Some Initial Comments on "Get Back": Peter Jackson's Documentary About the Beatles' 1969 Recording Sessions

 

Beatles fans flooded Facebook and other social media sites with reviews of Get Back , director Peter Jackson's eight-hour documentary about the Fabs' 1969 recording sessions and rooftop concert, over Thanksgiving weekend. Lots of people who would otherwise never dream of sitting through eight hours of any film on Disney + subscribed to watch Get Back. (Unless you have a grandkid or two, Ice Age, endless Muppet and Star Wars movies, or Wreck-It Ralph, are probably not on your to-watch list.)   

Musicians and other creative people will find most the recording, jamming, and songwriting sessions fascinating. Causal fans and “normal” people. not so much.  

*SPOILERS*

Viewer advisory: Tobacco use (and copious quantities of tea and toast)

Part 1 plods along, but stick with it, things get more interesting when the band moves to Apple studios and Billy Preston joins them.

If you’re a causal fan or easily bored, you may want to stick to Part 3 only. If you get *really* bored easily, the rooftop concert starts an hour before the end of part 3.

Ringo offers comic relief with his fart comment. No one in the studio seems to pay much attention to it, however.

Heather wasn’t taking any of John’s BS (“You don’t eat any cats! They don’t taste good!” ) and it was cute when she imitated Yoko’s caterwauling.

Linda looked really pretty.

Yoko didn't cause any trouble, contrary to the myth. She just sat there (mostly silent) next to John, except for her trademark "singing" during an informal jam.

Ringo wore groovy shirts. I liked George’s Ugg-type boots in Part 3.

Who would have guessed that “Get Back” started out as a protest song about the anti-immigrant movement in the UK.

The police investigating the rooftop concert had a Keystone Cop vibe about 'em - but they were very polite.

John and Yoko had just finished filming Rock and Roll Circus with the Stones, thus John's running gag of, "And now your hosts for this evening, the Rolling Stones." 

Also, John didn’t seem to wash his hair much during this time. Ringo looked like he skipped the shampoo a few times, too

Some people have complained that they didn't like the interviews with pedestrians gazing up at the rooftop, but I enjoyed this exchange:

On-the-street interviewer- “You wouldn’t mind your daughter going out with a Beatle?”
On-the-street geezer - “I wouldn’t mind because they have money.”

John stops playing when Mal tells him about cops on the roof. When Paul sees the cops, he gives an enthusiastic  “Wooo!”

Some musical highlights: 

George helping Ringo work on the chords for "Octopus’s Garden".

Paul playing the melody for what would become "Let it Be" while everyone else mills about.

And Yay!!! A music documentary without Dave Grohl or Bono putting in their 1 1/2 cents! 

Born To Boogie DVD Review

Born To Boogie T-Rex/ Concert Film, Documentary & Extras Sanctuary Classics DVD Release Date: June 7, 2005



Marc Bolan of T-Rex was one of the few artists that can be termed both a flash in the pan and a legend. In one sense, T-Rex could be called a flash in the pan because T-Rextasy, as it was called in England, lasted only a few years, 1971 to 1973, and then the band's status dropped dramatically in the mid-70s. being the banner years for leader Marc Bolan. But T-Rex's popularity has grown steadily since then. Bolan has become an icon and an influence to countless musicians and new fans in the years since his untimely death in 1978. During T-Rex's heyday, Bolan's mere presence inspired the sort of frenzy not seen since the Beatles. One of Bolan's most famous fans during this time was Ringo Starr, who bonded with the curly-haired star and eventually directed and produced Born To Boogie, the chronicle of two defining shows T-Rex played at Wembly Empire Pool in 1972.

Born To Boogie, the movie, runs 64 minutes with numbers from the early show at Wembly interspersed with rollicking studio performances and surrealistic vignettes. Bolan takes the stage at Wembly, the place erupts in a hail of screams. Sleek and strutting in green pants and ivory jacket, Bolan plays the arrogant, impish rock god to the hilt. Girls scream, boys rush the stage. Percussionist Micky Finn, drummer Bill Legend and bassist Steve Curry complement their flashy singer. Even during performances filmed in the recording studio, the ebullient Bolan hams it up like he's playing to a screaming crowd during a rendition of Tutti-Frutti. Elton John plays piano in the studio numbers, smirking away as Marc's head floats mid-piano during a rendition of Children Of The Revolution. During a scene where a car drives onto a field with Ringo in a rodent suit - and a maniacal midget biting into the car mirror. This was filmed way before Ozzy made it de rigueur to feature a "little person" in rock videos. Mustachioed men in nun's habits join the band at a "Mad Hatters" tea party officiated by an English actor who starred in a TV series known as "Catweasal." These scenes were surrealistic and weird for the sake of being weird in that post-hippie, Apple Films kinda way in 1972; now, they're endearingly cheesy. The refurbished print is crisp and clear with no tell-tale signs of wear. This is amazing considering that the footage was culled from over 272 canisters of film that languished in storage for over 30 years.

The cache of extras is enough to keep a viewer occupied for hours. There are two complete Wembly concerts, a black and white Tyrannous Rex performance featuring a hippie, pre-glam Marc and percussionist Steve Peregine Took in a London club. This segment is introduced by John Peel. Legendary DJ Peel was one of Bolan's biggest fans from the beginning. Producer Tony Visconti and "Old Grey Whistle Test" host Bob Harris are interviewed by Marc's son Rolan. (That's right - Rolan Bolan.) While the interviews reveal a few details about Bolan's legacy, we don't get a fully rounded view of the phenomenon, as there are no interviews with journalists or with Bolan himself.