, and he probably would have always been if they'd stayed together a few more years.
• This is a tough one because the documentary obviously required her consent to be made, so there may have been some quite selective editing going on, but...I didn't find Yoko terribly objectionable at all, apart from the interludes of caterwauling which were so brilliantly imitated by little Heather!
• After seeing just how much Billy Preston was able to galvanise the Beatles into action once he started showing up to their sessions, it makes me wonder whether they would even have got as far as they did on that project without his input.
• In recent years, while I haven't ever lost my love of the Beatles and their music, I've been listening to and concentrating on other things, but seeing this documentary has reignited my interest and I am listening to some of their stuff with fresh ears and wanting to seek out any new books I haven't caught up with. 
• Random note - I know everyone smoked in those days, but with the sheer volume of it, can you imagine how dreadful that studio must have smelled with 15 people puffing away constantly all day, every day?  EWWWWWWWW.  It's a wonder only poor George got lung cancer.
• Last but not least, I was blown away by the quality of the footage, which looks like it could have been shot yesterday.

[tessaray]

7 hours ago, katisha said:

This is a tough one because the documentary obviously required her consent to be made, so there may have been some quite selective editing going on, but...I didn't find Yoko terribly objectionable at all, apart from the interludes of caterwauling which were so brilliantly imitated by little Heather!

After watching Get Back, we decided to rewatch Anthology. We watched the 7th episode last night and the guys (Paul especially) were a bit more snarky about Yoko. Paul obviously didn't like how her presence affected his and John's working routines. But it was clear John wanted her with him all the time. 

[Whimsy]

I’m a hard core Beatles fan, like many of you. I’ve was also born in 1972 and was only 6 when John Lennon was killed. The Beatles were always in the background of my childhood, but not too heavily. My parents had some of their albums, but my dad liked country more and my mom liked classical music. I didn’t really come to appreciate them until I was in high school. Since then I’ve watched, read and listened to everything reputable about them I can. I even saw Love in Las Vegas and last week I was finally able to visit Strawberry Field in Central Park. 
 

I kept putting watching this documentary off. I don’t know why, really. Partly, it was the running time because I knew once I started it I was going to finish it the same day. There’s no way I would be able to wait. 
 

Like others, I was very surprised by the film quality. I’m sure there was some digital enhancing but it looks great. 
 

I think they did edit out some not-so-complimentary footage of Yoko and probably even some of the tension between the guys. I also thought that at this stage of their careers that they were barely talking, so I loved all the interactions, joking around and playfulness that we did see, even if it was Interspersed with the tension. 
 

I always knew Paul was a musical genius. It was well documented. But to see him write Get Back in basically 10 minutes was truly amazing to see. For nothing else, I was so honored to get a glimpse of that process. 
 

I appreciated the cameramen getting the raw emotion on each of their faces (well, maybe except Ringo who seems either exhausted or amenable) during some of their interactions. Even though I obviously know what happens soon after this, it was heartbreaking to watch it all fall apart. 

I could’ve sworn I read that Paul had said that “Two of Us” was about him and John because they had drifted apart so much and it was a song to remind them of when they first started the band.  I really swear that’s what I read, but I’ve read so much over the years that I very easily could be wrong and confusing it with something else.  I was just surprised to read here it was supposedly about him and Linda.

Yoko has always annoyed me. I was never one who blamed her for The Beatles breaking up. Even in my younger years I just accepted the band had run it’s course, but man is she annoying. She has zero musical talent.  I hated how she clung to John, but I also know that was at his request. That was in no way a healthy relationship.

I loved hearing how the songs started in one place and ended in another. I was particularly tickled to hear songs that had totally different titles and lyrics but recognized the tunes as something else. The two I can think of right now are On The Road To Marrakesh = Jealous Guy & I Had a Dream = I Want You.  

Im sure it’s not, because why, lol but didn’t it sound like My Country Tis of Thee around the 1:55 mark of episode 3 when they were on the rooftop?
 

The cops that kept trying to get them to stop the concert I wanted to yell at them “Shut up, it’s the FREAKING Beatles!” Although, once they got on the roof they didn’t seem to try very hard to stop it lol.

It’s kind of too bad that the some of the spectators and even The Beatles themselves didn’t appreciate what a monumental moment that really was. 
 

Dig A Pony is one of my all time favs  I have clear memories of my daughter, when she was 2 years old, singing the chorus at the top of her little lungs.  In contrast, The Long and Winding Road is the only Beatles song I cannot stand.  At all.  

 

 

[ProudMary]

4 hours ago, Whimsy said:

Im sure it’s not, because why, lol but didn’t it sound like My Country Tis of Thee around the 1:55 mark of episode 3 when they were on the rooftop?
 

The cops that kept trying to get them to stop the concert I wanted to yell at them “Shut up, it’s the FREAKING Beatles!” Although, once they got on the roof they didn’t seem to try very hard to stop it lol.

Well, you're not completely wrong about the rooftop song that sounded like "My Country Tis of Thee" because they definitely played a few bars of the UK's national anthem,"God Save the Queen," which shares a melody with MCToT.

As to the cops, it seemed to me that several of them were in their twenties themselves and probably were angling for a way to get up on the roof to see The Beatles! 😅

[Inquisitionist]

Elliot Roberts provided a really nice analysis of the series on youtube.  I love his insights!

[chediavolo]

Haven’t watched the rooftop concert yet. Will do tonight. Excited. 

So much hatred for “The Long & Winding Road”. I love it. Was a little girl when it came out & it always made me cry. 

[CountryGirl]

I'm not quite halfway through Part II. I've been trying to watch in batches vs all at once because it's so extraordinary to watch. 

