dachay2tnr
One Hit Wonder
I’m about halfway through the 2nd episode. Curious as your take. While interesting, it seems to be way longer than it needs to be. But it does show a somewhat unvarnished side of the group. What’cha think?
Anyone Watching The Beatles:Get Back?
- Thread starter dachay2tnr
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TalismanRich
Well-known member
I don't have Disney+. Maybe someday.
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
I'm in two minds about whether to watch it. Starting with the then remaining members doing the anthology in the 90s, there's been this attempt from certain quarters to revise parts of their history and whitewash it, present us with a sanitized version. Ironically, John Lennon felt that this was going on with the Beatles authorized biography by Hunter Davies, as far back as 1968. I actually think he was wrong about that; it was a fairly neutral book. But that led to that infamous round of 'bare all' interviews in the early 70s and for the next 15 or so years, all the Beatles were fairly honest as to their feelings about the period, especially the MMT / White album / Let it be / Abbey Road / Break-up period. Ex ~ wives, like Cynthia and Pattie, didn't spare the revs in their autobiographies and it made for a better understanding of that period, where the band was concerned.
However, much as I enjoy the anthology, I don't think it's as honest as their interviews in the early 70s. When the White album stuff came out in 2018, Giles Martin was keen to show the world that the sessions hadn't been fraught with rancour, and Peter Jackson appears to have wanted something of the same for this project.
On the other hand, I'll probably end up watching it ! My son will be bringing his Xbox back home from Uni in a few weeks ~ he's {much to everyone's surprise} told us he doesn't use it. So my wife will be happy to have Netflix again and Disney+ is also on it. But gone are the days when I'd go out of my way to watch something on or with the Beatles.
It's different with books, though. Some still interest me. I recently read two smashers, one was "Revolver ~ how the Beatles reimagined rock and roll" by Robert Rodriguez, and "Riding so high ~ the Beatles and drugs" by Joe Gooden. Both are tremendous ~ and I'd still love to get my hands on a copy of the companion books that came with the recent 50-year anniversary CDs of Sergeant Pepper, the White album and Abbey Road. But I don't want the CDs, and I'm not shelling out the money for things I don't want.
However, much as I enjoy the anthology, I don't think it's as honest as their interviews in the early 70s. When the White album stuff came out in 2018, Giles Martin was keen to show the world that the sessions hadn't been fraught with rancour, and Peter Jackson appears to have wanted something of the same for this project.
On the other hand, I'll probably end up watching it ! My son will be bringing his Xbox back home from Uni in a few weeks ~ he's {much to everyone's surprise} told us he doesn't use it. So my wife will be happy to have Netflix again and Disney+ is also on it. But gone are the days when I'd go out of my way to watch something on or with the Beatles.
It's different with books, though. Some still interest me. I recently read two smashers, one was "Revolver ~ how the Beatles reimagined rock and roll" by Robert Rodriguez, and "Riding so high ~ the Beatles and drugs" by Joe Gooden. Both are tremendous ~ and I'd still love to get my hands on a copy of the companion books that came with the recent 50-year anniversary CDs of Sergeant Pepper, the White album and Abbey Road. But I don't want the CDs, and I'm not shelling out the money for things I don't want.
spantini
COO of me, inc.
^ ^ +1
I really dig that stuff, not the history as much as the personal relationships and interactions while working on their music. If I live long enough, maybe I'll catch it on YouTube's successor in the 22nd century.
Gtoboy
Well-known member
I am part way through the first episode. I am enjoying the music bits, however, though I like much of their music, this is definitely a "fanboy" series IMHO. The minutiae can get a bit boring for me. I read an online review after I had started watching that said something similar except they used the term "Beatlemaniacs" instead. Peter Jackson had said something to the effect of wanting to be in the room all day, but I really am more interested in the musical stuff and am mostly "meh" about the interpersonal stuff.
I keep reading that a "myth" that this is supposed to dispel is the antagonistic atmosphere that was supposed to be going on, but it was always my understanding that all that actually took place during the previous albums sessions and that as a band they decided to do one last album before separating, thus no major drama ensued on the last album sessions.
I keep reading that a "myth" that this is supposed to dispel is the antagonistic atmosphere that was supposed to be going on, but it was always my understanding that all that actually took place during the previous albums sessions and that as a band they decided to do one last album before separating, thus no major drama ensued on the last album sessions.
