A fan's notes on Peter Jackson's Beatles documentary

George had already released two solo albums by that time - the 'world beat' soundtrack 'Wonderwall Music' and the pioneering all-synth 'Electronic Sound'. And of course he would work with Bob Dylan again in the Travelling Wilburys.

Started watching this last night. I'm 90 minutes into it. Good viewing. Watching them conjure hits out of thin air and seeing the moments of joy in their faces when they're all in sync is inspiring.

A rather facile review.

@starpunk, don't forget Concert For Bangladesh. Best live George ever. Not to mention others. Got the three-plate vinyl to prove it.

There is the Beatles ...and then there is everyone else.

I agree with Trevor that this is a strangely opinionated piece. I had to fast forward it in places, but the documentary is excellent and the band come across very well in it.

While its a great song, Get Back is just rocking on A and turning around with G to D, a riff would be a quick flash of inspiration to an experienced rock'n'roller, not something you should expect to have taken hours. Many reviews have focused on the footage where Paul comes up with the riff, but perhaps the most illlustrative thing is how long they work on it to refine it into the final song. Another unexpected charm of the documentary is how long the band spend just goofing around playing old rock and roll songs. It is glorious to see how into it they are.

TrevorPeaceToday  07:43 am JST

@starpunk, don't forget Concert For Bangladesh. Best live George ever. Not to mention others. Got the three-plate vinyl to prove it.

Didn't that come later? Of course I remember when watching Live Aid on MTV the VJs said that such a benefit 'super-show' like that wasn't new and they showed scenes of the Concert For Bangladesh by George Harrison himself. So I guess that's another thing he pioneered in, before Bob Geldof in the mid 80s.

> Elvis is hereToday  08:03 am JST

George's contribution to the Beatles overall discography is excellent, the best being "Its all too much". Who can resist the the soundscape he creates?

He brought Asian music to popular music too, introducing new sounds and ways of thinking. A genius in his own right. A Beatle who deserves a Beatles compilation of his own!

'Wonderwall Music' is a combination of India music and electronics. That album and the all Moog synthesizer album 'Electronic Sound' (George released it in 1969) provided inspirations and foundations for future artists. One that explicitly comes to mind is Peter Gabriel. Much of his music is a mishmash of 'world musics', electronic music and rock'n'roll. I've seen him live two times and he fuses these genres and influences masterfully. And I think George's innovations set the stage for that. It all started when George learned how to make a sitar talk.

Further note - the electric sitar was soon invented afterward and it became popular because Western musicians probably have an easier time learning how to play the damn thing!

And as it is, rock'n'roll is all over the world now with regional cultural influences. One of tthe last shows I went to in 2019 was by the Mongolian hard rockers HU (say 'hoo' or 'who' - HEY!). They do hard rock with traditiuonal Mongolian 'throat singing'. Thank you, George!

It’s amazing to think how young they were and to have such an impact on music and culture.

Never having watched the original "Let it Be" documentary in its entirety, I'd always assumed the criticism Yoko Ono received was unwarranted and unfair. I was wrong.

She deserved much more.

Imposing herself in the middle of these 4 men trying to work, her annoying caterwauling, the sheer lack of self-awareness.

Its what you might expect from a talentless nut with an abundance of ambition, but shame on Lennon for letting her get away with the behavior.

Don't tell me how it ends--I'm saving it for a binge weekend!

bobDec. 9  10:34 pm JST

Never having watched the original "Let it Be" documentary in its entirety, I'd always assumed the criticism Yoko Ono received was unwarranted and unfair.

I saw the original on Youtube and it is depressing to the max. Yoko wasn't the actual problem, it was themselves. They were tired, burnt out, tuckered out. John said it himself that they just couldn't play that game together anymore. They just couldn't. They made a pact that when it wasn't fun anymore (and while they were still on top) they would break up the band. That's what happened. The Anthology also states this.

They put aside the 'Let It Be' album and made their 'swan song' 'Abbey Road'. Then 'Let It Be' came out as an 'afterthought' with two songs bunged up by Phil Specter's productions. And John and Paul both hated that, saying it sounded like 'puke'.

I saw the original on Youtube and it is depressing to the max. Yoko wasn't the actual problem, it was themselves.

Well, yes and no, Yoko was indeed a huge problem, of course, Lennon wanted to expand his musical creativity and he felt under his manager: Brian Epstein and contract at the time didn't allow him to explore other possible musical endeavors, add to that Yoko was becoming more influential on his life and her art projects he wanted to be more involved in to help her and that didn't help and already growing chasm within the band and let's not forget, McCartney was influential in writing a huge portion of the ballads have come from a musical family he was extremely influential in shaping the Beatles sound and to a small extent Paul was getting a lot of attention from women as well from their manager.

They were tired, burnt out, tuckered out. John said it himself that they just couldn't play that game together anymore. They just couldn't. They made a pact that when it wasn't fun anymore (and while they were still on top) they would break up the band. That's what happened. The Anthology also states this. 

It does state that, but again, Yoko was such an odd person Lennon just couldn't be without her. Her pull on him was so immense that it even caused a rift between him and his firstborn: Julian, the man tried all of his life to have a good relationship with his dad and mom Cynthia. Lennon was a horrible father and Ono didn't help in that regard.

They put aside the 'Let It Be' album and made their 'swan song' 'Abbey Road'. Then 'Let It Be' came out as an 'afterthought' with two songs bunged up by Phil Specter's productions. And John and Paul both hated that, saying it sounded like 'puke'.

The album was ok, definitely not their best work, but there was without a few decent songs on the album not like Rubber Soul or the White album.

starpunk - while Ono and her antics may not have been THE problem, it was no doubt a huge contributing factor.

