The Beatles Get Back Part Two

 The Beatles: Get Back - Part Two

So, I saw and wrote my thoughts on part one what seems like ages ago at my friend Ben's house. Now he has come to my house to watch part two.

I have been to Ben's favourite Guildford takeaway, stopped off for gin supplies and within two minutes of his arrival we have started the show.

Part one ended on a cliffhanger to rival the TV series of the 50s like Flash Gordon, with George walking out on the band and on-screen text informing us that a subsequent meeting at George's house did not go well. Things seem to have improved and George is back on board and soon all the lads have the fresh glow of the make up after an argument with a lover, and it is beautiful to behold. Clearly tension had been building up for a long time and having a barney cleared the decks.

Whilst still at Twickenham we see Peter Sellers arrive to film a scene for 'The Magic Christian' (one of my favourite 60s films, though I can't find anyone else who likes it). Far from being wowed by the great ex-Goon, they seem verging on the dismissive. Especially Lennon, though he does seem like he has taken something far stronger than digestives at this point. 

Not long in to part two, the action moves from Twickenham's cavernous studios to the more intimate
Savile Row Apple HQ and things are all the better for it. We see the band arriving at the famous front door. All but Paul ignore the Apple Scruffs who are hanging around, were they really there so often that they were part of the fixtures and fittings? Apparently so.

My vision of London in the 60s is of a paradise where among other things you can park anywhere anytime, but after his arrival we see George's stretch Mercedes getting a ticket from a not so lovely Rita. I guess there have always been traffic rules. Definitely no congestion zone or speed cameras though so I'm sure young Harrison had plenty of fun behind the wheel around the nation's capital.

With the band and film crew now set up in the basement, they are, in no time at all, twatting about incessantly (being borderline annoying in truth), singing stupid lyrics, putting on voices; But somewhere among the wackiness, new and wonderful songs are being born. To hear the lyrics we know so well being pulled out of thin air is truly fascinating.

Ben and I are entranced by the music, but we are equally as obsessed with every object in the studio.
Is that a Neumann? I ask about one of the mics, Ben confirms it is and tells me the model number.
"Look a water cooler" I say, I didn't know they existed in England at that time,  "Is that green carpet Astroturf?" I ask, "You'd love those cups" Ben states when he sees the striped tea cups they are drinking from.

Talking of the equipment, the guitars and drums etc all look like the instruments favoured today by many musicians, only in this film they are not retro but contemporary, when Lennon talks about the Rhodes keyboard as being the latest thing, it really hits home how long ago this all was.

The PA and microphones all look prone to feedback as such old equipment was and this really makes you appreciate the work of Glynn Johns and co and what a tough job they had in this ad hoc studio. Also they are not separated by much in the way of screens apart from some cursory low screens around Ringo's kit. There must have been no end of microphone bleed to contend with.
And for me, you cannot beat a physical VU meter with needle to convey AUDIO in a visual way.

We take an old style intermission. I shout to Ben from the kitchen "Do you wanna tea Ben?" in a cod Scouse accent, he replies yes in a Lennon-esque strain.


Back to the show.

Yoko has long been slated and hated for being in the studio, but from what I can see she adds something. Actually she should have been given an award for showing such staying power, it must have been truly boring at times. The general belief seems to have been that she stifled Paul Ringo and George, but from the evidence on display here, that doesn't seem to be the case. Everybody seems pretty open to me; A lovely section that shows Paul in one such unguarded moment is of him reading a lurid newspaper report on the state of the band, he does it in a very silly funny voice while the others provide a loose musical jam as background soundtrack.

Meanwhile Ben has become enamoured with the toast rack they are using for toast and marmalade and suggests I obtain one as soon as possible.

Part one concentrated heavily on 'The TV Special' and various potential venues around the globe where it could be staged. The special has been abandoned but they do generally agree that some sort of culmination of the rehearsals is needed for the documentary. An idea from the documentary crew that McCartney seems to quickly digest as a Eureka moment is the suggestion of simply playing on the roof of the building. The sojourn to the roof to inspect whether it is suitable for the live event, has the feel of school kids gathering in the playground for a fire drill. When Michael Lindsay-Hogg is pulled up on to the roof dragged on his belly cigar in mouth, it is truly comical and somehow just something nobody would do today.

At some point, American keyboard player to many stars, Billy Preston, seemingly just drops in. I assume that one of the band has invited him. As soon as he enters and pulls a sweet little dance move, it's like fairy dust has been sprinkled. We saw Lennon earlier playing a rudimentary tinkle on the Rhodes, but in Billy's hands it really comes to life. After jamming along and bringing the magic, he is told by Lennon, 'you're in the group'
There is some discussion later about remuneration and contract etc but in true 60s style it seems fairly casual. We try to guess what he might have been paid, but frankly you'd do it for nothing wouldn't you?

So, part two draws to a close and sets up a tantalising finale. We all know that they end up on that roof and that it does, despite their legitimate concerns, take the weight of the band, crew and kit and goes down in history as legendary. But seeing it all play out will be no less sweet for knowing how it all pans out.

I'm heading out now to buy a 60s toast rack.