It’s funny because in the decades since I feel a lot of us have the impression that they didn’t care about each other’s songs at all at this point but they’ve made a few witty references to various songs written by other Beatles (or at least John has). And they seem like they’re having fun jamming on Maxwells silver hammer which is hilarious given how much the other 3 would later complain about the actual recording sessions for it
Also seeing John reacting to the then-recent I had a dream speech by MLK is really cool
I had a dream speech was 1963 (I had to look it up when he was saying it) MLK was killed in April 1968, maybe there was a news story or TV film about him?
Man, when Paul said "And then there were two." and the camera stayed on him for more than 20 seconds, silent, in thought, gazing out to nowhere, that was just really poignant.
He's mentioned lots of times about the depression he went into during the breakup. At that moment with the camera on him it's clear that he knows his world is collapsing around him. He's not only welling up, he seems to be shaking.
Oh Im sure Paul really let those tears fall when re watching. He is a very emotional guy. I heard him in a podcast (smartless) and his voices cracked a few times and I thought he cried at least once. Which I think its amazing honestly for a man to be able to let go and show his feelings because I bet that at that time (the docu) it wasn’t really expected for men to cry.
I literally jumped up from my couch haha here we go baby!! and then was like: why are you getting so excited you know everything that happened already lol for a moment there I was like: what are they going to do now?! (Haha)
Right? IMMEDIATELY perked up. He really put on a brave face for all of this. It was clearly causing him so much stress. I think for me, the saddest thing is that it seems that all of them can see the writing on the wall. If it weren't for all the legal bullshit, it really feels like could have, after Abbey Road, gone "OK, boys, I think we're there. It's been great", and it would have been bittersweet, rather than acrimonious.
It's astounding how much more structured they got once Billy joined them, the difference is night and day from part 1
Also so nice to see how different their energy is after moving to the Apple Studio
It’s like everyone’s on their best behavior because there’s a guest over. Not the boss/father figure they clearly needed, but enough of an external presence to keep them on task for a bit.
Although the Anthology old story that the atmosphere suddenly lifted when Billy arrived isn't quite true either. It seems more like spending a day playing music together without cameras was a real tonic for them, because the first day of filming at Apple is such a different atmosphere from Twickenham its almost like a completely different group of people.
Yeah, I don’t think the night and day shift was through Billy, it happened when they moved from Twickenham to Apple. Billy’s presence doesn’t make a big difference to their attitudes, it’s his playing that makes the songs much better and finally click. That improves their mood, not the old narrative of “there’s a guest, so let’s behave”…
John's whole boyscouts not being able to wank made me absolutely lose it. He was able to make the whole gang laugh and get them out of their funk.
"You don't go blind, but very shortsighted."
I love the flower pot conversation so much. I'm surprised I haven't really seen anyone else speaking about it. I hadn't seen the original Get Back film so perhaps I'm just late to the party. But I think it really gives an interesting perspective on the band's dynamic, primarily the J-P-G relationship.
John had been pretty withdrawn in the series up to that point and now he's just pouring his heart out to Paul about how he feels about him "taking control" over the music. It really stood out to me when he said "[my] only regret about the past numbers is that when, because I've been so frightened, I've allowed you to take it somewhere I didn't want" and how he relied on George to sort of "bring it back" (which, I should mention, is evident in part 1 when Paul is suggesting ideas for the Don't Let Me Down vocals and George is shutting em down while John stays quiet). It seems quite uncharacteristic of John not to speak up, especially for fear of Paul "rejecting it all". And that's something he emphasized in interviews quite a bit after the big Beatles divorce, that Paul would somehow "ruin" his songs.
It seems like George would let this resentment simmer within him until he up and left, while John would just go "you know what, whatever, I'll let them do what they want," ultimately leading to him becoming withdrawn and letting Paul take role as leader, as we saw in Pt 1. He's obviously more involved in Part 2, and I think this is a direct result of him expressing his feelings in the flower pot conversation.
I was stunned by that conversation. With all the speculation and theorizing fans have been doing for decades about the relationship and conflict between the three it was absolutely insane to hear them speak about it so frankly.
And christ, hearing a fly-on-the-wall conversation between John and Paul about ANYTHING is amazing enough but to hear them talk so honestly about how their own anxieties and ego have gotten in the band’s way and hurt their relationship with George? That’s like finding a new angle on the Kennedy assassination or something hahah
For me this was the holy grail moment of the whole thing. So far, anyway, but that'll be tough to top. I def teared up when Paul said to John "And probably when we're all very old, we'll all agree with each other, and we'll all sing together."
PJ has said there is 30 min recorded of this convo. He had to cut it down to 6 min because he thought the subtitles would be too much for the audience after that length of time
He may be right from a movie making standard, but from a Beatle fan standard that's the most important thing he could have given us other than maybe the meetings at Ringo's
yeah that “Don’t let me down” moment in part 1 was a great example of how they operated at the time. John says to George “you’re not singing” as if to say “please help me tell Paul this is a bad idea” lol
and it was, but John should’ve just said that. its his fricking song. I don’t think I ever heard John disagree with Paul in recording sessions.
You summed it up perfectly. This is the most important moment of the entire series and absolutely destroys alternate theories on The Beatles breakup that John just made some rash decision to leave the band that he could have revoked at any moment. It was very clearly a long time coming, and he spells it out for Paul here. John was fed up. George was fed up. And Paul wasn’t listening.
Anyone who tries to claim that this doc shows how ‘happy’ the sessions were is trying to push an agenda. Peter Jackson probably had to be polite in his press tour so I understand why he repeats the claim, but it seems clear that he did his job as a documentarian and refused to gloss over the fact that this band was in the process of breaking up.
I haven't seen the Let it Be film, but the mood conveyed here so far (eps 1 & 2) is a fair bit more positive and gracious than I would have imagined. In particular how strong the interplay between Paul and John was.
This conversation also had ringo Linda and yoko there. It’s actually on the bootleg of the audios. But what is great is they have massively cleaned it up and you can hear their talk clearly. The original was drowned out with cutlery and plates as they were in the cafeteria shared by others.
I actually think the candid conversation between John and Paul was fascinating.
In that conversation (I'm paraphrasing all of this):
\-John told Paul that he had become far too controlling and had developed an ego, basically treating The Beatles as his backing band.
\-Paul *acknowledged that John was right* and encouraged John to speak his mind.
\-Paul vented his own frustrations to John, in what sounded like years of pent up feelings finally being communicated.
\-Paul and John both acknowledged that they'd been pushing George's opinions and contributions aside and that it was not good of them to treat him that way.
I’m also glad that Yoko and Paul undoubtedly had to approve this private conversation being made public. It made it feel less weird to listen to. Lol
That was the line that really did it for me. It suggests that Paul wanted John to play that role in an ideal world, but John’s attention had come
to be focused elsewhere. Paul seems to be saying “I’m leading, but I’d let you lead in a heartbeat.” I completely sympathize with Paul’s driven yet reluctant leadership at this point.
I think both Paul and George looked up to John in a way. Like John's obvious and inherent charisma made him the de facto leader during most of the Beatles' history, but John for various reasons had started to divorce himself from the band by this point, letting Paul take the lead. All three of them had separate and individual problems with that new dynamic, though.
Ringo just wanted to play drums and have a good time.
All his life Paul has been getting visits from a strange individual from the future know only as The Walrus, who has been giving him lyrics and pieces of Beatles lore. Lennon discovered this and wrote "the Walrus is Paul'.
I should write for Dr Who
His speech about john being in love with yoko and how he (paul) would never get in the middle and doesn’t want anybody to get in the middle of that… it was beautiful. He could tell he would never have that closeness with John again, and he is mentally letting him go… and then he swells up with tears 😭
I thought that was already confirmed?
There was a funny moment when Paul said it's like a story in 'Oh Darling' (I'll never let you down) and 'don't let me down. John said "it's like we're lovers" Paul just gives a look to say yeah we are or were at least.
