The Beatles seemed to have everything: ingenuity, wit, sex appeal, likeability, and enough talent to create absolutely dozens and dozens of perfect pop songs.
There was also a satisfyingly acrimonious falling out during the making of their 1970 album Let It Be or, as it was known during rehearsals, Get Back.
That’s also the title of Peter Jackson’s mammoth documentary about the at-times painful rehearsals for the album which the Beatles, having conquered all of music, decided to record live.
With a deadline hanging over the same heads which had swollen just a bit too much (years of global adulation will do that to you) the documentary shows the Beatles gradually (this is eight hours long) splintering.
In this age of Selling Sunset and Real Housewives of Alaska it’s rather quaint to see a very English falling out. Rather than screaming matches where Ringo accuses Yoko Ono of nicking the last Bourbon cream it’s mainly just quiet harrumphing, mostly from George Harrison.
The miniseries instead excels with intimate footage of the Beatles essentially noodling about.
Not exactly the thrill of a three-minute pop delight; but there’s something faintly magical happening as Starr and Harrison idly watch McCartney casually pull Get Back out of the ether on his acoustic guitar like he’s doing them a cup of tea.
Get Back Disney+
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