Times of trouble? Book, film cast Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ in happier light
LONDON, Sept 16- The recording of The Beatles’ final album “Let It Be” has gone down in the band’s lore as times of trouble, a gloomy harbinger of their break-up. “The Beatles: Get Back” will be released next August as a companion to a film by “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson documenting the creation of the 1970 “Let It Be” album, the publishers said on Wednesday.
By Angus MacSwan
LONDON, Sept 16 (Reuters) – The recording of The Beatles’final album “Let It Be” has gone down in the band’s lore astimes of trouble, a gloomy harbinger of their break-up.
But half a century on, a new official book and documentarywill offer a more detailed look at the famed sessions, usinghours of previously unreleased footage and recordings to showevents in a happier light.
“The Beatles: Get Back” will be released next August as acompanion to a film by “Lord of the Rings” director PeterJackson documenting the creation of the 1970 “Let It Be” album,the publishers said on Wednesday.
The book features transcribed conversations between JohnLennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr frommore than 120 hours of recordings during three weeks of sessionsat the Twickenham Film Studios and then at The Beatles’ ownAbbey Studios in 1969.
It culminates in the band’s famed final live appearance onthe rooftop of their offices in central London.
The book contains hundreds of previously unpublished images,including some by Linda McCartney, who married Paul just afterthe sessions. It also has an introduction by novelist andscreenwriter Hanif Kureishi.
“Let it Be”, featuring songs such as “Get Back”, “The Longand Winding Road” as well as the title song, was the finalBeatles album to be released and hit record stores after theysplit. “Abbey Road” was recorded after “Let it Be” but issuedbefore it.
The sessions were orginally documented in the 1970 movie”Let it Be” directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, which showed theband members squabbling amongst themselves and sulking.
But, Kureishi writes: “In fact this was a productive timefor them, when they created some of their best work.
“And it is here that we have the privilege of witnessingtheir early drafts, the mistakes, the drift and digressions, theboredom, the excitement, joyous jamming and sudden breakthroughsthat led to the work we now know and admire”.
Jackson’s film – whose release has been delayed by a yeardue to the coronavirus pandemic – delves into 55 hours ofunreleased footage and 120 hours of audio recordings toreexamine the sessions.
Often it shows them laughing and joking, just as they did atthe height of Beatlemania.(Reporting by Angus MacSwan, Editing by Mike Collett-White)