The Beatles

[onthewall2983]

It’s a bit of a slog undoubtedly but I felt there was a reward at the end with how it all came together. I had a really naïve notion of their fame that it was somehow the nicest version of being held hostage as possible. But then Ringo makes a joke about taking over London after the show and it somehow felt less naïve because the underbelly of what they engendered was already peaking at sunlight. That by somehow plugging up and making an actual nuisance of themselves was a cathartic act against the limitations that success put on their personal lives. Paul McCartney shows the whole breadth of human emotion and none was more satisfying as a fan to see the look on his face and the reaction to the cops showing up. It’s miles away from the trauma that comes over him at the beginning of the 2nd episode when he is realizing this may be it. That’s a word I don’t throw around easy but it’s the best way to describe what I was seeing in that footage from a distant time when he was on the cusp of full-blown adulthood. You could feel the youth fade away in his posture and of course in his eyes. It’s a powerful moment.

[r_z]

I have trouble with the way Jackson frames many of the scenes, like when he pairs footage with audio that don't belong together. Or, say, a Beatle says something, cut to another one looking serious, implying he's critical of what has been said. How do I know it happened that way? How do I know it's not made to look a certain way?

[Maximilian]

I have trouble with the way Jackson frames many of the scenes, like when he pairs footage with audio that don't belong together. Or, say, a Beatle says something, cut to another one looking serious, implying he's critical of what has been said. How do I know it happened that way? How do I know it's not made to look a certain way?

Yeah, I felt the same way. I'd rather just have still pics on the parts where he used audio only and did notice he maybe manipulated their expressions in parts.

At the same time, I'm a massive Beatles fan who's known about all this footage for so many years that I'll take what I can get. I do have tons of bootleg audio from these sessions that I noticed weren't even included.

[fillow]

I have trouble with the way Jackson frames many of the scenes, like when he pairs footage with audio that don't belong together. Or, say, a Beatle says something, cut to another one looking serious, implying he's critical of what has been said. How do I know it happened that way? How do I know it's not made to look a certain way?

That's one of the documentary storytelling's 101s though. You can't just show people things and expect them to automatically get interested. You're still creating a story to tell, even if only subtly through editing.

People may like it or hate it but as long as you can see though it, what's the harm?

[onthewall2983]

My best friend who’s a major Lennon guy bought a Fender VI a few years ago. I bet those will become more popular now.

[r_z]

People may like it or hate it but as long as you can see though it, what's the harm?

I just resent being manipulated, I guess. I want the real thing. And I'm not even sure it was necessary to do this here.

[botley]

I just resent being manipulated, I guess. I want the real thing. And I'm not even sure it was necessary to do this here.

Well, the unedited tapes have been out there in circulation for about twenty years. Go and listen to those, if you want the unvarnished account. Yes, Jackson does use visuals that don't match up with audio in some cases (particularly in Twickenham), but it was just a more expedient way to tell the story of what happened. They didn't have more than one or maybe two cameras on close-ups until the rooftop, and so missed lots of stuff that the audio tape (which was constantly rolling) captured, so you couldn't just only ever have live camera sync'd exactly to audio... there would be loads of important conversations missing.

Basically, the whole aftermath of that one month's work... I've always looked at it as a giant salvage job. From Glyn Johns' initial album assembly to the editing of the film, and finally drafting in Phil Spector... they basically spent the next twelve months chipping away at it. There's lots of great info about how the original film/album was made in this comprehensive article: https://www.soundandvision.com/conte...ksons-get-back

[r_z]

Anybody know the first song that's playing over the credits from part 2? Shit rocks.

[imail724]

Anybody know the first song that's playing over the credits from part 2? Shit rocks.

I forget but typically if you put the subtitles on it'll say what song it is. Pretty sure Part 1 ended with Isn't It A Pity by George, if I remember correctly.

[talkingnothing]

i enjoyed the Get Back series. I had never seen the original Let it Be doc, and had always wanted to. a couple thoughts and quibbles about the series though:


i really think Jackson should have mad a couple different versions of this. probably there is a really good 2 or 3 hour movie hiding in here for the more casual fan who won't watch all 8 or so hours of this. could have done one like that and then the long one for completists (which i would have watched either way).


there were definitely a few goosebump moments, like Paul pulling the bones of Get Back out of the ether while waiting for John to arrive, seeing Billy arrive and change the whole vibe, etc.


wish the final day was treated a little differently. would have loved to see the performances from that day get better care than just cut in amongst the credits. I mean i don't need to see all of the takes but i ended up buying the 1+ blu ray over the weekend just to see complete videos of Let it Be and Long and Winding Road. would have ben great to see similar full edits (using the beautifully restored footage) of the takes of Two of Us, Long and Winding Road and Let it Be that made various versions of the album.


I'm hoping someday there is a blu ray release of this but i won't hold my breath. I'd hope for that to include some bonus of the rooftop concert with a full edit of the performances only, skipping the on-the-street interviews and police in the lobby stuff. it sucks when these streaming services get an exclusive that we often miss out on a home video release (like the Coen Brothers' Ballad of Buster Scruggs, which should have a place on my shelf with their others).


