The Beatles "Get Back" Trailer

[Joe Muscara]

I loved the whole doc. Yeah, the first part was painful, as it reminded me of what can be annoying about being in a band - a bunch of guys talking at each other and no one really listening to what the other was saying.

 

But it was really beautiful to see how much those guys loved each other. They were brothers. They had been through everything together. They didn't want to leave or split up, but in the end, it was inevitable. They each needed to find themselves. I really do wonder if they would have reunited in the 80s once everyone had outgrown their baggage. Maybe they would have just done it for fun, and we would never had known.

 

It was also amazing to see how much of their early solo material was starting at that time. I had no idea. Peter Jackson told Colbert about Gimme Some Truth, that he asked Paul about working on it back then. Paul said he had no memory of it, so Jackson showed him the clip. Pauls' reaction was something like, "it's a good song, so I'm happy to take some credit for it!"

 

What also impressed me (but I'm not surprised) was how good they were. From one take to another, unless they intentionally changed it like working on the arrangement or goofing around with their voices, sounded almost exactly the same. They were one (understandably) tight band.

 

And when Billy Preston started playing with them, it was like The first things he played were exactly right for the tunes and pretty much what ended up on the record. Why wasn't he asked to join the group? As Paul said, "it's bad enough with us four!"

[SamuelBLupowitz]

And when Billy Preston started playing with them, it was like The first things he played were exactly right for the tunes and pretty much what ended up on the record. Why wasn't he asked to join the group? As Paul said, "it's bad enough with us four!"

As much as I've been an amateur Beatles scholar since I was 11 years old, watching this has been a thrill and revelation. One of those revelations was exactly how much Billy Preston brought to the table. It really took hearing them slog through I've Got a Feeling, Don't Let Me Down, and Get Back a dozen times with increasing interpersonal tension and disinterest to appreciate how he brought them -- the friggin' Beatles -- to a new level of polish, professionalism, energy, and enthusiasm just by sitting down at the Rhodes.

[SamuelBLupowitz]

I found it fascinating to watch Paul conjure up Get Back out of nothing. First it was just a vague vibe, but he nurtured it along, developing it into their next hit single. Impressive.

This was the moment when I realized just how special this documentary was going to be, rather than just a long rehash of the Let It Be footage I'd seen. To sit there and watch Paul write the beginnings of a hit song in real time while George and Ringo yawn... incredible.

[MathOfInsects]

And when Billy Preston started playing with them, it was like The first things he played were exactly right for the tunes and pretty much what ended up on the record. Why wasn't he asked to join the group? As Paul said, "it's bad enough with us four!"

As much as I've been an amateur Beatles scholar since I was 11 years old, watching this has been a thrill and revelation. One of those revelations was exactly how much Billy Preston brought to the table. It really took hearing them slog through I've Got a Feeling, Don't Let Me Down, and Get Back a dozen times with increasing interpersonal tension and disinterest to appreciate how he brought them -- the friggin' Beatles -- to a new level of polish, professionalism, energy, and enthusiasm just by sitting down at the Rhodes.

I haven't watched yet so forgive me if this is mentioned there, but George H. used to do the child-of-arguing-parents thing of bringing in outsiders because it tended to focus Paul and John and make them more productive. It's the reason Clapton is on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

 

Still though, as much as Billy Preston remains one of my All-Timers, one of the Big Three or so, it's hard to watch him and not think of the Michael Jackson stuff.

 

George very much suffered from "younger sibling" syndrome among the members of that group, and had had enough at this point of being third-banana. He was producing records and writing incredible music, and wasn't down with continuing to be the "little brother" to John and Paul, both of whom had ways of corrupting that role (though in opposite directions, John through drug-addled non-engagement and Paul through control-freak overbearance, even if it turned out his stubbornness was the only thing keeping them together at that point).

[sagetunes]

Just watched Part 1, I wanna get my stomach pumped and listen to Rubber Soul all the way thru--I'm with Ringo, the look on his face, just wanting for this tedium to be over. I got that look on my face, the same look when I rehearse with bandmates. Mostly torture.

