Well the trailer certainly looks good.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

Dammit, I might have to finally get that subscription. Disney + doesn't play nicely with the other streaming services currently taking my money.

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

There's an article about it in this week's New Yorker by David Remnick. I thought the article was a little too much John v. Paul, but I liked this sentence near the beginning.

"Their hosts are Nancy Shevell, the scion of a New Jersey trucking family, and her husband, Paul McCartney, a bass player and singer-songwriter from Liverpool."




https://www.newyorker.com/...ant-to-stop-the-show

I like the subtle and downplayed introduction of Paul McCartney.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Yes, it was a humorous idea to downplay it since anything past "Paul McCartney" is superfluous.

Wow.

I was seriously squinting trying to determine if this was CGI or actors I was seeing. I can't believe this kind of footage is out there and not seen. Looks great.

I was already getting annoyed at seeing Yoko in every fucking shot.

.

Glad I'm not the only one.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Tangential anecdote...

My brother did an internship for Richard Donner and his production company while my brother was in film school. This was around 2000 or so. Richard Donner's directorial resume includes The Omen, Superman, Goonies, Lethal Weapon 1-4, Scrooged, Maverick, Conspiracy Theory. In case you didn't know.

So my brother was running errands and driving one of Donner's cars. Donner had left one of his phones in the car. The phone rings several times so my brother decides to answer it because someone really didn't want to leave a voicemail. The caller asked to speak to "Dick" so it was someone who knew him. My brother told the gentleman Donner wasn't available and give me your name and I will tell Mr. Donner you called. The guy says "Tell him Mel called and call me back." My brother asks "Mel who?" (in an apparent smart ass tone like David Spade's "And you.....are?).

"Gibson. I was in Lethal Weapon 1, Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3, Lethal Weapon 4... I won an Academy Award for Braveheart a few years ago."

My brother was mortified. I mean what other guy named Mel, with an Australian accent, would be calling Donner? Probably the guy who was in six of Donner's movies. That's who. :-)

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Bass player? Well, yes…but…also piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar…and that’s just in that short little trailer…jaja.

FYI, I think the record album for this comes out tomorrow (Friday).

"Paul McCartney; close friend of Dave Grohl" would work

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

can't un-hear "attracts me like a cauliflower".

Just young lads in their mid to late 20s - not much older than my own kids.

The footage was created for the documentary Let It Be which was released, but it is really hard to find a copy of it. Paul blocked any rerelease in the past because there is a lot of bickering and he comes off as an ass.

The reason it looks so great is that Peter Jackson is using the same digital restoration techniques he used for They Shall Not Grow Old.

Thanks. I figured the footage had to be enhanced somehow. It looked remarkably good.

I wonder if Paul influenced what footage Peter could use for this.



.

The Stones were in LA over the weekend and Mick Jagger responded to this article with something like, "I heard Paul McCartney is here tonight and is going to sing some blues covers with us"...jajaja. I watched a couple of songs from the concert (it's all on YouTube) and they were actually pretty decent. The new drummer is great!

It was announced that McCartney will be delivering the induction speech as Foo Fighters enter the RnR HOF

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Nice counter!

The footage is pretty cool, and if you’re a Beatles fan, it’s a really interesting documentary. It really is basically just compiled footage and audio. No narrator, no attempt to construct a plot, etc. It’s really amazing to see these songs that you know by heart and that have impacted you, come together from raw ideas to full songs right in front of you, from some of the most beloved musicians in pop history.

If you’re a musical gear nerd, there’s tons of cool stuff to see as well.

If you’re not a big fan, this probably isn’t going to change your mind.

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Peter Jackson says no. He was given all the footage and came up with this. Showed it to Paul and Ringo and they gave no negative feedback.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

Me 3

Why is she so annoying?

If she was there, shouldn’t she be in the shots?

Should she be edited out?

Its like seeing JarJar Binks show up in Star Wars.

---

Remember - It's important to be comfortable in your own skin... because it turns out society frowns on wearing other people's

It is awesome. Watching them build songs like lego sets. And the uncprecedented look into the group dynamics. Some of it I knew/presumed. But watching the tension between Paul and George is fascinating.

would consider myself a fan of the music and late 60s culture in general. My memories of events from the late 60s are just out of reach.

