One of my big takeaways from Peter Jackson’s ‘Get Back’ is that it gives context to John’s seemingly callous comment that they “get Eric Clapton” if George doesn’t return. As it turns out, George was the one during the sessions suggesting that he wasn’t up to the kind of lead playing they needed and he actually says, “You need Eric Clapton,” to which John replys, “No, we need George Harrison.” So in the proper context, when John mentions bringing in Clapton, he’s being ironic and sarcastic (something he seemed to specialize in more than selfishly disregarding his mates). Matt, I’m not sure I heard you discuss this, but I might have just missed it. Thanks for all of your hard work and passion!
When my friends and I went to Let it Be showings at our college student union and midnight showings in the 70’s, we were overjoyed when they used a pristine copy of the film (about 50% of the time). We never viewed Let It Be as a depressing breakup movie. We enjoyed the fast version of Two of Us, John and Yoko waltzing to I Me Mine. And Besame Mucho. Along with Octopuses Garden and the three songs before the rooftop, along with the rooftop. Outstanding positivity.
@@popgoesthe60s52 I think it was only "depressing" because of the look and sound of the print which was abysmal. I saw the exact same film on Disney and it was a completely different feeling to it. If they hadn't split up right before the release, it wouldn't have been seen as negatively as it was. I don't know what Paul and George were so worried about all these years. It was just a band who was jamming in the studio. I love the Apple Studios part of it...and the roof.
Hey Matt, I’m with you on the physical media thing, especially with the video releases. To me it’s better to have it on the shelf, ready to play when the mood strikes. Also, your video about All Things Must Pass not being rejected is what we need more of, instead of the “lazy journalism” we get far to often, which is how false narratives get born.
I will always choose physical media. And even though we've seen folks sneer at film then DVD-quality, they ALL come back around, and these recent years of Love For Vinyl heartens me that physical media will be in our future. Maybe not Disney's...
Great review of “ Let it Be “ , I saw it at a movie theatre in 1970 , I was 13… I have a copy of it on CD . I subscribed to Disney just to watch “Get Back “ love both !
Matt, No matter how it's packaged, the Get Back/Let It Be project was pure misery! John and Paul didn't even bother to bath for the cameras and looked disheveled most of the time. Yoko is filmed throughout the project which is depressing in itself!
I think a blue ray boxed set with Get Back, the o.g. Let It Be, and a true 6 cd of expanded out takes and unreleased recordings from those sessions would be an awesome companion piece or pt. 2 to the LIB boxed set. OR...give Pete Jackson the 16 hour director's cut he wants along with both dvds of Get Back and Let It Be film would be a great stand alone video collection. When is Disney gonna get it...Bealte fans are world wide, and likely in the vast majority, physical media collectors of Beatles output.
I agree with you Matt that Michael Lindsay-Hogg did a great job with the rooftop cocert. As a retired film teacher, I can tell you that my sympathies lie with MLH. He had an impossible task, i.e. pleasing four people who were rarely on the same page (Harrison was actually hostile to the film project). Any film that has essentially four "producers" is going to be a gigantic compromise, a chore, and ultimately unsatisfactory to several of the involved parties. Great documentary films are the fruit of a single, focused vision, not the result of comittees and compromise. Get Back is a successful film because of not only the new technology, but because the surviving Beatles (and their estates) trusted Peter Jackson in ways they never trusted Lindsay-Hogg back in the day. And Jackson had the huge advantage of not having to slog through every day of filming dragging along (in many cases) unhappy campers. You said that you would not have wanted Lindsay-Hogg`s job....neither would I.
@@popgoesthe60s52 As I mentioned MLH could not assert his vision because there was too much "noise and interference" from the Fabs, particularly Paul who had - after Magical Mystery Tour - begun to fancy himself as something of a filmmaker. Tough job for MLH. Jackson`s tour-de-force is his editing of the mountains of footage. The essence of film art is editing.
@@robertfontaine356 The best thing for the rooftop concert would be to not include anything other than the Beatles. Perhaps someday we will get that, the entire concert focused only on the Beatles and a soundtrack version.
I love how these videos are perfectly pitched: authoritative but never condescending; detailed but not a traipse through the weeds; subjective but not opinionated and just when you think that you know everything there is to know, there’s a always a fact or two that you’ve never heard before. Certainly one of the best podcasts, regardless of subject, on TH-cam at the moment.
Another interesting video! It’s definitely important to remember that Michael Lindsay-Hogg was brought in to direct a television special. A TV special event focused on the payoff of a spectacular live performance. Hogg’s work on Ready Steady Go, previous Beatles videos, and the Stones RnR Circus was excellent… ultimately the Beatles pulled a colossal “bait and switch” on this guy! The television special becomes a full-length film feature that has to be blown up from 16mm… and the “grand payoff” is this band just moseying up to the roof to basically run through five songs to an unknowing and spontaneous audience. He had to be thinking, “This is the end of a month of filming? No event? No venue? No tension? No build-up?” Overall, in the end, I think he delivered a respectable piece of work… considering he had many cooks telling him what ingredients should and should not be in there.
A few scattered thoughts: 1. I agree about the lack of transitions in the LiB film. Every time I saw it, I never understood what the goal was until I went and looked it up. No doubt everyone in 1970 was beyond confused on what exactly the story of the film was. 2. I was surprised to see that some little bits were different in this new film. The end of the Octopuses Garden jam is different. I'm pretty sure the Don't Let Me Down rehearsal at the front starts in a different place than it did originally. 3. I like how in Anthology, George sorta dismissed the famous argument as just him saying "make up your mind" to Paul. He never said it was the event that led to him leaving. He never got super offended at it. He didn't buy into the hype of the moment. Its interesting to go back and find out we entirely misinterpreted what the Beatles themselves said
Just my opinion: I think George had an overdue realization that despite earning 25% of the mechanical royalties, he was getting the short end on songwriting royalties. It was all about money; and if he got a fair portion of it, he would not have walked. Blame it on the blabbing Dick James, whose boasting was overheard loud and clear by George.
It's weird.....watching Let it Be, you can see how The Beatles had about a year left before a breakup. The Peter Jackson film (even though, unlike LIB, it addresses George's exit) makes it look like the Fabs were in great shape and ready to take on the 1970s. Some of my fave scenes in LIB: the Paul-Ringo piano duet, John's rough-but-great run-through of Across the Universe, John and Paul sharing a mic....like Quarrymen....on a rousing version of Two of Us, George helping Ringo write Octopus' Garden, the jam with Billy Preston and of course the entire rooftop concert. Great video once again!
Yes. I agree with you 100%. You can hear Paul on outtakes from 1963 barking out orders for the recordings. It was just another day in the recording studio for the Beatles.
I was in my own band in the late 60's and early 70's, so that took a lot of my music attention. However I had heard the Beatles were breaking up but for all I knew it was a rumor. These days people say that they'd broke up a month before the release of the Let it Be movie but I didn't know that. When the movie was at the cinema, and I went to see it with some friends, I was happy to see the Beatles on the big screen, and while my friends were raving about the movie on the way home, even though I'd thought it great to see it, I knew all the rumors were true. So I was a bit depressed after having seen it. I've really only seen it that one time to this day, but I may get it on release of the DVD.
It's such a pleasure to follow your channel. You never disappoint. As someone who fell in love with the Fab Four upon listening to Meet the Beatles, I value your very reasonable and highly informed perspective. On top of that, you're such a likeable person. I haven't viewed every single video you've given us, but I look forward to catching up. Thanks for such high- quality content.
I subscribed when you showed how parts of Something were done. What they said to each other, what Ringo said. You showed parts that were not in Get Back, it was awesome really! So thank you.
💯 Top shelf show, and I especially appreciate you dispelling the things that have been written about repeatedly that simply aren’t true, a la the song “All Things Must Pass.” One of the most striking things about Peter Jackson’s “Get Back” film was how young and shy George was about introducing his songs. We know very well he wasn’t going to use the word“pomegranate!” 😅
Hey, Matt. Not sure if this would be too much detail for people, but I'd suggest doing an episode/video covering all of the audio differences between the new Let It Be and the original one. Odd things, like on the rooftop, such things as 'don't let me down' being spoken after the song ends, Ringo's snare at the beginning of the final version of the song "Get Back", and Lennon making the comment about his hands getting too cold to play a chord after "Dig A Pony". None of these are in the original version. Plus the fact that for the rooftop concert for the Get Back movie, Peter Jackson used different camera angles throughout every song, which you can see if you play them side-by-side. This is just the start :-)
Watching Let it Be is like one big jam fest with no context. Surprisingly we don’t hear them rehearsing Get Back once. And we only get a couple of bars of them rehearsing Let it Be Get Back provides all the context into the decisions made for the project.
@poesc yes, you can’t blame MLH for using the time he had to show the MUSIC. there wasn’t time for a narrative, which we gloriously got in Get Back. I felt like seeing them in Let it Be (and I saw it in theatre in 1970) was like seeing rock gods at work. In Get Back they drank tea and ate toast and ordered bowties and tripped over equipment and were hilarious with each other whilst creating and playing. Watching LIB again after seeing GB made me miss all the supporting cast that we got to know so well in GB like Glynn Johns and more of George Martin, Linda, and especially Billy Preston, who actually saved the day. I think Get Back is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to Beatle history.
