Get Back (Beatles) - I finally got back

[Notes_Norton]

I don't do TV, or streaming, or most anything that requires a monthly subscription. Why? Self-employed musician, there are times of feast and times of famine. I was out of work 2 years thanks to COVID, and never had to hit my savings to pay the bills.

So I went to my public library, and checked out the 3 disc DVD set of the Beatles' documentary, “Get Back”.

For me and Mrs. Notes, the first two disks were a waste. They guys are in the movie studio with no sense of direction. Not rehearsing, not even practicing, and when they are playing, sounding quite lame. I've been in bands where there was no direction and too much bickering. I didn't need to see that again.

So, I hit the >> and >>| controls quite a bit. I'm sure I missed some gems of information, but the boredom was not worth it.

I did notice a few things.

* Ringo was the pro, always showed up on time, when the other musicians were working out chords or whatever, Ringo sat patiently at the drum set, waiting. Many drummers I know start tuning heads, practicing licks or fidgeting on the drums in other ways when the rest of the band works on notes. I have a newfound respect for Ringo.

* I noticed Paul gets around on the piano pretty well, and has some very good musical ideas.

* Billy Preston is a gem, but then I've always like his piano playing.

* Children, wives, and significant others should not have been allowed in.

* Somebody needed to take leadership and focus the group, as they were unable to focus on the task, and neither John nor Paul wanted to let the other one lead.

* They expressed nervousness about playing in front of an audience. They could have fallen flat on their faces and the fans would have swooned.

We watched the last disc in its entirety, and this is what hit me the most.

When they were on the rooftop, playing live, they were not only a band again, but you could see the joy you can only get from live performance on their faces, especially Paul's. They were in their bliss.

I know that much of what they recorded from Strawberry Fields on could not be reproduced live, but I think they should have continued to play live to keep the band spirit alive.

That's my take, anyway.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

 

[InstrEd]

2 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

I know that much of what they recorded from Strawberry Fields on could not be reproduced live, but I think they should have continued to play live to keep the band spirit alive.

I wonder if they stayed together would they of been able to pump out more great music. 

[Bapu]

@Notes_Norton What I found fascinating about the entirety of Get Back was that The Lads were human. Justifiably so, they  are on a HUGE pedestal, but the insight (and incites?) to their process was interesting to me (fights and all).

Yes, Ringo was the most professional member during the entire series.

[michaelhanson]

I was glued to the entire series.  I found the entire process of flushing out the song writing and tunes to be totally fascinating.  
 

You could definitely see first hand all of the issues that I’ve read about in books on the disintegration of the band.  They were kids when they formed and not even 30 when they split.  Everyone wants to call out Lennon as the leader, but the band was mainly a partnership between John and Paul, with George finally growing into a great song writer as they were in the midst of breaking up.  
 

It becomes obviously clear while watching them that the some of the parts was greater than themselves as individual musicians, even in the lowest of their low points.  Especially the Lennon/ McCartney partnership, when they clicked and worked together during the series, it was pure magic. 

Edited February 24, 2023 by michaelhanson

[Rain]

The series made me reconnect with the album a bit.

When I first heard about it, my thoughts were that musically, it was the least interesting album to have documented like that and that maybe this was like a well-intentionned but desperate attempt at making something interesting out of an album that really isn't (musically). A bit like they attempted with the "naked" mix.  The equivalent of therapeutic relentlessness. With that in mind, we're talking about the Beatles, so even the "worst" still interests me.

I think that some of it is due to the fact that it wasn't finished by George Martin. That man could make you forget that they were scraping the bottom of the barrel at times, so they got away with average songs here and there. That magic isn't there on Let it Be.  So while it's nice to see the process, an integral part of what made the Beatles magic in't there - Martin's contribution not being that extensive.

Could also have something to do with the fact that I was never really a fan of later years rock and roll, when musicians revisited their RnR roots in the late 60's and 70's. Songs like One After 909 would have been fine on an early album, but that same song played by the late 60's Beatles won't really fly for me. Same for Get Back. I don't really like it. (Well, I still do because it's The Beatles, but it's definitely not up there with Strawberry Fields or In My Life). 

Watching the series, I could get something out of those songs that I never did before and gain a certain appreciation for them. And I certainly enjoyed seeing my old heroes in the studio - as messy as things got. 

Overall, the series made me realize that the album was better than I remembered. But that's the thing with Let it Be, I don't tend to listen to it that often, and after some time passes, the impression it leaves reverts to something that's not very positive. 

Ironically, Let it Be was the first Beatles album that I bought on CD (and my second CD ever, IIRC).

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by Rain

[Notes_Norton]

I've been in so many "human" bands like that, and been part of those struggles, so I didn't need to watch the growing pains.

I got to be almost famous once. Our band was the opening act for quite a few stars in concert while they had number one records. Subsequently, we opened for many of the Motown acts and almost landed a record deal (it fell apart because Motown didn't want to pay). I got to jam with The Funk Brothers before they were given that name. I also spent some time backstage with the headliner acts. Nice, regular people, who were in the right place, at the right time, with the right people, and got to become part of our common history.

As a kid at the time, I was thrilled to be treated as a peer by the people I looked up to. In a short amount of time, I found most of them to be just ordinary humans, with both flaws, and abilities.

I wasn't enamored by their last released album. It was OK, but nothing I'd want to own. IMO it lacked the genius that I heard on everything from Rubber Soul on to Abbey Road. George Martin was definitely an integral part of the team and rightly deserves his title of The 5th Beatle. The five of them made some unforgettable music for me.

I am glad I watched it, and although I missed some interesting tidbits, I'm also glad I skipped enough to watch all 3 disks in one evening, and the last disk in its entirety.

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[craigb]

I think Yoko prefers the Beetles now...

 

?

[Notes_Norton]

20 hours ago, craigb said:

I think Yoko prefers the Beetles now...

 

?

Oh! No!