Only watched about 40 minutes yesterday, and will watch some more later. i was (unfairly) a bit disappointed. For the real fans i am sure this will be great; seeing the interactions and how the songs are constructed. However, i found watching the fly-on-the-wall footage with no narrative hard going and slow. i think it would have been more accessible to a wider audience if he had broken up the footage with interviews with those still alive, TV clips, and other tools to tell the story - like a documentary film maker would do; but that would take something away from the real fans who can see the story unfolding without needing anything else. Peter Jackson has multiple oscars and i don't, so i expect he has got this right and i am in the minority.

If you want an interview with Paul McCartney - he was on NPR’s Fresh Air. He was promoting his new book “The Lyrics” - but he also talked about this documentary.. good interview for fans

LOL, that was classic.

I liked episode 1. I’m not a huge Beatles fan but watching the music being created on the spot is interesting to me. Watching paul write “get back” in less than 3 minutes is mind blowing to me.

Yoko being everywhere was annoying but then Paul’s girlfriend started hanging out every day as well.

If you’re not a huge music fan you might not enjoy it much because of all the downtime, but I enjoy the creative process even if a lot of it is slow.

I’m about to start watching the movie now.

I’ve been confused forever by the animosity toward Yoko Ono. My parents played the records and I grew up with their music, but I don’t know enough to understand why people hated & continue to hate her.

So many reasons.
But for starters watch this YouTube video .
John was doing some gig with the legendary Chuck Berry. And Yoko, who fancied herself a 'talented' musician got John to include her in the session. All she was supposed to do it play the tambourine and let the legends play....

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Remember - It's important to be comfortable in your own skin... because it turns out society frowns on wearing other people's

So many folks find her to be an interloper.

Whatever. I just think it is weird. She’s just always there. Like if my wife followed me to work everyday. It would be unnerving.

But this is yet another reason why this footage is cool. John is just on a different plane. Sitting back, staring blankly half the time. I think whether she was there, or not, the band was going to live the same lifecycle.

And if she indeed influenced or changed him or his priorities, that’s on him. Not her.

Ha ha ha! I love how they repeat the zoom-in shot of Chuck Berry raising his eyebrow and looking chagrined. They did it at least 4 times. And zooming in on her mouth. Meanwhile everyone else is jamming like they don’t give a rip. Ha ha I’m sorry. That’s just funny! Whoever made that video clearly has a beef with her. Ha ha ha!

Considering the crazy musical crap of that era, I’m not sure her howling is all that unusual. Too funny!

ETA: just a few minutes into the movie, and the KKK is saying they’ll stop the Beatles performance in the US. It’s interesting to see the hostility toward non-Christians or ambiguous Christians, men with long hair, and bi-racial romances. There was a lot of open and obvious hate then.

Regarding the religious hate, I think that was because John said the Beatles were bigger than Jesus which triggered all the record burning and protests against them

I don't have any feelings one way or the other about her. I just thought it was odd she was never more then a foot away from him like they were shackled together.

Sure Linda showed up but she stayed mostly in the background except the pictures she was taking. That seemed reasonable to me. It was a photo/video shoot and she was a photographer

If I were John I would have said get off me, I'm trying to work here.

Poor George; he felt so inferior to his new friend Eric Clapton, and his long-time school buddies are kinda squeezing him out

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

I'm only an hour into the doc but Glyn Johns, the engineer and producer has already made several appearances. He makes some suggestions, which the band seems to receive pretty well, and in general is one of the more appreciated/less deferential outsiders to the proceeding. He submitted an unsolicited mix of the recordings to the band and it's a shame it's not the one that got official release.

For those unfamiliar with Glyn's role in some of the most iconic albums and live recordings ever, his bio is an excellent read. This fellow covered an awful lot of ground and the classic rockers of the LR will be familiar with his work even if they don't recognize the name..

Who's Next - enough said

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

And if I were Paul if tell her to get the fuck off my amp.