It is not my favorite movie but I do think Hogg did the best he could. I really like the Jackson version better because it blew away some myths that Beatles “historians “ continued to write. Good video Matt.
I’ll definitely watch it. “Attracts me like a cauliflower until the word comes” more brilliance by John (learning that he contributed “the mind can blow those clouds away” on all things still blows my mind)
"Cauliflower" was a perfect fit sonically. "No other lover" sounds like it. The fact that John came up with that silly word immediately is a testament to his creativity, even though it wouldn't have worked (and wasn't meant to).
@@popgoesthe60s52 the fans (of yours!) are waiting! One of the biggest weakness of Get Back was all the stuff they couldn't include because there was no video and yet some of it is really cool, as shown by your earlier videos
@@erniericardo8140 that would rock I mean so few people want to dig through 100 hours of boots and try to decipher what’s going on and it’s so cool to have them laid out
John said Spector had his work cut out trying to make the recordings releasable…but MLH had it much worse! You gotta give the man credit for recording everything possible over this period as to fashion something to satisfy Apple 🍏 and what ever format they wanted at any given time….basically he gave himself options which in turn gave PJ the material to fashion the modern narrative. He was doing everything in real-time instead of hindsight and that’s a hard gig…..so I say cheers to MLH for capturing 30 days of Beatle time in which we can now enjoy and dissect to our hears content !
Matt, Let it Be will always remain an addendum to The Get Back docuseries. Even with the cleaned up video & audio, and what's with the chopped video edits? They should of done better perhaps to released another 2 hours of unreleased footage that included the video and audio of the basement Apple sessions the day after the rooftop concert. It's time to move on, perhaps Apple needs to continue with the Rubber Soul box set or remaster The Anthology to blu ray with more unreleased footage.
Watching the rooftop concert makes me realise what a great “live” band they still were. Such a pity that only a couple of dozen people actually got to see it. The Stones did a free gig in Hyde Park later that year in front of hundreds of thousands. Wouldn’t it have been amazing if The Beatles has bookended their career with something similar? I know they discussed doing a concert for the movie, nothing short of heartbreaking it never came to pass.
LOL-Matt-you must be about the same age as my wife and I, because we were both watching this video and we both instantly agreed with you re: physical media. We don't completely trust streaming to be available at all times, and we still like having something we can hold in our hands. Anyway, now I will have view all of your previous videos about this, as well as the new "Let It Be" film. One thing I take issue with (only very mildly) among your comments is that the Let It Be album was "not their best work." It implies that Let It Be was substandard or bad in some way. I know many other people have also said that, but I don't really agree. This album included "Let it Be," "Get Back", and "The Long and Winding Road", all of which were hit singles and great songs. In addition, the album contained "Across the Universe" and "I, Me, Mine", which were close to being hit singles themselves and are very solid songs by the standards of the Beatles' canon. What artist/band wouldn't be willing to kill (metaphorically) to have an album with this many songs that could be considered very good, if not classics?.
Prior to Get Back, you had a video which the audio showed Ono inserting herself into the Beatles business. As much as I loved Get Back, the fact that this was left out has always made me suspect of the narrative. For example, were they all getting along so well much of the time or did Jackson leave out important part of the 130 hours of audio tape out? That may have gave a very different story--especially since Ono was a producer. I think for the historical record, the a transcript of the 54 hours of film and 150 hours of audio should be released.
I was very surprised Jackson omitted this important piece of the story. He claims that he wasn't coerced to use or not use material. I will take him at his word which can only mean that he himself censored the Yoko meddling. This does cost him some credibility.
Hey Matt - I’m a die hard Beatles fan and just discovered your TH-cam channel. What a treasure trove of amazing “stoof”. I’ll be spending a lot of hours digesting all of this. One thing that struck me is that it’s been 43 years since it happened. I saw them in Detroit on September 6, 1964. I’m 73 years old and they’re still my favorite band! Thanks for all of this!
I was so excited to finally get to watch this documentary for the first time. I thought it was great and really captured The Beatles working on new material. It drags a little bit in the second half when they are singing non Beatle songs. What a great ending though hearing them sing Two of Us and Let it Be in the studio and then cut to the roof top concert.
Great overview Matt! Can always count on you to come through. Glad you highlighted your related videos from the past. Those videos were A #1 outstanding! Cheers! ❤😊
Being an ardent music fan with over 100 books and hundreds of video tapes in my collection, I still learn a lot of valuable information from your videos, Matt. There's no one else on YT who can match your worth as a broad spectrum music and culture historian. Thank you! I took a tab of acid before I went to see Let It Be in 1970 at a theater in upstate NY. While it was nice to see the Beatles and interesting to watch them at work, the movie was a disappointing experience. Everything in LIB, except for the rooftop concert, seemed dour. Peter Jackson's film is fantastic, I wish it had been the movie I saw in 1970. Owning the Get Back DVD set, I see no reason to buy the Let It Be re-release, I don't want to be reminded of the experience when I first saw the film and Jackson's film provides a much better slot in my memory bank.
Well, just don't take acid, is all. If you did it in 70, you probably shouldn't be doing it now, anyway.😅😅😅😅😅 I was a huge pot head for years until I found I didn't like the effect of the last time.
Very familiar with this movie but seeing the remastered version I'm pretty sure I saw and heard things I never saw on the standard copy I'm pleased with it 😊
Matt, I didn't see LIB on original release, but I did multiple rentals of the 1981 VHS (buying it was something like $69.99). It was pretty wondrous stuff to see back then! No one knew anything back then about how the whole Get Back project came about, I think I first read about it in Lewisohn's Complete Recordings book. I always assumed Lindsey-Hogg got the LIB gig because he had directed the "Paperback Writer/Rain" and "Hey Jude/Revolution" promo videos. I thought he did an admirable job with LIB, the rooftop session was the chef's kiss! At the end of the day all that really matters is the music, and there were some Beatles classics on that album. I now need to go back and re-watch all your excellent LIB videos. Cheers!
I think the approach of the original Let It Be movie was similar to the news we watch everyday - the fights, the quirky and all the negative stuff strung together one after each other without any context. We have remember that for Lindsey Hogg it wasn't about the history of the Beatles as it was for Jackson - it was all current affairs and giving the juicy news related to the Beatles to the fans. For Jackson it was all about giving a balanced representation of what happened. Well done as always about your research - I remember watching all the videos you mentioned here on the same day they came out.
Great re review of Let It Be Matt. I'll buy it if it's a physical release. I enjoy Let It Be more now than when I was young. Love the music! I also enjoyed all your videos on the subject and I'm going to re watch them. I have a question about that dark candle like object that was sparkling on the table. What is it? Thought it was pretty peaceful and nice. #1 Matt!
Being born in 1970, I just can't get enough of the Let It Be stuff. I watched it on BBC tv in 1979 and 1982, but since then only saw clips on the Anthology until the Jackson series came out. I'm sure music historians will still be arguing about it in 2070. In time there will be a commercial gap for a full dvd box set, with the original Director's cut
I always come to Matt for real, intelligent, and honest appraisal of a particular release. I will wait patiently for a physical release. For those on the fence, Remember, there are other musical pieces NOT shown in the expansive "Get Back" project. For a re-release of the box set, how about a reproduction of the booklet included in the original 1970 vinyl box release? Perhaps some complete song outtakes (even if pieced together) as bonus features on an exclusive DVD/BluRay combo in the box set? Bang for our "Beatle Buck". Not going to happen, but the "Two Junkies" interview also has a place in history...
I feel the same, I need a hard copy. I did download one years ago that was uploaded at a 90 degree angle which I was able to fix. I also agree that it was a lesser work compared to The White Album and "Abbey Road". The group had an idea and stuck with it without following through the thought process. They couldn't decide on where to hold the concert and tried making perfect takes in the studio without overdubs. They hamstrung themselves.
Watched it the other day. Forever fascinating. Hadn't seen it in about 35 years, yet I remembered just about everything in it. This is from the same man who went to put the milk in the dishwasher the other day.
Thanks, great work. Your forensic work on the audio tapes is excellent. Does Let it Be have the horrendous scene where George’s Les Paul Lucy falls over? No headstock break.
Great review, Matt: like you I have all the audio: it's a shame the box set came up so short. There was so much more interesting material they could have put out. It's a good thing we have the bootlegs.
Building on my previous comment, it would have been nice if in the original Let it Be movie, Hogg had have included snippets of the following: - short clips of the chatter around the kit in twickenham, from all of them - a shot of them discussing different ideas for concert venues - them rehearsing 'All things must pass' together (other songs were inlcuded not on the album) - short clip of the evolution go 'Get back' - short clip of the scene were they are fooling around and John says 'were the F....g Beatles' - introduction to Billy Preston - George saying he didn't want to go on the roof - The scene after the concert with them enjoying the playback. Some of this could have been worked in and the movie would have made more sense, and more even between all of them.
