THE BEATLES Work Through Uncertainty, Frustration & Humor |
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- Опубліковано 8 лис 2021
- Some of the Beatles inner band dynamics appear here under the guise of uncertainty, frustration and always with some humor. This episode explores some of George's issues in the band and lets the viewer eavesdrop on a John-Paul conversation about George's leaving.
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Funny how george casually writes “left the beatles” as if thats an everyday ordinary task 😂 He just threw that in the middle of that diary entry
he always had that droll, dry understated way about him.
Give John credit for trying to let Paul know he can be hard to work with at times, leaving John to not be able to invest his best at times. Their honesty is the way a family would work these issues out. There is a "brotherly" love between them because this doesn't lead to an argument but to an honest discussion, even though it started as an issue with George, it really wasn't really all about George but about them all. Thanks for sharing this, I doubt we'd get to hear it anywhere else.
Thank you for the insightful comment, Terry.
Excellent 👍
You're Great fully understand and you're welcome also
Yes. That lunchroom meeting caught on a hidden mic was where John put down a line, telling Paul, "It's okay to make suggestions, but then let us choose," instead of always dictating to the others what McCartney wanted. After this meeting, in which Paul admitted, "You...you're the leader," Paul was easier to work with, especially in Apple studios (but then came the revelation in April that he'd secretly, on advice from his father-in-law John Eastman, bought extra shares in Northern Songs and wouldn't pool his shares with the others to try buying a majority of their copyrights).
@@dreamfable a bit underhanded
Interesting that you heard “We need George Harrison” as John feeling that George wasn’t giving his all. I hear it as the opposite: that GH is feeling insecure about his playing, about Clapton as the better guitarist, and JL is reassuring him: we don’t want that guy, what we want is YOU.
The irony there is George is the one who brought Eric into the studio and put him in front of John and Paul
Yes that was my first thought. Basically John saying, 'you're what we need and you're sitting right here, so get it done and quit complaining.'
Well put I get a bit of both sentiments coming out of John Lennon on this one both that he wanted George to be into it and that once he is into it that's the guy he wants to play on his songs
@@popgoesthe60s52 I still believe George lost his confidence in playing his guitar, somewhere around the moment Paul played this amazing solo on 'Taxman'. After that, George focused on other instruments like the sitar for a while, and brought in Eric Clapton when he could no longer avoid being dragged back into this rock'n'roll-atmosphere going on on the White Album. He just lost his confidence and didn't seem to mind being replaced by better guitarists, like Clapton. In my opinion, the other Beatles didn't seem to know how to deal with his lack of confidence. Telling him not to play on 'Hey Jude' and 'Two Of Us' sure wasn't the right way, even though music-wise it did make sense.
@@KinkyBing At the moment Beck, Page, Clapton, Hendrix, etc turn it up a notch, George stepped back. He had the talent but not the drive to get better until hanging with Clapton in 1969. His work on Abbey Road and the Let It Be solo are kick ass. In his solo career he basically became a singer songwriter and the guitar was secondary.
Paul is clearly taking all John’s criticism on board and there is no bad vibes or shouting matches as a consequence.
I came across your channel last month, I was having a really rough week but I marathoned all your Beatles videos and they lifted my spirits. Shared with a few of my friends and they loved them too. Thank you for what you do.
My pleasure. The Beatles do tend to lift spirits! More to come.
Copy that, Alex
Alex Glaze I agree with you. These are the best and most researched commentary's I've come across. Excellent work and thank you for for this gift for those of us who lived for every new album of creative music that changed our perceptions of the world in such a short period of time.
I think John's "George Harrison" comment was as much about instilling some confidence in George as it was a chiding for George not making enough of an effort.
While John surely would have known that there were relative newcomers who had greater individual abilities with various instruments, nobody could match the collective strength of The Beatles. They didn't believe the hype, they knew how good they were.
Fascinating to hear John tell Paul that Paul sometimes pushed the band to do song arrangements that John didn't like, but he acknowledges retrospectively that Paul was often right.
Paul was defacto band leader. Since revolver.
@@newagain9964 Paul, in this very video, acknowledges that John's the leader. But John often didn't lead, and then Paul did.
@@newagain9964 lemme guess, you think he's a sigma?
“You need George Harrison”
I love that
Luv that George says he feels a Paul song is his song too. Sometimes group collaboration seems to get lost when discussing the Beatles. John song, Paul song, George song are all Beatles songs
Exactly.
It would appear to be at the heart of what George dislikes about working on Paul's song. Paul doesn't really allow for collaborating when he takes the reigns and tells him exactly what to play. I can see both sides of the argument. I get why Paul would be precious about his song, but I also empathize with George because he's essentially being handled as a session musician and not a bandmate.