Imagine (no pun intended) pulling up a chair in to the inner sanctum of the Beatles and making it about yourself.

Lennon had a duty to kick her grifting, talentless butt out of there but was derelict in his duty.

If not her, the biggest reason they broke up was the Klein/Eastman debate which McCartney was proven right on.

bobDec. 10  11:19 pm JST

starpunk - while Ono and her antics may not have been THE problem, it was no doubt a huge contributing factor.

Imagine (no pun intended) pulling up a chair in to the inner sanctum of the Beatles and making it about yourself.

Lennon had a duty to kick her grifting, talentless butt out of there but was derelict in his duty.

If not her, the biggest reason they broke up was the Klein/Eastman debate which McCartney was proven right on.

It was a bit of all these things and more. John and Yoko had realsed three albums of yucky 'performance art' music and at the same time George himself was exploring non-Western music and playing with a synthesizer too. That Moog synth appears somewhere on the 'Let It Be' album and certainly on 'Abbey Road'. George said it himself - they were all four going into different directions musically. Ringo was acting in a film at the time as well.

One way or the other, their own fame was imploding on them too. And all four of them knew it. Maybe that's where the album got its title. They, their audience and rock'n'roll had advanced light-years beyond the teenage HS 'yeah yeah yeah' days and stuff. It was time to move on and let go.

Paul said the Beatles had left the Beatles but nobody wanted to be the one saying the party's over. It took 5 - 6 years just to dissolve the band legally. More 'business s***'' (their words) would ensue that wasn't finally resolved until the 80s. And then (and in the meantime), the Beatles Anthology that came out in 1995.

It was a bit of all these things and more. John and Yoko had realsed three albums of yucky 'performance art' music and at the same time George himself was exploring non-Western music and playing with a synthesizer too. That Moog synth appears somewhere on the 'Let It Be' album and certainly on 'Abbey Road'. George said it himself - they were all four going into different directions musically. Ringo was acting in a film at the time as well. 

Yes, that is true but had John NOT tried to decide and seek out a new direction the band would have probably stayed together even if they all did creative side projects.

One way or the other, their own fame was imploding on them too. And all four of them knew it. Maybe that's where the album got its title. They, their audience, and rock'n'roll had advanced light-years beyond the teenage HS 'yeah yeah yeah' days and stuff. It was time to move on and let go. 

See, I'm not buying that, the true fact of the matter was in the musical creativity and as I had mentioned earlier Paul came from a classic background, and that nitch talent that he had really was the icing that put them over the top. John loved the Stones especially their rebellious attitude and dress style and he wanted to go more along the rough edge and Epstein wasn't having it. Lennon did some phenomenal work on his own, now did it rival Wings...not really, however, it to loyalist fans it did create a more underground scene of artist and abstract musical writing, so in that respect, he did well for his base. as well as George, but Paul was exploding on the scene with Wings which was in the early to mid 70's one of the biggest rock bands at the time.

Paul said the Beatles had left the Beatles but nobody wanted to be the one saying the party's over. It took 5 - 6 years just to dissolve the band legally. More 'business s***'' (their words) would ensue that wasn't finally resolved until the 80s. And then (and in the meantime), the Beatles Anthology that came out in 1995.

Well, that more or less was indeed Yoko's pushing John and driving a wedge between him and his former band members FCS the woman didn't even. try to get along with Jullian and her actions are what he still remembers to this day, she emotionally scarred the kid for life all of this is from the bigger picture and didn't help with keeping the band together.

zichiToday  03:47 am JST

None of the Beatles could read or write music. A kind of dyslexia of music, as it were.

No,. not being able to read or write would mean illiteracy of music.

Dyslexia of music would make it difficult for them to read music, or write it, but they would not be totally unable to do either.

Anyway, blame John for putting a bed for Yoko in the studio.

RegBilkToday  08:11 am JST

zichiToday  03:47 am JST

None of the Beatles could read or write music. A kind of dyslexia of music, as it were.

No,. not being able to read or write would mean illiteracy of music.

Dyslexia of music would make it difficult for them to read music, or write it, but they would not be totally unable to do either.

It's not even a 'dyslexia'. I've seen the hand written lyric sheet for 'All You Need Is Love' written by John and Paul. Supposedly they wrote it in 15 minutes then all the Beatles hashed it out in the studio. They cannot write or read notation to this day, it's all in their heads. Some of the best musicians are that way. Phil Collins has stated that he can't read or write notation either. Yesterday I was at a Barnes and Nobels and there was a display of all the lyrics of every song Paul was in, Beatles and solo. And there's nothing but his writing, no notes.

Anyway, blame John for putting a bed for Yoko in the studio.

I've been to the Reise Elizabeth hotel in Montreal where john and Yoko did a 'bed peace' stay. It gets booked 18 months ahead of time and the rates are jacked up because so many Beatlemaniacs want to be there.

starpunkToday  02:05 pm JST

I've been to the Reise Elizabeth hotel in Montreal where john and Yoko did a 'bed peace' stay. 

Stayed there (not the same room) this August; covid kept other tourists at bay I guess.

They cannot write or read notation to this day

I can read, play, but not write. They knew their notes though. I do not. Paul was pitch perfect.

RegBilkToday  12:00 am JST

starpunkToday  02:05 pm JST

I've been to the Reise Elizabeth hotel in Montreal where john and Yoko did a 'bed peace' stay. 

Stayed there (not the same room) this August; covid kept other tourists at bay I guess.

They cannot write or read notation to this day

I can read, play, but not write. They knew their notes though. I do not. Paul was pitch perfect.

Some people just have the knack. The liner notes of my Phil Collins CD 'No Jacket Required' thanks a certain group of players 'for making sence of my "dat-dats"'. He can't read or write notes. And like Paul, he too made an album where he litterly plays everything himself.