I haven't seen Let It Be since the early 80's, not even a bootleg copy, and I'm enjoying streaming it on Disney. Just found your channel and subscribed.
Another good review....appreciate the reminder of your previous Let It Be work...going back to re-watch those to round out the experience. The Disney + version of Let It Be while enhanced and cleaned up comes across very disjointed compared to the comprehensive Peter Jackson treatment. Hogg's version serves little detail of what was progressing during Jan 1969.. The "video" versions of Two of Us, Let it Be and Long and Winding Road are the best part of it....maybe those videos help complete the picture? Thanks again for your commitment to 60s pop and Beatles music ---I can only guess how much time and energy it takes to do these!
Nice review Matt. I saw this on its release (or thereabouts) here in the UK when it was accompanied by Yellow Submarine as a double header. Two more contrasting films about the Beatles you could not have imagined! With one playing totally into the Beatles’ (then) image and then one with them fannying around doing…well…what? We had no idea what they were trying to achieve, although I remember the rumours around late 1968/early 1969 about concerts at the Roundhouse. There was no context to the film, as you rightly point out, and we had never seen ‘work in progress’ footage like this of a band in the studio, let alone the Beatles in that situation. The only context we had in 1970 was that they had apparently broken up, and this appeared to be the soundtrack to that. Of course, we now know so much more and realise that they weren’t always the happy go lucky mop tops of repute, which means we view this from an entirely different perspective (whether it be Let It Be or the Get Back version) and realise there was so much to actually like about this time.
I'll be watching Let it Be later tonight. When if first came out it traumatized me. Being just a kid back then I was blind=sided by too much reality. By the way, the original movie was just as dark as the later video release.
Well, just watched the movie for the first time in years and it wasn't as depressing as I remembered from childhood. Was it the brighter images. I don't know but enjoyed it this time.
I really love this channel - and I really love this movie, too. It looks and sounds so beautiful now, and we have much more sophisticated hardware to watch and listen to it, too, so, all around, nice going. When I first got the VHS in the 80s, it looked and sounded dingy, but then my TV set wasn't all the best, either, so - - no real difference.
I saw Let it Be at The Stanley Theater circa 1981 and I remember feeling empty afterwards. Like I consumed empty calories. Get Back was the perfect balm on an old wound.
Hey Matt. I got a chance to watch Let It Be last night and I still have the same opinion I did when I first saw it, The editing is just thrown together. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason. Why are they in a big soundstage? Why do they suddenly go to Apple? Why does Billy Preston pop up out of the blue? Get Nack may be long, but it has a “plot”. Enjoy your evening!
It's now clear that people hated this film, when it came out, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the 16mm picture quality was dreadful. But the main reason now seems obvious. It was released after The Beatles split up and so it looked like a film about the break up. It must have been hard to enjoy, knowing it all had all fallen apart.
I remember watching the MGM/UA VHS of the original Let It Be, and not even making it to the Rooftop Concert portion. My mom also watched it (and she wasn’t really a Rock fan), and her exact words were “My god! It’s not easy watching a band you like implode, is it?” We returned the video to Randall’s the same day, back when they rented videos.
I've commented in past posts, that I've had a pretty good copy of LIB on DVD, bought online, but I also first saw LIB on the big screen in the late 70's at a local suburban cinema, when we first picked up on John playing a 6 string bass, but, yeah, loved to get the latest release of LIB on DVD, yet to watch it on Disney, plan to in next few days, no rush.
This film and album were disowned by the Beatles almost immediately before they went on to make Abbey Road. They screened a cut of the movie in July and gave MLH notes on 45 minutes to cut out. They were making the next album at that point, and things like George leaving were cut because he didn't permanently leave. I'm glad that they released it because so much footage was in this film but Peter Jackson left out of his. 7 hours is too much for a casual rewatch as well.
I think the new upgraded version is excellent. The picture retains the graininess which it should as it’s an older film and the sound has been enhanced to immerse the viewer. There are a couple of things missing like the segways between the indoor performances and the rooftop and the ending has changed which I think they should have kept and then added a separate credit sequence just like they did for Yellow Submarine. Hopefully we will get a DVD of Let It be as I think they had interviews of Neil Aspinall by Mark Lewisohn to go with the original DVD back in 2003 before it was shelved. Always good to hear your insights Matt….thanks!
The segue between Twickenham and Savile Row - the closing doors effect - I think you mean. I noticed that too and the Get Back reprise at the end. Why on Earth would they change those?
Thanks Matt for this rethinking of the original production and having to please 4 ego heavy players in this film. It is a wonderful way to "Get Back" to the original.
Isn't it amazing how an album that contains Two of Us, Across the Universe, Let It Be, I've Got a Feeling, The Long and Winding Road, and Let It Be is considered a "lesser album" by many, myself included. I guess this is one case in which the parts are greater than the sum.
@craigcavalierr6744 agreed. I mean THREE NUMBER ONE SONGS on this “lesser” album!! it would’ve been even better if Phil Spector had not inexplicably left Don’t Let Me Down off the album . How did that happen, I wonder. BIG mistake.
Because it was on the U.S. released Hey Jude album. But a dumb decision by Klein I think actually. And the short 'Dig It' made no sense. The longer 'Dig It' as heard in the Let It Be film sounds so good.
I would love to see a physical release and include the book that came with the original UK release. The photographs were phenomenal and the text was transcriptions of the sessions.
So glad Matt that Let It Be has finally been released and crossing my fingers for a Blu Ray/DVD release in the fall, I remember when I first saw this movie back in 1983, my parents bought a VCR and one of the first video stores in town had this VHS tape of Let it Be for rent ( I lost count on how many times I rented this movie) and I got to tell you I was ecstatic about watching the Beatles perform in the studio as well as live on rooftop and I didnt see it as being a downer of a movie. -But now I hear and read some real down comments about people saying that we dont need this movie anymore because we got Peter Jackson's Get Back, It's odd because for the longest time people kept asking for Let It Be and now everybody's like oh, yeah Let it Be (yawn) the way I look at it its a companion piece, a bonus extra to Get Back, a "shorter version" of Get Back, and maybe, just maybe when Let it Be gets released on DVD we might get a complete Beatles only rooftop performance as a bonus feature,Audio commentary with Michael Lindsay Hogg, maybe a CD of unreleased music that wasnt on the Let it Be Box Set with the songs Paul's Piano Tune, Across the Universe (Twickenham Outtake) Two of Us (Rocking Fast Version) Suzy Parker, Besame Mucho, the complete roof top concert, and many other gems so Im hopeful and happy that Michael Lindsay Hogg's movie Let it Be has seen the light of day.
Good review Matt! I watched it the other day. Not bad but get back covers much more. I do think they release more audio of the sessions. Especially. The rooftop show that’s only streaming. I am surprised they didn’t release a physical copy of that.
I remember when this was in theaters in 1970. It was said to be about the break-up of the Beatles. I of course was devastated. I've been leery ever since. But now I might come around
Another scene in Let It Be that became very misleading over time is a jump cut. Paul mentions that they should just do the "corny one" [meaning the line in Don't Let Me Down that he thinks is corny but John rather likes] and then it cuts to them rehearsing Maxwell's Silver Hammer. Ha ha, cute editing joke. I think that's all it was meant to be at the time, but in the years since, the legend of the band antipathy for Maxwell has ballooned out of control. Everyone says they hated the song with a vengeance [John said it was the first song about instant karma he did, implying that it may have inspired his song], Paul forced them to put it on the album [Beatles had a veto -- they could've kept it off if they really hated it -- though John also suggested that perhaps Paul should've given it to another artist rather than keeping it for The Beatles], and that it was excruciating to record with all its endless multiple takes [Maxwell actually had fewer takes than usual for The Beatles at the time and George had a lot of fun working on the synth parts]. I think the antipathy traces back to this Let It Be editing joke. "See, The Beatles acknowledge it's corny and practise it reluctantly." When in fact they didn't seem to mind rehearsing it at the time and Mal certainly looks like he's having fun with the anvil.
@@Kieop I think the other Beatles appreciated it as a fun ditty but got sick of it by time it was finished for Abbey Road. Ringo did refer to it as his worst recording experience. While other songs may have more takes, I think they probably didn't like spending so much time on a song they thought was just OK.
I'm also hoping for a physical release. For a full-on fantasy, they should include the full rooftop concert in both video (dvd/bluray) and audio (cd). Plus throw in some more bonus video/audio for good measure. 2 dvd/bluray (main movie, full rooftop, bonus material), 2cd (rooftop concert, bonus material) ought to do it..
Hey! Love your content as always. QQ will you do a video on the "Secret George Solo" buried in the mix of IWY(SSH)? Always thought it woulda been great if Giles Martin added it to the Abbey Road re-release.
If they add Peter Jackson's 5 hours of unseen Get Back footage as extras, I'd buy it in a second. Otherwise, glad it's out and it looks and sounds so much better but I won't buy it without that extra footage.