Speaking of the rooftop, it's too bad there weren't a few more shots of Billy, i guess expected but still too bad. Also wondering why the full rooftop audio wasn't included on the Superdeluxe Let it Be album reissue. seems like a no brainer to put that on there. Also feel like they missed out on including a few numbers like The Castle Of The King Of The Birds which featured in the end credits of one of the episodes.

[botley]

Anybody know the first song that's playing over the credits from part 2? Shit rocks.

It's just called "Blues Jam" in the credits. Billy's organ lines on it are really cool!

[botley]

The whole Rooftop performance is now on streaming sites!

[GulDukat]

I pre-ordered the Get Back blu-Ray from Amazon and it was out of stock almost right away. Never shipped. I see it on eBay for up to $2000.00.

[raptors661]

I pre-ordered the Get Back blu-Ray from Amazon and it was out of stock almost right away. Never shipped. I see it on Amazon for up to $2000.00.

It was recalled due to an audio issue. Some stores had it out long enough for copies to get sold.

[GulDukat]

I finally saw Magical Mystery Tour and I honestly don't know what I think. Outstanding Fellini-esque colorful visuals, and of course the music is great, but it is still kind of rubbish, as the Brits might say.

[GulDukat]

Saw Paul McCartney last night at Fenway Park. He's going to be 80 this month and he played for three hours, with "Helter Skelter" towards the end! It was an awesome show.

[botley]

I used to really hate listening to 'fake stereo' Beatles but lately the machine-learning tech has been getting to the point where drums, vocals, and guitars can be separated out of a mono source quite convincingly (Peter Jackson used this to great effect on the Get Back film) ... and suddenly you're watching them onstage in Hamburg, late 1962:

[GulDukat]

Happy 80th birthday, Paul!

[allegro]

Yes, happy 80th birthday, Sir Paul!!

[botley]

Looks like Revolver deluxe sets including remixes are due out by year's end: https://variety.com/2022/music/news/...in-1235351400/

[botley]

Cough, cough, check the usual sites.

[GulDukat]

Sir Paul McCartney says artificial intelligence has enabled a 'final' Beatles song

[M1ke]

Sir Paul McCartney says artificial intelligence has enabled a 'final' Beatles song

Something positive finally comes from AI.....

[caca]

I was in London this week and couldn't help myself:

[wizfan]

I hate those clickbait articles that make it seem as if McCartney synthesized Lennon's voice via AI, when all he did was just use AI vocal extraction tools to extract Lennon's pre-existing voice from a Beatles demo.

[burnmotherfucker!]

I hate those clickbait articles that make it seem as if McCartney synthesized Lennon's voice via AI, when all he did was just use AI vocal extraction tools to extract Lennon's pre-existing voice from a Beatles demo.

Yeah, when I first saw this in the news that's what I assumed from the headline. Then I read it and it sounds more like an example of using an algorithm that isolates pre-existing sound. Still, almost certainty, the final product differs a bit from Lennon's real voice but this method is much less gross than the other.

I've yet to hear an AI reproduction that is actually worth listening to. I'm sure the tech will get there one day but I don't see it yet. I also remember when I was a little kid they said one day video game characters would look exactly like real people and after decades they are still WAY the fuck away from accomplishing that.

The uncanny valley might turn out to be impossible to cross.

Then again, there's also a chance younger generations will see and hear all this stuff differently due to being immersed in it from birth. I mean all these CGI infested superhero films that cost a bazillion dollars to make look like total shit to me. The whole way through trying to watch one of those my brain keeps saying "that isn't real." I feel similarly about all the AI music I've heard.

Shit is going to get real weird from here on out isn't it?

[Kodiak33]

Yeah, when I first saw this in the news that's what I assumed from the headline. Then I read it and it sounds more like an example of using an algorithm that isolates pre-existing sound. Still, almost certainty, the final product differs a bit from Lennon's real voice but this method is much less gross than the other.

I've yet to hear an AI reproduction that is actually worth listening to. I'm sure the tech will get there one day but I don't see it yet. I also remember when I was a little kid they said one day video game characters would look exactly like real people and after decades they are still WAY the fuck away from accomplishing that.

The uncanny valley might turn out to be impossible to cross.

Then again, there's also a chance younger generations will see and hear all this stuff differently due to being immersed in it from birth. I mean all these CGI infested superhero films that cost a bazillion dollars to make look like total shit to me. The whole way through trying to watch one of those my brain keeps saying "that isn't real." I feel similarly about all the AI music I've heard.

Shit is going to get real weird from here on out isn't it?

That and "popular" art is going to suck more.

[october_midnight]

[poinoup]

Tremendous. Just tremendous. The feeling when you find out you JUST PLAYED STRINGS ON A BEATLES SONG.

[october_midnight]

Great video, directed by Peter Jackson. Bonkers to see them all playing together...