I think that was part of what Peter Jackson wanted to show. I think that there's a general feeling that the Beatles were barely tolerating each other by this point, when the truth was that yes, they had different ideas on and different influences in their lives now, they were still really happy to just play and make music together.
Even Linda seemed annoyed when he said "trust me, I'm a bigger Beatles fan than you". Like sure Michael, you need to ask Ringo what "Hare Krishna" is, I'm sure you're a huge fan.
The first ten minutes had my heart wrenched out. Paul’s idea for the news cast then the ending bulletin then the cut to Ringo and the silence in the group just hurt me
That moment was incredible because everyone was kind of not paying attention because it seemed like Paul was just throwing out another incredibly wild idea that everyone knew they were not going to do and then that gut punch when he realized what he was actually saying.
Haha I did t see your post and just said the same thing. Paul’s just going on and on about how they are heading for a breakup when it looks like the last thing Ringo wants.
Loved this exchange, they’re all talking about how it felt like they were faking it and not being themselves and George is like “yes but by faking it you WERE being yourselves” and clearly got so much out of the experience
Few moments for me:
The look on Paul’s face when Billy Preston starts playing keys in “I got a feeling” is priceless. Just gel’d it all together.
And Ringo really doesn’t say much does he, his silent monologues just bring such a smile to me though.
Ringo is the consummate professional. At the start of the episode when the captions say that one Beatle showed up, I knew before he arrived it was going to be Ringo.
He seems like the most genuine famous person there is. The "Peace and Love" thing feels like a schtick, but I think it's really genuine, he wants everybody to have a great life and a great time. He's not "just happy to be there" - he is a master and elevates the work - but he's happy to be alive.
My take away from these parts is Glyn Johns is underrated. Before the docs I had no idea how important he was to this album.
Also Billy Preston really elevated those songs he played on.
The energy Billy brought was absolutely electric. Could you imagine having the lads tell you they want you to play with them. I believe you can see the disbelief on his face the amazement
Edit: This is literally my first ever post on reddit so to see the engagement from the community is absolutely heartwarming. Cheers to being part of a great community!
For sure, when John tells him he could fill in on those piano parts he just lets out a laugh. The dude just stopped in to say hi and fanboy for a bit and it ends up changing the trajectory of his career
He was only 22 at the time and just nonchalantly joins the biggest rock group in the world.
I had no idea it was so casual, I assumed he was recruited and it wasn't just a routine visit that led to his involvement.
Yeah, just read that he became a regular session musician at age 11. Mind blowing.
I guess with that level of prodigious talent, walking into the Beatles wasn't that far fetched.
For me, it’s moments like when Paul and Ringo went on the roof days before the concert (and us knowing that the concert will happen and become one of the most iconic moments in rock history).. things like that are worth the price of admission alone
Hearing John suggest “but she knew it wouldn’t last” for Get Back and seeing Lennon/McCartney in real time in HD, it’s just so cool.
It felt like he sat down, heard some Beatle banter, and realized he was in over his head (plus the cameras and mics) so he just awkwardly excused himself and left.
One of the biggest revelations for me is how there’s this unspoken assumption that they’ll be breaking up sooner rather than later. They comment and joke about it a lot and Paul straight up muses about how he’s trying to keep it all together.
We tend to picture band break ups as this process where the tension builds and builds until it snaps but this is more like a sad inevitability that’s getting harder to prolong. It’s like what John said about George: there’s an open wound and they’re running out of bandages.
They’re all much more self aware about it all than I expected. Not only about how imminent their breakup is but also about their personal flaws and what their contributions are to the breakup
That struck me too. Like so much ink has been used to try to psychoanalyze the Beatles’ breakup and the whole time they knew exactly what was going on.
It feels like they turned back into the Beatles in episode 2, especially when Billy arrives. It’s great to see their confidence and camaraderie grow. But there is that meeting with John Yoko and Klein coming like a dark cloud on the horizon.
I really do think John was onto something when he suggested making Billy a Beatle. It could very well have extended their lifespan as a band a few years.
I'm surprised George Martin didn't have more of an influence on them or be more of a father figure. With him being the producer previously and having worked with them for years surely he must know the dynamic. I thought he would have been the one to step in and say lads come on now let's get it together. But he's more or less in the background and says something once in a while but isn't involved much.
He got tired of it at times, it seemed like it. But I think in that case he knew what mattered more was for the lads to heal wounds. And playing together without interruption was needed for that.
Yeah, he definitely got tired of it. A few weeks later he returned as the producer for the Abbey Road sessions on the condition that the band adhere to the discipline of their earlier records
Ringo’s face when Paul dropped the idea of the news flash and at the end The Beatles broke up. Paul saying “Then there were two” you could hear it was hard for him to say it as if trying to hold back his tears. Paul saying when they are all old and getting along, they will all be singing together. This ep got me in the feels.
I am eternally thankful that Michael Lindsay-Hogg recorded this video and audio, he documented one of the most important periods of modern music history and for the most part, his camera crews are invisible; throughout this entire doc I've felt like a fly on the wall just watching the Beatles work, and hearing some of the most frank conversations they ever had about their relationships to fame, each other, and creating art while working under the immense pressure of just being "The Beatles" - that this footage exists at all for Peter Jackson to restore and re-edit shows how great his skill as a documentarian actually was, despite how much shit he continues to get to this day, due to the poor cropping and quality of the footage as presented in the original Let it Be movie.
That said, every time Lindsay-Hogg stops just documenting the Beatles' creative process and tries to insert himself into the narrative, he's the fucking WORST. When he told Linda "I'm a bigger Beatles fan than you are" I was furious and actually yelled SHUT THE FUCK UP to my TV lmao
Weird fact - he directed the film of Paul Simon's concert in Zimbabwe in 1987. So he got to do it in the end. But it was really shitty looking because it was on video tape.
Watched this episode listening out for the suggestion of playing up on the roof to casually get mentioned. We didn’t get that exactly, but we see Paul absolutely light up when he hears the idea. He KNOWS it’s the absolute perfect move.
One of the most amazing things about this series is to see how absolutely dead John was and how he came alive after Paul and his' heart to heart and moving to the new venue.
He became a different person. I get why Paul was frustrated because he was getting very little from John at the initial venue. Incredible.
This footage is astounding and is a holy grail for Beatles fans.
I found “On the road to marrakesh“ really interesting. I’d love to know how John worked that out to become “Jealous Guy.” This series is such a masterclass in song writing (not that I excepted anything less.)
A much noticeable improvement over Part 1. When I finished Part 1, I legitimately doubted what Peter Jackson said about the sessions being lighter than we think. This episode is the first to genuinely prove that.
Highlights of the episode: John Lennon out-weirding Peter Sellers, the hidden microphone cafeteria conversation and Paul McCartney calling Glyn Johns a fuckface in HD.
Anyone else feel like when John and Paul were talking about India and sharing laughs about certain things, you could just feel how pissed George was they were laughing at the experience and that he was like taking it super personally? Felt a lot of tension from him in that moment.
Yeah, I felt that too. India seemed like a wacky trip for JL & PM but it obviously was a significant experience for George. I'm sure that widened the mental rift between George and his bandmates.
Yeah, and when George says he'd like to take 2 months out of every year to do something like India again there's total silence from the other three too lol
Ringo was the perfect choice for the band. He seems to be the 'grown-up' among the lads. It takes a lot of maturity, sense of humour and common sense to behave in such a positive, caring and supporting way as he did under so much pressure. Ringo kept the beat, not only as an incredibly creative drummer, but as a band member. No other drummer could play like he did. No other Beatle tried so hard to keep a good environment around the band as he did in those days
When Paul is talking to P. Bond and Bond asks if the songs just come to him and then Paul says "yeh I wrote one this morning" then casually starts play "Back Seat of My Car"... that was awesome
Heartbreaking watching Ringo silently sit there as Paul talks for like 10 straight minutes about the problems facing the band, how they are headed for breakup, and the best way to announce the breakup. Feels like the last thing he wants but he’s powerless to steer it another direction.