As always you are one of the better commentators on The Beatles. But when you say that The Beatles didn't want George Martin producing them any more, what do actually mean? The Beatles must have invited him to Twickenham and Apple otherwise he wouldn't have been there, as he was independent at this time and not under contract to work with The Beatles, at least that's how I understand it, also initially they weren't actually recording, just rehearsing. I would like to know more about Martin became involved in this project.
The producer of record for the Get Back/Let It Be recordings was Glyn Johns. The Beatles were so rude to Martin during the White Album, he took a holiday and had Chris Thomas fill in. Glyn Johns didn't want the "producer credit" for Let It Be... He didn't even accept payment originally, but I don't know if that held. One thing that most don't realize is that half of Abbey Road was produced by Johns before Martin was asked back. That is the reality of the situation. It was the Beatles egos running away with themselves. I will be touching upon this topic in the future so stay tuned!
I totally agree with you Matt. Something in the of box set would have been nice for the release of “Let It Be”. I feel there is still so much baggage on Paul and Ringo’s part for that to ever happen. However, thanks for all the information you have provided on this topic.
1:05 I'm glad to see someone acknowledge this after so many criticisms of MLH's film. But I would say he had FIVE bosses if you include Allen Klein, right? Because I heard that Klein told him he had to cut down on the length of the film. So yeah MLH was very limited to what he could include in the film.
Love your idea about the missed opportunity for the album to be reissued as a double disk set. I suppose it's dangerous to rewrite history too much. All of the music they have intended for us to hear is out there - for the time being. I do believe Don't Let Me Down belongs on the album. On the other hand, I've always enjoyed the Hey Jude / The Beatles Again album and it brings back memories of my Dad bringing it home to me when I was sick as a kid. It's great to speculate on all of this. I'm not clear as to whether the entire proper rooftop concert has been issued in video or audio. That would be something (!) good to discover down the road. By the way, I stumbled upon your channel when you co-reviewed Sometime In New York City, which was another album bought for me as a young fan as a Christmas present. A tough listen there, but that version of Cold Turkey is a gem. Thank you for your great efforts!
How about doing a video on that one Emitt Rhodes album that sounded so much like The Beatles from their later period? It's very enjoyable & I think even fooled some listeners & disc jockeys back in the day who thought it WAS The Beatles. There are certain tracks on that album that, to my ears, can be taken as a 'Paul song' versus a 'John song' versus a 'George song' stylistically in how they were arranged & recorded. Rhodes did all by himself using his garage as a recording studio. He got a recording contract but it didn't turn out well because it took so long for one person to write, record, play all the instruments, sing & produce an album, that he got behind in his contract, as far as playing out live (I surmise) & also delivering albums on a schedule. It really is amazing piece of work. I know your content is the 1960s... the album was released in 1970. So, maybe it will still be applicable to your channel, especially since it hit at a time of The Beatles breakup.
12:00 Box edition of LIB no longer feasible because LIB Superdeluxe is already a box set with book & all & at same time as that release, a separate LIB book was published. Extras can't include outtakes because GET BACK was over 7 hrs of outtakes already. I hope M L-H makes himself known to be available for an audio commentary to give Disney/Apple some incentive to issue the restored LIB on blu ray. That extra alone, the insider perspective of the director who not only directed LIB but also 99% of GET BACK's footage, would be a valuable historical record by itself.
Yeah you have to give Lindsay-Hogg credit that all this footage even exists! I saw LET IT BE on film several times in theaters back when it came out…I never saw it as dreary as critics said…but it will be hard to watch after watching the 9 hour GET BACK doc in full multiple times..yeah I am that guy!
The Let It Be movie needs at least 2 hours of extra footage not seen in the either project, including the complete roof top performance, to justify its physical release.
Yes, you were talking about the music not being sync with the video and it reminds me of the revolution video where John Lennon‘s out of sync with the audio at the end of the revolution video Lindsey Hogg did in 1968. I read the Beatles didn’t lip sync they sang and the music was pre-recorded. What’s the background on that?
I wonder how acrimonious the argument during the session of "She Said, She Said" would have sounded if cameras and audio were rolling? Supposedly, Paul said "Oh, fuck you" and left the studio.
This very important truth is often denied by so many that I think this a very important and timely reminder about The Beatles, McCartney and longevity. Ringo quote word for word, … ‘And we all thank Paul until this day, because Paul, who was the workaholic of our band, we made a lot more records than say John and I would. Ya’ know we (referring to himself and John) would like to sit down a little more…’ ASX TV interview added to TH-cam 11 May 2024
As much as I loved Get Back, I still think Let It Be is the definitive documentary on where The Beatles were at the time. It paints a very different picture of Paul and aligns itself to the views of John, George and Ringo all of whom said how miserable they felt during the making of the album.
From the clips on TH-cam, I see that it doesn’t really please Ringo all that much. Except he admits it’s got “More of us on the roof.” so there’s that. Probably a bit of a payday for him and Paul as well, so there’s that too…🤣
I've never seen this whole movie before today. It's actually really good. Especially watching in 2024. Everyone watches quick TH-cam, Instagram or tik tok videos. I enjoy watching small clips of the process. There were plenty of performances of the songs as well. It's too bad it wasn't remastered and released until now.i love get back, but damn it's so long haha.
The burning question on everyone's mind, how did the making of Let It Be survive Michael Lindsey-Cigar Addict-Hogg's incessant smoking and chomping on Coronas the entire time of filming? Did the film crew have to clean the gates of their cameras of fly ash ten times a day? Were the crew and control room people able to tolerate the incessant stink of cigar smoke all of January, 1969? Are the master tapes binders deteriorating from the tar from the exposure from his smoke? Curious minds want to know (asking for a friend).
On a more serious note: I found it interesting to see some major musical pieces that were in Let It Be, that later were left OUT of Get Back. Most notably, the vamped version of Beseme Mucho, and the cha cha "version" of The Long and Winding Road. Jackson also included versions of the bits recorded for the cameras in the Apple studio before they went up on the roof that actually ended up on the Let It Be album, whereas Hoggs presentation of those recordings were all outtakes. I wonder if Hogg would have corrected that with a directors cut he was fully in charge? We shall never know.
I know they assumed that people in 1969-1970 would want to see the four Beatles performing but it's shocking - after watching Get Back - to see how little was really used for Let It Be back then. The band created a bunch of special material in January 1969 but that didn't come through in the 1970 film, or really the album that Phil Spector put together either. After all, the film has the full version of Dig It and several covers, Spector cut down all the chatter and jamming to less than two minutes!
With my birth year in 1958, yes, I grew up with The Beatles music. They played a significant part with much of the music that influenced and inspired my favorite artists. Let It Be is definitely a favorite of mine. What I never cared much for was the film. I don't even think I've seen it beginning to end, but I do like the rooftop sequence. For the same reason why I am not interested in watching all of Let It Be, I have no interest in watching Get Back. Love the music!
One of my big takeaways from Peter Jackson’s ‘Get Back’ is that it gives context to John’s seemingly callous comment that they “get Eric Clapton” if George doesn’t return. As it turns out, George was the one during the sessions suggesting that he wasn’t up to the kind of lead playing they needed and he actually says, “You need Eric Clapton,” to which John replys, “No, we need George Harrison.” So in the proper context, when John mentions bringing in Clapton, he’s being ironic and sarcastic (something he seemed to specialize in more than selfishly disregarding his mates). Matt, I’m not sure I heard you discuss this, but I might have just missed it. Thanks for all of your hard work and passion!
When my friends and I went to Let it Be showings at our college student union and midnight showings in the 70’s, we were overjoyed when they used a pristine copy of the film (about 50% of the time). We never viewed Let It Be as a depressing breakup movie. We enjoyed the fast version of Two of Us, John and Yoko waltzing to I Me Mine. And Besame Mucho. Along with Octopuses Garden and the three songs before the rooftop, along with the rooftop. Outstanding positivity.
That's good to hear! Thanks for sharing.
@captaincopter2387 I felt the same way. We had not seen them like that…. Ever. It was miraculous seeing them and I loved every moment of it.
@@popgoesthe60s52 I think it was only "depressing" because of the look and sound of the print which was abysmal. I saw the exact same film on Disney and it was a completely different feeling to it. If they hadn't split up right before the release, it wouldn't have been seen as negatively as it was. I don't know what Paul and George were so worried about all these years. It was just a band who was jamming in the studio. I love the Apple Studios part of it...and the roof.
Hey Matt, I’m with you on the physical media thing, especially with the video releases. To me it’s better to have it on the shelf, ready to play when the mood strikes. Also, your video about All Things Must Pass not being rejected is what we need more of, instead of the “lazy journalism” we get far to often, which is how false narratives get born.
I will always choose physical media. And even though we've seen folks sneer at film then DVD-quality, they ALL come back around, and these recent years of Love For Vinyl heartens me that physical media will be in our future. Maybe not Disney's...
Thank you, Tom - much appreciated.