This is fascinating stuff. The audio from John and Paul at lunch is particularly intriguing. John is clearly taking on the "older brother" role, which he had carried for the band's inception and first few years. But in the 2-3 years leading up to this event, Paul had been taking on more and more authority for the band's recording sessions. At this lunch meeting, John is gently trying to tell Paul, "There's a better way to address our little brother George. Let me give you some pointers-I've done this with him before" And it's unclear from this whether Paul really understood what his "older brother" John was trying to say.
Good points, William. Thank you for contributing.
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McCartney's behavior did seem to improve at Apple Studio once they reconvened. John said in the lunchroom that even he, John, had at times been intimidated about presenting ideas over the past few years ( although he'd fired back during the White Album). "It's okay to make suggestions, but then let us choose..."
The lunch audio is clearly edited. They cut other people out, which is why the exchange sometimes doesn't sound quite right.
The thing I have gleaned from these clips that it wasn’t just George and Paul clashing but George and John too. He walked out after a row with John not over Pauls criticism of his playing. He considered them both guilty of rejecting his songs too easily not supporting him as a writer and generally not treating him as an equal . George was always younger than them and they couldn’t change their perception of him as they all grew older . By 1969 he had enough. He was mixing with Clapton Dylan Delaney and Bonnie and getting more respect and having a better time with them . All Things must Pass showed what he was capable of by 1970 and at the time he was the equal of John and Paul as a writer
George: "It was you Paul. You should've looked out for me. If only we would've recorded my songs from '48 maybe we could've been successful, maybe we could've been somebody, instead of bums, which is what we are".
Nice one. George with the benefit of hindsight seems like a bit of sour grapes. George wrote some great songs , but his company is two of the greatest songwriters of the 20th Century.
Okay Terry Malloy
You win the internet !
@@Gardosunron George was dismissed even by George Martin. You take the song If I Needed Someone, if that was better produced, it would have been equal to anything Paul or John did. Don't Bother Me written in 1963 and it holds up to anything Paul or John did on With the Beatles album. I am tired of hearing about how George became a great song writer with Something and Here Comes the Sun. It gets old. So While My Guitar Gently Weeps isn't up to the Lennon McCartney standards? Please! Trunk, this is not directed at you, it's more directed towards George Martin, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney.
@@Gardosunron Remember to, that there are songs on All Things Must Pass that date back to 1966. All Things Must Pass was a number one album
It's eerie listening to these guys as indeed I was alive at that time and a big fan. There's so much being said without being said in these chats. George, just to me, sounds like he would suffer endless pain before he'd actually give an accounting of himself to the others. I think it was Paul who said, paraphrasing, "if we'd just talk it out like this when". He was very much on the money.
I love how this situation (with George away from the band) gives John the opportunity to tell Paul a few 'home truths' about his relationship with George and also the chance to talk about some of Paul's overbearing professional traits in an honest adult way. No one is having their ego crushed but it is blatantly obvious that both John and Paul regard themselves as being in a higher league professionally than George. George is coming across as the Beatle most difficult to work with. It was he who was the first to say "NO" to a particular working condition, the first to say no to touring, concerts, this, that or the other.
It seems that George Harrison may have been an introvert, which would be tough if you're in the Beatles! Thanks or the comment, Cristian.
The conversation between John and Paul, away from George, is at another level of understanding entirely. The two of them really were the leaders of the band. And in much of it, John is schooling Paul. Remarkable.
Great video. I loved how John gently yet concisely laid out Paul's issues with with control and micromanagement regarding their songs' arrangements to Paul without getting too aggressive. That really sheds a different perspective on both the Get Back project, and John himself.
Excellent point… how John actually comes across as a responsible, sensitive and constructive adult! Almost uncharacteristic of him - from the image we have gotten. ’Dysfunctional heroin addict’. There is no support for that mattering (if it was true) in any way in January of 1969.
The ’winter of disconent’ did not happen in January but in February when Allen Klein entered and cut a wedge between the main axis, as was to become gradually evident during 1969. Also remember, Lennon’s weirdest ’happenings’ with Yoko were only beginning later in the spring.
George’s musical style is agnozingly ’slow brew by trial and error’. Listen jow lost he is with the guitar lart on tale three of One After 909. And yet he absolutely nailed it on the rooftop. Slow brew. Lennon and McCartney a
were both instant karma intuitives musically. McCartney being organized and controlled on top,of that - coming in with ready arrangements. Often with little real own musical input expected from band members. (He _would_ welcome help with lyrics if he was stuck, which came harder for him than music).
