It Looks Amazing.
The original footage was shot over fifty years ago but, thanks to film restoration techniques used by director Peter Jackson, it looks like it was shot three weeks ago. It is stunning how clear and vibrant the footage is.
The Rooftop Concert
Seeing the full rooftop concert is worth the five-decade wait. Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the original director of Let it Be has—fifty years later—been getting a lot of grief over that film and its brevity and focus on the negative aspects of the recording project. Of course, in 1970, Lindsay-Hogg didn’t have the luxury of a streaming service allowing the final cut to be three films at a total running time of near nine hours. The guy worked with what he had available to him.
Lindsay-Hogg’s camera placement during the rooftop concert is fantastic. The shots he and his crew get of the concert, the reaction street side, and the comic farce going on in the reception area of the Apple office between the police and office staffers are amazing. To see the concert in the glorious post-production restoration work Peter Jackson and his crew have done is the highlight of the three-parter.
The fact that the songs themselves, and the performances, are all legendary help. The Beatles were always knocked for not being a very good live band. This unfair assessment was based on their live work at the height of Beatlemania where they were playing in front of screaming masses in gigantic concert halls with no PA System and amplifiers that most bands would find too feeble to use to play local bar gigs these days. This impromptu concert, which was performed in less than ideal conditions (on a rooftop, on a freezing, late-January day), shows what a powerful force the Beatles were as a live band and the pure chemistry these four (five including keyboardist Billy Preston) musicians had together.
The Hidden Camera
Speaking of the rooftop concert, Lindsay-Hogg had a “hidden” camera placed in the reception area of Apple Records, in anticipation of the police raiding the building because of the noise coming from the top of the offices. This hidden camera was the 1969 equivalent of the camera Homer Simpson had hidden in a twenty-gallon cowboy hat when he went undercover to expose dangerous health violations committed by the Kwik-E-Mart. George Martin’s incredulous double-take upon seeing the enormous box, with the two-way mirror, that held the camera is hilarious.
George Harrison Quits
Anyone who follows the Beatles knows this story. Harrison just gets up in the middle of the sessions, announces he’s quitting, suggests the band take out an ad in the trade magazines looking for a new guitar player, and then leaves saying, “See you ‘round the clubs.” He was annoyed by McCartney’s pushiness, annoyed by having his songs ignored by Lennon and McCartney, and despised the fact that Yoko Ono was there any time he looked to his left. But to see Harrison’s departure here, in living color, is something else.
Throughout the first part of the three-part series, tensions keep rising, particularly between McCartney and Harrison. The famous “I’ll play whatever you want me to play. Or, I won’t play at all if you don’t want me to play. Whatever it is that pleases you, I’ll do it,” is included in the film, but given greater context. You see the frustrations leading up to Harrison making that comment and the aftermath. As McCartney becomes more overbearing, Harrison becomes angrier, eventually just standing up during a break and announcing, “Well, I think I’ll be leaving the band now.”
Lennon, who I would assume believes Harrison is joking, asks, “When?”
Harrison answers, “Now.”
And he’s off.
Paul McCartney’s Near-Breakdown
The Monday following George Harrison quitting the band, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr showed up at the studio to continue recording/filming, John Lennon was AWOL. Unable to find John, it appeared as if he too was walking away and that the band was finished. McCartney tried to cover his feelings with humor, suggesting that the TV special they were supposedly working towards should just be a series of newsflashes from around the globe, with the last news story being an announcement, “The Beatles have broken up.” His eyes get glassy after saying this and, as he gnaws on his thumbnail, he says, “And then there were two…” His eyes grow moister and he begins shaking. The thought of the band breaking up was literally taking a physical toll on the bassist.
The Hidden Microphone
When Lennon does finally return to the studio, he and McCartney retire to the studio’s canteen to have a discussion away from the cameras. Unbeknownst to them the film crew has hidden a microphone in a flower pot and captures the songwriting duo’s tense and sad conversation about their relationship, their treatment of George Harrison as a second-class citizen, and where they should go from here. Judging by the gigantic damn box the film crew needed to hide the reception area camera, they either were way better at hiding microphones, or McCartney and Lennon were too focused on one another to notice a twenty-foot cable running from the Hydrangea, down the table, along the floor, and back to the studio.
Paul McCartney Taking Shots at Jimmie Nichol
(Photo by Mark and Colleen Hayward/Getty Images)
In 1964, at the height of Beatlemania, Ringo Starr had a bout of tonsillitis and had to undergo surgery. The problem was, the band had a world tour booked. Instead of postponing the shows, Beatles management, much to the dismay of Ringo and the ire of George Harrison, hired Jimmie Nichol to replace Ringo on drums. Nichol played eight shows throughout Europe with the Beatles before Ringo came back and Nichol faded into obscurity.