I'd love to know what Yoko & Linda where chatting about? They looked kinda friendly with each other

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Interestingly, I believe George had the first number 1 solo album out of the group.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
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George brings All Things Must Pass to the sessions and Paul and John really kind of crapped on it. Worked out for him eventually. 😁

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

I tried to watch the first episode over the Thanksgiving weekend a few times and have not gotten past halfway. The first 15 minutes where it is just a montage of footage all seen before (interview clips, Ed Sullivan, etc.) I could have done without. And after that it was kind of boring and hard to understand what was being said by the various Beatles amidst the cacophony. To be honest, I really did not like the original Let It Be movie very much anyway, other than the concert at the end, so I'm not too disappointed by this one.

For reference, I do like the Beatles...a lot. I have learned many of their songs on guitar, bass, the vocal arrangements, etc. But this movie is not doing it for me so far. I'll forge ahead with it though...or at least FF to the concert! I assume they kept that part in there.

I love watching their creative process. From nothing to Let It Be in a couple of weeks. Yes, it’s kind of boring and monotonous but so was the process. Which is sort of the point Jackson is making… in an eight-plus hour movie. 😁

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

my wife and I watched the whole thing over a week or so

like everyone above said - the yoko thing was super weird. I kept thinking "isnt she bored yet?" I mean it IS the Beatles, but come on......she basically just sat there for a full month staring blankly ahead

Also if I dont hear the opening chords to Get Back for another year i'll be fine - they must have played that 9 million times in the movie

I thought that the parts where John and Paul goofed around were the most memorable

also "Half a Pound of Greasepaint on your face" is my new favorite beatles song

Perhaps the best John & Paul story is that Paul was visiting at The Dakota when Lorne Michaels made the offer for The Beatles to reunite on SNL

They actually considered it, for a moment

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Paul and John: "Boy, we're so short on time and we really need some songs."

George: "I have a song."

Paul and John: "We've really got to figure out how to get some more songs."

George: "I have a song."

Paul and John: "We can't waste any more time. We need some songs."

George: "See you around the clubs."

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

Who's the douchebag who keeps saying "Let's go to Africa"

Dude, they don't want to go, shut the fuck up

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Which episode is that? Around what point/time?

When they were brainstorming where to do the live show.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

I also love how everything in the 60's was so lazily planned/winged

They are looking at sketches of the set for the "TV Special" like 2 weeks before its supposed to happen! Then a few days before the deadline they're like "I dont think we're ready" - I was like no shit. The fact that some of the managers were pumping up them going to some amphitheater in the northern africa and bringing over a boat load of brits for the audience is hilarious. It seemed VERY amateur hour for the biggest band in like the history of the world.

For me watching the creation of "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" is almost magical. There aren't even words yet. We get to watch them work through it and make changes to become the songs we know. It certainly drags, but those moments make it worth it. I'm not really even that big of a music person, but I love the creative process whether it's music or writing or whatever and it's incredible to see those amazing songs take shape.

Also, my wife and I were trying to figure out if Yoko would be as insanely irritating sitting there next to John if we didn't already think of her that way and we decided that she would be.

I've only watched the first episode- wasted my viewing time on football- but the guy who played the anvil is the least appreciated member of the Beatles. I wish I could find a picture that captured his sense of accomplishment when he nailed his part.

Also, what was up with the dude that George brought to Twickenham who just sat there and stared. Was he bored, tired, stoned or in a religious mediation?

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Suffer Well.

And yet, The Brady Kids got a song [TWO songs, actually], matching outfits and choreography together in just a couple of days

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Fun fact… they started recording Abbey Road three weeks after the Get Back/Let It Be sessions featured in the film.

That’s crazy.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Yeah, somehow Abbey Road got mixed & released first, leapfrogging ahead of Let It Be

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

I looked it up when watching the film because George and Ringo were working out Something and Octopus’ Garden. Thought to myself… “Abbey Road was already made so why are they working out songs they already recorded?” Didn’t know Abbey Road was really their last album from a recording standpoint.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

A bunch of my friends are professional stage hands. It's a very large business, with plenty of industry standards and knowledgeable people that make it so that Taylor Swift or the Foo Fighters can arrive at an arena, sight unseen, and have a smooth performance ready to go by 8pm.

Surely large concerts had been occurring before Let it Be, but I do have to wonder how different things were at the time.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

It is. A lot of us in high school worked for a local business Clair Brothers that did a lot of the big stadium and arena shows in the Philadelphia/Harrisburg PA region. As kids we basically just moved crates around and wrapped hundreds of miles of audio cable. That was years ago, but the company is still around (name has since changed to Clair Inc. or something) and has in fact worked with Taylor Swift on her tours.