Yes, John sounds very diplomatic and Paul doesn't seem offended at all
Within the closeness of their relationship, over time, George's frustrations with in the band are expressed in passive aggressive terms which is abundantly clear in this conversation.
Thanks, Matt, for clarifying George's personal problems during the " Let it Be " taping. Although a private affair for George, historically it provides context for his testy mood.
I am always amazed by the power of the persistence of myth, and how the boys weren't above shaping the narrative to their own ends. Back in the days of the immediate breakup, the story that George Harrison always presented was that The Beatles sessions during the summer of 1968 were such a drag that he was so disgusted by John and Paul's domination that he no longer enjoyed making music, but was revitalized after spending the late fall with Dylan and the Band in Woodstock, NY only to arrive at Twickenham Studios to find more of the same old scene with John and Paul. And that would have been the accepted narrative except for a few scattered bootlegs which only the most diehard Beatlemaniacs would have tracked down. But with the widespread distribution of the Nagra tapes in the mid to late nineties, we have evidence that contradicts the accepted narrative of what caused the break up. According to these tapes, George is apparently recharged and eager to work with the Beatles, and as you have shown songs like All Things Must Pass were not rejected by the Beatles because of John or Paul's overbearing egos.
My understanding is that Peter Jackson's crew have had access to software able to recover "lost" conversations due to extraneous background noises, and I am eagerly hoping that we get some new insights into all that happened during the Get Back sessions.
I agree with you that George's chaotic life at this time hasn't been examined carefully enough. He's on painkillers due to dental problems, Eric Clapton's ex girlfriend Charlotte Martin is living at Esher and Patti Harrison has moved out. It won't be the last time, George is in a love triangle with Eric. It could be worse, George isn't screwing Ringo's wife, . . . yet.
The same could be said with John being zonked on Heroin. There is one scene in Let It Be where Paul is talking with John who looks completely out of it. The Lennons were remarkably candid about their Heroin usage and how they kicked it. I was aware of the "Two Junkies" clip before Peter Brown's book was published, but without the Nagra tapes, I think it would be even more accepted as Gospel than it already is.
As always, I admire your work and learn something new each time. If you don't upload before Thanksgiving, I hope you and yours enjoy the holiday.
Without John and Paul there would have been no Beatles . Really . George was great but the amount of songs Lennon McCartney wrote together separately within the band was amazing . They had better voices too. Let’s get real .
I guess George confessing that he didn't know how to arrange "All things must pass" within the 4 piece Beatles even after 70+ attempts didn't sound as good as "the others rejected my songs".
@@bjornerikroth I wonder who rejected "Not Guilty" after doing nearly 100 takes! Was it John/Paul or George himself still not being satisfied?
@@SuperGogetem George Martin actually said it was him who rejected Not Guilty because he felt it was underwhelming…especially since Sgt Pepper was shaping up to be a landmark album with the level of quality with John/Paul’s stuff. That’s what inspired George to write Within You Without You (an interesting song for sure, but not one I listen to much). Sorry but Not Guilty is not a good song.
I love George, but he was nowhere near John and Paul’s level. Aside from his moments of brilliance, he’s written an absolute load of duds.
1000000%. I so often see comments pushing this false narrative that George was a shy, mild mannered, enlightened genius who was bullied by Paul when in reality George was difficult and hadn’t written much of anything remotely close to the quality of Lennon-McCartney leading into the Get Back sessions
"Dick James" was their song publishing company and "the kids" were their songs. John was never a bonafide heroin "junkie", he snorted a lot of heroin apparently but never shot it up, never became that kind of user. A "real" heroin addict who can't go more than a few hours without it, who liquifies it with a lighter and a spoon, ties off his arm (or leg after the veins in his arm collapse) and shoots up, gets hepatitis from dirty needles, who can barely keep his eyes open let alone function in life - that was not John. So the "wacked out on heroin" description people make is an over statement. Great channel - keep up the good work!
I am of two minds about this whole discussion. I can certainly see it from Georges point of view and I do think if they , Paul especially would have given more leeway to play more of his ideas on guitar in John/Paul songs they may have been even more interesting , to me at least. Take Hey Jude for instance, George was attempting to play some fills in the arrangement but got stifled by Paul. In fact Duane Allman ended up doing a version with Wilson Pickett where he played all kinds of fills and soloing over the end which were fantastic. Then again you can't argue with the success of Hey Jude as Paul arranged it! I think on Abbey Road you can hear George being given more leeway to play fills and short solos that really standup well. To my ear you can actually hear him play a lot more guitar than he had since the early days but by then he was way more up to the challenge! Anyway great segment on this!.
