Beatles - Get Back new book

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Jack, Jan 2, 2020.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Pauly56

    Pauly56 Forum Resident

    Location:
    SWFL
    Yes. It didn’t seem like anything happened to prompt that at that particular moment. (At least nothing stated in the book.)
     
    jwb1231970, Isamet and Mike M like this.
  2. Mike M

    Mike M Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maplewood
    Its hard to tell, we only have the dialogue that's in the book to go on, and I haven't read the entire book so far.

    It does seem Paul doesn't believe he's gone for good, John not so sure.

    The conversation where John and Paul talk how they could never ask him to play anything is one of the most amazing things I have ever read. John says to Paul he never told him what to play, ever, and Paul says if he tried, George would tell him it couldn't be done and to "F off."

    I'm waiting to see the film, but my working theory is that George, after years of not playing with them as a combo, and punching in his leads and fills after the fact, on his own time, is left slightly rudderless during these sessions.

    These were not the tightly formed songs of Pepper, where he could go in and add a fill here or there, and solo later, but wide open jams that called for more playing from him. So much more empty spaces to be filled, so he might have been over playing or under playing according to Paul or John, and I think that insecurity nagged at him.

    They do mention that after Billy arrives, Preston is filling up the empty spaces where George would usually fill, and how everyone is more happy and relaxed about that, which is incredibly illuminating.
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2021
  3. Ms. Daisy

    Ms. Daisy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Alabama
    I believe that it is in the book "Get Back, Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image" where they say it was a "fight" with John during lunch (that was not recorded) that preceded George's departure. I put fight in quotes because there seems to be a question if a punch was thrown or not.
     
  4. Mike M

    Mike M Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maplewood
    I wonder why John played lead on "Get Back", I'm very curious how that came to be.

    If they are not taking George's songs seriously, and then they begin chipping away his whole/sole identity as "lead guitarist" in the group, I could see that having a devastating effect on him, and having a destabilizing effect on the group as a whole.
     
    Lee Davis and Ms. Daisy like this.
  5. Ms. Daisy

    Ms. Daisy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Alabama
    I can see George being very frustrated. He had been hanging out in America with Dylan and the Band who were treating him as an equal and then went back to the Beatles where he had the kid brother role. I also remember reading that he was very annoyed with Yoko speaking for John.
     
  6. NumberEight

    NumberEight Came too late and stayed too long

    John plays lead because the song came together during George’s absence.
     
  7. Mike M

    Mike M Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maplewood
    I do think George's fills on "Don't let Me down" are absolutely gorgeous, including the almost Asian like descents during the verse, but the idea could have come from Preston.

    You do hear Billy and George picking up on one another's ideas during the jams. Sometimes it's hard to figure out who started the musical idea, and who is following.
     
  8. NumberEight

    NumberEight Came too late and stayed too long

    Only? :wantsome:
     
    ronbow likes this.
  9. Ern

    Ern Senior Member

    Location:
    Portugal
    For me that's enough, I love the book.
    I'd even trade the transcripts for more photos!
     
    anthony_beat, NumberEight and oboogie like this.
  10. webmatador

    webmatador Friend Of The People

    Location:
    Austin, TX, USA
    I'm especially pleased that the photos and transcripts are laid out in chronological order, divided by the dates of the sessions.

    This affords nerds like me to pinpoint a particular day when any given picture was taken (outside of the ones in the book). Plus you get a feel for how the ideas for a concert finale continue developing (until they don't).

    What I found especially fascinating in the transcript was John's gushing about his meeting with Allen Klein. The conversation takes place on the 28th, I think, while Paul is out of the studio. John is describing to George how wonderful Klein is, but when you read it back with a certain amount of hindsight, you realize how gullible John was to Klein's forked tongue. Klein played him like a fiddle.
     
  11. dolstein

    dolstein Senior Member

    Location:
    Arlingon, VA
    For those who have the book - the last few pictures of the Beatles in the studio feature a clean-shaven Paul - with groovy sideburns, no less. Does anyone know which sessions these pictures were taken at?
     
  12. sws2000

    sws2000 Forum Resident

    Beatles February 1969 Mystery Session
     
  13. Mike M

    Mike M Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maplewood
    Reading more of the book last night (trying to make it last), the verbatim dialogue is the greatest Beatles text I have ever read, its the closest to feeling that you are in the room with them.

    The only thing I can compare it with is this, which I have posted many times before.

    I would pay anything for more of this.

     
  14. Isamet

    Isamet Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    I ended up exchanging the one I got for the Target Exclusive. Both were the same price. I don't understand why they would have offered a regular version and an exclusive version for the same price. But I guess that is exactly what they did!
     
