The Long And Winding Road

 

 

 There's a new documentary about The Beatles on Disney+ called "Get Back."  It is about The Beatles making a record and a concert appearance, and they have to do it in a short period of time because, now get this, Ringo has to make a movie. 

You may be familiar with this period of the Mop Tops history because of a documentary released in 1970 called "Let It Be".  "Get Back" is patched together from the out-takes of "Let It Be" by director Peter Jackson, who made "The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy.  

Jackson put together "Get Back" from sixty hours of film footage, and thankfully, he didn't put all sixty hours in the documentary, although sometimes it feels like it.   "Get Back" clocks in at fifty-nine hours and fifty-nine minutes. [Editor: "Get Back"  is three episodes totaling about eight hours.]

"Let It Be" was a depressing movie about the world's greatest band coming apart because Paul and George couldn't agree on what guitar chord to pay. 

Over the past fifty years, my impression was that all of The Beatles hated each other and that it was all Yoko Ono's fault.  I tend to blame Yoko Ono for everything.  The Beatles break up, the stagflation of the seventies, disco, everything was Yoko Ono's fault.

"Get Back" shows Yoko wasn't the problem, at least at this time.  She mainly sat next to John and read.  There were two times where she went full Yoko with the caterwauling. 

Besides, George brought in a couple of Hare Krishnas. Ringo brought in his wife and Peter Sellers.  Paul brought in his girlfriend, Linda, and she brought in her two goofy kids. Alan Parsons was even there with his project.

The Beatles wanted to perform in front of a live audience again, something they hadn't done in three whole years. So there were a lot of ideas floating around, including a live TV show at a Libya amphitheater.

There was a bunch of new songs to learn. "Don't Let Me Down" is the main one.  They must have practiced this song four hundred times in the first episode.  Another song they practiced a lot was "I Got A Feeling," which had Lennon saying, "Everybody had a wet dream," which was pretty naughty and gross in 1969 (and on Disney+ in 2021)

George Harrison was quietly seething while John and Paul were working out their songs. Finally, George walks out on the band because he has songs that he wants to practice four hundred times too.

This was probably the best thing that happened in the program. After that, the plans for the concert in Africa were canceled, and The Beatles went back to London to work on their songs.

George went back to the group, and Billy Preston showed up to help out the band.

Back when I was a kid, you heard Billy Preston on the radio all the time. "Nothing from nothing leaves nothing. You got to have something if you want to be with me."   I had no idea that Preston was, in reality, the fifth Beatle.  John told him, "You're in the group."

When Preston joined the band, the Lads started to focus and began to work.  Of course, this means fifteen more takes of "Don't Let Me Down," but they sound better with Preston.

Somebody came up with the idea about performing on the roof of Apple records.  I mean, why not?  

The last part of the documentary is the rooftop concert, featuring two renditions of "Get Back" and four more renditions of "Don't Let Me Down."  It was something to see The Beatles in living color instead of grainy black and white. 

My impression of The Beatles in "Get Back"

George comes off as someone who has a million songs he wants to showcase. He's tired of Paul's bossy boots ways.

John comes off as a likable funny guy that is probably taking a truckload of drugs in his downtime.

Ringo comes off as someone who has to watch Paul and George argue about guitar chords.  But he really brings it to the rooftop concert. As the kids would say, he was lit.  Plus, and none of the reviews have mentioned this, the other Beatles call him "Rich" or "Richard"  (his real name).

Paul comes off as the most talented in the group, writing a bunch of new songs to impress his girlfriend.

If you are a Beatles fan, you will love "Get Back."  You get to see how hard-working the guys are and see the songs like "Let It Be"  (and "Don't Let Me Down") gel.

However, it is a long and winding road to get to the rooftop. As a result, some reviewers have called it "aimless."  

George Harrison had the best comment about Elvis. He said, "When Elvis was great, he was really great." Of course, you could say the same about The Beatles.  

When they were great, they were really great.  Most of the time, they are really great in "Get Back."