Great review of “ Let it Be “ , I saw it at a movie theatre in 1970 , I was 13… I have a copy of it on CD . I subscribed to Disney just to watch “Get Back “ love both !
Matt,
No matter how it's packaged, the Get Back/Let It Be project was pure misery!
John and Paul didn't even bother to bath for the cameras and looked disheveled most of the time.
Yoko is filmed throughout the project which is depressing in itself!
I think a blue ray boxed set with Get Back, the o.g. Let It Be, and a true 6 cd of expanded out takes and unreleased recordings from those sessions would be an awesome companion piece or pt. 2 to the LIB boxed set. OR...give Pete Jackson the 16 hour director's cut he wants along with both dvds of Get Back and Let It Be film would be a great stand alone video collection. When is Disney gonna get it...Bealte fans are world wide, and likely in the vast majority, physical media collectors of Beatles output.
I agree with you Matt that Michael Lindsay-Hogg did a great job with the rooftop cocert.
As a retired film teacher, I can tell you that my sympathies lie with MLH. He had an impossible task, i.e. pleasing four people who were rarely on the same page (Harrison was actually hostile to the film project).
Any film that has essentially four "producers" is going to be a gigantic compromise, a chore, and ultimately unsatisfactory to several of the involved parties.
Great documentary films are the fruit of a single, focused vision, not the result of comittees and compromise.
Get Back is a successful film because of not only the new technology, but because the surviving Beatles (and their estates) trusted Peter Jackson in ways they never trusted Lindsay-Hogg back in the day. And Jackson had the huge advantage of not having to slog through every day of filming dragging along (in many cases) unhappy campers.
You said that you would not have wanted Lindsay-Hogg`s job....neither would I.
Good point in comparing Get Back vs Let It Be - a single vision vs no real vision.
@@popgoesthe60s52 As I mentioned MLH could not assert his vision because there was too much "noise and interference" from the Fabs, particularly Paul who had - after Magical Mystery Tour - begun to fancy himself as something of a filmmaker. Tough job for MLH.
Jackson`s tour-de-force is his editing of the mountains of footage. The essence of film art is editing.
@@robertfontaine356 The best thing for the rooftop concert would be to not include anything other than the Beatles. Perhaps someday we will get that, the entire concert focused only on the Beatles and a soundtrack version.
I love how these videos are perfectly pitched: authoritative but never condescending; detailed but not a traipse through the weeds; subjective but not opinionated and just when you think that you know everything there is to know, there’s a always a fact or two that you’ve never heard before. Certainly one of the best podcasts, regardless of subject, on TH-cam at the moment.
That is very kind of you. Thank you, navillus.
Watching it for the first time it is not as bleak as expected. It is quite joyous from my point of view.
Another interesting video! It’s definitely important to remember that Michael Lindsay-Hogg was brought in to direct a television special. A TV special event focused on the payoff of a spectacular live performance. Hogg’s work on Ready Steady Go, previous Beatles videos, and the Stones RnR Circus was excellent… ultimately the Beatles pulled a colossal “bait and switch” on this guy!
The television special becomes a full-length film feature that has to be blown up from 16mm… and the “grand payoff” is this band just moseying up to the roof to basically run through five songs to an unknowing and spontaneous audience. He had to be thinking, “This is the end of a month of filming? No event? No venue? No tension? No build-up?”
Overall, in the end, I think he delivered a respectable piece of work… considering he had many cooks telling him what ingredients should and should not be in there.
A few scattered thoughts:
1. I agree about the lack of transitions in the LiB film. Every time I saw it, I never understood what the goal was until I went and looked it up. No doubt everyone in 1970 was beyond confused on what exactly the story of the film was.
2. I was surprised to see that some little bits were different in this new film. The end of the Octopuses Garden jam is different. I'm pretty sure the Don't Let Me Down rehearsal at the front starts in a different place than it did originally.
3. I like how in Anthology, George sorta dismissed the famous argument as just him saying "make up your mind" to Paul. He never said it was the event that led to him leaving. He never got super offended at it. He didn't buy into the hype of the moment. Its interesting to go back and find out we entirely misinterpreted what the Beatles themselves said
Just my opinion: I think George had an overdue realization that despite earning 25% of the mechanical royalties, he was getting the short end on songwriting royalties. It was all about money; and if he got a fair portion of it, he would not have walked. Blame it on the blabbing Dick James, whose boasting was overheard loud and clear by George.
It's weird.....watching Let it Be, you can see how The Beatles had about a year left before a breakup. The Peter Jackson film (even though, unlike LIB, it addresses George's exit) makes it look like the Fabs were in great shape and ready to take on the 1970s.
Some of my fave scenes in LIB: the Paul-Ringo piano duet, John's rough-but-great run-through of Across the Universe, John and Paul sharing a mic....like Quarrymen....on a rousing version of Two of Us, George helping Ringo write Octopus' Garden, the jam with Billy Preston and of course the entire rooftop concert.
Great video once again!
Thanks John!
A very good review and I really hope we get a DVD of the new version of Let It Be.
After everyone subscribes to the channel who's going to subscribe, then DVD sales will factor into their pockets - the studio's, I mean.
Yes. I agree with you 100%. You can hear Paul on outtakes from 1963 barking out orders for the recordings. It was just another day in the recording studio for the Beatles.
If your referring to I Want to Hold Your Hand, it's not like he's barking out orders he's just telling the band to attack in other words go for it!
Can't you tell the anti McCartney stance from the words of those you commented on?@@delmofritz3964
I was in my own band in the late 60's and early 70's, so that took a lot of my music attention. However I had heard the Beatles were breaking up but for all I knew it was a rumor. These days people say that they'd broke up a month before the release of the Let it Be movie but I didn't know that. When the movie was at the cinema, and I went to see it with some friends, I was happy to see the Beatles on the big screen, and while my friends were raving about the movie on the way home, even though I'd thought it great to see it, I knew all the rumors were true. So I was a bit depressed after having seen it. I've really only seen it that one time to this day, but I may get it on release of the DVD.
It's such a pleasure to follow your channel. You never disappoint. As someone who fell in love with the Fab Four upon listening to Meet the Beatles, I value your very reasonable and highly informed perspective. On top of that, you're such a likeable person. I haven't viewed every single video you've given us, but I look forward to catching up. Thanks for such high- quality content.
I appreciate the support - thank you.
I subscribed when you showed how parts of Something were done. What they said to each other, what Ringo said. You showed parts that were not in Get Back, it was awesome really! So thank you.
It's amazing how much more there is to show! Thanks, Joy.
Matt. You have done a fabulous job of providing a thoughtful, humane, clear narrative of the Beatles during this "Get Back" period. Thank you.
Thank you, Pamela.
💯 Top shelf show, and I especially appreciate you dispelling the things that have been written about repeatedly that simply aren’t true, a la the song “All Things Must Pass.” One of the most striking things about Peter Jackson’s “Get Back” film was how young and shy George was about introducing his songs. We know very well he wasn’t going to use the word“pomegranate!” 😅
Hey, Matt. Not sure if this would be too much detail for people, but I'd suggest doing an episode/video covering all of the audio differences between the new Let It Be and the original one. Odd things, like on the rooftop, such things as 'don't let me down' being spoken after the song ends, Ringo's snare at the beginning of the final version of the song "Get Back", and Lennon making the comment about his hands getting too cold to play a chord after "Dig A Pony". None of these are in the original version. Plus the fact that for the rooftop concert for the Get Back movie, Peter Jackson used different camera angles throughout every song, which you can see if you play them side-by-side. This is just the start :-)
Watching Let it Be is like one big jam fest with no context.
Surprisingly we don’t hear them rehearsing Get Back once. And we only get a couple of bars of them rehearsing Let it Be
Get Back provides all the context into the decisions made for the project.
@poesc yes, you can’t blame MLH for using the time he had to show the MUSIC. there wasn’t time for a narrative, which we gloriously got in Get Back. I felt like seeing them in Let it Be (and I saw it in theatre in 1970) was like seeing rock gods at work. In Get Back they drank tea and ate toast and ordered bowties and tripped over equipment and were hilarious with each other whilst creating and playing. Watching LIB again after seeing GB made me miss all the supporting cast that we got to know so well in GB like Glynn Johns and more of George Martin, Linda, and especially Billy Preston, who actually saved the day. I think Get Back is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to Beatle history.
It is not my favorite movie but I do think Hogg did the best he could.
I really like the Jackson version better because it blew away some myths that Beatles “historians “ continued to write.
Good video Matt.
I’ll definitely watch it. “Attracts me like a cauliflower until the word comes” more brilliance by John (learning that he contributed “the mind can blow those clouds away” on all things still blows my mind)
Yes, John was certainly engaged for parts of these sessions, unlike previously reported.
Once you hear “like a cauliflower” you can never hear “Something” the same way again :)
"Cauliflower" was a perfect fit sonically. "No other lover" sounds like it. The fact that John came up with that silly word immediately is a testament to his creativity, even though it wouldn't have worked (and wasn't meant to).
I still vote for you to do more videos using the audio that was not in the film. Those were very informative and inspiring.