For sure..... On the other hand, it would have been odd to give him equal treatment, because of the Lennon/McCartney songwriting arrangement. Harrison would get to accurately represent himself while the other two would have to perpetuate the construct that they are co-writers. The breakup had to happen.
Paul was a better guitar player than George (and obviously John). He killed it on revolver.
Everything on this channel is interesting and very well presented with great insight. The best Beatle stuff out there by far but all subjects have been really excellent.
Thank you, Joe - more to come!
agree. always an event when Matt releases a new video. love it.
With the six hours of footage forgetting there’s gonna be some meme material in there’ll boy I can’t wait
I couldnt help but notice that How John was brutally honest, he never hides his problems,. Even tho he wanted to leave the band, he always tried to hold it all together.
By having his girlfriend present at all times at the sessions?? Yeah, that will help LOL
@@Fritha71 It helped him. Thus, he was helpful with the project.
Great stuff. I like Paul's conclusion that at the end they got it so close to perfect that the objective was consistently achieved despite difficulties of the process of getting there. She Said She Said was the one song as far as I know where McCartney stormed out and the rest finished it without him -- yet it still worked and the ideal result was achieved.
Supposedly it is the only Beatles track on which Paul doesn't appear in some form.
And the bass is absolutely banging. I mean listen to the start of it, someone is just banging the same note hard sounds fab
@@timothysullysullivan2571 No. John is the only person playing in "Julia," for instance, and Paul wasn't involved in "Revolution 9."
@@makeadifference4all Good point. however he was very involved in Rev 9 on the tape loops and live mixing. They had everyone participating IIRC- Mal, engineers, etc. because it was complicated and had to be done in real time.
11:42 Paul walked out of the session for "She Said She Said", which is why John brings that up. George plays bass on it and sings it with John....Paul isn't on the track.
Sounds like John is saying to Paul: "I didn't like where you were taking the song, but George seemed keen to do it my way. So, we did it without you".
@@SuperGogetem Yep!
I was disappointed in Paul’s book “Many Years From Now” that he doesn’t explain at all why he doesn’t play on it. I’m glad it turned out like it!
@beatlesfan John said similar about George’s input on other songs, although that would be a nightmare for the publisher. I always wondered how the Publishing for Flying was dealt with because that’s credited to all four of them.
@beatlesfan Very much agreed.
George was just hugely self-conscious about his guitar play,ing at this point. He’s not Eric Clapton as he says. (And suddenly there were many other players who George couldn’t hold a candle to in some ways ) The most competent guitarist in the Beatles was his main role at that point. . So he became defensive. You actually see that in some of the clips that’ve been released, where he’s kind of “showing off” with the guitar as much as he could, while people are talking. He’s inevitably become awkward about it. It’s nice how supportive John and Paul are despite this.
I love John even more listening to this....
Johns "let the others bicker/argue while he hangs back and observes" technique is on full display here. That's something great Generals understand. To me, She Said She Said seems to be the flashpoint song, which caused the Lennon/McCartney songwriting alliance to fracture. Still together, but not fully connected anymore. You've got a great channel Matt. We are blessed to have it, and you. Can't wait for November 25!!! Have a great Thanksgiving. Cheers, RNB
Thanks again, Rick!
Nice of you to keep Ringo's portrait there - the true quiet Beatle.
It’s interesting contrasting this conversation between Paul and John and how they both feel obliged to keep tight lipped on arrangements and expect each other’s contribution, with how they were as solo artists. Quite definitely John is telling people what to play on the imagine album. Harder forJohn and George initially as McCartney just ended up playing everything on his stuff. Fame and growing egos killed the Beatles.
When they were on the ascent there was practically no time or reason to have these long conversations. But when they were in a position of a purely studio band where honesty could have meant happiness, they just did everything EXCEPT be honest with each other. It would have been nice. To avoid conflict is such an English thing.
More More More …..please?
Very interesting to hear that conversation, even more so that John, the purported leader of the band, was AFRAID to speak against Paul's direction. Would be cool to hear how John would have preferred She Said, she Said.
Excellent video as always Matt. You had mentioned that during the 'secretly bugged" lunchtime discussion that John and Paul had on the day George walked out that Yoko, Linda and Ringo were in all probability present for this. I would have to half jokingly disagree with you. From what I heard, Yoko couldn't have been there. The evidence to support this was that John and Paul were able to have a conversation and were not being interrupted by her.
Good point! She may have realized the gravity of the situation and kept quiet - or she was in the restroom. Thanks T Dunph1
... and I noticed in another discussion ostensibly between Paul and George that Linda was not backward in putting her 2 pence in...