CrowsofFritz
Flamingo!
My brother has Disney+
I may ask him to watch it with me.
I may ask him to watch it with me.
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
According to virtually every interview that came out before the anthology in the 90s that discusses it, the fractious atmosphere really began during the White album sessions and carried on through Let it be {which was originally called Get Back}. It started during the White album because Yoko accompanied John to the first session {"Revolution 1"} which kind of violated their unspoken rule that their women stayed out unless specifically invited {like Pattie, during "Yellow Submarine"}. That seemed to release resentments that had been building up for a long while, and the likes of George Martin and Geoff Emerick found themselves marginalized. A lot was going on that went into the mix, like those independent studios that had 8 track recording, unlike EMI, the creation of Apple records, George feeling his songs weren't being given a fair shake, Ringo having his mettle as a drummer tested by John's songs that called for more than just "Hey Bulldog" drumming {because Yoko's avant-garde leanings made him embarrassed at the simplicity of his own songs}, their insistence on recording all the songs they'd written in India, John's heroin problem, George's realization that his Indian influence was now more or less over, and Paul's frequent criticisms of Ringo's drumming. Plus, they were being bitchy to each other. John insisting on "Revolution 9," Paul getting vengeance by not having John play on "Why don't we do it in the road," a song he knew was in John's style, a very "John" song, John criticizing "Obladi Oblada" as "granny music" and hating "Honey Pie".........
It was a fraught 5 months, the longest in one go that they ever spent making an album.
But partly because of the experience of performing "Hey Jude" on TV and the number of takes it took to lay down some of the songs like "Happiness is a warm gun" {as well as the Stones filming "Rock and roll circus"}, they thought this was an interesting way to carry on, hence the Get Back sessions. By the end of these, compounded by the mega 72 track studio that Magic Alex was meant to build them that turned out to be unworkable shit and ended up being sold for scrap, their business relationship with each other was about to go down the pans.
There was just so much going on. All that above is a tiny fraction of it.
Of course there were laughs. Even divorcing couples have some times that they can laugh through.
I do not believe that. It often seems to be conveniently forgotten by writers that the Beatles simply couldn't face the hours of footage and music that had been amassed during the Get Back sessions. And when Glyn Johns put his version of the album to them, they all rejected it. The film came out more than a year after the footage was shot and none of the Beatles turned up to the premier, which says something of how they felt about the sessions. But they all knew it had to come out eventually.
But the reason I don't believe it is because of what John and Paul have said. John was on the plane going to Canada when he told Eric Clapton he was leaving the Beatles {Abbey Road came out 2 weeks later}. And in January of 1970, Paul, George and Ringo got together to record "I, me, Mine." John's leaving in September of '69 came as a shock to Paul. So their revisionism in "Anthology" in saying they knew Abbey Road would be the last album cannot be true.
I don't know, John had a bed flown into the studio for Yoko to lie in, which didn't exactly go down well ! And John was agitating for all his songs to go on one side and all Paul's on the other. As ever, it's a mix of things like that with John and Paul working out the medley together.
dachay2tnr
One Hit Wonder
Finished it tonight… all roughly 7-1/2 hours of It. My first reaction is it’s at least 5-1/2 hours too long. As examples, I didn’t need 10-15 minutes of Paul’s kid clowning around in the studio. Or 4 complete versions of Get Back played on the rooftop. In other words, a whole lot of minutiae.
The introduction of Billy Preston was interesting. It was papered over as some of the songs requiring both a piano and guitars, and they couldn’t pull it off with just the 4 of them. In reality it seemed he played a buffer among them - on a level that only another musician could have fulfilled. He sort of revived them for at least a little while.
Some of the more dramatic parts weren’t even filmed. Like when George quit the band. It took two band-only meetings to get him back, and (for obvious reasons) none of it was on film. Even the issues weren’t explore.
i grew up on The Beatles, and largely became a musician because of them. But this was too much for even me.
Paul, however, did do a pretty funny impression of the singer from Canned Heat, lol.
The introduction of Billy Preston was interesting. It was papered over as some of the songs requiring both a piano and guitars, and they couldn’t pull it off with just the 4 of them. In reality it seemed he played a buffer among them - on a level that only another musician could have fulfilled. He sort of revived them for at least a little while.