Thanks. I will have to revisit some of the other audio. I did hit the highlights but perhaps there is some more people wold be interested in.
@@popgoesthe60s52 the fans (of yours!) are waiting! One of the biggest weakness of Get Back was all the stuff they couldn't include because there was no video and yet some of it is really cool, as shown by your earlier videos
Imagine using Matt's idea as a bonus feature on the DVD release of Let It Be👍
@@erniericardo8140 that would rock I mean so few people want to dig through 100 hours of boots and try to decipher what’s going on and it’s so cool to have them laid out
John said Spector had his work cut out trying to make the recordings releasable…but MLH had it much worse! You gotta give the man credit for recording everything possible over this period as to fashion something to satisfy Apple 🍏 and what ever format they wanted at any given time….basically he gave himself options which in turn gave PJ the material to fashion the modern narrative. He was doing everything in real-time instead of hindsight and that’s a hard gig…..so I say cheers to MLH for capturing 30 days of Beatle time in which we can now enjoy and dissect to our hears content !
Matt, Let it Be will always remain an addendum to The Get Back docuseries. Even with the cleaned up video & audio, and what's with the chopped video edits? They should of done better perhaps to released another 2 hours of unreleased footage that included the video and audio of the basement Apple sessions the day after the rooftop concert. It's time to move on, perhaps Apple needs to continue with the Rubber Soul box set or remaster The Anthology to blu ray with more unreleased footage.
Watching the rooftop concert makes me realise what a great “live” band they still were. Such a pity that only a couple of dozen people actually got to see it. The Stones did a free gig in Hyde Park later that year in front of hundreds of thousands. Wouldn’t it have been amazing if The Beatles has bookended their career with something similar? I know they discussed doing a concert for the movie, nothing short of heartbreaking it never came to pass.
LOL-Matt-you must be about the same age as my wife and I, because we were both watching this video and we both instantly agreed with you re: physical media. We don't completely trust streaming to be available at all times, and we still like having something we can hold in our hands. Anyway, now I will have view all of your previous videos about this, as well as the new "Let It Be" film. One thing I take issue with (only very mildly) among your comments is that the Let It Be album was "not their best work." It implies that Let It Be was substandard or bad in some way. I know many other people have also said that, but I don't really agree. This album included "Let it Be," "Get Back", and "The Long and Winding Road", all of which were hit singles and great songs. In addition, the album contained "Across the Universe" and "I, Me, Mine", which were close to being hit singles themselves and are very solid songs by the standards of the Beatles' canon. What artist/band wouldn't be willing to kill (metaphorically) to have an album with this many songs that could be considered very good, if not classics?.
Prior to Get Back, you had a video which the audio showed Ono inserting herself into the Beatles business. As much as I loved Get Back, the fact that this was left out has always made me suspect of the narrative. For example, were they all getting along so well much of the time or did Jackson leave out important part of the 130 hours of audio tape out? That may have gave a very different story--especially since Ono was a producer. I think for the historical record, the a transcript of the 54 hours of film and 150 hours of audio should be released.
I was very surprised Jackson omitted this important piece of the story. He claims that he wasn't coerced to use or not use material. I will take him at his word which can only mean that he himself censored the Yoko meddling. This does cost him some credibility.
Bingo.
Hey Matt - I’m a die hard Beatles fan and just discovered your TH-cam channel. What a treasure trove of amazing “stoof”. I’ll be spending a lot of hours digesting all of this. One thing that struck me is that it’s been 43 years since it happened. I saw them in Detroit on September 6, 1964. I’m 73 years old and they’re still my favorite band! Thanks for all of this!
I was so excited to finally get to watch this documentary for the first time. I thought it was great and really captured The Beatles working on new material. It drags a little bit in the second half when they are singing non Beatle songs. What a great ending though hearing them sing Two of Us and Let it Be in the studio and then cut to the roof top concert.
This is great news! it was practically criminal to let the film languish for so long.
Yes
Great overview Matt! Can always count on you to come through. Glad you highlighted your related videos from the past. Those videos were A #1 outstanding! Cheers! ❤😊
Thank you, Mr. Street!
Love your Beatles analysis Matt. More please!
I'm working on a couple things that should be out this month 🙂
Superb video, Matt! Thanks, great information.
Being an ardent music fan with over 100 books and hundreds of video tapes in my collection, I still learn a lot of valuable information from your videos, Matt. There's no one else on YT who can match your worth as a broad spectrum music and culture historian. Thank you!
I took a tab of acid before I went to see Let It Be in 1970 at a theater in upstate NY. While it was nice to see the Beatles and interesting to watch them at work, the movie was a disappointing experience. Everything in LIB, except for the rooftop concert, seemed dour. Peter Jackson's film is fantastic, I wish it had been the movie I saw in 1970. Owning the Get Back DVD set, I see no reason to buy the Let It Be re-release, I don't want to be reminded of the experience when I first saw the film and Jackson's film provides a much better slot in my memory bank.
Thank you, Gene - I appreciate the kind words.
Well, just don't take acid, is all. If you did it in 70, you probably shouldn't be doing it now, anyway.😅😅😅😅😅 I was a huge pot head for years until I found I didn't like the effect of the last time.
Very familiar with this movie but seeing the remastered version I'm pretty sure I saw and heard things I never saw on the standard copy I'm pleased with it 😊
Matt, your work is outstanding!!
Thank you!
Matt, I didn't see LIB on original release, but I did multiple rentals of the 1981 VHS (buying it was something like $69.99). It was pretty wondrous stuff to see back then! No one knew anything back then about how the whole Get Back project came about, I think I first read about it in Lewisohn's Complete Recordings book. I always assumed Lindsey-Hogg got the LIB gig because he had directed the "Paperback Writer/Rain" and "Hey Jude/Revolution" promo videos. I thought he did an admirable job with LIB, the rooftop session was the chef's kiss! At the end of the day all that really matters is the music, and there were some Beatles classics on that album. I now need to go back and re-watch all your excellent LIB videos. Cheers!
Thank you Joe!
I think the approach of the original Let It Be movie was similar to the news we watch everyday - the fights, the quirky and all the negative stuff strung together one after each other without any context. We have remember that for Lindsey Hogg it wasn't about the history of the Beatles as it was for Jackson - it was all current affairs and giving the juicy news related to the Beatles to the fans. For Jackson it was all about giving a balanced representation of what happened. Well done as always about your research - I remember watching all the videos you mentioned here on the same day they came out.
Great re review of Let It Be Matt. I'll buy it if it's a physical release. I enjoy Let It Be more now than when I was young. Love the music! I also enjoyed all your videos on the subject and I'm going to re watch them. I have a question about that dark candle like object that was sparkling on the table. What is it? Thought it was pretty peaceful and nice. #1 Matt!
That is a Vetiver Birchwood candle. I like to have one burning when I do a video.
Being born in 1970, I just can't get enough of the Let It Be stuff. I watched it on BBC tv in 1979 and 1982, but since then only saw clips on the Anthology until the Jackson series came out. I'm sure music historians will still be arguing about it in 2070. In time there will be a commercial gap for a full dvd box set, with the original Director's cut
If it comes on DVD, I’m going to buy it for the three Beatles songs at the end
Wasn't that one of the best music video segments you've ever seen?
Excellent, informative review 👏
My opinion? Just Let It Be already! Enough Beatles. Life goes on.... bra
I always come to Matt for real, intelligent, and honest appraisal of a particular release. I will wait patiently for a physical release. For those on the fence, Remember, there are other musical pieces NOT shown in the expansive "Get Back" project.
For a re-release of the box set, how about a reproduction of the booklet included in the original 1970 vinyl box release? Perhaps some complete song outtakes (even if pieced together) as bonus features on an exclusive DVD/BluRay combo in the box set? Bang for our "Beatle Buck".
Not going to happen, but the "Two Junkies" interview also has a place in history...
I feel the same, I need a hard copy. I did download one years ago that was uploaded at a 90 degree angle which I was able to fix. I also agree that it was a lesser work compared to The White Album and "Abbey Road". The group had an idea and stuck with it without following through the thought process. They couldn't decide on where to hold the concert and tried making perfect takes in the studio without overdubs. They hamstrung themselves.
Watched it the other day. Forever fascinating. Hadn't seen it in about 35 years, yet I remembered just about everything in it. This is from the same man who went to put the milk in the dishwasher the other day.
Apparently what became the "white album" was originally to be called "A doll's house" until Family released their debut.
That is correct
@@BigSky1 I've heard and read that as well, but I just can't imagine that at all 😅😅😅😅
Thanks, great work. Your forensic work on the audio tapes is excellent.
Does Let it Be have the horrendous scene where George’s Les Paul Lucy falls over? No headstock break.
Ive heard that Les Paul's are delicate and Lucy could have been seriously hurt from that fall.
Great review, Matt: like you I have all the audio: it's a shame the box set came up so short. There was so much more interesting material they could have put out. It's a good thing we have the bootlegs.