I never got past the "everyone and our gear in the van to Poughkeepsie/Columbus/V-Beach/New Haven" stage

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

I’m about an hour in and found it slow and boring too. I’ll try again sometime, and hopefully it gets better.

I am fucking obsessed with getting onto this - but I am a dinosaur, and I don't stream.

Maybe there will be an extended cut blu-ray?

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I only swim.
I used to run. (31:09 10k)
I never did Triathlon.
Sue me.

I've not finished it, but my friend (huge Beatles fan) said that E1 is by far the slowest.

I'm into E2 now and while I won't say that it gets super exciting, it does get a little better.

I'm much more of a Ken Burns kinda guy, but I feel like I have an obligation to finish this, boring or not, because where else are you going to see the best song writers in rock history actually in the process of writing their songs. I was particularly amazed at how Get Back just flew out of Paul off the top of his head. He is a melody machine!

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
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This became abundantly clear in the McCartney 3,2,1 on Hulu with Rick Rubin

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

https://www.rollingstone.com/...est-moments-1263945/

I agree with Rob Sheffield’s points. Especially the points about Let It Be (the movie) and its director (Michael Lindsay-Hogg). Lindsay-Hogg had a remarkable career but this was not a highlight. But his work and incompetence on this project gives us what Peter Jackson has done. So it’s a win 52 years later.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

---

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

I was also VERY impressed how everyone is able to multi task with a cigarette/cigar in their hands at all times

It's a skill, trust me

When I worked at the t-shirt and surfboard shops, there was always someone who had a smoke in their hands or lips at any given time [worked like a filter I s'pose, burning up the toxins on the way in?]

At Campbell's, the guy who taught me to draw the Campbell Kids would have a pencil, pen, or brush in his right hand and a smoke in his left; he worked them in such a way he was almost like a drummer

---

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

That was a pretty cool react video…but…

Beato seems waaaay too amazed that the Beatles are just able to break into old cover songs. I mean…even crappy garage bands do this at the beginning of every band practice. Of course the Beatles could do this.

I also dispute his dismissal of the original Let It Be album for the the Naked version…if for NOTHING ELSE but what they did to Harrison’s guitar solo on the title track when they reissued/remixed/rewhatevered that song for the Naked album.

Other than that…I mostly agree!

The Beatles play over 100 songs during the 6hrs of coverage in this documentary, and reportedly played roughly 300 more during the total sessions that weren’t shown in this film.

I suspect lots of really good bands can’t do that, much less “crappy garage bands.”

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

 “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” - Bruce Lee

I'm guessing The Beatles did something of both - playing ~400 songs x ~400 times each over their career

* OK, 400 times each is probably real high, but ... you get the idea; they were frighteningly proficient

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Crappy garage band here (raises hand). Okay, average bar band.


Nevertheless, we could play about 40 songs at any given time.....and we were a cover band. It was our job to know cover songs as we were not spending our time writing songs. Oh, and if we hadn't touched something in a while, we'd have to go through the learning process again.

400 songs? Yeah......I don't know anyone with even close to that repertoire.

FWIW, I believe the E Street Band had a similar reputation.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

In fairness, they played Get Back and Don't Let Me Down 100x each during the film. :-)

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Ok. I suppose our experiences playing in bands vary, but...and this is just a cut and paste from the list of songs they played...ya'll couldn't just jump right into playing these at a band practice?

'Blowin’ In The Wind’ (Bob Dylan)
‘Blue Suede Shoes’ (Carl Perkins)
‘Blue Yodel No. 1 (T For Texas)’ (Jimmie Rodgers)
‘Bo Diddley’ (Bo Diddley)
'Bring It On Home To Me’ (Sam Cooke)
‘Brown Eyed Handsome Man’ (Chuck Berry)

Or...you know...pick other songs from your musical upbringing or whatever, but...I would think most any band could do this. I think you all could do this.

I don't know any of those songs.

And for a band to be able to play them, all four members of the band have to have the whole song memorized (or at least have the chops to figure out parts on the flay).

