It was a quiet Thursday morning on January, 30th 1969 as the garment district of London went about their work week. The cold winter air suddenly crackled with a sound from the rooftop of 3 Saville Row – the biggest band in the world were performing their brand new album. This rooftop performance marked the ending of the Get Back project, providing the live finale to what had evolved into a concert film. It was an iconic moment, but one born of frustration by a band that was nearing the end of their capabilities to creatively fulfill one another – four people who had been so close but whom had drifted so far apart in a relatively short period of time. As Paul fought to preserve the group in the form that had brought them to unsurpassed heights of success, John and Yoko’s battle with heroin addiction left a void in the band’s leadership, and George’s battle for musical independence and recognition was simply lost in the shuffle, falling on the deaf ears of bandmates. The songs from the era say it all: John sang to Yoko “all I want is you” in Dig A Pony and pleaded “don’t let me down”, George gave his eulogy for the past with All Things Must Pass and Paul grieved with denial (Two of Us), bargaining (Get Back), depression (The Long and Winding Road) and finally acceptance (Let it Be). Paul’s Get Back project was meant to redefine the Beatles’ purpose and align their sights toward the future as a unified group, but despite his best efforts all the project did was show the band just how far they had fallen — it was shelved indefinitely. Where do the Beatles go from here?
Available on:
Pippa: https://shows.pippa.io/5adcae8142c6787759cf4c22/episode-31-beatles-69-pt4
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/yesterday-and-today/id1341355082?mt=2
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Gfr4VIiUFWduD4CERsnMM
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Yesterday and Today Podcast 