During the Get Back documentary, there is a discussion about where to film the final show (which ultimately becomes the rooftop concert). One suggestion is an amphitheater in the North African desert. Paul nixes this idea by saying Ringo refuses to go abroad to film. He adds, dryly, “And Jimmie Nichol refuses to go abroad as well.” Later as the band is back together and playing, McCartney starts reminiscing about Jimmie Nichol starting every song early on the two, instead of the four-count. He was distracted, McCartney opines, because all he (Nichol) cared about was looking at the pretty girls in the crowd.
Jimmie Nichol is now 82 years old. One can just imagine him, sitting at home watching Disney Plus, and yelling at his TV, “Hey, screw you, McCartney!”
Billy Preston Just Happened to Be in Town
The Beatles added keyboardist Billy Preston as a defacto “fifth member” during the sessions. The whole concept of Get Back was that they would eschew the studio trickery and overdubs used on their recent albums and literally “get back” to recording like they did their first albums, which was playing live, all at the same time. However, they had written some songs that could really use keyboards. So, they would either have to sacrifice one of the guitars or get another dude in to play keys. Billy Preston, a guy they met who played keyboards in Little Richards’s Band, just happened to be in London, with nothing to do, so they invited him to join. A stroke of serendipity to be sure because Preston’s playing really kicks ass.
The End is Near
With Billy Preston sitting in now, the band discusses paying him. George and John suggest they should just make him an official member of the band. Paul dismisses this saying, “I think it’s difficult enough with just four people.” Harrison and Lennon continue on with this theme, basically saying they’re fine with totally changing the makeup of The Beatles forever. They advocate adding Bob Dylan to the band if he’d join, and theorize they could just have dozens of people come and go as members of The Beatles. It’s pie-in-sky dreamer talk and only half-serious, but you can see by McCartney’s reaction, he’s not slightly interested in these ideas, even hypothetically. Also, late at night after the sessions, Lennon’s having semi-clandestine meetings with Allen Klein, the manager whose eventual takeover of the Beatles will drive the final wedge between Paul and the other three. When plans for the recording of the album and the staging of the show are discussed, Lennon and Harrison seem on the same page and McCartney is not comfortable at all with their suggestions—Ringo doesn’t seem to care either way. Harrison spends a good bit of time in the documentary talking about all of the songs he wrote (which would become All Things Must Pass, the greatest Beatles solo album ever recorded), and wanting to take time to do something on his own “away from the Beatle thing.”
While Get Back is definitely not as miserable an experience as the dour Let it Be, and there are numerous moments of fun, laughter, and happiness, there is also an underlying palpable tension throughout.
No wonder that within less than a year, the band was broken up.
Martin Luther King as a Contemporary Reference.
Today, Dr. Martin Luther King and his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech are evergreen. Children are taught about the great man very early on in school. His speech is an American staple like The Gettysburg Address or, Kennedy’s “Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You” inaugural statement. It is weird to hear Lennon and Harrison enthusing over King’s speech (which was given six years previous with King having been assassinated almost a year prior) as something that is new to them.
In 2021 seeing two people have a conversation that starts, “Did you hear of Martin Luther King?” is like hearing someone say, “Have you ever heard of the sun?”
Related note, Lennon and Billy Preston jamming on a riff, singing “I had a dreeaaam…” which will eventually become “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” is spectacular.
George Teaching Ringo How to Write “Octopus’s Garden“
With John and Paul not having yet arrived at the studio in the basement of Apple records, Ringo sits at the piano and starts hammering out rudimentary chords, which any Beatles fan would be able to recognize as “Octopus’s Garden”. Harrison, off to the side and having a conversation turns to Ringo and kiddingly asks, “You figured out A minor, eh?” He then comes over to the piano, guitar in hand, and basically works out the song with Ringo, giving him ideas for the changes. When Lennon arrives, he sits at the drum kit, lights a cigarette, and bashes out a standard beat to accompany Ringo and Harrison. It’s a fantastic moment of teamwork and brotherhood. It also demonstrates Harrison’s generosity as a musical partner. The finished song, which would appear on the 1969 album Abbey Road, is credited to Richard Starkey (Ringo) and not Harrison…who we see on film essentially writing 75% of the tune.
