A masterclass in creativity

If you have not yet seen the Peter Jackson (2021) edit of the 57 hours of documentary footage shot from the Beatles January 1969 recording sessions, in my view it is superb. 

Filmed while the Beatles write and rehearse 14 new tracks for a proposed live concert - the first in more than two years - and directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the video footage is supported by a 150 hours of unheard audio (Welsh, 2021). A contemporaneous 80 minute documentary was made, called "Let It Be", telling a story of strife and turmoil in the band (Lindsay-Hogg, 1970; Palmer, 2014; available for viewing on the Internet Archive - see link in the references). While Peter Jackson used some footage from the original documentary, it is also his intention to remaster the original (Harris, 2021), although there is no release date as yet.

To support a coherent narrative of the mass of unseen video and audio footage, stills are used to background some of the audio-only segments (Jackson, 2021). There is also a ten minute intro to the first part of the film, to contextualise the place and time for those of us too young to know the band member's circumstances. And the resulting documentary does not tell the story of strife and turmoil. Instead it shows the band at work.

In watching the video series, I felt I had been let into a secret: I felt this was a masterclass in creativity. These four musicians worked together almost seamlessly: they fed off each other, inspired each other, led each other. They seemed to finish each other's songs, sentences, and ideas; and in three weeks have an album complete, while “planning for a concert that never takes place, and a concert that does take place, [but] which wasn’t planned" (Harris, 2021). The musicians naturally fell into pairs at times, with the quiet leadership of George Harrison being evident. George seemed to be - to my eyes, anyway - one of nature's helpers; helping Ringo flesh out the embryonic "Octopus's Garden"; sorting out chord changes to improve flow; smoothing over ruffled feathers (Jackson, 2021). However, they almost seem more family than workmates, suggesting Ringo as the baby and:

"George is a classic neglected middle child, with the bossy older siblings absent-mindedly nodding at him and never taking him entirely seriously; when asked, they’re quick to say that he’s talented and important, but [not] when it counts". We see this clearly illustrated in part 1, when George walks out following "genuinely sweet and helpful comments while John and Paul ignore him and sing strictly at each other—in a song that is obviously about each other" (Gopnik, 2021).

Despite being often ignored, George just carried on doing what he did well: helping. Ringo just got on with drumming (and the footage shows he was no slouch in that department). What I could hear were tensions arising from Paul needing goals to work towards, and John not needing them... and the return of Paul to needing goals, an issue which remained unaddressed. 

Goal setting could so easily - and quickly - been done. A little coaching and reflection could have avoided the group disbanding. John was certainly wanting the band to consider a new manager, so he may have been seeking leadership. Perhaps these things had been led in the past by Brian Epstein; perhaps his untimely death rocked them in more ways than they were aware at the time. Or perhaps they had reached a natural point where they all needed independence. Together they achieve synergies in their music which individually they did not. They were a team, but lost interest - perhaps lost heart? - in remaining one.

This documentary (Jackson, 2021) is worth a look, particularly if you like music. Check it out :-)

Sam

References:

Gopnik, A. (2021, December 16). A Close Read of the Beatles in “Get Back”. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/a-close-read-of-the-beatles-in-get-back

Harris, J. (2021, September 26). Beatles on the brink: how Peter Jackson pieced together the Fab Four’s last days. The Observer. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/26/beatles-final-days-get-back-let-it-be-john-harris-peter-jackson

Jackson, P. (Director). (2021). The Beatles: Get Back [Parts 1 to 3, documentary film]. Walt Disney Studios. https://archive.org/details/the-beatles-get-back-202304/

Lindsay-Hogg, M. (Director). (1970). Let It Be [documentary film]. Apple Films/ABKCO Industries. https://archive.org/details/Let_It_Be_1970_film

Palmer, T. (2014, May 25). From the Observer archive, 24 May 1970: the Beatles' Let It Be is a bore. Thank heavens for the music. The Observer. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2014/may/25/from-observer-archive-beatles-let-it-be-film

Welch, A. (2021, December 2). The world owes Yoko an apology! 10 things we learned from The Beatles: Get Back. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/dec/02/the-beatles-get-back-peter-jackson-documentary