'Get Back' - The Discussion Post
Get Back, released on November 25th 2021, is a documentary series that reworks the 1970 documentary of the same name. With three parts, it clocks in at just under 8 hours of footage from January 1969.
The Beatles were a British rock band. Originally formed in 1960, they eventually found success in their permanent lineup in 1962. Following a series of unprecedented hits and successful tours, the band retired from touring in 1966 (kind of if One Direction had been put together organically and wrote their stuff from the beginning). By 1969, the four members of the band had grown into adults. Get Back follows the band in January 1969, culminating in their final live performance on the rooftop of Apple Corps on 30 January 1969. There are two records that come from this session: 1969’s Abbey Road and the band’s final work - 1970's Let It Be.
WHO TF ARE THE BEATLES
- Paul McCartney - (At the time of filming 26, currently 79) bass guitarist and at this point part of the band’s primary songwriting team of Lennon/McCartney. At this point in his life, Paul is very happy to be back with the band and throughout the sessions is the driving force. However he is very haughty and truly sees himself and Lennon as the true songwriters in the band. He in fact tries to partition the record out so that Lennon/McCartney is the primary writing force. It’s also shown that he ends up doing most of the writing for the duo during this time period, with Lennon adding onto his work later on. Paul is also dating his future wife Linda, who appears in the documentary.
- John Lennon (At the time of filming 28, currently deceased) - rhythm guitarist and second part of the Lennon/McCartney duo. At this point in time Lennon had divorced his first wife and was living with artist Yoko Ono. While John does help a bit in this film, it is quite obvious that he has checked out of the band. Unlike the other partners of The Beatles, Yoko is in almost every shot of the film, as she sits next to him in every session. While it seems to help Lennon, it is clearly something that irks his bandmates. The only time John seems to be really engaged Yoko gets on a random microphone and starts to scream into it until he gives up and pays attention to her. Yoko did not break up The Beatles, though they do make a joke that the press may see it that way.
- George Harrison (At the time of filming 26, currently deceased) - lead guitarist. George is the youngest and is considered by McCartney (and extension Lennon) to be not as strong of a songwriter. However Harrison had just come back from being in the United States where he was considered a peer to The Band, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton. George was a driving factor behind their trips to India and was instrumental (haha) in incorporating Eastern sounds into The Beatles' music. During the ‘Get Back’ sessions, Harrison quits the band (even writing in his diary that he quit) but is eventually coerced into returning. During the ‘Get Back ‘sessions, he ends up writing ‘Something’ and ‘Here Comes The Sun’, which end up on the 1969 Abbey Road album, ‘I Me Mine’ and ‘For You Blue’ which end up on Let It Be. He also pitches the song ‘All Things Must Pass’, which eventually becomes the title track for his first post-Beatles album (and is my favorite post-Beatles album from any of them). At this time George is married to Pattie Boyd, who later went on to marry Eric Clapton.
- Ringo Starr (At the time of filming 28, currently 81) - Actual footage from the documentary -
In the end Ringo was there for a good time and apparently a long time. At this point he's the equalizer. He also is supposed to film a movie directly after in their original filming space, which is why I don't think he gives a fuck. Ringo's wife Maureen appears briefly.
Why should I watch it?
Honestly it's a great film if you've wanted to see organically how songwriters write music. There are so many periods in which you can tell they aren't comfortable with the cameras but they don't hide anything. They dress how they want, they goof off, they create fantastic music and eat a ton of toast. If you like The Beatles at all you'll enjoy it. It shows them as people.
Watch Get Back on Disney+ or ... other avenues.
Source - YouTube, Disney+ summary, Biography for their birthdays/summary, my brain/memory/CD collection for some of the opinions and track lists.
(mods sorry about no source the other night lol pls forgive me.)
Click to viewThe Beatles were a British rock band. Originally formed in 1960, they eventually found success in their permanent lineup in 1962. Following a series of unprecedented hits and successful tours, the band retired from touring in 1966 (kind of if One Direction had been put together organically and wrote their stuff from the beginning). By 1969, the four members of the band had grown into adults. Get Back follows the band in January 1969, culminating in their final live performance on the rooftop of Apple Corps on 30 January 1969. There are two records that come from this session: 1969’s Abbey Road and the band’s final work - 1970's Let It Be.
WHO TF ARE THE BEATLES
- Paul McCartney - (At the time of filming 26, currently 79) bass guitarist and at this point part of the band’s primary songwriting team of Lennon/McCartney. At this point in his life, Paul is very happy to be back with the band and throughout the sessions is the driving force. However he is very haughty and truly sees himself and Lennon as the true songwriters in the band. He in fact tries to partition the record out so that Lennon/McCartney is the primary writing force. It’s also shown that he ends up doing most of the writing for the duo during this time period, with Lennon adding onto his work later on. Paul is also dating his future wife Linda, who appears in the documentary.
- John Lennon (At the time of filming 28, currently deceased) - rhythm guitarist and second part of the Lennon/McCartney duo. At this point in time Lennon had divorced his first wife and was living with artist Yoko Ono. While John does help a bit in this film, it is quite obvious that he has checked out of the band. Unlike the other partners of The Beatles, Yoko is in almost every shot of the film, as she sits next to him in every session. While it seems to help Lennon, it is clearly something that irks his bandmates. The only time John seems to be really engaged Yoko gets on a random microphone and starts to scream into it until he gives up and pays attention to her. Yoko did not break up The Beatles, though they do make a joke that the press may see it that way.
- George Harrison (At the time of filming 26, currently deceased) - lead guitarist. George is the youngest and is considered by McCartney (and extension Lennon) to be not as strong of a songwriter. However Harrison had just come back from being in the United States where he was considered a peer to The Band, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton. George was a driving factor behind their trips to India and was instrumental (haha) in incorporating Eastern sounds into The Beatles' music. During the ‘Get Back’ sessions, Harrison quits the band (even writing in his diary that he quit) but is eventually coerced into returning. During the ‘Get Back ‘sessions, he ends up writing ‘Something’ and ‘Here Comes The Sun’, which end up on the 1969 Abbey Road album, ‘I Me Mine’ and ‘For You Blue’ which end up on Let It Be. He also pitches the song ‘All Things Must Pass’, which eventually becomes the title track for his first post-Beatles album (and is my favorite post-Beatles album from any of them). At this time George is married to Pattie Boyd, who later went on to marry Eric Clapton.
- Ringo Starr (At the time of filming 28, currently 81) - Actual footage from the documentary -
In the end Ringo was there for a good time and apparently a long time. At this point he's the equalizer. He also is supposed to film a movie directly after in their original filming space, which is why I don't think he gives a fuck. Ringo's wife Maureen appears briefly.
Why should I watch it?
Honestly it's a great film if you've wanted to see organically how songwriters write music. There are so many periods in which you can tell they aren't comfortable with the cameras but they don't hide anything. They dress how they want, they goof off, they create fantastic music and eat a ton of toast. If you like The Beatles at all you'll enjoy it. It shows them as people.
Watch Get Back on Disney+ or ... other avenues.
Source - YouTube, Disney+ summary, Biography for their birthdays/summary, my brain/memory/CD collection for some of the opinions and track lists.
(mods sorry about no source the other night lol pls forgive me.)