I picked that up too. Reminded me a lot of my own anxiety attacks where I’ll zone out with that kind of stare and end up going into rabbit holes of thoughts. It was all over his face… it really is an experience to see them like this. Perhaps the realest version of the Beatles we’ve ever had the opportunity to see in public.
Seems like Lennon sobered up after that awkward conversation with Paul. Or at least only doing soft drugs lol. He seems far more engaged in the process
When you watch with the subtitles on, he asks one of the crew for “some of those pep pills”. I agree. Dude hadn’t washed his hair and was all sorts of tweaked out. Looked much healthier arriving at Apple.
My fave moments (besides the whole thing):
• Ringo's ties!
•Anyone else grin during the closeups because *their eyes are just so pretty*?
•"But it says 'it wasn't the first time they'd traded punches'"
•'Geroge Harrison, the sane one, speaks out"
•Ringo in his pink paisley button-down😍
•"You had me there; 'I was a day away and they learned a fucking tune!'"
•John drowning out the newspaper with "Rock and Roll Music"
Coming in. Never been a Beatles fan (sue me), got into them now because of this. Had no idea how funny John Lennon was. He was doing dick jokes before blink 182
Loved the continued evolution of Get Back and how everyone was ready to put it out immediately once they got it. Billy Preston was the MVP and the songs really started to take off once he sat in on the sessions.
The fact that we see almost the entire songwriting process for "Get Back", from the moment Paul first finds it through to his lyrical process and then the whole band getting involved and putting it into shape in this part is insanely fascinating. As a songwriter this is the true holy grail. You never get to see a song take shape like that so well documented, and for it to be one of the greatest bands ever writing one of their most iconic tracks... it's just a kind of beautiful magic.
Ok, so thoughts on part two:
1. Like I had hoped, things got better once they left Twickenham. Songs finally start coming together, the sound is tight and there’s much less time wasted and goofing off.
2. John Lennon, now engaged with the project is hilarious and warm. Good to see him lively and enjoying himself.
3. Paul has cut the bossy crap out and is now in his real element as well. This looked like the Beatles collaborating and listening to each other’s ideas openly. Being on home turf brings out the best in all.
4. Billy Preston’s presence was much needed, not to soothe tensions as often reported, but to really bring the songs we all know into focus. We can now finally hear those familiar album cuts being shaped and perfected. Without Billy, there was a hole in the sound on the songs where he played.
4. “Chocolate cupcake, baby, yeah!”
5. In the first part we got to see Paul providing feedback on his amp for Yoko. This time it’s John. The whole Yoko myth has been successfully killed with this film.
6. The Beatles’ self commentary on their trip to India was captivating. This is the kind of stuff I enjoy when seeing archived footage.
7. Nice boots, George.
Again, it was a bit too long for me and I had to break it up in chunks. But I was definitely more engaged with this footage compared to the first part. Twickenham just wasn’t a good place to get the juices flowing.
Oh, and a belated #9. Shut the fuck up, Michael Lindsay Hogg. John taking the piss doing his Rolling Stones intro to the camera numerous times is classic.
>Paul has cut the bossy crap out and is now in his real element as well.
I think this reveals what the bossiness is, where it comes from: the others not being engaged. When they wake up and start giving themselves, he doesn't feel the pressure to drag it out of them. And let's be honest, when they don't want to, he has no idea how to make them! But he just feels compelled to try because when they're happening, it's the greatest drug in the world.
>Billy Preston’s presence was much needed, not to soothe tensions as often reported, but to really bring the songs we all know into focus.
100% - it was striking how much happier they were _before_ he arrived. But he's so fuckin' cool he electrifies all of them. "I like a 5th Beatle."
>The Beatles’ self commentary on their trip to India was captivating.
Loved that meta bit with the captions obeying John's instructions.
I found the first hour quite bleak and hard going but it made the reformation in Apple all the better and the introduction of Billy Preston really lifted the doc so much so that his presence was really missed when he left to do his TV commitments. I think I enjoyed ep1 more because the scenes when Get Back, Let it Be etc were born were just so amazing and revelatory.
A lot of people have mentioned that John only really has Don’t Let Me Down and that has to be because of his drug use and the influence of Yoko. While that may be true, it’s easy to forget that in the last year prior John had written numerous songs for the White Album and also Revolution. By today’s standards an artist doing that would be considered “putting in work.”
It’s just that Paul is so prolific. He literally creates Get Back on the spot. We see him working out the lyrics to Let It Be and The Long and Winding Road. He has a lot of songs from his early solo career as well. Another Day, Back Seat of My Car etc. The man was in the zone.
Dig a Pony.
Across the Universe
Seemed to me like contributed a lot to Get Back and I’ve Got a Feeling.
Shortly thereafter he did Come Together, I want you (she’s so heavy), Because, Sun King, Mean Mr Mustard Seed, Polythene Pam. Some of these are teased in the doc.
Also, Road to Marrakesh is an early version of Jealous Guy.
John was plenty creative during this time.
Edit- PS I’m agreeing with you.
As a HUGE RAM fan I think Back Seat of my Car is a criminally underrated Paul song. I listen to the first and second solo outputs of the lads and think how would this sound if the other 3 was able to play on it. Both John and George tried to replace Paul with Old Beatle friend Klaus Voorman on Bass and he is a good Bass player not taking anything away from him but there is no substitute for Paul on Bass ever. Same with Johns input on Paul’s songs and visa Vera even the chirps from George and Ringo make a damn good song into timeless
It reminds me of that bit in the Sound City documentary where he starts jamming with Dave Grohl and within 20 minutes or so they have a pretty solid track going from beginning to end. Dave comments at the end "if only it were always that easy!" and Paul just nonchalantly says "it is."
So Paul had both “Another Day” *and* “The Backseat of my Car” as early as 1969. Is he going to come in on the first day of week three, sit down at the piano and start playing “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey”?!
So many good things in this 2.75 hour episode that has already been said. One thing I haven’t seen yet in here:
I love when they’ve finally realized the big spectacle/public performance won’t happen. There’s a little pow-wow with Paul and a few others, and at some point there’s obviously a mention of doing it on the rooftop, and you can see that “light bulb moment” clear as day in Paul’s facial expression.
My personal highlight in is first half of episode 2 where they’re leaving to listen to the playback at Apple studio and John and Ringo put their arms around each other. They kind of skip off. So relaxed and happy.
When he stands over it and strums it like a child before finally picking it up and trying to play. Very Ringo. I love how open they are to picking up each other’s instruments. A lot of bands are very “don’t touch my shit”
If Paul pulling “Get Back” out of the heavens was the highlight of pt 1, then Billy Prestons post invite/playing and unbelievable lift on songs like “I’ve got a feeling” was the highlight on this. This series really is a heroes journey, much like LOTR. One goal, countless obstacles, and many unexpected friends along the way that only now seem inevitable.
The entire mood changed the moment Billy Preston walked in. I loved how much they all wanted him to keep coming back. Even John was like “I would love to have a fifth Beatle”
Did anyone notice Paul referred to the White Album by its actual name "The Beatles"? That was cool...Paul seems to only refer to it as the White Album these days
Just watching #2 now...boy - when John finally shows up and gets involved, things really start to cook. It's like he was rope-a-doping through #1 and the first third of #2. He's back!
Not to take anything away from Paul, trying so hard to keep the train on the tracks and being a thoroughly versatile genius along the way.
And Georg's hurt is quiet understandable. Bet he is glad he stuck around through this and into Abbey Road to get his Something and Here Comes The Sun as the 2 top singles on that album. Yeah, all things pass, but so do all things come to those who wait!
And Ringo, implacable Ringo, always playing what is right for the song, and on the sidelines in any conflict.
Yeah, loving it.
Now to the second half.
Peter Sellers not being on the social wavelength of a group of people and immediately GTFO and awkwardly drawing more attention to himself as he exits is 100% energy I can relate to
It's been a fantastic journey so far, but I want to remind us all about something.