Building on my previous comment, it would have been nice if in the original Let it Be movie, Hogg had have included snippets of the following:
- short clips of the chatter around the kit in twickenham, from all of them
- a shot of them discussing different ideas for concert venues
- them rehearsing 'All things must pass' together (other songs were inlcuded not on the album)
- short clip of the evolution go 'Get back'
- short clip of the scene were they are fooling around and John says 'were the F....g Beatles'
- introduction to Billy Preston
- George saying he didn't want to go on the roof
- The scene after the concert with them enjoying the playback.
Some of this could have been worked in and the movie would have made more sense, and more even between all of them.
I haven't seen Let It Be since the early 80's, not even a bootleg copy, and I'm enjoying streaming it on Disney. Just found your channel and subscribed.
Welcome, Sam!
Another good review....appreciate the reminder of your previous Let It Be work...going back to re-watch those to round out the experience. The Disney + version of Let It Be while enhanced and cleaned up comes across very disjointed compared to the comprehensive Peter Jackson treatment. Hogg's version serves little detail of what was progressing during Jan 1969.. The "video" versions of Two of Us, Let it Be and Long and Winding Road are the best part of it....maybe those videos help complete the picture? Thanks again for your commitment to 60s pop and Beatles music ---I can only guess how much time and energy it takes to do these!
Thank you, Marty - much appreciated!
Nice review Matt. I saw this on its release (or thereabouts) here in the UK when it was accompanied by Yellow Submarine as a double header. Two more contrasting films about the Beatles you could not have imagined! With one playing totally into the Beatles’ (then) image and then one with them fannying around doing…well…what? We had no idea what they were trying to achieve, although I remember the rumours around late 1968/early 1969 about concerts at the Roundhouse. There was no context to the film, as you rightly point out, and we had never seen ‘work in progress’ footage like this of a band in the studio, let alone the Beatles in that situation. The only context we had in 1970 was that they had apparently broken up, and this appeared to be the soundtrack to that. Of course, we now know so much more and realise that they weren’t always the happy go lucky mop tops of repute, which means we view this from an entirely different perspective (whether it be Let It Be or the Get Back version) and realise there was so much to actually like about this time.
Excellent Commentary. Easy to see why your channel took off.
Thanks Robert!
I'll be watching Let it Be later tonight. When if first came out it traumatized me. Being just a kid back then I was blind=sided by too much reality. By the way, the original movie was just as dark as the later video release.
Well, just watched the movie for the first time in years and it wasn't as depressing as I remembered from childhood. Was it the brighter images. I don't know but enjoyed it this time.
I really love this channel - and I really love this movie, too. It looks and sounds so beautiful now, and we have much more sophisticated hardware to watch and listen to it, too, so, all around, nice going. When I first got the VHS in the 80s, it looked and sounded dingy, but then my TV set wasn't all the best, either, so - - no real difference.
Thanks Farrell!
I saw Let it Be at The Stanley Theater circa 1981 and I remember feeling empty afterwards. Like I consumed empty calories. Get Back was the perfect balm on an old wound.
Hey Matt. I got a chance to watch Let It Be last night and I still have the same opinion I did when I first saw it, The editing is just thrown together. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason. Why are they in a big soundstage? Why do they suddenly go to Apple? Why does Billy Preston pop up out of the blue? Get Nack may be long, but it has a “plot”. Enjoy your evening!
It's now clear that people hated this film, when it came out, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the 16mm picture quality was dreadful.
But the main reason now seems obvious. It was released after The Beatles split up and so it looked like a film about the break up.
It must have been hard to enjoy, knowing it all had all fallen apart.
I remember watching the MGM/UA VHS of the original Let It Be, and not even making it to the Rooftop Concert portion. My mom also watched it (and she wasn’t really a Rock fan), and her exact words were “My god! It’s not easy watching a band you like implode, is it?” We returned the video to Randall’s the same day, back when they rented videos.
I've commented in past posts, that I've had a pretty good copy of LIB on DVD, bought online, but I also first saw LIB on the big screen in the late 70's at a local suburban cinema, when we first picked up on John playing a 6 string bass, but, yeah, loved to get the latest release of LIB on DVD, yet to watch it on Disney, plan to in next few days, no rush.
This film and album were disowned by the Beatles almost immediately before they went on to make Abbey Road. They screened a cut of the movie in July and gave MLH notes on 45 minutes to cut out. They were making the next album at that point, and things like George leaving were cut because he didn't permanently leave.
I'm glad that they released it because so much footage was in this film but Peter Jackson left out of his.
7 hours is too much for a casual rewatch as well.
I understand that most of the cuts were of John and Yoko decided by the other three?
I think the new upgraded version is excellent. The picture retains the graininess which it should as it’s an older film and the sound has been enhanced to immerse the viewer. There are a couple of things missing like the segways between the indoor performances and the rooftop and the ending has changed which I think they should have kept and then added a separate credit sequence just like they did for Yellow Submarine. Hopefully we will get a DVD of Let It be as I think they had interviews of Neil Aspinall by Mark Lewisohn to go with the original DVD back in 2003 before it was shelved. Always good to hear your insights Matt….thanks!
I hope they do release those interviews with Aspinall that were done in 2003.
The segue between Twickenham and Savile Row - the closing doors effect - I think you mean. I noticed that too and the Get Back reprise at the end. Why on Earth would they change those?
Thanks Matt for this rethinking of the original production and having to please 4 ego heavy players in this film. It is a wonderful way to "Get Back" to the original.
Isn't it amazing how an album that contains Two of Us, Across the Universe, Let It Be, I've Got a Feeling, The Long and Winding Road, and Let It Be is considered a "lesser album" by many, myself included. I guess this is one case in which the parts are greater than the sum.
@craigcavalierr6744 agreed. I mean THREE NUMBER ONE SONGS on this “lesser” album!! it would’ve been even better if Phil Spector had not inexplicably left Don’t Let Me Down off the album . How did that happen, I wonder. BIG mistake.
Because it was on the U.S. released Hey Jude album. But a dumb decision by Klein I think actually. And the short 'Dig It' made no sense. The longer 'Dig It' as heard in the Let It Be film sounds so good.
I would love to see a physical release and include the book that came with the original UK release. The photographs were phenomenal and the text was transcriptions of the sessions.
The movie let it be , to me is a trailer for the get back documentary. Lol. 👍
Just watched it- feels like a different experience to the first time I saw it and after seeing the "Get Back" series.. 3 times!
So glad Matt that Let It Be has finally been released and crossing my fingers for a Blu Ray/DVD release in the fall, I remember when I first saw this movie back in 1983, my parents bought a VCR and one of the first video stores in town had this VHS tape of Let it Be for rent ( I lost count on how many times I rented this movie) and I got to tell you I was ecstatic about watching the Beatles perform in the studio as well as live on rooftop and I didnt see it as being a downer of a movie. -But now I hear and read some real down comments about people saying that we dont need this movie anymore because we got Peter Jackson's Get Back, It's odd because for the longest time people kept asking for Let It Be and now everybody's like oh, yeah Let it Be (yawn) the way I look at it its a companion piece, a bonus extra to Get Back, a "shorter version" of Get Back, and maybe, just maybe when Let it Be gets released on DVD we might get a complete Beatles only rooftop performance as a bonus feature,Audio commentary with Michael Lindsay Hogg, maybe a CD of unreleased music that wasnt on the Let it Be Box Set with the songs Paul's Piano Tune, Across the Universe (Twickenham Outtake) Two of Us (Rocking Fast Version) Suzy Parker, Besame Mucho, the complete roof top concert, and many other gems so Im hopeful and happy that Michael Lindsay Hogg's movie Let it Be has seen the light of day.
Good review Matt! I watched it the other day. Not bad but get back covers much more. I do think they release more audio of the sessions. Especially. The rooftop show that’s only streaming. I am surprised they didn’t release a physical copy of that.
I remember when this was in theaters in 1970. It was said to be about the break-up of the Beatles. I of course was devastated. I've been leery ever since. But now I might come around
I think the George Paul feud has been influenced by later George interviews in his solo years.
I agree with that.
Another scene in Let It Be that became very misleading over time is a jump cut. Paul mentions that they should just do the "corny one" [meaning the line in Don't Let Me Down that he thinks is corny but John rather likes] and then it cuts to them rehearsing Maxwell's Silver Hammer. Ha ha, cute editing joke. I think that's all it was meant to be at the time, but in the years since, the legend of the band antipathy for Maxwell has ballooned out of control.
Everyone says they hated the song with a vengeance [John said it was the first song about instant karma he did, implying that it may have inspired his song], Paul forced them to put it on the album [Beatles had a veto -- they could've kept it off if they really hated it -- though John also suggested that perhaps Paul should've given it to another artist rather than keeping it for The Beatles], and that it was excruciating to record with all its endless multiple takes [Maxwell actually had fewer takes than usual for The Beatles at the time and George had a lot of fun working on the synth parts]. I think the antipathy traces back to this Let It Be editing joke. "See, The Beatles acknowledge it's corny and practise it reluctantly." When in fact they didn't seem to mind rehearsing it at the time and Mal certainly looks like he's having fun with the anvil.
