I haven't seen Peter Jackson's documentary series on the Beatles' Get Back sessions, but do find some interesting analysis and question in this review. The big question that Snowdon tackles is why they broke up when they did. If they didn't actually hate each other, if the sessions weren't all misery and boredom, then why not stay together a while more?
I suspect it was the prospect of being in the shadow of their own legend that prompted them. The idea of hearing the sentence, "They're great, but they're not quite the Beatles" applied to themselves. Since their reputation and impact in the 60s got quite a bit beyond rock stardom, settling down to mere rock stardom would have diminished them. So best to go out on top, while they were relatively still on top.
Consider the Rolling Stones. In the Beatles' absence they could finally occupy the top slot in the seventies. So they had a hot few years, then came upon a period of diminishing returns. Their last essential album is probably Exile on Main Street from 1972. Their last interesting album is probably Undercover, from ten years later than that.
So a defensible decision on the Fab Four's part.
2 comments:
The Beatles breakup, while still kind of sad, happened so long ago it's kind of hard to get interested in this project of Peter Jackson's to resurrect what turned out to be their last movie. We did see parts of it in the past but even then one was left with a feeling of ennui; they were so obviously tired and no wonder. They rocketed to international fame and fortune after having been what was essentially a bar band. Lennon and McCartney wrote amazing songs that were unlike anything heard before, but George's contributions weren't particularly welcome and Ringo always was taken as something of a joke.
I've always thought it was the sudden and tragic death of Brian Epstein that derailed them as a cohesive unit. Besides, except for Ringo, the others had plans of their own.
The IMDB trivia page about the Let it Be movie has a few interesting tidbits.
It's true that it happened a long time ago. And by this point a still-intact band wouldn't even be feasible, unless you wanted to see Paul and Ringo play with a bunch of ringers. Still, I don't think it's entirely fair that Ringo was taken as a joke. He was actually quite influential when you look at what rock drumming sounded before he came along and compare it to what drummers were doing afterward. Of course for all of them fame had a kind of gilded cage aspect from the beginning, so perhaps the breakup was more a matter of when than if.
I'd agree that Epstein's unexpected death sped things up a great deal. Much more of a factor than Yoko was. She was only involved in it in that John had plans for the next phase of his life and she was part of them.
Yeah, some interesting details there. The idea of them all playing at the Coliseum in Rome is kind of weird. I think the rooftop thing worked better.
Post a Comment