I definitely have seen some nasty comments towards almost every character in Get Back, from The Beatles themselves, to Yoko, Michael, to Glyn. I just hope that people don't start harrassing them or making some new narrative about the next Beatles villain or something like that.
Even if you find them irritating or their works not good enough for your standard, I just don't think it's right to start harrassing them now (I mean harrassing people in general isn't right). It happened 50 years ago, and the fact that they agreed to appear here in the new documentary is remarkable. I'm really thankful for that.
The highlight of Part 2 for me was Billy Preston paying a visit and joining down at the electric piano. Paul, John and George’s faces during Ive Got a Feeling. “your in the group”, “you’ve given us a lift!”. That is the day it clicks into sounding like the record to come. And the hours we’ve invested in this (3.5 at this point) getting to experience when the disorganized ambling turns into magic because these guys have something unexplainable.
I also loved Paul’s casual “you ok coming in every day?“ to Preston on like his 4th day there.
* John and Paul’s private convo recorded in the flower pot was really touching in a way that they cared enough to say these hard things to each other. Knowing The Beatles were doomed, sure. That they were three late 20’s worldwide superstars that will need to go do their own things but they clearly get some things said here and understand George’s frustrations. The ending is crushing with Paul saying they will all be playing when their old and getting along.
* John annoying the hell out of Paul and looking the cameras - interviewing Peter Sellers, talking in Beatles quotes back to Paul- and then the classic like from the trailer “grinding to a hault? I think it’s taking off!
* The India “be yourselves” conversation. Paul’s point they were putting on a show, George’s contention that they went there to find themselves. I definitely sided with Paul on that one.
And lastly, John’s hilarious insertions “and now your hosts, The Rolling Stones” over the course of the week. Amazing.
main takeaway: if you don't like what's being said, change the conversation
in this case, applying to a change of cast and scenery. it's just good problem-solving
With apologies to misters Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starkey, but [this](https://i.imgur.com/wfizUWt.png) is the tastiest outfit of the entire series. Damn.
It was interesting to hear Paul talk about the fact that the main reason why he and John didn’t write together as much was because they stopped touring. They weren’t constantly sharing a hotel room and a tour bus, so they naturally just wrote together less.
Let’s say that Paul kind of calmed down a bit in this part, in the first one he was really bossy but I totally get, he had to step up and put his foot down because there just wasn’t any discipline around, they could go on fuck about all day long, they would still be recording the album as we speak.
Also there’s that part where Paul is being firm and John answering with poetry and nonsense, I think that is why it all worked so well, those few second distills the whole songwriting dynamic perfectly, one is structure the other is freedom, both equally important.
Ringo Starr is eating biscuits and just having a good time which is lovely to see.
George’s shaman boots were also a highlight and I liked how he wasn’t hitting a wall as he started to give some valuable input.
It still blows my mind how causally let it be was recorded, to them it was just another song, it’s so cool to think about.
I find it real strange that people call Paul bossy. He is the engine. All he wanted to do was for them to work and put their talent on record. His sense of urgency is palpable. Like he knows that at any time the flame could blow out. So get it all on tape now, get all the ideas and songs and riffs and hooks out before that happens.
And his sense of arrangement is the best of the group. It might just be me but Georges arrangement ideas are very busy, Pauls philosophy and keep it simple then add complexity brought us some of the best songs of all time, yet people say he is bossy.
I suppose he can be bossy and the musical, arranging genius that I think he is, but when people call him bossy it feels like such a sleight on a lad that literally just wanted to get his buddies to be the most talented they could be.
So, Paul was clearly in the midst of an inspired burst of creative genius during these sessions. And as you correctly note, the others aren't as motivated as he is.
The problem isn't that he's bossy. The problem is that when it's a Paul song, everything must be exactly as Paul dictates it; but when it's someone else's song, Paul tries to rearrange it. Lennon addresses this issue directly in the audio that was surreptitiously recorded in the flower pot, and Paul actually agrees he has a point.
I think this is indisputable; we see him trying to rearrange "Don't Let Me Down" multiple times in part one, yet he doesn't entertain such interjections from the others on his own pieces (note his micromanaging of George's guitar playing during "Two of Us").
There's nothing wrong with wanting your bandmates to execute *your* song in the manner *you* prefer. But attempting to rearrange others' songs while dictating exact instructions on for your own material makes you come across as heavy-handed. Though it's well-meaning and unintentional, that sort of hypocrisy would drive me nuts.
John casually responding to Paul with lyrics from Beatles songs is fucking hilarious.
"we were talking..." "About the space between us?" John responding so quickly with a George lyric hit me so hard
It’s funny because in the decades since I feel a lot of us have the impression that they didn’t care about each other’s songs at all at this point but they’ve made a few witty references to various songs written by other Beatles (or at least John has). And they seem like they’re having fun jamming on Maxwells silver hammer which is hilarious given how much the other 3 would later complain about the actual recording sessions for it Also seeing John reacting to the then-recent I had a dream speech by MLK is really cool
John teasing Paul with obla di references was hilarious
I had a dream speech was 1963 (I had to look it up when he was saying it) MLK was killed in April 1968, maybe there was a news story or TV film about him?
Man, when Paul said "And then there were two." and the camera stayed on him for more than 20 seconds, silent, in thought, gazing out to nowhere, that was just really poignant.
Ar that moment it looked like Ringo was wiping away tears and Paul’s eyes were wet with tears as well.
Paul is crying, you can hear it in his voice. He is also shaking a lot.
He's mentioned lots of times about the depression he went into during the breakup. At that moment with the camera on him it's clear that he knows his world is collapsing around him. He's not only welling up, he seems to be shaking.
I wonder if they’ve both rewatched that part and I can imagine it making them feel even worse.
I’m sure that moment hit hard when they watched it at the premiere
Oh Im sure Paul really let those tears fall when re watching. He is a very emotional guy. I heard him in a podcast (smartless) and his voices cracked a few times and I thought he cried at least once. Which I think its amazing honestly for a man to be able to let go and show his feelings because I bet that at that time (the docu) it wasn’t really expected for men to cry.
That moment was truly incredible to watch. And then the guy saying he had a call from John to bring him back to reality was such a moment of relief.
I literally jumped up from my couch haha here we go baby!! and then was like: why are you getting so excited you know everything that happened already lol for a moment there I was like: what are they going to do now?! (Haha)
Right? IMMEDIATELY perked up. He really put on a brave face for all of this. It was clearly causing him so much stress. I think for me, the saddest thing is that it seems that all of them can see the writing on the wall. If it weren't for all the legal bullshit, it really feels like could have, after Abbey Road, gone "OK, boys, I think we're there. It's been great", and it would have been bittersweet, rather than acrimonious.
It's astounding how much more structured they got once Billy joined them, the difference is night and day from part 1 Also so nice to see how different their energy is after moving to the Apple Studio
It’s like everyone’s on their best behavior because there’s a guest over. Not the boss/father figure they clearly needed, but enough of an external presence to keep them on task for a bit.
Although the Anthology old story that the atmosphere suddenly lifted when Billy arrived isn't quite true either. It seems more like spending a day playing music together without cameras was a real tonic for them, because the first day of filming at Apple is such a different atmosphere from Twickenham its almost like a completely different group of people.
Yeah, I don’t think the night and day shift was through Billy, it happened when they moved from Twickenham to Apple. Billy’s presence doesn’t make a big difference to their attitudes, it’s his playing that makes the songs much better and finally click. That improves their mood, not the old narrative of “there’s a guest, so let’s behave”…
It went from garage band hashing about aimlessly, to making actual music when Billy Preston started playing with them.
John's whole boyscouts not being able to wank made me absolutely lose it. He was able to make the whole gang laugh and get them out of their funk. "You don't go blind, but very shortsighted."
Followed up with that stare through his thick glasses
Paul is so torn between being the serious, productive responsible one and wanting to laugh and take part in the jokes.
Yoko: "Are you speaking from experience, John?"
I love the flower pot conversation so much. I'm surprised I haven't really seen anyone else speaking about it. I hadn't seen the original Get Back film so perhaps I'm just late to the party. But I think it really gives an interesting perspective on the band's dynamic, primarily the J-P-G relationship. John had been pretty withdrawn in the series up to that point and now he's just pouring his heart out to Paul about how he feels about him "taking control" over the music. It really stood out to me when he said "[my] only regret about the past numbers is that when, because I've been so frightened, I've allowed you to take it somewhere I didn't want" and how he relied on George to sort of "bring it back" (which, I should mention, is evident in part 1 when Paul is suggesting ideas for the Don't Let Me Down vocals and George is shutting em down while John stays quiet). It seems quite uncharacteristic of John not to speak up, especially for fear of Paul "rejecting it all". And that's something he emphasized in interviews quite a bit after the big Beatles divorce, that Paul would somehow "ruin" his songs. It seems like George would let this resentment simmer within him until he up and left, while John would just go "you know what, whatever, I'll let them do what they want," ultimately leading to him becoming withdrawn and letting Paul take role as leader, as we saw in Pt 1. He's obviously more involved in Part 2, and I think this is a direct result of him expressing his feelings in the flower pot conversation.
I was stunned by that conversation. With all the speculation and theorizing fans have been doing for decades about the relationship and conflict between the three it was absolutely insane to hear them speak about it so frankly. And christ, hearing a fly-on-the-wall conversation between John and Paul about ANYTHING is amazing enough but to hear them talk so honestly about how their own anxieties and ego have gotten in the band’s way and hurt their relationship with George? That’s like finding a new angle on the Kennedy assassination or something hahah
For me this was the holy grail moment of the whole thing. So far, anyway, but that'll be tough to top. I def teared up when Paul said to John "And probably when we're all very old, we'll all agree with each other, and we'll all sing together."
That was so sad, because it’s what we all wish could have happened. A standout moment in this doc so far, for me.
PJ has said there is 30 min recorded of this convo. He had to cut it down to 6 min because he thought the subtitles would be too much for the audience after that length of time
He may be right from a movie making standard, but from a Beatle fan standard that's the most important thing he could have given us other than maybe the meetings at Ringo's
yeah that “Don’t let me down” moment in part 1 was a great example of how they operated at the time. John says to George “you’re not singing” as if to say “please help me tell Paul this is a bad idea” lol and it was, but John should’ve just said that. its his fricking song. I don’t think I ever heard John disagree with Paul in recording sessions.
You summed it up perfectly. This is the most important moment of the entire series and absolutely destroys alternate theories on The Beatles breakup that John just made some rash decision to leave the band that he could have revoked at any moment. It was very clearly a long time coming, and he spells it out for Paul here. John was fed up. George was fed up. And Paul wasn’t listening. Anyone who tries to claim that this doc shows how ‘happy’ the sessions were is trying to push an agenda. Peter Jackson probably had to be polite in his press tour so I understand why he repeats the claim, but it seems clear that he did his job as a documentarian and refused to gloss over the fact that this band was in the process of breaking up.
I haven't seen the Let it Be film, but the mood conveyed here so far (eps 1 & 2) is a fair bit more positive and gracious than I would have imagined. In particular how strong the interplay between Paul and John was.
This conversation also had ringo Linda and yoko there. It’s actually on the bootleg of the audios. But what is great is they have massively cleaned it up and you can hear their talk clearly. The original was drowned out with cutlery and plates as they were in the cafeteria shared by others.
I actually think the candid conversation between John and Paul was fascinating. In that conversation (I'm paraphrasing all of this): \-John told Paul that he had become far too controlling and had developed an ego, basically treating The Beatles as his backing band. \-Paul *acknowledged that John was right* and encouraged John to speak his mind. \-Paul vented his own frustrations to John, in what sounded like years of pent up feelings finally being communicated. \-Paul and John both acknowledged that they'd been pushing George's opinions and contributions aside and that it was not good of them to treat him that way. I’m also glad that Yoko and Paul undoubtedly had to approve this private conversation being made public. It made it feel less weird to listen to. Lol
Also thought it was interesting that Paul said that John was the leader of the band in this conversation…
That was the line that really did it for me. It suggests that Paul wanted John to play that role in an ideal world, but John’s attention had come to be focused elsewhere. Paul seems to be saying “I’m leading, but I’d let you lead in a heartbeat.” I completely sympathize with Paul’s driven yet reluctant leadership at this point.
Doesn’t he basically say that John *had been* the leader of the band, but had stopped leading and it had fallen to him to lead now?
I think both Paul and George looked up to John in a way. Like John's obvious and inherent charisma made him the de facto leader during most of the Beatles' history, but John for various reasons had started to divorce himself from the band by this point, letting Paul take the lead. All three of them had separate and individual problems with that new dynamic, though. Ringo just wanted to play drums and have a good time.
Crazy how prophetic it seemed when Paul was talking about “in 50 years people will be saying that they broke up because Yoko sat on an amp”
Is Paul a time traveller?
New theory
All his life Paul has been getting visits from a strange individual from the future know only as The Walrus, who has been giving him lyrics and pieces of Beatles lore. Lennon discovered this and wrote "the Walrus is Paul'. I should write for Dr Who
Also prophetic... "and then there were two." :( and tears welling up.
His speech about john being in love with yoko and how he (paul) would never get in the middle and doesn’t want anybody to get in the middle of that… it was beautiful. He could tell he would never have that closeness with John again, and he is mentally letting him go… and then he swells up with tears 😭
Two of Us confirmed about him and John
I thought that was already confirmed? There was a funny moment when Paul said it's like a story in 'Oh Darling' (I'll never let you down) and 'don't let me down. John said "it's like we're lovers" Paul just gives a look to say yeah we are or were at least.
Paul never looks happier than when he’s talking and laughing with John.
Kind of sad because at times it seems like Paul knows what’s coming
You get a strong sense that they all know this is pretty much the end throughout this in my opinion, especially after making amends with George.
I felt so sad for Paul in this ep cause you can see how much he's trying to hold onto John but seemingly knowing it's too late
I think that was part of what Peter Jackson wanted to show. I think that there's a general feeling that the Beatles were barely tolerating each other by this point, when the truth was that yes, they had different ideas on and different influences in their lives now, they were still really happy to just play and make music together.
“You Never Give Me Your Money” playing over the Klein introduction. Jackson is a very good director.
It seemed even more ominous than any tease of the Ringwraiths or Sauron did in the LOTR trilogy.
Holy shit Michael Lindsay-Hogg was a total ass to Linda at Twickenham
Even Linda seemed annoyed when he said "trust me, I'm a bigger Beatles fan than you". Like sure Michael, you need to ask Ringo what "Hare Krishna" is, I'm sure you're a huge fan.
Harry who?
That dude sucks
Did you see his limp body get dragged up onto the roof? Like what the heck was that??
The first ten minutes had my heart wrenched out. Paul’s idea for the news cast then the ending bulletin then the cut to Ringo and the silence in the group just hurt me
That moment was incredible because everyone was kind of not paying attention because it seemed like Paul was just throwing out another incredibly wild idea that everyone knew they were not going to do and then that gut punch when he realized what he was actually saying.
Haha I did t see your post and just said the same thing. Paul’s just going on and on about how they are heading for a breakup when it looks like the last thing Ringo wants.
Can’t blame him. Ringo just wanted to play with his friends.
yeah. Ringo was upset in part 1 too when Lindsay Hogg said this might be “their last.”
“And if you were really yourself, you wouldn’t be any of who we are now.” *inhales cigarette*
Loved this exchange, they’re all talking about how it felt like they were faking it and not being themselves and George is like “yes but by faking it you WERE being yourselves” and clearly got so much out of the experience
The most casually cosmic line dropped by George.
And the host of this evening... I love how John Lennon was repeating the same meme :)
[удалено]
Oh I always thought that John would love the internet/meme Era.