Some of the more dramatic parts weren’t even filmed. Like when George quit the band. It took two band-only meetings to get him back, and (for obvious reasons) none of it was on film. Even the issues weren’t explore.
i grew up on The Beatles, and largely became a musician because of them. But this was too much for even me.
Paul, however, did do a pretty funny impression of the singer from Canned Heat, lol.
Ujn Hunter
Well-known member
I watched Episode 1 of that Beatles thing last night... it's like the Hobbit to LOTR... a Some Kind Of Monster Prequel if you will...
Can't believe that Fake Paul knew all of the old tunes that Paul and John wrote back in the old days... my mind was BLOWN!
Also... can't believe the 3 other guys let Fake Paul basically run the band at this point in time... real shocker...
Also wonder if George would have still wanted to be Eric Clapton Jr. if he knew what a total ponce he'd turn out to be?
Billy Shears FTW~!
I'll have to dig deeper... perhaps Fake Paul killed Epstein (not that guy...) to take control of the band?
Watching Paul come up with songs was neat though... er... Fake Paul... but I kept yelling at the screen: "There will be an answer!!!"
Can't believe that Fake Paul knew all of the old tunes that Paul and John wrote back in the old days... my mind was BLOWN!
Also... can't believe the 3 other guys let Fake Paul basically run the band at this point in time... real shocker...
Also wonder if George would have still wanted to be Eric Clapton Jr. if he knew what a total ponce he'd turn out to be?
Billy Shears FTW~!
I'll have to dig deeper... perhaps Fake Paul killed Epstein (not that guy...) to take control of the band?
Watching Paul come up with songs was neat though... er... Fake Paul... but I kept yelling at the screen: "There will be an answer!!!"
LazerBeakShiek
Tell Tony, Eddie an the Cruises IS here
Did they cover 'Paul is dead' in the episodes?
I heard he blew his mind out in a car...
I heard he blew his mind out in a car...
He didn't notice that the lights had changed
A crowd of people stood and stared
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords................Sir Paul McCartney
dachay2tnr
One Hit Wonder
Which one? Epstein, George Martin, Billy Preston?
i mentioned Preston already. Epstein was referred to indirectly, mostly by The Beatles saying they needed a Daddy figure to tell them what to do. They kinda felt having 4 equal votes was a ticket to nowhere (or no decision, since they couldn’t all agree on anything). Martin was in it, but played a very minor role. In fact, Glyn Johns was more prominent, as was Mal Evans.
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
John had Yoko, heroin and the avant-garde, George had India and Ringo had only recently returned to the band and had his acting and besides, couldn't run anything. By that point, only Paul was in love with the Beatles.
Not a fan
of his piano playing, then ? 
This was filmed in January. The 'Paul is dead' thingy got major from September onwards. There are still websites and videos dedicated to its veracity !
In his song "Reader's digest" on his 1972 album "Only visiting this planet," Larry Norman opines, "I've been listening to Paul's records ~ I think he really is dead !"
I've found this about most fly on the wall documentaries that go on for more than a few minutes.
That's because he'd left the country in 1965 with the money they'd stashed in the Bahamas !!
As influential as the Beatles were, they were also keenly aware of what their contemporaries were doing, especially the ones that ere considered more hip. And using outside studios and utilizing the skills of that breed of new hip young engineers and producers was something that they were a bit jealous of in groups like the Stones and some of the nascent progressive bands that were appearing, hence, Glyn Johns.
What I always found interesting was that Johns has always said he loved his time with the Beatles, even though they hated it and rejected the mixes of the albums he presented them with.
Twas supposed to be Billy Preston.
But Billy was also a musician and a song writer, so he could have and probably did contribute in several ways that arent really documented in print.
TalismanRich
Well-known member
I would probably enjoy the documentary. I'm always intrigued by things like this. I do remember watching the Twickenham rehersals on Youtube. It was amazing that they let Yoko do her "cats in a rocking chair factory" imitation at the end for something like 10 minutes without just stopping. Such screeching should be banned! That John would let her do half of the Double Fantasy album shows that being lovestruck can really affect your judgement.
CrowsofFritz
Flamingo!
I’m a HUGE Beatles fan, so I’m probably the target market for this documentary. That said, I’d have to be in a certain mood to watch it. 7.5 hours IS a lot. But still. Imagine how Jackson felt going through 60 hours of footage to decide what goes in and what doesn’t and many of it was over and over.