The Beatles are fucking good.

[Replies From View]

Another great revelation of this documentary is that Glyn Johns is someone else we can add to the "looks like Cillian Murphy" column.

[lipsink]

I probably wouldn't mind it as much if it didn't flatten Abbey Road just as it's about to soar into the stratosphere.

That's true and I think what's really stuck with me about it. It's a novelty song which is fine. There's loads of Beatles novelty songs that I love. But something about Maxwell's Silver Hammer just grates and it's outstayed its welcome by the time the chorus arrives.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Lindsay-Hogg secretly recording a private conversation between John and Paul is really weird, isn't it? Very unethical of him. Obviously I find it fascinating, but LH's underhand methods make me feel uncomfortable.

Apart from that, I actually think he comes across quite well in the film. Yes, he's rather annoying at times, especially when he keeps badgering the lads with his ridiculous concert ideas, but the guy was trying to make a TV special starring the world's biggest band. And he didn't have an ending for it.

You can sense his frustration and borderline panic, but he still manages to retain his composure. And some of his comments are (deliberately) quite funny, he obviously got on well with them.

But none of that excuses him recording a private conversation with a microphone hidden in a teapot. He presumably felt that he hadn't captured enough candid drama - which he clearly had, as Jackson's film proves - so, fuck it, let's just betray the band's trust and hope for the best. That's not cool, you cigar-chomping weirdo.

[idunnosomename]

the percussion (which is obviously word-painting to the lyrics) is the best bit of Maxwell's, the worst part is the "oh-ohoh-oh" melisma (by which I mean a syllable with multiple notes). nothing wrong with melismata in principle but just warbling the last bit of a line like that smacks of utter hack songwriting imo. Jo-ohoh-oan.

I know there's not much else you could do for that verse, but then. write a better verse

[Satchmo Distel]

"Something About the Beatles" is also very anti-Lewisohn so its antipathy towards Get Back stretches back to the month that Lewisohn listened to the tapes and concluded that the band were getting along far better than previously assumed. Rodriguez takes various Lewisohn and Jackson quotes as evidence of a collective whitewash.

[Twonty Gostelow]

I don't know if Philip Norman has an axe to grind but he thinks the idea that Jackson's depiction of events is more realistic than Let It Be isn't true, and that it really was mostly depressingly grim. He cites Lennon getting into a fistfight with Harrison (over something GH said about Yoko) and generally being a twat to George Martin as two examples.

[bloom]

Lindsay-Hogg secretly recording a private conversation between John and Paul is really weird, isn't it? Very unethical of him. Obviously I find it fascinating, but LH's underhand methods make me feel uncomfortable.

I assumed that they'd perhaps put a mic there in case of wanting to shift there on the quick, maybe, and given the size of the boom being used in other shots that it perhaps wasn't as 'hidden' as all that. Still, rushing out to record that particular conversation does seem very rum.

Also notably bizarre that they chose to ruin the renders/shots of the canteen by covering them in noise/fake grain after the blur job on all the important footage...

[Custard]

An article on all 123 (!) songs they play during the film(s)
https://www.nme.com/features/every-song-the-beatles-play-in-peter-jacksons-get-back-3107051

[Goldentony]

michael lindsay hogg looks way too much like a big baby in a suit during this, the cigars just look wrong with him smoking em, and his shirts were way to see through.

Liked episode 3 where Gerorge and Ringo are both suddenly dressed like Batman villans on the sam day. George asking Mal to 'con someone' into coming over with some shoes was good too.

[Goldentony]

ooh also about I Me Mine, the clip shown honestly sounded like a joke and not that harsh, which it did sound ike written down. Even if John wasn't joking George comes in a few days later dressed like a blancmange and drops Something into their laps doesn't he. Had yous off there hasn't he John hey. Gave him exactly what he wanted.

[Ferris]

Watched the first hour. Good this innit.

[Goldentony]

total shit, band for cunts

[famethrowa]

That's not cool, you cigar-chomping weirdo.