Just can't wait to hear several Beatles songs all the way thru. And Michael Linsey-Hogg makes me wanna puke, one idiotic idea after another. I gotta think part 2 and 3 will be more tolerable to me.

[nursers]

I'm half way through part 2 and it definitely keeps getting better. I literally had a tear in my eye when Billy Preston started playing....

[Groove On]

Rick Beato - "Reacting To The Beatles "Get Back" Documentary"

[video:youtube]

[SamuelBLupowitz]

And Michael Linsey-Hogg makes me wanna puke, one idiotic idea after another. I gotta think part 2 and 3 will be more tolerable to me.

My wife and I were getting more and more annoyed with his tone-deaf suggestions (wait until part two when he tries to tell Linda that he is more of a Beatles fan than she is, lol). It's interesting, because with all the stories and legends around the band, I only ever heard him spoken of as a neutral presence, sort of a fact of the proceedings, rather than anyone who had a positive or negative influence on them like Yoko, Billy Preston, Glyn Johns, etc. But I thought it was a really telling example of the kind of unbearable pressure the band was constantly under. You can hear Paul and George actually in agreement about wanting to do an intimate, possibly even surprise, performance -- in a nightclub, in a dancehall, smoky lights, maybe don't tell anyone it's actually the Beatles playing. Then Lindsey-Hogg constantly tries to steamroll them for the sake of his film -- "no! It should be huge! It should be for the whole world! It should be in an amphitheatre in Libya!" Like, give them a BREAK dude! The last time they went out on tour the Klan tried to murder them! No wonder they couldn't take it anymore.

[AnotherScott]

Still though, as much as Billy Preston remains one of my All-Timers, one of the Big Three or so, it's hard to watch him and not think of the Michael Jackson stuff.

Kinda wish you hadn't sent me googling for that one.

 

Then Lindsey-Hogg constantly tries to steamroll them for the sake of his film

I didn't realize until I checked his wikipedia entry, that not only had he done earlier video for the Beatles, he did later ones for Wings as well.

[SamuelBLupowitz]

Still though, as much as Billy Preston remains one of my All-Timers, one of the Big Three or so, it's hard to watch him and not think of the Michael Jackson stuff.

Kinda wish you hadn't sent me googling for that one.

This is probably not the venue for this discussion, but reading about the dark parts of Billy Preston's life mostly makes me feel sad for him. By all accounts, he was a very sweet, kind person, with a lot of damage and trauma and substance issues stemming from being a black gay man in a culture that was antagonistic to that (and of course, having suffered abuse himself as a child). Given what we know of the antics of most of the rock legends in their heyday, and undestanding that it doesn't excuse him of any of the pain he caused others, it's hard for me to feel anything but compassion for someone who was mired in shame and not allowed to be fully himself. He left us a lot of great music.

 

On a lighter note, my favorite Billy Preston story is from Keith Richards' memoir, where Keith cornered Billy at knifepoint backstage during a Stones show and threatened "dear William" with a stabbing if he didn't turn down the Leslie.

[zxcvbnm098]

Still though, as much as Billy Preston remains one of my All-Timers, one of the Big Three or so, it's hard to watch him and not think of the Michael Jackson stuff.

Kinda wish you hadn't sent me googling for that one.

This is probably not the venue for this discussion, but reading about the dark parts of Billy Preston's life mostly makes me feel sad for him. By all accounts, he was a very sweet, kind person, with a lot of damage and trauma and substance issues stemming from being a black gay man in a culture that was antagonistic to that (and of course, having suffered abuse himself as a child). Given what we know of the antics of most of the rock legends in their heyday, and undestanding that it doesn't excuse him of any of the pain he caused others, it's hard for me to feel anything but compassion for someone who was mired in shame and not allowed to be fully himself. He left us a lot of great music.

 

On a lighter note, my favorite Billy Preston story is from Keith Richards' memoir, where Keith cornered Billy at knifepoint backstage during a Stones show and threatened "dear William" with a stabbing if he didn't turn down the Leslie.

 

Very well put Samuel. His story has many layers to it to say the least. A tortured soul for sure.