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
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I think a good wedding band could probably do 400 songs easily. I’ve seen some cover bands that seem to know every significant pop song in the past decades

100 songs?!? That's insane!!!! There's no way anyone could ever learn to play that many songs!!! Well...I guess it's like anything. You learn one. Then you learn the next. And so forth. Next thing you know you have learned 100 songs...that's really only like 10 records worth of songs by the way.

Ok. That's fine. Imagine then you're a musician in the 1960s...you would probably know Bob Dylan and Chuck Berry songs or whatever and be able to jam on them in your garage.

I don't think it's insane, but it is impressive. 400 songs in a 3 week period is a lot. And the songs you're dismissing because they're well known classics now were not that in 1969.

You're free to be dismissive if you like. Beato is a Beatles fan boy, but he's also got a pretty good reputation for knowing music, and has a decent idea of what's impressive and what isn't just normal.

I think a crappy garage band might have trouble naming 400 songs, let alone playing them.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Most wedding bands have a repertoire that you work from. They play 20-25 songs in a night, and they mostly come from a list that you look at ahead of time, so they have a chance to dust them off. And they likely play mostly the same songs at every wedding, because everyone always asks for the same stuff.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

I don't know if they still do this, but there used to be a "Stump The Band" challenge

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Correct. Wedding bands can play that many songs. I would say wedding bands are a step up though. We don’t even bother to rehearse them as there’s really just not enough money/time. Leader sends out the charts and you show up in your mens warehouse tux and go. So…yeah…it‘s not an amazing feat to know that many songs.

Yep, I think even the E Street Band could do it.

To add to my point about wedding bands, for a “pro” band 400 songs isn’t that much. Remember, the Beatles were road warriors for years playing two 3-4 hour sets per day day in and day out. You do that a few times and suddenly you crave variety and learning new songs becomes needed and starts getting easier.

Paul says somewhere in episode two that all songs pretty much have the same types of chord changes, so learning new songs is really just getting to know the often simple changes. He is telling the roadie as he shows him some piano.

Another impressive feat is phish playing 13 days straight at Madison square garden without repeating a single song. That’s about 325 songs. There’s a recording of Metallica discussing this feat and they are like “holy shit!!!!! They played msg 13 days straight without repeating a single song?!?!? That’s fucking nuts!!!”

Meanwhile, my band knows about 20 at any given time but we’re so far from pro it isn’t funny.

👍

Wedding bands also aren't full of guys between the ages of 26 and 29 who don't make a living off of knowing a lot of covers.


I just looked up the song list from a friend of mine. He's got 1,200 songs on his list. He's also 45 years old and makes a living off of knowing a lot of songs (not to mention it's easier for a solo act to know that much......plus I believe he reads lyrics and chords off of an Ipad).


The point being (and I think you and are in in agreement), sure, there are lots of people out there that know lots of songs. I don't think Beato meant this to THE defining piece as to why the band is so good, but rather, in addition to the 300 songs (with a ton that climbed the charts) that they wrote and recorded, they ALSO knew 100s and 100s of covers, which should be impressive for an original act still in their 20s.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

Just finished the first episode. Amazed at watching the talent these guys have. I'm not even worthy to comment on that. But love how much fur these guys are wearing and Linda is just extraordinarily cute!

I'm actually amazed at how uncomfortable their clothes look.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

Halfway through episode 2.

Paul McCartney looks like a really chill guy to hang out with. The other 3 seem socially awkward or something, especially Lennon. Is it just me? Ringo seems like just a goofball, might be fun to hang with him but the other 2 don’t do it for me at all.

Just finished.

It was long and slow, but insightful, with a big payoff at the end.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

👍

He also came across the worst of all four of them. He was the most bossy and demanding but that seems to be about the only thing that kept them moving forward so not really a bad thing.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Me too. Wow. I still say that first hour of Episode 1 started slow but then...OMG. Once it got to John's Across The Universe and George's I Me Mine and...oh man...what a treasure this show is for Beatles music lovers! I will probably watch Episode 1 (the good part anyway) a few more times and save the other episodes for around Christmastime.

I agree.

But he also, IMO, seemed to come across as the real talent in the band, at least at that point in their careers.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
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I did develop a whole new appreciation for Paul from this. It still doesn't erase that he is responsible for the most God fucking awful Christmas song of all time.

