Let it be

Image courtesy wikipedia

Saw this documentary of the Beatles the other day. Let it be is footage condensed from the recording sessions of the final two albums from the beatles - the iconic/timeless Abbey road, and Let it be. It gives us a rare sneak peek into what happens when the fab four get together to make music. Music videos were non-existent those days, and the main sources through which people would get to know about records were either by purchasing albums/ radio/ attending concerts, I guess! So to watch images of the Gods making music and to recognize these songs which drive you nuts, this is one reason why any beatle fan cannot afford to miss watching 'Let it be'.

I have been listening to the Beatles , album by album these days. We also get to know the Beatles that much better, as we come to know of their personalities, and the way that they interacted with the rest of the band. All of them sport unkempt hair and beards, and we are witnessing the trend setters for a whole generation and many beyond. The Lennon - Mc Cartney song writing duo lead most of the songs.

Paul Mc Cartney is easy to the camera, oozing with genius, creating tunes and words out of thin air. John Lennon is visibly excited most of the time, and has a spring in his step. George Harrison is very keen all the time, attentive, wanting to contribute his best as always. Ringo Starr plays his part, and he looks forlorn most of the time. The camera hovers around, and we are presented with vantage points from all over the studio. The cameras do not do a good job of portraying Yoko Ono well, I felt. The tensions in the band are simmering as undercurrents to their undoubted genius. We are shown a spat between Paul Mc Cartney and George Harrison. George gets slightly irritated and says"..I don't mind, ill play anything you want me to play. Well, I wont play at all, if you don't want me to play it.." I read that somewhere at this time period, they considered replacing Harrison with Clapton!! Clapton is said to have refused, as Harrison was too close a friend of his.

Towards the end of the documentary, the Beatles hop to an apartment terrace and play a few songs, bringing the traffic below to a standstill. After a while, the cops arrive on the terrace to ask them to stop playing. Paul Mc Cartney taunts them - "You've been out to long, Loretta. You've been playing on the roof again! And that's still good. You know your mommy doesn't like that. She'll get angry. She'll get you arrested! " .This section becomes the most entertaining part of the documentary.

This is a treasure trove if you are remotely interested in the Beatles, and if you are swamped in Beatle mania like I am currently! It is something like witnessing the first sunrise ever, or, say, being swamped by stars shooting across the dark sky. Because this documentary lends images to our construct and coherence to our pondering.

Dying to watch The Beatles Anthology next!!

*I do not own any of these images. All pictures courtesy their respective owners*