I didn't realize some of those rooftop recordings became the versions that ended up on the album. Sure, on prior albums they had songs worked up over 3 months layer by layer (which was unchartered territory at that time) but I wouldn't exactly call the former labcoat rock.

Their rehearsal process the previous weeks wasn't efficient but there were many factors to that, especially George's exit grinding things to a halt. Even at rock bottom, that they could bust out a Little Richard cover or whatever at the drop of a hat shows what kind of band they were at their core.

Johnny Doglands wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 4:03 am They were not gods, just people. Flawed just like the rest of us.

For sure.

Johnny Doglands wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 4:03 am

DaveA wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 1:09 am

zorg wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 12:29 am I can think of a good number of reasons to dislike them, but not because they sounded like budget overruns.

Kinda curious now, what these are. I don't love every facet of the Beatles or every song, but they are/were way more interesting than a lot of bands, frequently enough. Also gotta hand it to them/Harrisson for penning what is perhaps the most honest line from a popstar of all time: "Think for yourself / 'Cause I won't be there with you."

Haven't seen the doc yet.

I have no sacred cows. They were not gods, just people. Flawed just like the rest of us.

The fact that they became the biggest band in the world was maybe 45 percent talent, 45 percent hard work and probably 10 percent being in the right place at the right time.

They treated it like it was a job, one they were rather good at. If you know how much leg work they put in in the early days, it's not surprising they made it.

I’m rather reverential towards the Beatles, despite being a snob, but for me their main weak link is a penchant for novelty songs, which can annoy different people different ways, and since they were so prolific, can be anything from music concrete to ragas, to nostalgic music hall trifles.
But making every other band think they could write a full LP of songs or make an experimental epic was really their cruelest legacy of all.

There's so much to unpack here. I think I'm ready to watch the whole thing again.

The Twickenham Sessions in part 1 are a huge drag. None of them (except Paul) can muster up much enthusiasm for the project, they don't want to be there and they have a bloody film crew in their faces documenting every minute of misery. Paul reverts to his "Come on lads, chin up!" rah-rah persona which quickly becomes grating. George abruptly leaves, the other three try to carry on without him, and everything sputters to an ugly halt.

The mood lifts in part 2 with the move to the Apple basement. George is back and the band is relaxed and on their home turf. The change in John Lennon is immediate. He's smiling and open and his jokes no longer have a malicious edge. His creativity is flowing in all directions. Paul no longer has to be the cheerleader. It's fascinating to watch him and John bounce ideas off of each other. And then Billy Preston drops by and galvanizes the whole thing.

Any fears that the Beatles may have had about losing their edge as a performing unit are allayed in part 3 where they pound it out on the rooftop. I like the scenes with the cops in the lobby where the Apple staff play dumb: "Noise? What? Oh, THAT noise! I think they left a window open or something. I don't really know what's going on, I'm just a secretary. Wait, they're on the ROOF? Really?" And the cops just stand there, polite and British.

At one point I wondered, "Everything is going so great, how did it all head down the toilet so fast?" Then John Lennon mentions Allen Klein and the lightbulb goes on: "Ahhh ..."

I'm glad this project wasn't edited down to film length. The scenes of the Beatles horsing around may seem extraneous to the casual viewer but for fans it's the good stuff. I have a few minor quibbles here and there but overall a pretty solid Not Crap.

tonyballzee wrote: At one point I wondered, "Everything is going so great, how did it all head down the toilet so fast?" Then John Lennon mentions Allen Klein and the lightbulb goes on: "Ahhh ..."

I don't follow the Beatles close enough to know this part of the story, but I do recall the audio of Glyn Johns, politely, pointing out to maybe be careful about that guy.

i like that George Martin still looks like a cop this late into the decade.

Big Beatles fan here. It's been years but I've read the biographies, learned a TON on guitar by using Beatles music books, etc.

It reminds me... a friend and I rented the Let It Be VHS cassette from Scarecrow Video in like 1996 or something. You had to put down a $250 deposit to rent the thing. We were stoked!

So yeah, I copied that video to another video cassette and the resolution was so bad you couldn't make out anyone's face. Downright unwatchable.. oh well, I tried.

With all that said, I finally got around to watching episode 1 last night. I gotta say... kinda crappy.

Don't get me wrong. I love the interplay, the goofing around, the serious moments, (and yeah, Linda Eastman was FINE!) but there's simply too much oddity happening with the "make it look like this video footage is happening under that audio footage" situation. I guess at that point I don't quite trust that what was actually happening is really being played-back in such a way as to honestly reflect what was really happening. Minor quibble, I guess, but if it's not 100% real then it's just not real. It's a crafted soap opera. Or a weird take on a reality show that happened years before reality shows. I half expected a VR Princess Leia to waltz in so Disney could claim that the Beatles came up with an idea about space travel or something. I'm sure this is coming at some point though. welp.

(FWIW, I also can't sit through a single one of these ridiculous Marvel movies for the reason that CGI rules all now and, to me, if there are no longer limitations on what can happen onscreen then a huge part of the "struggle" is gone. And good art needs struggle and/or limitations imho... but I digress.)

There's just nothing here. We know how it ends. I simply no longer wish to see The Beatles in any sort of manipulated fashion.

And really... wtf. I've seen 2 instances (TWO!!!) where John Lennon's hand cannot seem to stay out of his butt crack (one was a meme that someone posted and I found one myself at the end of episode one. wtf). I mean... if there was new greatness to be mined here, sure, let's see everything warts and all but there isn't. Just lots of warts now I guess.

It's Yawnsville at best.

Waffles for Beatles all-around greatness and gear but that's about it.

This is an obvious cash grab and as much as I will always love the Beatles, this ain't it.

Johnny Doglands wrote: Sat Dec 04, 2021 4:36 am recording seems to be mainly fueled by cigarettes and cups of tea. If they were doing anything much other than a little glass of wine or whiskey, they did it away from the cameras. Probably there is some grass being smoked during those listening sessions.

Ringo says the least out of all of them, perhaps he's envious of George leaving and wishes he could do the same. He already pulled that play on the last album so can't do it again. I wonder what he's thinking. Maybe he's wondering what his role in the band is, other than drummer. He doesn't get to contribute much apart from those beats and I always think he should be louder, especially during the rooftop concert. I just want to hear more Ringo.

haha one of ringo's few lines was, "got any pep pills?"

twelvepoint wrote: Thu Dec 02, 2021 4:45 pm I think the hole left from Brian Epstein’s death is still felt.

That said, it’s interesting to see them writing together and turning some half baked stuff into real songs. It seems so familiar for someone to come in with an idea, hammer on it for a bit, then have everyone stare at each other wondering where it should go. Maybe Epstein’s presence on past records helped the band get through those awkward impasses. They do seem rather lost when it’s just the four of them.

that's probably it. paul says as much, "We need someone to be a drill sergeant, 'ok lads leave the girls at home.'" [as linda sits next to him]

halfway through it. i think it has some repeat value. it's not too depressing. not too fake (but maybe i wasn't looking as hard as pure l). i said more in the netflix thread.

n/c

It’s a lot but it’s not crap. It gave me a new respect for that album. It’s a wish come true to hang out for weeks at one of their recording sessions. It’s a bummer it’s this one, and not say, Sgt Pepper or Revolver or Rubber Soul, but better than nothing. However it’s also an historically critical time for them and we know how it ends and we actually see John selling Klein to the others. That’s fucking amazing. It’s one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen. The amount of footage and audio from such a small condensed span of time is incredible. They had two and a half days worth of footage and six days worth of audio. Holy fuck.