@@Kieop I think the other Beatles appreciated it as a fun ditty but got sick of it by time it was finished for Abbey Road. Ringo did refer to it as his worst recording experience. While other songs may have more takes, I think they probably didn't like spending so much time on a song they thought was just OK.
I'm also hoping for a physical release. For a full-on fantasy, they should include the full rooftop concert in both video (dvd/bluray) and audio (cd). Plus throw in some more bonus video/audio for good measure. 2 dvd/bluray (main movie, full rooftop, bonus material), 2cd (rooftop concert, bonus material) ought to do it..
YES!!! PLEASE!
a great analysis Matt - have a great deal to say but it is too warm in London today....save it to later.
You can get 'Get Back'on bluray/4k dvd from your local HMV in the uk. Probably get a region free player and buy a copy?
Hey! Love your content as always. QQ will you do a video on the "Secret George Solo" buried in the mix of IWY(SSH)? Always thought it woulda been great if Giles Martin added it to the Abbey Road re-release.
If they add Peter Jackson's 5 hours of unseen Get Back footage as extras, I'd buy it in a second. Otherwise, glad it's out and it looks and sounds so much better but I won't buy it without that extra footage.
As always you are one of the better commentators on The Beatles. But when you say that The Beatles didn't want George Martin producing them any more, what do actually mean? The Beatles must have invited him to Twickenham and Apple otherwise he wouldn't have been there, as he was independent at this time and not under contract to work with The Beatles, at least that's how I understand it, also initially they weren't actually recording, just rehearsing. I would like to know more about Martin became involved in this project.
The producer of record for the Get Back/Let It Be recordings was Glyn Johns. The Beatles were so rude to Martin during the White Album, he took a holiday and had Chris Thomas fill in. Glyn Johns didn't want the "producer credit" for Let It Be... He didn't even accept payment originally, but I don't know if that held. One thing that most don't realize is that half of Abbey Road was produced by Johns before Martin was asked back. That is the reality of the situation. It was the Beatles egos running away with themselves. I will be touching upon this topic in the future so stay tuned!
@@popgoesthe60s52 but why was George Martin actually there? The Beatles presumably were paying him?
Awesome Review
I totally agree with you Matt. Something in the of box set would have been nice for the release of “Let It Be”. I feel there is still so much baggage on Paul and Ringo’s part for that to ever happen. However, thanks for all the information you have provided on this topic.
1:05 I'm glad to see someone acknowledge this after so many criticisms of MLH's film. But I would say he had FIVE bosses if you include Allen Klein, right? Because I heard that Klein told him he had to cut down on the length of the film. So yeah MLH was very limited to what he could include in the film.
Love your idea about the missed opportunity for the album to be reissued as a double disk set. I suppose it's dangerous to rewrite history too much. All of the music they have intended for us to hear is out there - for the time being. I do believe Don't Let Me Down belongs on the album. On the other hand, I've always enjoyed the Hey Jude / The Beatles Again album and it brings back memories of my Dad bringing it home to me when I was sick as a kid. It's great to speculate on all of this. I'm not clear as to whether the entire proper rooftop concert has been issued in video or audio. That would be something (!) good to discover down the road. By the way, I stumbled upon your channel when you co-reviewed Sometime In New York City, which was another album bought for me as a young fan as a Christmas present. A tough listen there, but that version of Cold Turkey is a gem. Thank you for your great efforts!
I appreciate the support, John. Thank you.
You did an awesome thing concerning the truth about All Things Must Pass. I love George the Beatle, but George the man was as flawed as any man.
Thanks, Trans! That was a satisfying video to do.
How about doing a video on that one Emitt Rhodes album that sounded so much like The Beatles from their later period? It's very enjoyable & I think even fooled some listeners & disc jockeys back in the day who thought it WAS The Beatles.
There are certain tracks on that album that, to my ears, can be taken as a 'Paul song' versus a 'John song' versus a 'George song' stylistically in how they were arranged & recorded. Rhodes did all by himself using his garage as a recording studio. He got a recording contract but it didn't turn out well because it took so long for one person to write, record, play all the instruments, sing & produce an album, that he got behind in his contract, as far as playing out live (I surmise) & also delivering albums on a schedule.
It really is amazing piece of work. I know your content is the 1960s... the album was released in 1970. So, maybe it will still be applicable to your channel, especially since it hit at a time of The Beatles breakup.
I prefer Matt's videos on Let it Be/Get Back than either the Jackson or Hogg films.
Thank you, Delmo!
12:00 Box edition of LIB no longer feasible because LIB Superdeluxe is already a box set with book & all & at same time as that release, a separate LIB book was published. Extras can't include outtakes because GET BACK was over 7 hrs of outtakes already.
I hope M L-H makes himself known to be available for an audio commentary to give Disney/Apple some incentive to issue the restored LIB on blu ray. That extra alone, the insider perspective of the director who not only directed LIB but also 99% of GET BACK's footage, would be a valuable historical record by itself.
Audio commentary from Michael Lindsay Hogg💡👍
Yeah you have to give Lindsay-Hogg credit that all this footage even exists! I saw LET IT BE on film several times in theaters back when it came out…I never saw it as dreary as critics said…but it will be hard to watch after watching the 9 hour GET BACK doc in full multiple times..yeah I am that guy!
The Let It Be movie needs at least 2 hours of extra footage not seen in the either project, including the complete roof top performance, to justify its physical release.
Yes, you were talking about the music not being sync with the video and it reminds me of the revolution video where John Lennon‘s out of sync with the audio at the end of the revolution video Lindsey Hogg did in 1968. I read the Beatles didn’t lip sync they sang and the music was pre-recorded. What’s the background on that?
I wonder how acrimonious the argument during the session of "She Said, She Said" would have sounded if cameras and audio were rolling? Supposedly, Paul said "Oh, fuck you" and left the studio.
This very important truth is often denied by so many that I think this a very important and timely reminder about The Beatles, McCartney and longevity.
Ringo quote word for word, …
‘And we all thank Paul until this day, because Paul, who was the workaholic of our band, we made a lot more records than say John and I would. Ya’ know we (referring to himself and John) would like to sit down a little more…’
ASX TV interview added to TH-cam 11 May 2024
As much as I loved Get Back, I still think Let It Be is the definitive documentary on where The Beatles were at the time.
It paints a very different picture of Paul and aligns itself to the views of John, George and Ringo all of whom said how miserable they felt during the making of the album.
I'm still debating buying the 5 CD box set because of the price.
Is the Giles Martin remix worth it?
I had Let It Be on DVD and it was depressing. Get Back was way better.
It would’ve been perfect if they added the promo videos of two of us, let it be and the long and winding Road, which at least let it be has
I really appreciated the version of The Long and Winding Road on the new release. Beautiful.
From the clips on TH-cam, I see that it doesn’t really please Ringo all that much. Except he admits it’s got “More of us on the roof.” so there’s that. Probably a bit of a payday for him and Paul as well, so there’s that too…🤣
If they did a box set - please have the rooftop - cameras only - none of the ground cuts.
From your post to Apple's ears -lets hope we get that 👍
I've never seen this whole movie before today. It's actually really good. Especially watching in 2024. Everyone watches quick TH-cam, Instagram or tik tok videos. I enjoy watching small clips of the process. There were plenty of performances of the songs as well. It's too bad it wasn't remastered and released until now.i love get back, but damn it's so long haha.
The burning question on everyone's mind, how did the making of Let It Be survive Michael Lindsey-Cigar Addict-Hogg's incessant smoking and chomping on Coronas the entire time of filming? Did the film crew have to clean the gates of their cameras of fly ash ten times a day? Were the crew and control room people able to tolerate the incessant stink of cigar smoke all of January, 1969? Are the master tapes binders deteriorating from the tar from the exposure from his smoke? Curious minds want to know (asking for a friend).
On a more serious note: I found it interesting to see some major musical pieces that were in Let It Be, that later were left OUT of Get Back. Most notably, the vamped version of Beseme Mucho, and the cha cha "version" of The Long and Winding Road. Jackson also included versions of the bits recorded for the cameras in the Apple studio before they went up on the roof that actually ended up on the Let It Be album, whereas Hoggs presentation of those recordings were all outtakes. I wonder if Hogg would have corrected that with a directors cut he was fully in charge? We shall never know.
I know they assumed that people in 1969-1970 would want to see the four Beatles performing but it's shocking - after watching Get Back - to see how little was really used for Let It Be back then. The band created a bunch of special material in January 1969 but that didn't come through in the 1970 film, or really the album that Phil Spector put together either. After all, the film has the full version of Dig It and several covers, Spector cut down all the chatter and jamming to less than two minutes!
With my birth year in 1958, yes, I grew up with The Beatles music. They played a significant part with much of the music that influenced and inspired my favorite artists. Let It Be is definitely a favorite of mine. What I never cared much for was the film. I don't even think I've seen it beginning to end, but I do like the rooftop sequence. For the same reason why I am not interested in watching all of Let It Be, I have no interest in watching Get Back. Love the music!