FEATURE:
Where We Once Belonged
IN THIS PHOTO: On 30th January, 1969, The Beatles performed an unannounced concert on the rooftop of their Apple Corps headquarters at 3 Savile Row, London/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
The Beatles: Get Back
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IN a brief break…
from coronavirus-related posts and subjects around that, I thought I would take another look at a very important album anniversary. Every big Beatles album anniversary is worth celebrating, but I think Let It Be is one of the most important. Released on 8th May, 1970, this was the last album to be released from The Fab Four. I will write a couple more features before the fiftieth anniversary, but it is hard to say whether anything music-related will happen - many dislike Phil Spector’s production on the album. I suppose, by May, we will be in a better position, so I do hope radio stations and fans mark the album with celebrations. It would be a great shame if Let It Be did not receive the same sort of acclaim and scrutiny as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) or Abbey Road (1969) on its fiftieth. I know Let It Be is not as regarded and good as many of the other Beatles albums, but I think it is very important; as the guys would not release another studio album as a band, Let It Be is a closing chapter. Reviews in 1970 were pretty mixed: some adored the fact that the band were recording an album that had highlights, whilst others observed that Let It Be was not up to their usual level. I like Let It Be, and I think it is an album that sounds better and more nuanced all these years later. This is what Pitchfork had to say in their review from 2009:
“Outside of the title track, there's little here that feels consequential to the Beatles' legacy. The easy acoustic shuffle of the John Lennon and Paul McCartney duet "Two of Us" has appeal, though, as do the prickly rhythmic drive of George Harrison's "For You Blue" and the bubbling Booker T-isms of McCartney's "Get Back". The swampy "I've Got a Feeling", possibly reflecting McCartney's recent interest in Canned Heat, is intriguing because it sounds so classic rock 70s. And Lennon's "Across the Universe", recorded during the White Album sessions and sounding like it was beamed in from somewhere else, has a certain ringing brilliance. For balance, there's "Dig a Pony" and the boogieing "One After 909", the latter actually written by Lennon and McCartney as kids in the fifties. Still, for plenty of good bands, the best of these would be career highlights.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
Recorded without joy, set aside for months while a better album was assembled, and finally remixed in a way that enraged one of the band's principals, Let It Be finally saw release in May 1970. But by that point, the Beatles break-up had been official for several weeks. There's since been a live album, compilations, digitization, trolls through the archives, and an ocean of ink spilled about this little band that made it very big. And now there are these CD issues, done beautifully. But there never was a proper reunion, and we can assume that there will never be another Beatles”.
I have asked a couple of times – in features I have written about the album – whether there will be a special anniversary edition of Let It Be – Giles Martin (son of The Beatles’ producer, Sir George Martin) has done this for other Beatles albums on their fiftieth. Maybe the fact Phil Spector produced the album means that there is reluctance from the Martin estate to rework or re-release it. Of course, we now know that the documentary-film, The Beatles: Get Back, is out on 4th September:
“The Beatles‘ final film, Let It Be, showed a tired band in the midst of a breakup. That didn’t mean the musicians weren’t having a good time. They were just concentrating on learning and rehearsing new music. Peter Jackson found the fun in the tedium of discovery and Walt Disney Studios bought the worldwide distribution rights. Executive Chairman Bob Iger announced that Disney will release the documentary The Beatles: Get Back in the U.S. and Canada on Sept. 4, 2020. Global release details will follow.
“No band has had the kind of impact on the world that The Beatles have had, and The Beatles: Get Back is a front-row seat to the inner workings of these genius creators at a seminal moment in music history, with spectacularly restored footage that looks like it was shot yesterday,” Iger said in a statement.
Jackson, probably best known for his The Lord of the Rings trilogy, compiled 55 hours of unseen footage from Let It Be director Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s cans and turned it over Park Road Post Production of Wellington, New Zealand. Editor Jabez Olssen will work the same restorative magic he employed on the World War I archival footage Jackson used in his 2018 film They Shall Not Grow Old. Jackson also has access to 140 hours of mostly unheard audio recordings from the Let It Be album sessions”.
A lot of public perception around the recording/making of Let It Be suggests The Beatles were at loggerheads and things were pretty tense. Although there were times when the band were conflicted – just like they were for other albums -, The Beatles: Get Back is a chance to set the record straight. Peter Jackson is not going to release a film that makes everything seem rosy, nor is he going to produce this rather grim portrayal of a band who were nearing the end. Many people view Let It Be as this quite limp and lifeless album from a band who were tired and uninspired. I think that is a small part of the story.
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have both said they are looking forward to the film being released, and it will be interesting seeing two of the band members reacting to events that took place over fifty years ago. Whilst McCartney himself was unhappy with Phil Spector’s work on Let It Be – he initiated Let It Be... Naked in 2003, which is the original album remixed – I think he will appreciate the new film. It is a shame Glastonbury was cancelled recently, so we won’t get to see Paul McCartney at the festival’s fiftieth anniversary. I still feel The Beatles’ Let It Be turning fifty is a very important event. It will give people a chance to not only discover an album they might otherwise have missed, but they can experience a documentary that takes us deep into the recording process. In the final features regarding Let It Be, I will look at various aspects of its release and how it stacks up against other albums from The Beatles. With so much affecting the health of venues, artists and other side of the music industry, I think there are things to look forward to still. I am a huge Beatles fan, so I cannot wait to see this long-awaited documentary-film. If anything, it will set the story straight regarding what the band were going through when Let It Be was recorded – maybe dispel some myths and much-held beliefs. By late-summer, cinemas will reopen (we hope) ,so do make sure you go and see…
THE Beatles: Get Back.