Keepin' On...

“Listen to this!” said my friend Rob, who had just given me ten cassette tapes.?He had recorded all of the Beatles albums for me from his dads vinyl collection.

As he handed them to me he added “I’m jealous that you’ve never heard this music before”.?I didn’t know what he meant, but needless to say I found out soon enough, as I also gradually fell in love with their music.

Many years later, when another friend was about to have their first child, I remembered what Rob had said to me about hearing the Beatles for the first time. I realised that when you become a parent, you don't really have any idea what’s in store (at least I didn't) and it’s such an incredible transition that when somebody else is about to go through it, there is an indescribable shift that you can never really convey, and afterwards you can't ever go back either.

I’ve been reflecting on my introduction to the Beatles recently as I finally watched Get Back, the three-part documentary of the legendary recording of the Let It Be album in 1969, directed by Peter Jackson (Lord of of the Rings etc).?

Three feature length films capture the day-to-day reality of the band over the month of January in 1969, which we now know was their final year together. They started out on 2nd January wishing each other a happy new year in a huge hanger in Twickenham (which doesn’t go so well). Things get much better once they transfer to Apple Corp Studios on Saville Row in Central London a few weeks later, culminating in their iconic and impromptu concert on the roof on the 30th January 1969, which ended up being the last time they ever played live together.?

Over the course of that month they write and finish the songs that ended up on their last album (chronologically at least) Let It Be. An unremarkable jam session turns into one of the most memorable tracks on the album, and inspired the eponymous title of the films. And the footage also features a huge amount of their back catalogue which they spontaneously break into all of the time, as well as fragments of new songs which ended up elsewhere including on Abbey Road, which is my own particular favourite album.?

Parts 2 and 3 of the triptych also features the amazing Billy Preston on Fender Rhodes electric piano who was an under-valued highlight for me (as a fellow piano player), who added a lot of both joy to the proceedings and soul into the music.?

Throughout the films they are faced with a million and one distractions, with kids running around in the studio, partners are hanging around and sometimes joining in, photographers and many others coming in and out of the room continuously. At the same time they are clearly aware of the public and press interest in their imminent break up which happened less than a year later.

"The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas, and throw the bad ones away." Linus Pauling

What struck me more than anything else in watching these films is, given everything else that was going on around them, just how relaxed and playful they were throughout that month - just endlessly experimenting even though they were clearly under huge pressure. They were often just having great fun together at times but also feeling very bored and frustrated very frequently too. But that’s just part of their process - the creative process.

In addition to experimenting endlessly they also listen intently to each other and are offering each other ideas and suggestions, in particular in the recording booth afterwards, still making changes and endlessly editing as well.?

It was a valuable reminder for me that creativity is never ending. The key is just to keep going - namely to experiment, iterate, review and repeat. In many ways it's a lot like parenting - utterly relentless but also very rewarding (at times). And watching these films is to witness a masterclass of collaboration and creativity and it’s a precious sight to behold.

I’m not the world’s biggest Beatles fan but I do appreciate their work and in particular their work ethic. They produced a lot of great music because they also produced a lot of music that isn't that great either.?

In the words of the physicist Paul Dirac, the best way to have good ideas is to have lots of good ideas and throw away the bad ones - it really is that simple! The Beatles show us how creativity emerges when playfulness meets persistence.?

“People tend to overestimate what can be done in one year and to underestimate what can be done in five or ten years.” J. C. R. Licklider

So whatever you are doing this week - whether it's juggling parenting responsibilities during the summer holidays, or trying to innovate your way out of the climate crisis (which are just two of many challenges in our household this week) - I think we could all be a bit more Beatles and just keep on keepin' on. You just never know what might happen!