Get Back directed by Peter Jackson on Disney+

[OldPhiKap]

I can't spork, but thanks for the rec. It seems pretty intriguing to someone who isn't nearly as familiar with WWI as WWII. And way more interesting to this non-Beatles fan than the original thread topic. Which probably makes me more likely to be shunned that not being a LOTR fan.

If you get a chance, the “making of” feature (about 20-30 minutes IIRC) is fascinating as well. Peter Jackson is a very interesting man who spent a lot of thought on all aspects of the film.

[Skydog]

If you get a chance, the “making of” feature (about 20-30 minutes IIRC) is fascinating as well. Peter Jackson is a very interesting man who spent a lot of thought on all aspects of the film.

I love Peter Jackson but sometimes I need a translator.

[OldPhiKap]

Just watched Episode 1 — very enjoyable and interesting. And candid.

[Skydog]

To get this doc from the source material was an amazing accomplishment and probably couldn't have happened a decade ago. Peter Jackson's years of work archiving of 100's of hours of grainy film was the first step. Then he brought in state of the art tech to clean up this mass of grainy reels and AI to isolate the overlapping voices so they could be understood. The end result is a film of such high quality that it looks and sounds like it could have been shot last year.

I finished the awesome 3rd (and final) episode last night. Early into it there is a prolonged jam session -Linda had brought her daughter Heather and she is having a grand ole time trying out the mikes, playing with Ringo (both senses of playing) and sitting on Dad's lap as he did his job, Billy Preston - and what a wonderful presence he has - is grooving along, Yoko did a bit of screaming that provided the the band with the starter yeast that somehow morphes into a melodic cacophony wall of sound. The music, the energy, the joy these people were having that day was peak, peak, peak. The stuff that the best "remember when.." memories are made of.

The police showing up for the final performance and the young earnest cop not knowing what to do or who to talk to and then the perfect timing at which they get to the rooftop all come across like a Monty Python movie. Then Paul's playful smirk as he makes an on-the-spot decision to ignore them even while his mates are starting to shut down. John is the first to catch Paul's drift and then the others follow along, continuing play and then finally John signing off with "we hope we passed the audition" was just a story book perfect ending to that chapter of their life.

Hard to believe these guys were bitterly estranged and suing the hell out of each other only a few months later.

[dudog84]

Somebody give this guy a tabasco enema. The WaPo music critic, I want to know how you get a job like this.

Title: "The Beatles are overrated. That’s our fault, not theirs."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainm...6z3?li=BBnb7Kz

[Rich]

Somebody give this guy a tabasco enema. The WaPo music critic, I want to know how you get a job like this.

Title: "The Beatles are overrated. That’s our fault, not theirs."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainm...6z3?li=BBnb7Kz

What a maroon!

Much fuss has already been made online over an early scene in which McCartney appears to stretch his mind open and snatch the song “Get Back” out of thin air, even though he’s long described his songwriting process as an outside frequency he’s suddenly able to tap into. And yes, it’s exciting to see the tune materialize beneath his fingertips so quickly, but are people really that surprised to learn that pop songs aren’t written at big oak desks with quill pens over snifters of cognac? Like life, songs just happen.

As someone who is not artistic in the least, watching this documentary shows the painstaking tedium it takes to create art. I didn't think pop songs are written at desks, but I also had no idea how many hours had to be devoted to finding the chords, the rift, the lyrics, the disagreements, the collaboration, and the compilation it takes to make great music. This documentary is eye opening because, frankly, it's so far in the weeds it shows that most genius isn't overnight. I suspect if someone asked us to watch Monet paint, or Michelangelo sculpt, it would be boring, but I'd jump at the chance because the final creation is from genius. This is no different. The fact that this is on tape, and that Peter Jackson went through it and cleaned it up the way he did, it should be treated as nothing less than an international treasure of society.

The music these four managed to record between 1962 and 1970 is enough to sustain a lifetime of enjoyment, easy. But there’s also an entire world of new music being made at this very moment, and it’s already passing us by. Yes, we have to make room for the past and the present to coexist in our listening lives — but if we’re more excited about spending eight hours fly-on-the-walling with the Beatles than opening our ears to what this world currently sounds like, imagine what we’ll be grieving another 50 years from now.

He's missing the point that much of the music of today owes itself to The Beatles, the most influential rock/pop band of our time.

[Phredd3]

Somebody give this guy a tabasco enema. The WaPo music critic, I want to know how you get a job like this.