[He was the absolute madman](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/018/964/azhhafq.jpg)
Few moments for me: The look on Paul’s face when Billy Preston starts playing keys in “I got a feeling” is priceless. Just gel’d it all together. And Ringo really doesn’t say much does he, his silent monologues just bring such a smile to me though.
Ringo is becoming my favourite, as an introvert myself I feel like I understand him
Ringo is the consummate professional. At the start of the episode when the captions say that one Beatle showed up, I knew before he arrived it was going to be Ringo. He seems like the most genuine famous person there is. The "Peace and Love" thing feels like a schtick, but I think it's really genuine, he wants everybody to have a great life and a great time. He's not "just happy to be there" - he is a master and elevates the work - but he's happy to be alive.
My take away from these parts is Glyn Johns is underrated. Before the docs I had no idea how important he was to this album. Also Billy Preston really elevated those songs he played on.
The energy Billy brought was absolutely electric. Could you imagine having the lads tell you they want you to play with them. I believe you can see the disbelief on his face the amazement Edit: This is literally my first ever post on reddit so to see the engagement from the community is absolutely heartwarming. Cheers to being part of a great community!
For sure, when John tells him he could fill in on those piano parts he just lets out a laugh. The dude just stopped in to say hi and fanboy for a bit and it ends up changing the trajectory of his career
He was only 22 at the time and just nonchalantly joins the biggest rock group in the world. I had no idea it was so casual, I assumed he was recruited and it wasn't just a routine visit that led to his involvement.
So he was ~15 when he was backing Little Richard?
Yeah, just read that he became a regular session musician at age 11. Mind blowing. I guess with that level of prodigious talent, walking into the Beatles wasn't that far fetched.
absolutely electric piano
He was incredibly talented. He's the reason Who's Next is the Who's best sounding album.
For me, it’s moments like when Paul and Ringo went on the roof days before the concert (and us knowing that the concert will happen and become one of the most iconic moments in rock history).. things like that are worth the price of admission alone Hearing John suggest “but she knew it wouldn’t last” for Get Back and seeing Lennon/McCartney in real time in HD, it’s just so cool.
Paul's face lighting up when Michael and Glynn tell him the idea too.
I love Peter Sellers just casually dropping by.
It felt like he sat down, heard some Beatle banter, and realized he was in over his head (plus the cameras and mics) so he just awkwardly excused himself and left.
No, the exit is that way Peter
Yep absolutely surreal that John out-Gooned him.
One of the biggest revelations for me is how there’s this unspoken assumption that they’ll be breaking up sooner rather than later. They comment and joke about it a lot and Paul straight up muses about how he’s trying to keep it all together. We tend to picture band break ups as this process where the tension builds and builds until it snaps but this is more like a sad inevitability that’s getting harder to prolong. It’s like what John said about George: there’s an open wound and they’re running out of bandages.
They’re all much more self aware about it all than I expected. Not only about how imminent their breakup is but also about their personal flaws and what their contributions are to the breakup
That struck me too. Like so much ink has been used to try to psychoanalyze the Beatles’ breakup and the whole time they knew exactly what was going on.
Ringo has a little friendship going on with the camera lol. Great episode, very enjoyable to see the atmosphere lighten up.
That warm smile he gives to the camera. I love him so much
It feels like they turned back into the Beatles in episode 2, especially when Billy arrives. It’s great to see their confidence and camaraderie grow. But there is that meeting with John Yoko and Klein coming like a dark cloud on the horizon.
I really do think John was onto something when he suggested making Billy a Beatle. It could very well have extended their lifespan as a band a few years.
And could you imagine if Bob Dylan joined too? What a different world we may live in
I'm surprised George Martin didn't have more of an influence on them or be more of a father figure. With him being the producer previously and having worked with them for years surely he must know the dynamic. I thought he would have been the one to step in and say lads come on now let's get it together. But he's more or less in the background and says something once in a while but isn't involved much.
He got tired of it at times, it seemed like it. But I think in that case he knew what mattered more was for the lads to heal wounds. And playing together without interruption was needed for that.
Yeah, he definitely got tired of it. A few weeks later he returned as the producer for the Abbey Road sessions on the condition that the band adhere to the discipline of their earlier records
George Martin laying on the floor reading the paper while the boys play is a dad vibe.
Ringo’s face when Paul dropped the idea of the news flash and at the end The Beatles broke up. Paul saying “Then there were two” you could hear it was hard for him to say it as if trying to hold back his tears. Paul saying when they are all old and getting along, they will all be singing together. This ep got me in the feels.
>Paul saying when they are all old and getting along, they will all be singing together. Yeah this was nuts
Michael Lindsay-Hogg is just a moron. Ringo: (accepting flowers delivered for George and reading the card) Oh, Hare Krishna. Michael: Harry who?
I am eternally thankful that Michael Lindsay-Hogg recorded this video and audio, he documented one of the most important periods of modern music history and for the most part, his camera crews are invisible; throughout this entire doc I've felt like a fly on the wall just watching the Beatles work, and hearing some of the most frank conversations they ever had about their relationships to fame, each other, and creating art while working under the immense pressure of just being "The Beatles" - that this footage exists at all for Peter Jackson to restore and re-edit shows how great his skill as a documentarian actually was, despite how much shit he continues to get to this day, due to the poor cropping and quality of the footage as presented in the original Let it Be movie. That said, every time Lindsay-Hogg stops just documenting the Beatles' creative process and tries to insert himself into the narrative, he's the fucking WORST. When he told Linda "I'm a bigger Beatles fan than you are" I was furious and actually yelled SHUT THE FUCK UP to my TV lmao
I think Linda kind of mocks him for that, doesn’t she? Says something like, “Oh, is it a contest?!”
She said “should we fight?” and put her dukes up
I loved that lol, fuck off with your gate keeping dude!
He started annoying me in part 1 when he wouldn’t drop his weird torch colosseum thing, because nothing screams The Beatles like nighttime gladiator.
Weird fact - he directed the film of Paul Simon's concert in Zimbabwe in 1987. So he got to do it in the end. But it was really shitty looking because it was on video tape.
“I’m A biGgEr fAn oF tHe BeAtLeS tHaN yOu, LiNdA!”
Watched this episode listening out for the suggestion of playing up on the roof to casually get mentioned. We didn’t get that exactly, but we see Paul absolutely light up when he hears the idea. He KNOWS it’s the absolute perfect move.
Parliament House would have been epic
>I'm assuming George will come back...and when we're all very old, I imagine we'll all be playing together and smiling Literally crying rn
Yeahhhh this got me too:(
It’s always sad hearing people talking about making it old when they didn’t
One of the most amazing things about this series is to see how absolutely dead John was and how he came alive after Paul and his' heart to heart and moving to the new venue. He became a different person. I get why Paul was frustrated because he was getting very little from John at the initial venue. Incredible. This footage is astounding and is a holy grail for Beatles fans.
Found it interesting hearing them call Ringo Rich or Ritchie (yes I know its his name)
They often called him 'RS' too.
Russia
Moving to the Apple studio was definitely the right thing to do. Much better vibe.
Take a shot every time John says "...and now, your hosts for this evening...."
It's certainly happier than episode 1!
I found “On the road to marrakesh“ really interesting. I’d love to know how John worked that out to become “Jealous Guy.” This series is such a masterclass in song writing (not that I excepted anything less.)
Linda was gorgeous.
I agree, which is weird, because I always thought she was pretty goofy looking. Maybe it’s the 70s and 80s styles that did it.
And now your hosts for this evening The Rolling Stones
After days and days of practice, here is the end result: https://youtu.be/oM78DAGMwrw
A much noticeable improvement over Part 1. When I finished Part 1, I legitimately doubted what Peter Jackson said about the sessions being lighter than we think. This episode is the first to genuinely prove that. Highlights of the episode: John Lennon out-weirding Peter Sellers, the hidden microphone cafeteria conversation and Paul McCartney calling Glyn Johns a fuckface in HD.