You could say he's the "piggy in the middle" ohoho that joke has layers

(Anyway, Maxwell's isn't the worst, it's obviously She's A Woman. ugh ugh ugh)

[The Bumlord]

Even if John wasn't joking George comes in a few days later dressed like a blancmange and drops Something into their laps doesn't he.

Marvelous.

[Replies From View]

I'd include the unreleased If You've Got Troubles from the Anthology on any worst of the Beatles track listing.  Half the others included in that previous selection aren't bad at all.

[Timothy]

Absolutely loved this documentary. Haven't seen or read much Beatles documentaries and books but really want to catch up on those now. Any recommendations on where to start?

[the science eel]

Get hold of Anthology

[Retinend]

"Something About the Beatles" is also very anti-Lewisohn so its antipathy towards Get Back stretches back to the month that Lewisohn listened to the tapes and concluded that the band were getting along far better than previously assumed. Rodriguez takes various Lewisohn and Jackson quotes as evidence of a collective whitewash.

How did that anti-Lewishohn sentiment develop? It's been a while since I listened to the pod, but I thought that Rodriguez (host of Something About The Beatles) was, like everyone, enthusiastic about Lewisohn at one point.

Absolutely loved this documentary. Haven't seen or read much Beatles documentaries and books but really want to catch up on those now. Any recommendations on where to start?

Get hold of Anthology

Yeppers.

After that, "Shout!" is considered the best Beatles biography. It's the first one I read and I don't regret it.

[Custard]

Lennon's Gimme Some Truth documentary on the making of Imagine is great, and features at least two Beatles

Anthology is essential. The full dvd thing, not the edits

Wingspan is meant to be alright, but mostly ignores Denny Laine, annoyingly. I need to see that

Eight Days A Week is decent, but after Anthology it doesn't really shine new light on much

[Ham Bap]

Lindsay-Hogg secretly recording a private conversation between John and Paul is really weird, isn't it? Very unethical of him. Obviously I find it fascinating, but LH's underhand methods make me feel uncomfortable.

Apart from that, I actually think he comes across quite well in the film. Yes, he's rather annoying at times, especially when he keeps badgering the lads with his ridiculous concert ideas, but the guy was trying to make a TV special starring the world's biggest band. And he didn't have an ending for it.

You can sense his frustration and borderline panic, but he still manages to retain his composure. And some of his comments are (deliberately) quite funny, he obviously got on well with them.

But none of that excuses him recording a private conversation with a microphone hidden in a teapot. He presumably felt that he hadn't captured enough candid drama - which he clearly had, as Jackson's film proves - so, fuck it, let's just betray the band's trust and hope for the best. That's not cool, you cigar-chomping weirdo.

Watched the first hour of this podcast yesterday and Peter Jackson says that Hogg also bugged the phones at Twickenham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSLb7cpHy00

[Timothy]

Thanks for the recommendations Retinend, Science Eel and Custard! My library has Anthology so will pick up all dvd's later this week. Will buy Shout. Is there a way to watch ''Gimme Some Truth'' online?

Also bought the massive McCartney The Lyrics book in a sale a few weeks ago. Looking forward to read and watch it all.

And thanks again for the Get Back documentary recommendation. Absolutely loved it.

[Custard]

You can get Gimme Some Truth cheaply second hand on Amazon. Comes to about £4 I think

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00004T8WE/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_54E87H7Q4GA6XBVW4HDB

It's 20 years old, but I imagine it's "available" somewhere online

[Ham Bap]

Cant see Gimme Some Truth anywhere apart from Prime Video to buy. Its good.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Lennon-Gimme-Some-Truth/dp/B07QNMLR6Y/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=gimmie+some+truth+film&qid=1638263556&qsid=261-0696498-8621704&sr=8-1&sres=B07QNMLR6Y%2CB07G1YKPRG%2CB094HG6R7D%2CB097GQHHDH%2CB08MXYJKSY%2CB0763V97JV%2CB08D9MJX86%2CB0866GZ41R%2CB0866HL6KD%2CB0866HDD6K%2CB07NS2QN84%2CB01ASEOF8A%2CB09HSGP7CZ%2CB086WMZQB9%2CB093YGN1C7%2CB003B2ILFU