Title: "The Beatles are overrated. That’s our fault, not theirs."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainm...6z3?li=BBnb7Kz

The give away is in the very first line:

Hot takes are boring, so forgive me for serving up this sizzling fajita plate of an edict...

Quite a lead in for what he desperately hopes is click-bait. And I'm living proof that it worked. Terrible article, oscillating wildly between "the Beatles are overrated" and "the Beatles are great" without any justification for, or commitment to, either option. Maybe it will be an eight-hour waste to watch the documentary, but I just wasted ten minutes on an article that failed to tell me why.

[dudog84]

The give away is in the very first line:



Quite a lead in for what he desperately hopes is click-bait. And I'm living proof that it worked. Terrible article, oscillating wildly between "the Beatles are overrated" and "the Beatles are great" without any justification for, or commitment to, either option. Maybe it will be an eight-hour waste to watch the documentary, but I just wasted ten minutes on an article that failed to tell me why.

Yeah, I apologize for that. I did hesitate, but decided to link since it was on msn and wouldn't give the WaPo website the traffic. I imagine the guy is a hipster-doofus.

[rthomas]

The music these four managed to record between 1962 and 1970 is enough to sustain a lifetime of enjoyment, easy. But there’s also an entire world of new music being made at this very moment, and it’s already passing us by. Yes, we have to make room for the past and the present to coexist in our listening lives — but if we’re more excited about spending eight hours fly-on-the-walling with the Beatles than opening our ears to what this world currently sounds like, imagine what we’ll be grieving another 50 years from now.

Dude obviously hasn't heard of Mozart, Beethoven, Chuck Berry, or Little Richard.

[Skydog]

What a maroon!



As someone who is not artistic in the least, watching this documentary shows the painstaking tedium it takes to create art. I didn't think pop songs are written at desks, but I also had no idea how many hours had to be devoted to finding the chords, the rift, the lyrics, the disagreements, the collaboration, and the compilation it takes to make great music. This documentary is eye opening because, frankly, it's so far in the weeds it shows that most genius isn't overnight. I suspect if someone asked us to watch Monet paint, or Michelangelo sculpt, it would be boring, but I'd jump at the chance because the final creation is from genius. This is no different. The fact that this is on tape, and that Peter Jackson went through it and cleaned it up the way he did, it should be treated as nothing less than an international treasure of society.

....

"The music these four managed to record between 1962 and 1970 is enough to sustain a lifetime of enjoyment, easy. But there’s also an entire world of new music being made at this very moment, and it’s already passing us by. Yes, we have to make room for the past and the present to coexist in our listening lives — but if we’re more excited about spending eight hours fly-on-the-walling with the Beatles than opening our ears to what this world currently sounds like, imagine what we’ll be grieving another 50 years from now."

Moron or cynical? The writer is being disingenuous. No one is dumb enough to believe that watching a documentary of an iconic band creating music has any effect on your ability to listen to and appreciate today's music. He's just throwing words together to sound like he's making a real argument.

[rsvman]

What a maroon!



As someone who is not artistic in the least, watching this documentary shows the painstaking tedium it takes to create art. I didn't think pop songs are written at desks, but I also had no idea how many hours had to be devoted to finding the chords, the rift, the lyrics, the disagreements, the collaboration, and the compilation it takes to make great music.

Maybe if the Beatles had spent more time crafting the riff and less time nurturing the rift, they would have stayed together for many more years.

[Rich]

Maybe if the Beatles had spent more time crafting the riff and less time nurturing the rift, they would have stayed together for many more years.

Freudian slip on my part for sure!

[tommy]

I've only watched the first episode, but definitely will watch the other two, as I love the Beatles and getting to be a fly on the wall as this music is created is, for me, a thrill.

One of my big takeaways thus far is that, far more than I realized, this was Paul's band. He and John are generally credited equally with creating the music, but from what I saw, it was almost all Paul. He created it, he nurtured it, he pushed his vision of what it could be, and he ran the band. Before watching this, I kind of thought of John as more of a creative genius, but not anymore. I mean, he was, but in this band, at least in this period, Paul was the guy.

[jimsumner]

I've only watched the first episode, but definitely will watch the other two, as I love the Beatles and getting to be a fly on the wall as this music is created is, for me, a thrill.

One of my big takeaways thus far is that, far more than I realized, this was Paul's band. He and John are generally credited equally with creating the music, but from what I saw, it was almost all Paul. He created it, he nurtured it, he pushed his vision of what it could be, and he ran the band. Before watching this, I kind of thought of John as more of a creative genius, but not anymore. I mean, he was, but in this band, at least in this period, Paul was the guy.