Being in the Beatles Was Pretty Cool
Their recording sessions had dudes taking their drink orders. Their head roadie, Mal Evans, would run out on a whim and buy weird, lace bowties, and Hawaiian guitars, for them at their request. They had tea, toast, and marmalade every day while they recorded and then beers and wine were served to them after lunch.
Not a bad way to make a living.
George Doesn’t Want to Go on the Roof.
The day before the rooftop concert, as plans are being finalized, Harrison sits and listens, bemusedly. He expresses doubt about the whole endeavor. He assures his bandmates if everyone else wants to do it and he has to do it, he will too, but, “I don’t wanna go on the roof…of course I don’t wanna go on the roof,” he says while shaking his head, laughing. He has a look on his face throughout the exchange that says, “I can’t believe these sons-of-bitches are going to make me go out on that roof.“
As the story goes, even the morning of the rooftop concert, the Beatles (and by “Beatles” I’m assuming John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr) were non-committal about doing the concert, until finally, Lennon said, “Fuck it. Let’s go do it.”
And a legendary moment was born.
Everyone Loves Heather
Yoko Ono’s ubiquitous presence may have been openly disdained by Harrison, McCartney may have barely tolerated it, and Ringo–as usual–gives no indication he cares, but everyone seemed to love having little Heather in the studio.
Paul had just started dating his soon-to-be wife, Linda Eastman, and Linda brings along her six-year-old daughter, Heather, to the studio one day.
Heather rides on Paul’s shoulders and sits on his lap as he sings at the piano, she has a ridiculous conversation with Lennon about eating cats, and Ringo and her (who both appeared to be wearing the same outfit) goof around on the drum kit together. She’s a ray of sunshine that helps ease whatever tensions were in the air.
How Young All These Dudes Were
Being in the Beatles was pretty cool, but it took a toll. It is just under five years since they made their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and they look like different people. These guys aged like Lincoln during the Civil War.
Get Back captures the biggest, most accomplished band of all time, at the end of their career and they are younger, at this moment in time, than a lot of artists who are just getting started nowadays. The Beatles achieved such greatness and produced unparalleled works of art and none of them are even twenty-nine in January of 1969. Ringo and Lennon are 28; McCartney is 26 and Harrison is only 25.
The Beatles put out 13 studio albums in their career as a unit, and they broke up before anyone of them turned 30.
In comparison, at her current pace, Taylor Swift won’t reach their level of output until she turns 37.
Adele won’t reach The Beatles level of output until she’s 55 years old.
The Strokes, who I was stunned to learn are still a thing, would have to continue recording at their pace until the year 2042, when their lead singer Julian Casablancas will be turning 64.
Thanks, Mo.
Ringo’s wife, Maureen Starkey, was a Beatles fan from the Cavern Club days in Liverpool. Watching her bop along to the playbacks of the rooftop concert in the studio control room, while sitting on Ringo’s lap, is delightful. It’s only fitting that, at the end of the show, Paul acknowledges one of their original fans as she claps while sitting next to Yoko, stage left, with, “Thanks, Mo” at the end of the performance.
All three parts of The Beatles: Get Back are incredibly enjoyable and the whole experience is a totally immersive affair. As a viewer, you feel like you are there in the studio with the band, the engineers, filmmakers, producer, George Martin, and their studio staff. Get Back is one of the most intimate documentaries ever to be made.
There is a saying, “You never want to see the sausage made.” But, that is not the case at all here. Watching how iconic songs like “Get Back” (composed by McCartney as he was strumming on his bass while he and a very bored looking Ringo and Harrison were sitting around waiting for Lennon to arrive) are written and developed by four men who made up the greatest musical collective of the twentieth century, is an awesomely engaging experience. When it finally ended, I felt a sense of depression. I wasn’t going to get to “hang out” with these guys anymore.
Peter Jackson did a stupendous job in editing the sixty hours of footage down to the three-part series. It looks and sounds incredible. He deserves to be lauded for this mammoth undertaking and the breathtaking artistic success he has achieved. His decision to have the series end with an army of orcs, led by a CGI Phil Spector, attacking the studio and destroying the band as they record “The Long and Winding Road,” was a bit ill-advised, but other than that, Jackson did a phenomenal job.
It’s been an incredibly insane, shitty, and frustrating past 22 months for pretty much anyone who doesn’t live in Sweden, and the world continues to get worse and worse by the day. It was a very pleasant gift over the holidays to get these nine hours of joy.
Bravo, Peter Jackson.
Bravo.
While you’re here, if you feel like checking out a book that has nothing to do with The Beatles, check out Mrs. Kennedy.
JMB Writes Stuff 
