The Beatles (1960–1970)

I saw the Peter Jackson’s documentary feature film, The Beatles: Get Back
first. 5 stars. I loved it. Seeing it is the main reason I wanted to also read the book.

Wow! This is pretty much the documentary, but without the music but with some fascinating extra essays including one by Jackson. The documentary and the complement each other well. I think the entire transcript is in the book and I admit that I skimmed at times though I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t seen the film.

One of the show more things that most impressed me about the documentary, and I was reminded of it here, was what good parenting Heather got from both Linda and Paul. I was impressed.

It was fun to relive the documentary. I grinned again at the rooftop day. I wish I had been there. I make a decision I still regret to not get tickets and go to the Beatles last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. We didn’t know it was going to be their last concert. I was only 12, but a friend and I considered going and I was the one who nixed it. I had/have a few friends who did go. It’s a decision I regret. I never went to any of their other concerts either. The tickets were cheap and there were plenty of available seats. I guess these sorts of films and books give me some vicarious satisfaction. (There are many great links about it: look up August 29, 1966 Beatles last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.)

I’m glad I read this and glad I got some extra information not in the documentary but this is a rare time when I enjoyed the movie more than the book.

4-1/2 stars show less

Product Details

* Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
* Original Release Date: 2000
* Number of Discs: 2
* Label: Capitol
* Catalog Number: 46443
* ASIN: B000002UAX
* Other Editions: Audio CD | Audio Cassette | LP Record
* Average Customer Review: based on 894 reviews. (Write a review.)
* Amazon.com Sales Rank: #114 in Music (See Top Sellers in Music)
Yesterday: #88 in Music

Track Listings
Disc: 1
1. Back in the U.S.S.R.
2. Dear Prudence
3. Glass Onion
4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
5. Wild Honey Pie
6. Continuing show more Story of Bungalow Bill
7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
8. Happiness Is a Warm Gun
9. Martha My Dear
10. I'm So Tired
See all 17 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2
1. Birthday
2. Yer Blues
3. Mother Nature's Son
4. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
5. Sexy Sadie
6. Helter Skelter
7. Long, Long, Long
8. Revolution 1
9. Honey Pie
10. Savoy Truffle
See all 13 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Better known as the "White Album," this was meant to be the record that brought them back to earth after three years of studio experimentation. Instead, it took them all over the place, continuing to burst the envelope of pop music. Lennon and McCartney were still at the height of their powers, with Lennon in particular growing into one of rock's towering figures. But even McCartney could still rock, and the amazement on "Helter Skelter" was that he had vocal cords at the end. From Beach Boys knock-offs to reggae and to the unknown ("Revolution #9"), this has it all. Some records have legend written all over them; this is one. --Chris Nickson
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46 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
You'll never crack the code, May 14, 2003
Reviewer: Juan La Princi "Mr. F. Bombalate" (livin' just enough) - See all my reviews
There are a few albums from the rock era that I feel I've been in a relationship with since the first day I got them. "The Beatles" is one of those albums. I found it under my Christmas tree in 1968, and I've been engaged with it at some level ever since. It is not the best Beatles album, objectively; nor is it my favorite. But it has always compelled my attention.

At the time it came out, I was 12, but even then it was clear that we were no longer in Pepperland or on a Magical Mystery Tour. This album wasn't yet more "progress" toward some new musical form. Musically, it embraced values never before associated with the Beatles as I understood them: Parody, pastiche, rock and roll revivalism, music-hall nostalgia, avant-garde experimentation, political agitation, intimate confession, trivial nonsense. It is, simply, a series of highly personal statements from the three songwriters, coalescing around no particular theme other than the right to personal expression.

"The Beatles" is not, to me, "the sound of the Beatles breaking up." That's the storyline a lot of Beatle historians apply to this album. If they're basing this judgement on the fact that the individual songwriters' imprints are on each song, you'd have to argue that the breakup began much earlier, around the time of "Beatles for Sale" or "Help!" Lennon-McCartney were rarely a songwriting "team" in the sense of George and Ira Gershwin. Their partnership was always about strategy, i.e. how to ensure that third-rate songs would not be included on albums just for the sake of fairness. "The Beatles" instead simply shows the evolution of each of the three songwriters (on this album, George emerges dramatically) as they each embraced new musical ideas and applied their life experiences to their art. Having helped break all the molds for what was acceptable songwriting in their previous work, they each now proceeded to take full advantage of the freedom they'd won. Some of the dumber cuts on "The Beatles" demonstrate, perhaps, the expression "freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." Paul, in particular, seemed frightened to step out too often without the crutch of some existing form that he could parody or pay tribute to, i.e. "Honey Pie," "Back in the USSR" or "Rocky Racoon." But, while you can say that, you have to acknowledge that in this massive album, there are perhaps half a dozen Paul songs that are among his best and most original: "I Will," "Blackbird," "Mother Nature's Son," "Helter Skelter" for four examples.