I wasn't even born yet when they broke up but I like to joke that I was a fan from the womb on as both my parents love their music.

George is my favorite Beatle although I'm finding new appreciation for Ringo and just how pleasant he was. He really did - and does - just want to play music and see everyone getting along. But I will always say that George had just as much, if not more, talent as John and Paul, and I think there was a bit of jealousy there. 

For all that Paul seemed to be in charge of the band, particularly after Epstein died (one of the key reasons they disbanded, IMO). his being star-struck by John, even at this stage in their careers, was obvious. The way he would constantly look over at John for confirmation. Their conversation in the cafeteria (and thank you, John, for acknowledging George's very valid beef with the lot of them. Well, probably not Ringo) where Paul started off very much as if he were in the right and George needed to get over himself (the other way 'round, I think and Paul got quieter and quieter as John talked.

The songs that came out of this and to watch "Get Back" in the making is something I'll always remember and view with wonder. 

They were, quite frankly, geniuses at what they did, and the way they wrote songs, many that are my absolute favorites, including "The Long and Winding Road," (which I'm head-tilty at the lack of love for it when I think it was a valentine of sorts for the band), closely followed by "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and tied for 3rd was "Let It Be" and "Something." To hear them working on these songs when they were new is incredible.

What struck me most was that despite the arguments (and there would be more to come), I saw a lot of love and friendship and brotherhood amongst these four and between John, Paul, and George, especially, who had grown up together in the various incarnations of the band. 

Yoko grated because she had no business sitting with the band as if she were its 5th member. I didn't object to her presence but she should have been more in the background. Whether it was John who wanted her close by or she insisted makes no difference. She was a distraction no matter how quietly or not so quietly (my god, the caterwauling!), up in their faces as if to say "you will accept me." It's clear from Paul's comments that they had no real issue with her (as if would have mattered if he had) 

But I don't see her as the reason the band broke up, merely a symptom of them breaking away from each other and wanting to do their own things, which would be normal at this stage in their career and lives, with all of them still under 30 years of age.

That moment when Paul (I think) was talking about how no matter what was coming in the near future, even if they broke up and went their separate ways, his certainty that they'd be playing together when they were old...that broke my heart. How I wish that could have happened. 

[WendyCR72]

By the way, if you are still into owning things on DVD and/or Blu-Ray, the Beatles Store has Get Back up for preorder in both DVD and Blu-Ray formats, being released in February.

[Inquisitionist]

On 1/12/2022 at 4:07 PM, CountryGirl said:

That moment when Paul (I think) was talking about how no matter what was coming in the near future, even if they broke up and went their separate ways, his certainty that they'd be playing together when they were old...that broke my heart. How I wish that could have happened. 

May Pang has said that John was planning to meet up with Paul for some potential collaboration just before Yoko "summoned" him back to New York.  There are some indications that John was open to working with Paul again when John resumed recording in 1980.  What might have been... 😪

[Fool to cry]

On 1/14/2022 at 10:15 AM, Inquisitionist said:

May Pang has said that John was planning to meet up with Paul for some potential collaboration just before Yoko "summoned" him back to New York.  There are some indications that John was open to working with Paul again when John resumed recording in 1980.  What might have been... 😪

You still have 13 albums, 22 singles and 5 movies, all from just 9 years. I'm not saying Beatles fans are spoiled but....

Edited January 20, 2022 by Fool to cry

[CountryGirl]

On 1/14/2022 at 1:15 PM, Inquisitionist said:

May Pang has said that John was planning to meet up with Paul for some potential collaboration just before Yoko "summoned" him back to New York.  There are some indications that John was open to working with Paul again when John resumed recording in 1980.  What might have been... 😪

It's too bad he didn't stay with May. She also encouraged him to start to rebuild a relationship with Julian.

But then Sean would likely not exist.

[katisha]

On 1/21/2022 at 5:04 AM, CountryGirl said:

It's too bad he didn't stay with May. She also encouraged him to start to rebuild a relationship with Julian.

It's almost as though he didn't have a choice, really.  May Pang says in her book that the amount of control Yoko had over John was extremely powerful and it was always only a matter of time before he went back to her once she decided that's what she wanted.  But I agree that May was as good an influence in his life as she was able to be during that Lost Weekend period.

[Mulva]

My thoughts:

Damn, Paul was cute!  I now realize why he was my oldest sister's favorite. 

Loved George's tailored suit with the hot pink pinstripes, Ringo deserves an honorable mention for 60's style.  

Little Heather was adorable.  Yoko's caterwauling, not so much.

George was so underrated, Here Comes The Sun is one of my all time favorite songs.

I've been watching Beatles videos on Youtube for the last week.

 

[Ss55]

I loved everything about this-George is my favorite Beatle. Loved his fashion too! Something and While my Guitar are 2 of my favorites so while I understand and appreciate the genius of Lennon/McCartney the talents of George cannot be denied. Just such a fantastic thing to watch these icons collaborate and produce their magic. 
Two minor scenes I loved: 1) Ringo hanging up what I’m assuming was his kids artwork?  2) at one point Ringo and John are walking out of the studio and put their arms around each other and start skipping. Priceless!

[tessaray]

I need to do a rewatch of this.

I don't know if anyone here listens to the Happier podcast by Gretchen Rubin & Liz Craft (Happier in Hollywood) but she's used insights gathered  from Get Back over the last 8 months or so. 

[BetterButter]

Beatles’ 1970 ‘Let It Be’ Documentary, Out of Circulation for Four Decades, Headed to Disney+ After Restoration by Peter Jackson’s Team