 

Apparently a document is in the works on Billy: https://deadline.com/2021/11/billy-preston-documentary-fifth-beatle-paris-barclay-cheo-hodari-coker-1234868062/

[MathOfInsects]

I have compassion for the part of the plot that came before. It is hard for me not to bear in the mind the part of the plot that came afterward, when I see him--particularly given what became of MJ.

[Joe Muscara]

George very much suffered from "younger sibling" syndrome among the members of that group, and had had enough at this point of being third-banana. He was producing records and writing incredible music, and wasn't down with continuing to be the "little brother" to John and Paul, both of whom had ways of corrupting that role (though in opposite directions, John through drug-addled non-engagement and Paul through control-freak overbearance, even if it turned out his stubbornness was the only thing keeping them together at that point).

Wait until you get to the scene with just John and George and George talks about doing a solo album. Peter Jackson said Paul had no idea, and his reaction to having seen that now was, "if I had only knownâ¦"

 

I won't give away any more but it will make sense with your above comment when you see it.

[Bobby Simons]

I loved this moment:

 

GH, plunking away at the piano, to BP: "Billy, what chord is this?"

 

Who here hasn't been asked that question? It should be a tee shirt.

[Adan]

Not every moment is documentary gold, but I'll save the word "tedious" for the reality TV shows my wife sometimes makes me watch. In today's world of hyper self-awareness, it's refreshing to see the people acting relatively unself-conciously in front of a camera. Not just any people, but the Beatles.

 

Let It Be was one of the first rock albums, albums period, I ever listened to. That was 52 years ago. It was the first Beatles album I downloaded to my phone and is still the only Beatles album on there other than St. Peppers. To see these songs being written is a gift I never expected.

[SteveCoscia]

Taking my time with this. Just finished watching Part 2. Interesting to view the inception and developmnent of classic tunes. Lennon and McCartney are real tight in terms of fun and mutual talent. And their non-verbal dynamics, while playing, speak volumes about their relationship. They were close.

[sunspot]

I was amazed at how much time they spent just goofing off instead of getting any actual work done. Singing intentionally stupid lyrics, singing in Scottish accents, etc. And then they would call it a day and make no progress. Guess that's just the process they'd always used when they weren't in a time crunch...

[Docbop]

I was amazed at how much time they spent just goofing off instead of getting any actual work done. Singing intentionally stupid lyrics, singing in Scottish accents, etc. And then they would call it a day and make no progress. Guess that's just the process they'd always used when they weren't in a time crunch...

 

They would write and record a album in three weeks that was pretty fast. As Rick Beato pointed out they took three weeks to do Let It Be, took a short break then back to studio for three weeks to do their last album Abbey Road. Their process worked great for them.

[Spider76]

Yes, they actually WERE in a time crunch, it's just that they were so used to compose and record on the fly, that having to do a full album in 2/3 weeks for them was like a leisurely vacation.

In the old times (like, 5 years before ) they had to record 2 albums per year, usually doing it in very few days squeezed between a crazy touring schedule.

[Joe Muscara]

singing in Scottish accents

I could listen to Two of Us in Scottish accents all day.

 

My wife and I spent the next day tryan'ta pr'nunce "haume" like they did!

[Polkahero]

I was amazed at how much time they spent just goofing off instead of getting any actual work done. Singing intentionally stupid lyrics, singing in Scottish accents, etc. And then they would call it a day and make no progress. Guess that's just the process they'd always used when they weren't in a time crunch...

 

Even the final lyrics to many of their songs didn't make any sense! Lennon even admitted a lot of his lyrics had no meaning.

[SteveCoscia]

Finished watching Part 3 yesterday.

 

My five take aways:

1 - The affection between Lennon and McCartney surprised me. These guys really liked and respected each other.

2 - Lennon, more often than not, filled the role of group leader in terms of starting tunes and steering sessions.

3 - George's songwriting was in full bloom. Watching him introduce Something was inspiring.

4 - Such fun to watch Ringo hammering away at Octopus"s Garden plus George's constructive input.

5 - Paul's onset ebulience on the roof was evident from the word go. He was made for live performance.