I thought the hidden mic in the flower pot when Paul and John were discussing George leaving was interesting. John talking about how intense and demanding Paul could be. And John didn't always have the energy to stand up to it, so he would leave it to George.

Now that I’ve finished it, I have just a few takeaways.

Paul definitely seemed like the one who was trying to take on the role vacated by Brian Epstein. I wonder if he hadn’t died, if The Beatles would have stuck together a little longer.

Constantly impressed by the ability of these 4 guys to pick up any instrument and make music. My brother is a multi instrumentalist and he constantly impresses me as well. Watching George, who is ostensibly a guitarist, compose some really standout songs on piano, or Paul pick up George’s right hand Tele and play it upside down, etc. Awesome.

Watching how the guys all treated Linda’s daughter was really sweet. How they all seemed fine with Yoko being around, and supportive of her and John,… lots of stuff that humanized the group.

It’s almost impossible to overstate how important Billy Preston was to this music. There are a lot of tracks that just come alive when he starts playing.

As a little bit of a gear nerd, I love seeing all these famous instruments, in the hands of the musicians, sitting propped up against the wall, etc. Paul getting good tone out of that Hofner. John’s Casino. George’s painted Strat. The Fender amps instead of the chimey Vox amps they used earlier in their careers.

Lastly, it’s really impressive to watch a bunch of guys just sitting around, tossing ideas around, jamming, talking,…and then this iconic music comes out of it.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

And the fuzz face pedals if you look closely

I'm about halfway through episode 2. Towards the end of the first part, we get a few minutes of camera time with Dick James, who owned the majority of Lennon/McCartney publishing rights(Northern Songs, LTD.) I'd never seen footage with him before but he looks exactly like I would have expected; one of the 'suits' that cashed in like nobody's business when the band took off. He does get points for musical acumen: he got Paul/John and George and Ringo to sign away their publishing rights really early on and the consequences have been a thorn in Paul's side for the better side of six decades. But what's interesting about the cameo in the film is that his visit was the day George quits the band. George's % ownership of Northern Songs was very small and I don't think it's a secret he was pretty resentful(see his song 'Only a Northern Song'). In the film, George looked like he was trying to ignore Dick James until he left, then he's sitting on his mat by the drums looking pretty disengaged and then, BOOM..he walks out("See you in the clubs..").

Really getting some new perspective on the band's final year and a lot of the narratives I've read over and over through the years are apparently just not true at all or are at least overstated. Anyway, it's fun to talk about this stuff..

I was wondering who he was and what his relationship to them was, especially when Paul said "Maybe we should divorce?" And John (I think?) asked "Who gets the children?"
"Dick James!"

< laughter >

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

That rosewood telecaster.

I may have spent like 5 minutes reading the backstory of Paul's "BASSMAN" sticker

I'm a telecaster owner and big fan, but I don't get the mass appeal of the rosewood telecaster. Its heavy and to me it sounds too bright and brittle. The white casino is pretty awesome though.

All the brand spanking new fender amps are awesome to see too

I'm surprised to hear that: I thought a rosewood body would create an incredibly warm sound.

And the amps! Oh, the amps! My brother was cracking up when the Road Manager carried in two Leslie cabs ... after he had to carry the anvil. Apparently those things are like fridges.

and looking at all those cabinets ... it must have been pretty loud in the apple studio.

Lots of amps and wattage but I don’t think the studio was super loud. Ringo is playing very controlled. And those big amps, like the fender twin reverb sound amazing at low volume (counterintuitive, yes, but one of the best low volumes I’ve ever heard was a twin reverb on like less than 1!)

Finished the 3rd part on Thursday night.. never really been a huge fan of The Beatles but always appreciated/enjoyed their music, and seeing the formation of songs seemingly out of nowhere was incredible.

Side note.. got dragged around Home Goods on Saturday afternoon and while the wife was looking at Christmas stuff I stopped to browse the shelf of coffee table books.. scored a copy of the companion book to the Get Back documentary for $20!

Really cool tour of Abbey Road studios from Rick Beato. Tons of cool nerdy info on mics, consoles, tape machines, echo chambers, etc.

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

By far my favorite Beato vid.