    Ms. Daisy and fishcane like this.
  15. MaybeI'mMrsVandebilt

    MaybeI'mMrsVandebilt Just spinning on my axis

    Location:
    London
    'Well, you can imitate everyone you know' springs to mind! :laugh:
     
    batdude98, ODIrony and Mike M like this.
  16. Onkster515

    Onkster515 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    The Get Back book is a surprisingly entertaining read, and certainly better organized than the original 1970 version. The only thing that's missing is some of the flowery text ("The moon says goodbye, the sun says hello...") of the original, but hey, if you look hard enough you can find complete pdf's of that version if you really need it.
     
    RiRiIII, hEARt PhoniX and Mike M like this.
  17. NumberEight

    NumberEight Came too late and stayed too long

    Well, 91 out of the 160 pages, anyway…:shake:
     
  18. Galaga King

    Galaga King "Drive where the cops ain't"

    $36 on Amazon
     
    Lee Davis likes this.
  19. fdsfd

    fdsfd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Istanbul
    I've always had the feeling that John was a bit resentful, or rather annoyed, by George's enthusiastic ravings about the Band et. al. Whatever he said in the 70s when he felt angry about the Beatles was always on a whim, because I sincerely think that he was always protective of the Beatles (even shutting down reporters when they tried to attack Paul in a vain attempt to get sympathy points from him).

    His initial reaction -in a seemingly nonchalant way- was suggesting Eric Clapton as a fill-in and it proves my point IMO. "Oh, yeah? So he thinks the Band is top notch and the Beatles isn't? He's leaving us for some band that is supposedly better? Then we'll get a better player, that'll show him!" sort of attitude. Paul, meanwhile, shuts down everybody and plays Martha, My Dear endlessly on piano in the background while John tries to hide his hurt through his usual caustic comments.
     
  20. MiKE_42

    MiKE_42 Forum Resident

    Thanks SO much for that piece of info! (that the photos & transcripts are in order of the days of the sessions.) I`m also nerdy about such things and so glad they took this approach. Neat.
    Can`t wait to receive my copy now!
    Cheers
     
    musicfan37 and Mike M like this.
  21. Mike M

    Mike M Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maplewood
    Halfway through the book.

    Like I said before, I always assumed the issues that broke the band up where between Paul and John.

    Just amazed how willing John is with Paul's idea's and concepts. He seems to say yes to anything Paul suggests.

    Its Ringo (I want to be able to go home and watch telly) and George (especially George) that are derailing every idea.
     
  22. Beatlened

    Beatlened Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    Theres a later conversation in the book where they are reading a newspaper article about punches being thrown and John wants to sue because it never happened.

    It seems pretty clear from the conversations in the book that there was no physical altercation.
     
  23. MaybeI'mMrsVandebilt

    MaybeI'mMrsVandebilt Just spinning on my axis

    Location:
    London
    I'm at about p.191. John and Paul really seem to get along so well. Did you think there was a change in tone/mood - on the page anyway - the day after John meets with Allen Klein? Bit of tension between them? But yes, overall, those two are really in sync and seem to share the same ideas, or they have the same drive to achieve, anyway. John doesn't seem at all disinterested.

    George does seem to be the one saying no to everything, but I also feel bad for him.

    There they are, struggling for number of songs and George pipes up and says how he's got 14 they could do in an hour. Everyone just ignores him. They keep right on talking. George keeps saying, I've got these songs, or I've got a tune or two and nobody even acknowledges his comment. Yet days before they were basically freaking out over not having enough songs and they're trying to get to thirteen, counting things like Dig It as 'that's a song! that'll do, count that as thirteen!' and there's George with 14 of his own. Crickets. He even says he could give his songs to other people i.e people who'll want them - unlike his own bandmates. So I can understand how he grew ever more resentful. George trying to break through the Lennon/McCartney barrier was a futile battle.
     
  24. Mike M

    Mike M Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maplewood
    Great points.

    I'm about 91 pages in (taking my time, trying to prolong it), but can't wait for the film.

    The dialogue is amazing, but I want to see their faces and hear the tone in their voices. This might be the greatest Beatle text I have ever read.

    I find it really interesting as well that they call Brian Epstein "Mr. Epstein", and not by his first name.
     
  25. MaybeI'mMrsVandebilt

    MaybeI'mMrsVandebilt Just spinning on my axis

    Location:
    London
    I can't wait for the documentary either. It's one thing to read all this, but to see and hear them...that will be something else. Agree - the book is compelling reading, can't put it down!
     
    RiRiIII, Ms. Daisy and Mike M like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine