Work Lessons From The Beatles: Get Back

They Are At Work

No one who calls themselves a "Creator" on this site comes remotely close to the creative process of The Beatles closer to the end of the road. They were not angry at each other. There was work to do.

Sometimes You Rehearse For a Concert That Won't Happen

The first ten days of the process were at Twickenham Studios. That would have been a good show; released soon after Elvis Presley's 1968 comeback special. Once I revisit that, an article will be soon to follow.

There Was Still a Process

My first thought was "They are all under thirty". No one in the band was older than twenty-eight during this process. They might have looked impossibly young in A Hard Day's Night. This was five years later. Hairdos were longer (remember when the mop top look was considered too long for men's styles?) the enjoyment and cleverness was still there.

A Concert Featuring New Songs is Avant Garde

They had ideas and could have performed a mix of familiar songs with new tracks. No songs after Revolver had been performed live. It made no sense to tour at that juncture.

John Lennon would never tour again. There were a couple one off concerts over the years. There were plans for a tour after Double Fantasy was released. That was cancelled for reasons too ugly to mention here.

Be Flexible

The television special was scrapped. They still wanted to perform and it was decided to perform on the roof of their studio. Before hearing there would be a long, fascinating documentary about this process certain facets were covered in:

I still cannot get over George Harrison's fur coat. Not many can pull off green pants.

Ideas Come From Somewhere

Watching them come up with lyrics for Get Back was fascinating. Not every idea made the final product. As Getting Better was being written Paul said "I have to admit it's getting better".

Without hesitation John Lennon said "It couldn't get much worse" which perfectly complemented the previous line. It was true collaboration. They satirized their work in the process. You have to have to fun in recording sessions.

I was reminded of The Lost Lennon Tapes. That was a syndicated radio show backed when radio cared about something besides cramming Taylor Swift down our throats. The creative process is fascinating. It can be tedious. When the ideas come together there is nothing like this.

Know Who You Are

One of the best lines from Part One was "You're not four jerks, you are The Beatles." The showcase has to be centered around a group who attained a high level.

After Brian Epstein passed they managed themselves and owned their own studio. Creative control is hard to find. It is nice when you have it. They knew what to do.

Everyone Has a Purpose

The man who hit the hammer in Maxwell's Silver Hammer might have felt he had a lesser position. He hit the hammer twice at the right time. If he missed his cue, even in rehearsal, it would have messed up that take.

Bring It Together

When Billy Preston arrives John Lennon lamented that he wanted yesterday's voice with today's performers. He was in better form the day before. They built towards the performance.

Give the People Something New

Everyone walking around Saville Row was hearing music they had never experienced before. On this site many suggest repurposing the same ideas over and over. You can. If you want to become old and irrelevant. The Beatles will never get old.

Certain passers by were interviewed. Old people did not like being awakened by an unauthorized performance. Others were taken aback by it. When a man was asked if he would let his daughter date any of The Beatles, most who were married at the time, he said "Yes" because they had money.

Manifest Your Ideas

I have never seen Let It Be. For whatever reason I did not own the album although I have heard it. It was the last album released. Abbey Road was the last recorded. Some of the songs that ended up on Abbey Road were performed in these sessions.

Come Home To Someone Who is Loving

Yoko One is in the background the whole time. She observes and never tries to be The Fifth Beatle. Linda Eastman shows up as a photographer and Olivia Harrison was not on the scene yet. Ringo was married and at the end of the film- a full month of performing and rehearsing; all the wives were there and it was a nice scene. As they said on a previous album: all you need is love. They had a lot more although it was nice seeing strong relationships even if the musical one was closer to the end than the beginning.