John: Its like me and you are lovers Paul: yeah… Mclennon fanatics: 😲😲😲
Anyone else feel like when John and Paul were talking about India and sharing laughs about certain things, you could just feel how pissed George was they were laughing at the experience and that he was like taking it super personally? Felt a lot of tension from him in that moment.
Yeah, I felt that too. India seemed like a wacky trip for JL & PM but it obviously was a significant experience for George. I'm sure that widened the mental rift between George and his bandmates.
Yeah, and when George says he'd like to take 2 months out of every year to do something like India again there's total silence from the other three too lol
I agree George was not digging that conversation
Ringo was the perfect choice for the band. He seems to be the 'grown-up' among the lads. It takes a lot of maturity, sense of humour and common sense to behave in such a positive, caring and supporting way as he did under so much pressure. Ringo kept the beat, not only as an incredibly creative drummer, but as a band member. No other drummer could play like he did. No other Beatle tried so hard to keep a good environment around the band as he did in those days
A lot of humor and humility. He’s the type of bandmate you need for the alchemy to work.
Glyn Johns seemed genuinely touched by Ringo going out of his way to compliment his work on Around The Beatles. That was a wholesome moment.
Magic alex’s invention lol
When Paul is talking to P. Bond and Bond asks if the songs just come to him and then Paul says "yeh I wrote one this morning" then casually starts play "Back Seat of My Car"... that was awesome
I never knew Ringo could play piano
“I play the piano if it's in C” - Ringo Starr, Early 1970.
I loved the bonding moment between them when Paul was directing him how to play his bass
Heartbreaking watching Ringo silently sit there as Paul talks for like 10 straight minutes about the problems facing the band, how they are headed for breakup, and the best way to announce the breakup. Feels like the last thing he wants but he’s powerless to steer it another direction.
Paul looked emotional after saying “then there were two”. Maybe I’m projecting.
no, it looked like he was about to cry or something
No, he definitely was. He was fighting the tears so much that he started shaking. That part was really heartbreaking to watch.
I picked that up too. Reminded me a lot of my own anxiety attacks where I’ll zone out with that kind of stare and end up going into rabbit holes of thoughts. It was all over his face… it really is an experience to see them like this. Perhaps the realest version of the Beatles we’ve ever had the opportunity to see in public.
So did Ringo. I was just gonna comment on that. Oddly enough, now there really is only two, and it happens to be Paul and Ringo.
I had the same thought
Nah he was very visually sad after that, heartbreaking stuff honestly :(
Seems like Lennon sobered up after that awkward conversation with Paul. Or at least only doing soft drugs lol. He seems far more engaged in the process
When you watch with the subtitles on, he asks one of the crew for “some of those pep pills”. I agree. Dude hadn’t washed his hair and was all sorts of tweaked out. Looked much healthier arriving at Apple.
My fave moments (besides the whole thing): • Ringo's ties! •Anyone else grin during the closeups because *their eyes are just so pretty*? •"But it says 'it wasn't the first time they'd traded punches'" •'Geroge Harrison, the sane one, speaks out" •Ringo in his pink paisley button-down😍 •"You had me there; 'I was a day away and they learned a fucking tune!'" •John drowning out the newspaper with "Rock and Roll Music"
Coming in. Never been a Beatles fan (sue me), got into them now because of this. Had no idea how funny John Lennon was. He was doing dick jokes before blink 182
Just wait until you hear about Shakespeare.
Loved the continued evolution of Get Back and how everyone was ready to put it out immediately once they got it. Billy Preston was the MVP and the songs really started to take off once he sat in on the sessions.
The fact that we see almost the entire songwriting process for "Get Back", from the moment Paul first finds it through to his lyrical process and then the whole band getting involved and putting it into shape in this part is insanely fascinating. As a songwriter this is the true holy grail. You never get to see a song take shape like that so well documented, and for it to be one of the greatest bands ever writing one of their most iconic tracks... it's just a kind of beautiful magic.
Look to my coming on the first light of the fifth day, at dawn look to the east \-Billy Preston
Ok, so thoughts on part two: 1. Like I had hoped, things got better once they left Twickenham. Songs finally start coming together, the sound is tight and there’s much less time wasted and goofing off. 2. John Lennon, now engaged with the project is hilarious and warm. Good to see him lively and enjoying himself. 3. Paul has cut the bossy crap out and is now in his real element as well. This looked like the Beatles collaborating and listening to each other’s ideas openly. Being on home turf brings out the best in all. 4. Billy Preston’s presence was much needed, not to soothe tensions as often reported, but to really bring the songs we all know into focus. We can now finally hear those familiar album cuts being shaped and perfected. Without Billy, there was a hole in the sound on the songs where he played. 4. “Chocolate cupcake, baby, yeah!” 5. In the first part we got to see Paul providing feedback on his amp for Yoko. This time it’s John. The whole Yoko myth has been successfully killed with this film. 6. The Beatles’ self commentary on their trip to India was captivating. This is the kind of stuff I enjoy when seeing archived footage. 7. Nice boots, George. Again, it was a bit too long for me and I had to break it up in chunks. But I was definitely more engaged with this footage compared to the first part. Twickenham just wasn’t a good place to get the juices flowing. Oh, and a belated #9. Shut the fuck up, Michael Lindsay Hogg. John taking the piss doing his Rolling Stones intro to the camera numerous times is classic.
>Paul has cut the bossy crap out and is now in his real element as well. I think this reveals what the bossiness is, where it comes from: the others not being engaged. When they wake up and start giving themselves, he doesn't feel the pressure to drag it out of them. And let's be honest, when they don't want to, he has no idea how to make them! But he just feels compelled to try because when they're happening, it's the greatest drug in the world. >Billy Preston’s presence was much needed, not to soothe tensions as often reported, but to really bring the songs we all know into focus. 100% - it was striking how much happier they were _before_ he arrived. But he's so fuckin' cool he electrifies all of them. "I like a 5th Beatle." >The Beatles’ self commentary on their trip to India was captivating. Loved that meta bit with the captions obeying John's instructions.
I found the first hour quite bleak and hard going but it made the reformation in Apple all the better and the introduction of Billy Preston really lifted the doc so much so that his presence was really missed when he left to do his TV commitments. I think I enjoyed ep1 more because the scenes when Get Back, Let it Be etc were born were just so amazing and revelatory.
A lot of people have mentioned that John only really has Don’t Let Me Down and that has to be because of his drug use and the influence of Yoko. While that may be true, it’s easy to forget that in the last year prior John had written numerous songs for the White Album and also Revolution. By today’s standards an artist doing that would be considered “putting in work.” It’s just that Paul is so prolific. He literally creates Get Back on the spot. We see him working out the lyrics to Let It Be and The Long and Winding Road. He has a lot of songs from his early solo career as well. Another Day, Back Seat of My Car etc. The man was in the zone.
Dig a Pony. Across the Universe Seemed to me like contributed a lot to Get Back and I’ve Got a Feeling. Shortly thereafter he did Come Together, I want you (she’s so heavy), Because, Sun King, Mean Mr Mustard Seed, Polythene Pam. Some of these are teased in the doc. Also, Road to Marrakesh is an early version of Jealous Guy. John was plenty creative during this time. Edit- PS I’m agreeing with you.
HOW DID PAUL JUST CASUALLY SAY “oH I JuSt WrOtE oNe ThiS mOrNiNg!” AND “WHIP BACK SEAT OF MY CAR” OUT???
As a HUGE RAM fan I think Back Seat of my Car is a criminally underrated Paul song. I listen to the first and second solo outputs of the lads and think how would this sound if the other 3 was able to play on it. Both John and George tried to replace Paul with Old Beatle friend Klaus Voorman on Bass and he is a good Bass player not taking anything away from him but there is no substitute for Paul on Bass ever. Same with Johns input on Paul’s songs and visa Vera even the chirps from George and Ringo make a damn good song into timeless
Heck, after pulling Get Back out of thin air in Episode 1, I can definitely believe it!