Lennon's direction was to become more nakedly confessional, as befits someone who was dealing with such turbulent emotions at the time. He gives us some of his most beautiful songs, like "Dear Prudence," and some of his most intense, like "I'm So Tired," "Revolution," "Yer Blues," and "Sexy Sadie." Often, as in "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill," "Glass Onion," or "Everybody Has Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey," he seems to be writing in code, and that sense of allusiveness gives the album much of its cracked character. And of course, he's the guy who assembled the collage, "Revolution 9," which is to rock and roll what "Finnegans Wake" is to English literature--a dream that floats between meaning and nothingness.

George seems to be captured here in a moment of great self-discovery as an artist; you can hear his talent finally come together in "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," which I remember at age 12 was to my ears the best thing on the album--and still seems to be so. Prior to the White Album, he had these cautious little songs on the early albums, and then embraced India, which while sometimes satisfying seemed weird and out of place. His songs here sets the stage for "Something," "Here Comes the Sun" and then his monumental early solo work. At age 12, I thought "Long, Long, Long" was a emotional powerhouse--and I still do.

A few months after I got "The Beatles," the Charles Manson murders took place, and eventually the DA made the case that somehow, insanely, the murders were inspired by songs on this album. Around the same time, the media were full of bizarre speculation that Paul McCartney was dead, and that clues were all over this album. It's no accident that half-insane people might mine "The Beatles" for hidden messages and evidence of conspiracies. The world it depicts is strange and almost claustrophobic--all the more so for its haphazard approach and its odd switches in tone from childish delight to fiendish paranoia. But even those of us who live normal lives and dream normal dreams can acknowledge that "The Beatles" has a hold on your consciousness that is unlike anything else the group did, and unlike anything else that came out of the rock era. show less

Welcome to a children's book for adults.

Being old enough to remember the Beatles as a new phenomenon, I have long been interested in their transformation from the first boy band, to a psychedelic happening. The Yellow Submarine was the first adult cartoon, certainly in my cultural awareness. It is, in equal parts, silly, profound, trite and witty. This book reflects all this in a literary manner.

To look at, this would appear to be a children's annual and, I feel sure that a small child would show more be hooked by the colourful pages showing images from the film. The literary style too appears to be aimed at a young audience but, lurking under the surface, is John Lennon's rebellious humour. There is surrealism and even darkness in the story. For the oldies, this is a reminder of a magical time, when everything seemed possible: 'All You Need Is Love', was a reasonable assumption and very attainable. Sadly, love turned to financial streams and the movement broke down. Perhaps the World is ready for a revival - heaven knows, we need it. Peace to you all. show less

Although Get Back includes a Foreword from Peter Jackson, an Introduction from Hanif Kureishi, and an Afterword from John Harris, the Beatles are rightfully credited as authors of the book. The bulk of Get Back is verbatim dialogue taken directly from the 120 hours of tape recorded in January 1969 while the Beatles were trying to figure out for themselves if they were working on a TV show, a documentary, a live appearance, or simply their next album (Let It Be). As such, the book makes for show more the near perfect companion piece to Jackson’s almost eight-hour documentary recently released on Disney+.

Beatles fans know, of course, that what happened in January 1969 also marked the beginning of the end of The Beatles as a band. Rather than ever again performing live as a band or collaborating in any real sense, the Beatles were on the verge of embarking on solo careers, something that everyone but Ringo Starr seemed keen to do. Inevitable as the breakup was, it still marks a sad moment in the lives of contemporary fans of the band, a moment they still remember well.

But, as Hanif Kureishi puts it:

“Don’t cry about it. The end of The Beatles was as necessary as it was inevitable, as important and liberating as the end of any relationship. The Sixties were done; the Seventies would be darker and The Beatles were only rarely a dark band. Something else, far harder and crueler would be required. After Abbey Road there would be Bowie’s Hunky Dory.”

Get Back is presented in three acts: “Act One: Twickenham Film Studios,” “Act Two: Apple Studios,” and “Act Three: The Rooftop.” The acts are further broken down into separate conversations for each day that The Beatles worked at the specified location, clarified in part by noting what songs were rehearsed, who else was present but silent, and what activities were happening in the background.

Keep in mind that this is what is often referred to as a “coffee table” book, an oversized book using heavy, glossy paper that includes dozens of specially selected photos taken at the time by photographers Ethan A. Russell and Linda McCartney (wife of Paul McCartney). The thing weighs in at over four pounds, and feels even heavier than that for some reason; this is a quality product. Reading Get Back may not be the same as watching Peter Jackson’s stunning documentary, but it is definitely the next best thing. Even better, is doing both.

I’ll close with one final quote from Mr. Kureishi:

“They had to escape. And we had to let them go. We owed them that, after what they’d done for us. The four of them would go on working, playing and entertaining us. It was their living, their life and destiny. Our tribute is to play the records and hand them on to our kids, while thanking the band, and being grateful every time we hear those voices for some of the most beautiful pop songs ever created.”

Yes. show less