At its roots, Let It Be was always about getting back to where their story began.
I never thought I’d be writing an article about one of my least favourite Beatles’ albums, Let It Be, but here we are. I think I’ve been swept up in the upcoming release of the Disney+ documentary series, Get Back, which focuses on the band as they come together (no pun intended) to rehearse for their first live show in almost three years.
Anyone who has seen the original Let It Be film knows how this era in Beatles history has been spun for fifty years. The band can’t stand the cameras, Yoko is taking up all of John’s attention, and George will play whatever Paul wants him to play, or he won’t play at all if that’s what he prefers. George did eventually quit the band and then returned to rehearsals five days later.
The Let It Be film paints this time as being as cold and as dark as the studios they rehearsed in, each member despising every waking minute they had to spend with one another. For literally fifty years, we were all fooled into thinking there was more hatred going on during these sessions than during The Beatles, otherwise known as the White Album, where the majority was recorded individually.
As it turns out, it was just the editing in Let It Be portraying the real-life problems the band was facing at the time. And it didn’t exactly help that the release of the film was one month after The Beatles break up in the press.
This new docuseries, directed by Peter Jackson, features the complete rooftop concert. It also includes additional footage of the band rehearsing songs from Abbey Road and Let It Be in the studio. The series is meant to show all the good that was happening during such a dark period in the band’s history.
After listening to the newly remixed Let It Be album along with the sneak peeks of moments in the studio, it’s safe to say the ending of The Beatles story might be remembered differently by an entirely new generation. Allowing such a successful streaming platform like Disney+ to carry this docuseries will bring The Beatles to even more people than was originally thought possible.
As for the original album, it was never meant to be something flashy. It was always more of a jumping-off point for the band to do something together again. No pressure, low imagination, just some lads playing some songs they grew up with, with a few stunning originals sprinkled in here and there (hello, this is still the album that includes “Let It Be,” “Across the Universe,” “Get Back” and “The Long and Winding Road”).
At its roots, Let It Be was always about getting back to where their story began. They grew up playing blues and rock ’n’ roll hits from the fifties, which is why it makes sense they would stick to that style of music while making this album. Sure, it wasn’t overly creative, but it’s something that made them all comfortable.
After watching the newly released trailer, my hopes for Get Back are very high. For someone who has seen the chaos in the creation of Let It Be on a handful of occasions, I’m sure this will be a refreshing experience. If the docuseries is anything close to what the new album sounds like, I’m sure a lot of other Beatles fans will also be happy their favourite artists didn’t actually hate each other during those last recording sessions for the album. If anything, I can’t wait to see The Beatles, clear as day on as big of a screen as I can find.