####

[AnotherScott]

One of those revelations was exactly how much Billy Preston brought to the table. It really took hearing them slog through I've Got a Feeling, Don't Let Me Down, and Get Back a dozen times with increasing interpersonal tension and disinterest to appreciate how he brought them -- the friggin' Beatles -- to a new level of polish, professionalism, energy, and enthusiasm just by sitting down at the Rhodes.

Ah, it's the same old story. It's always up to the keyboard player to make things work. ;-)

[Mididude]

I watched part 1 last night. As a long time fan, my take on it is that it delivers in every way. Very enjoyable. It"s the Beatles, so mostly not tedious. Paul playing around with a nascent 'Long and Winding Road" (I listened to/for his arpeggiated chords like that Abmaj9) while getting input on a lyric part from Mal Evans was cool. I liked that the (unabridged footage of the) row" between GH & PM had context (including time crunches), and wasn"t uglier than it could have been. 'I Me Mine" was great from the first draft!

[RABid]

Just dropped Disney + after subscribing for a few months. Never got around to watching the Beatles before the subscription ended. I was in to them in the 1960's, my cover band played a couple songs by them in the 1980's, haven't listened to them since. Not sure why but they just don't interest me anymore.

[ksoper]

. .. Paul playing around with a nascent 'Long and Winding Road" (I listened to/for his arpeggiated chords like that Abmaj9) while getting input on a lyric part from Mal Evans was cool.

 

I saw that and kept thinking, "You're going to give him writing credit, right?" One word one third, baby!

[Mark Schmieder]

Any chance this will get released on DVD or be made available to those of us who don't subscribe due to not having video/film as part of our daily/weekly/monthly existence?

[Adan]

Finally reached the part where Billy Preston comes in. Descriptions don't do it justice -- it's something you have to see and hear to appreciate. There's such a visceral change in the energy of the 4 lads. It's as if Preston somehow breaks the logjam of creativity and it comes loose all at once. Even George is suddenly animated. The Beatles are characteristically low key and obtuse in their comments. When John is asked if Preston is staying he says something like "sure, why not?" But the difference in the room is night and day. Hard to say how much of that is Preston's playing (which is reserved and sublime) versus just the change in dynamics from his positivity. You can also tell by the expressions on Preston's face that he knows he's part of something really special.

 

As a totally irrelevant aside, Preston's entrance seems to be when the cigarette smoking ramps up. Interesting to observe my own reaction and revulsion at that. Never smoked tobacco myself but certainly spent countless hours in rooms where everyone else was. Now I can't even be around it, and just seeing it on screen makes me cringe. A lot has changed.

[RABid]

Well, I decided to check last night and I still have access to Disney+ for some reason, so I watched the first half of episode 1. The beginning was very interesting. I never realized they got together so early in life. Notice they skipped over the first drummer and never mentioned him at all, neither do I recall them saying that the management insist they replace him. Things got really slow in the rehearsal section. The four things I pulled out of what I watched. 1: How much they smoked. 2: How well George, Paul and John got along. 3: Yoko sitting in on the practice but never saying anything. 4: Ringo seemed to be the odd man out. Hardly talking. Never giving input on the songs. Like a hired musician with no right to speak. Very strange. I wondered if it is always that way or if he was just in a mood those first few days of rehearsal.

[Bill H.]

The four things I pulled out of what I watched. 1: How much they smoked...

 

I was in a four piece band during this time, and we all smoked like chimneys during rehearsals - much more than normal. I never thought about it until this documentary, but maybe because nicotine is a mild stimulant? Makes the creative juices flow? I stopped smoking almost 40 years ago, but it was definitely a thing with musicians back then.

 

Along with other drugs but we won't get into that

 

I still haven't made it past part one, but will get back to it during the holidays probably. Like I said before I didn't much care for this album when it came out, but having rediscovered Two Of Us that may be changing. Absolutely charming song... the way Paul interchanges 4/4, 2/4, and 3/4 time signatures while making perfect sense with the melody is pure genius. The band was initially struggling to learn the second part of the hook, but Paul didn't say "This part is in 3/4 time." I wonder if he was aware of what he was doing technically, or if it was just a natural flow thing.