Another recommendation is the Martin Scorsese George Harrison film
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison:_Living_in_the_Material_World

I cant find it anywhere at the minute though. It was available on Amazon Prime through the subscription for about 2 years. Now its nowhere to be found. Its a great film, over 3 hours long.

[the science eel]

Is there a way to watch ''Gimme Some Truth'' online?

it MIGHT be here

https://archive.org/download/GimmeSomeTruth2010

[lipsink]

I'm amazed the whole time about how relaxed and laid back they seem. Particularly

Spoiler alert

when it looks like everything is falling apart and the band might be over. Once they leave Twickenham and Billy Preston comes in it really starts coming together.

[close]

[daf]

Absolutely loved this documentary. Haven't seen or read much Beatles documentaries and books but really want to catch up on those now. Any recommendations on where to start?

Here's my own 'Toppermost' guide to the sessions :

The Beatles with Billy Preston + Get Back Part 1 - Twickenham
The Beatles Get Back Part 2 - George Quits
The Beatles Get Back Part 3 - The Rooftop 
The Beatles Get Back Part 4 - Glyn Johns

[studpuppet]

My recommendations in the 'if you liked that, you'll like this' mode, but not already mentioned:

- The Anthology is okay for the visuals, but Anthology Revisited is the real deal - a 28 hour behemoth that has more voices and less censored sheen to it.

- A companion to the Get Back doc is/will be the Winter Of Discontent podcast which is a forensic look at the Nagra tapes, concentrating on the conversations with explanatory asides about people and things mentioned in passing on the tapes. As a 'for instance' he goes into George's home life at the time (Patti's moved out and he's got the French ex-girlfriend of Clapton staying at Kinfauns), which I think contributes to his downing of tools and walking out later on. To give some idea of how exhaustive it is, there are currently 21 half-hour episodes up and he's just reached the beginning of Day 3...

- Lewisohn's Complete Beatles Chronicle. The Recording Sessions book is good, but if you want a sense of quite how much their lives weren't their own, especially 63-67 this is an essential read.

- If you live near/know London at all, The Beatles' London by Schreuders/Lewisohn is fascinating. Pinpoints the locations for photos, films and appearances etc. (Ringo passed his driving test in Enfield - who knew?!).

- Chuck Gunderson's Some Fun Tonight!: a two-volume history of their two US tours. If (like me) you're a British fan you probably say to yourself, "Oh, they went over to America and were really good live until they couldn't hear themselves any more, and then they stopped." These books really fill the void.

- Other TV: The BBC Arena Magical Mystery Tour Revisited is worth watching, and if you aren't a musician then Howard Goodall has done a couple of music theory shows available on YT (one general, on on Sgt. Pepper) on how their songwriting was so innovative.

[Satchmo Distel]

How did that anti-Lewishohn sentiment develop? It's been a while since I listened to the pod, but I thought that Rodriguez (host of Something About The Beatles) was, like everyone, enthusiastic about Lewisohn at one point.

Rodriguez fell out with original co-host Richard Buskin, and Lewisohn has stayed friends with Buskin since that time.

[Satchmo Distel]

How did that anti-Lewishohn sentiment develop? It's been a while since I listened to the pod, but I thought that Rodriguez (host of Something About The Beatles) was, like everyone, enthusiastic about Lewisohn at one point.

Rodriguez fell out with original co-host Richard Buskin, and Lewisohn has stayed friends with Buskin since that time.

[lipsink]

I'd nominate 'I Want To Tell You' as the worst Beatles song. The piano going off key was a nice experiment but just doesn't work at all.