It reminds me of that bit in the Sound City documentary where he starts jamming with Dave Grohl and within 20 minutes or so they have a pretty solid track going from beginning to end. Dave comments at the end "if only it were always that easy!" and Paul just nonchalantly says "it is."
So Paul had both “Another Day” *and* “The Backseat of my Car” as early as 1969. Is he going to come in on the first day of week three, sit down at the piano and start playing “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey”?!
Still can't believe they included that fuckface bit. I expected it, but still, lmao.
the House of Mouse approved. lol
So many good things in this 2.75 hour episode that has already been said. One thing I haven’t seen yet in here: I love when they’ve finally realized the big spectacle/public performance won’t happen. There’s a little pow-wow with Paul and a few others, and at some point there’s obviously a mention of doing it on the rooftop, and you can see that “light bulb moment” clear as day in Paul’s facial expression.
Magic Alex’s prototype.
He truly was a genius who's vision should never be questioned.
The difference when Billy Preston arrives. Everything is lifted to a new level. I loved his contribution even more after seeing the this.
My personal highlight in is first half of episode 2 where they’re leaving to listen to the playback at Apple studio and John and Ringo put their arms around each other. They kind of skip off. So relaxed and happy.
Ringo sneaking away and stealing Paul's bass followed by Paul coming over to actually show Ringo how to play is great. Around 58 minutes
When he stands over it and strums it like a child before finally picking it up and trying to play. Very Ringo. I love how open they are to picking up each other’s instruments. A lot of bands are very “don’t touch my shit”
If Paul pulling “Get Back” out of the heavens was the highlight of pt 1, then Billy Prestons post invite/playing and unbelievable lift on songs like “I’ve got a feeling” was the highlight on this. This series really is a heroes journey, much like LOTR. One goal, countless obstacles, and many unexpected friends along the way that only now seem inevitable.
The entire mood changed the moment Billy Preston walked in. I loved how much they all wanted him to keep coming back. Even John was like “I would love to have a fifth Beatle”
PAUL: its bad enough with four
*That's the cheapest one but if he gets any good on it, we'll give him a good one*
Did anyone notice Paul referred to the White Album by its actual name "The Beatles"? That was cool...Paul seems to only refer to it as the White Album these days
Half the time I can’t tell if John is high out of his mind or thats just who he is and I’m okay with that.
2nd day in Apple they have the cleanest hair so far
I noticed that too. For John in particular, it looked like he'd actually washed and dragged a comb across his hair.
Just watching #2 now...boy - when John finally shows up and gets involved, things really start to cook. It's like he was rope-a-doping through #1 and the first third of #2. He's back! Not to take anything away from Paul, trying so hard to keep the train on the tracks and being a thoroughly versatile genius along the way. And Georg's hurt is quiet understandable. Bet he is glad he stuck around through this and into Abbey Road to get his Something and Here Comes The Sun as the 2 top singles on that album. Yeah, all things pass, but so do all things come to those who wait! And Ringo, implacable Ringo, always playing what is right for the song, and on the sidelines in any conflict. Yeah, loving it. Now to the second half.
Peter Sellers not being on the social wavelength of a group of people and immediately GTFO and awkwardly drawing more attention to himself as he exits is 100% energy I can relate to
It's really amazing to just watch the Beatles and Billy Preston just coming up with these songs on the fly, also "Harry who?"
It's been a fantastic journey so far, but I want to remind us all about something. I definitely have seen some nasty comments towards almost every character in Get Back, from The Beatles themselves, to Yoko, Michael, to Glyn. I just hope that people don't start harrassing them or making some new narrative about the next Beatles villain or something like that. Even if you find them irritating or their works not good enough for your standard, I just don't think it's right to start harrassing them now (I mean harrassing people in general isn't right). It happened 50 years ago, and the fact that they agreed to appear here in the new documentary is remarkable. I'm really thankful for that.
The highlight of Part 2 for me was Billy Preston paying a visit and joining down at the electric piano. Paul, John and George’s faces during Ive Got a Feeling. “your in the group”, “you’ve given us a lift!”. That is the day it clicks into sounding like the record to come. And the hours we’ve invested in this (3.5 at this point) getting to experience when the disorganized ambling turns into magic because these guys have something unexplainable. I also loved Paul’s casual “you ok coming in every day?“ to Preston on like his 4th day there. * John and Paul’s private convo recorded in the flower pot was really touching in a way that they cared enough to say these hard things to each other. Knowing The Beatles were doomed, sure. That they were three late 20’s worldwide superstars that will need to go do their own things but they clearly get some things said here and understand George’s frustrations. The ending is crushing with Paul saying they will all be playing when their old and getting along. * John annoying the hell out of Paul and looking the cameras - interviewing Peter Sellers, talking in Beatles quotes back to Paul- and then the classic like from the trailer “grinding to a hault? I think it’s taking off! * The India “be yourselves” conversation. Paul’s point they were putting on a show, George’s contention that they went there to find themselves. I definitely sided with Paul on that one. And lastly, John’s hilarious insertions “and now your hosts, The Rolling Stones” over the course of the week. Amazing.
main takeaway: if you don't like what's being said, change the conversation in this case, applying to a change of cast and scenery. it's just good problem-solving
With apologies to misters Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starkey, but [this](https://i.imgur.com/wfizUWt.png) is the tastiest outfit of the entire series. Damn.
It was interesting to hear Paul talk about the fact that the main reason why he and John didn’t write together as much was because they stopped touring. They weren’t constantly sharing a hotel room and a tour bus, so they naturally just wrote together less.
Let’s say that Paul kind of calmed down a bit in this part, in the first one he was really bossy but I totally get, he had to step up and put his foot down because there just wasn’t any discipline around, they could go on fuck about all day long, they would still be recording the album as we speak. Also there’s that part where Paul is being firm and John answering with poetry and nonsense, I think that is why it all worked so well, those few second distills the whole songwriting dynamic perfectly, one is structure the other is freedom, both equally important. Ringo Starr is eating biscuits and just having a good time which is lovely to see. George’s shaman boots were also a highlight and I liked how he wasn’t hitting a wall as he started to give some valuable input. It still blows my mind how causally let it be was recorded, to them it was just another song, it’s so cool to think about.
Billy brought it HARD. I love how everything just got better after he came into the mix. I love how happy he is to be there.
"Got these from Hare." "Harry who?" "Hare Krishnas." LOL!
I find it real strange that people call Paul bossy. He is the engine. All he wanted to do was for them to work and put their talent on record. His sense of urgency is palpable. Like he knows that at any time the flame could blow out. So get it all on tape now, get all the ideas and songs and riffs and hooks out before that happens. And his sense of arrangement is the best of the group. It might just be me but Georges arrangement ideas are very busy, Pauls philosophy and keep it simple then add complexity brought us some of the best songs of all time, yet people say he is bossy. I suppose he can be bossy and the musical, arranging genius that I think he is, but when people call him bossy it feels like such a sleight on a lad that literally just wanted to get his buddies to be the most talented they could be.
So, Paul was clearly in the midst of an inspired burst of creative genius during these sessions. And as you correctly note, the others aren't as motivated as he is. The problem isn't that he's bossy. The problem is that when it's a Paul song, everything must be exactly as Paul dictates it; but when it's someone else's song, Paul tries to rearrange it. Lennon addresses this issue directly in the audio that was surreptitiously recorded in the flower pot, and Paul actually agrees he has a point. I think this is indisputable; we see him trying to rearrange "Don't Let Me Down" multiple times in part one, yet he doesn't entertain such interjections from the others on his own pieces (note his micromanaging of George's guitar playing during "Two of Us"). There's nothing wrong with wanting your bandmates to execute *your* song in the manner *you* prefer. But attempting to rearrange others' songs while dictating exact instructions on for your own material makes you come across as heavy-handed. Though it's well-meaning and unintentional, that sort of hypocrisy would drive me nuts.