Paul's Band? Keep in mind this is a snapshot of a moment in time. A documentary on the making of Rubber Soul, for example, would likely tell a different story.

[OldPhiKap]

I've only watched the first episode, but definitely will watch the other two, as I love the Beatles and getting to be a fly on the wall as this music is created is, for me, a thrill.

One of my big takeaways thus far is that, far more than I realized, this was Paul's band. He and John are generally credited equally with creating the music, but from what I saw, it was almost all Paul. He created it, he nurtured it, he pushed his vision of what it could be, and he ran the band. Before watching this, I kind of thought of John as more of a creative genius, but not anymore. I mean, he was, but in this band, at least in this period, Paul was the guy.

Paul's Band? Keep in mind this is a snapshot of a moment in time. A documentary on the making of Rubber Soul, for example, would likely tell a different story.

I’ve only seen the first part too. Clearly, it is fair to say that Paul is more motivated and excited for this project than the other three. George made an interesting comment about being more involved in the last album for the first time; you can tell that he doesn’t really want to be micromanaged and is not wild about a live concert. John seems to have come in with less preparation but no lack of creativity. Ringo is Ringo, and I mean that in the truly Ringoest way possible.

Fascinating.

I m still blown away that George just comes in one morning, having written “I, Me, Mine” the night before from watching the telly. Are you kidding me?

[tommy]

Paul's Band? Keep in mind this is a snapshot of a moment in time. A documentary on the making of Rubber Soul, for example, would likely tell a different story.

Note I did say "in this period" but also note that this was a period in which a lot of brilliant, iconic songs were created. From what I saw in episode 1, Paul was the one doing the creating, Paul was doing the talking, the pushing, the experimenting, and John was kinda sitting there a lot. Maybe John's being on heroin had something to do with it, but still . . .

[luvdahops]

Paul's Band? Keep in mind this is a snapshot of a moment in time. A documentary on the making of Rubber Soul, for example, would likely tell a different story.

For sure. If anything, I would say John was clearly the leader in the early days (maybe up to Sargent Pepper, at least). It sure seems that way in the films (Hard Day's Night, Help!) and other clips from that era. Paul gradually took over once they stopped touring and began spending more time in the studio, where his perfectionism and (arguably) more expansive musical vision made this a logical outcome. Especially with John falling for Yoko and writing increasingly personal songs in the later years.

[cspan37421]

I've only watched the first episode, but definitely will watch the other two, as I love the Beatles and getting to be a fly on the wall as this music is created is, for me, a thrill.

One of my big takeaways thus far is that, far more than I realized, this was Paul's band. He and John are generally credited equally with creating the music, but from what I saw, it was almost all Paul. He created it, he nurtured it, he pushed his vision of what it could be, and he ran the band. Before watching this, I kind of thought of John as more of a creative genius, but not anymore. I mean, he was, but in this band, at least in this period, Paul was the guy.

You should listen to the recent (NPR) Fresh Air interview with Paul. He may be a musical genius, perhaps without argument, but he didn't come across to me all that well in it. There's something unseemly about trying to re-assign blame and re-crediting songs this many years after the breakup of the band, and with half the members dead. He comes across as affable as ever, but surprisingly needy. He sure seemed to feel vindicated by Jackson's Get Back, as an alt take on the subject of the Let It Be documentary.

[cato]

You should listen to the recent (NPR) Fresh Air interview with Paul. He may be a musical genius, perhaps without argument, but he didn't come across to me all that well in it. There's something unseemly about trying to re-assign blame and re-crediting songs this many years after the breakup of the band, and with half the members dead. He comes across as affable as ever, but surprisingly needy. He sure seemed to feel vindicated by Jackson's Get Back, as an alt take on the subject of the Let It Be documentary.

I mean, George and John weren’t going to give Jackson a hard time, were they?

[Rich]

I've only watched the first episode, but definitely will watch the other two, as I love the Beatles and getting to be a fly on the wall as this music is created is, for me, a thrill.

One of my big takeaways thus far is that, far more than I realized, this was Paul's band. He and John are generally credited equally with creating the music, but from what I saw, it was almost all Paul. He created it, he nurtured it, he pushed his vision of what it could be, and he ran the band. Before watching this, I kind of thought of John as more of a creative genius, but not anymore. I mean, he was, but in this band, at least in this period, Paul was the guy.

I felt the same way. But keep watching, John becomes much more of a presence in Episode 2. The group dynamic is completely different when they move to the studio, especially after Billy Preston joins them.