I finished watching the almost 8 hours of the Get Back Documentary on Disney. This consists of video and sound recordings of the Beatles writing songs during January of 1969 and culminating in their famous roof-top concert on the 30th of that month. These songs would form the basis for the final 2 Beatle albums: Let it Be and Abbey Road. In the background one can also hear the beginnings of future songs that would appear on solo albums by John, Paul, and George. For baby-boomers and Beatle fans, I believe the documentary, despite its length, is a must see and there was a lot to learn during the 3 part documentary. I was taken back by the fact that some of the time the Beatles didn’t even know they were being recorded and many of the conversations were quite candid.
Although the song writing ability of the Beatles is well known, this is an opportunity to see it live as it happened – the true genius of the Beatles. I loved watching the collaboration and give and take on both the music and the lyrics whether the songs were written by Paul, John, or George. In particular, the song Get Back began as a bass guitar riff by Paul of which George and Ringo immediately take note and begin to contribute. The viewer can watch its complete development into the hit song that it would later become. Contrary to the theme of the film Let it Be, this much more comprehensive look at the band at this time in history shows that despite their differences they actually were enjoying the music making process and enjoyed being with each other.
At the same time, the documentary does not shy away from the growing conflicts between George and Paul/John and between Paul and John. In particular, a conversation between John and Paul indicates that they were well aware of dissatisfaction by George in terms of his ability to contribute songs to Beatle albums, his compromises on his own creativity, and they admitted that they had failed George. George’s dissatisfaction at this time was known to most who love the Beatles, but it really jumps out at the viewer in this documentary. Of course, George’s tremendous backlog of music would be evident to all when All Things Must Pass (a 3 record set) comes out shortly which is still the largest selling album by a “solo” Beatle.
Other tensions among band members, such as between Paul and John, can be seen in the documentary but it doesn’t seem to affect the creativity of the band and the overall tenor of the song-making sessions of that January. This documentary gives the viewer a more nuanced view of the final year of the Beatles than what one sees in the film Let it Be.
Finally, as much as Yoko has been blamed for the breakup of the Beatles, this was not evident in the documentary. While Yoko is seen throughout the documentary, she rarely says anything, although she did “sing” (I use that word liberally) and participate briefly during a short jam session. Linda Eastman and Pattie Boyd are also present.
I was able to revisit my youth and sing along with John, Paul, George, and Ringo once again. This documentary is a must view…
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