No, both of them are very clearly present for other portions of the lunchroom tape.
I always thought it was strange that George acted so flippant about Clapton drooling over Pattie.
Wow. So great to here Paul and John speak so respectfully and with an open heart, without Contempt. Love these guys. Thanks!
I think Ringo hits the nail on the head .
He always does. He's unquestionably the most emotionally intelligent of the group. He has great antenna and he's also just a natural peacemaker.
The closest feeling I can equate to having when you post a new vid is that when I was a kid on Christmas morning and seeing the gifts under the tree.
That’s very kind of you. Thank you.
Herb Alpert's 'Whipped Cream And Other Delights' there in the background. Kudos.
So much to dig deeper for. Even snide guitar playing in the background! Fascinating! I think George should have gone solo at that point or earlier, that would have eased his frustration, and then he could still have played with the group
Great insight into George’s personal issues at home and this may have led to him walking out
John and Paul speaking here is reminding us that they were the core of the Beatles and had to pretend they weren't for the sake of George's ego.
John thought he and Paul were the Beatles, according to someone, I don't remember who.
"If you write a song, I should feel like I wrote it". I LIKE that attitude.
Brilliant video. This is how being in a band is really like. If you were in a band you get it.
This is totally normal behavior in any band. But this being the Beatles, history told the story by emphasizing the wrong things and we all fell for it!
You mean when you bring in a song you've written in 4/4 swing time, and the guitar player starts playing speed metal polka licks over it? And when you point out that it's not a speed metal polka song, you get accused of not respecting his "artistry?" Yup. Being in a band is EXACTLY like this.🤣
Matt, the view I take on George's frame of mind going into these sessions was that we see the effects of a personal and professional life in an uproar. Clapton's ex-girlfriend Charlotte had come to stay with Pattie and George right as the new year began, and (as I read elsewhere), a fondness between George and Charlotte emerged that was just too much for Pattie. If those two were in fact having an affair, as has been speculated, some real damage was being done. In order to recover, George got on course to get Charlotte out of the house around January 8 or so to get Patty back. He loved her, of course, and their third anniversary was coming up to boot. All that with this backdrop: George must have been experiencing quite a creative charge from being so close to Bob Dylan around Thanksgiving, just five or six weeks sooner -- and then finding no place for that spark to become a fire in the Get Back sessions. "Strange days indeed, most peculiar..." to quote one of John's later songs.
really interesting to hear such a candid personal conversation between john and paul discussing george ,they really were on the same wavelength most of the same time, its like a form of telepathy. I think george had a lot of issues during the sessions his marriage his artistic licence being blocked so he though by John and Paul. I all seem to get to a point where it all just exploded causing him to walk out.
You do great work. Thanks for transcribing the audio, and putting all of this material out into the Universe. It's a pleasure to watch your videos, especially your series on the "Get Back" sessions
Sorry for the late response but thank you so much for the kind words.
great as always! never heard this before. Comments: Noodling on electric guitar while a bandmate is saying something important for them is very rude and domineering (John); George is fairly passive/agressive- which was one of Geoff Emericks complaints about him IIRC; of course how direct can you be with a John or a Paul? probably a learned survival mechanism... She Said session- Paul walked out; supposedly the only beatles track on which he does not appear in any way; must've been a heck of a fight... interesting to hear John's resentments towards Paul's musical domination here. We know how George felt, but John had it too. I think maybe from some jealousy that Paul by far produced the most commercially successful and popular tracks. John knew his own genius, riddled also w insecurities. But it was clearly hard for him as Paul gradually took over. John's work probably had more artistic and cultural impact- especially on creatives and other musicians. But take Paul's hits out and look at the overall list... I think this tape is kind of like the heart to heart talk of why we're going to end this marriage- just airing it all out. You know it's over, so this is your chance to vent (john). Paul being conciliatory but he can't argue with their points- bc they are true. I think, as in families, john, paul and george martin always saw george in a 1962/63 light- weak writer; often struggling with solo's etc. He grew, but their respect only came too late. Clearly he had the best songs on Abbey Road- which is astounding if you think about it- competing w Lennon/McCartney. Also, to me it sounded like John was sincerely trying to encourage george- 'we need GH here...' Of course John's motives were almost always selfish- which he admitted often. When Brian died, he said his first thought was 'glad it's not me...' and that was one of his closest relationships.
Great recap Sully! Thanks for the comment.
I don't know if I would say that John's stuff had a greater cultural impact. The whole concept for Sgt. Pepper for example was Paul's idea, same as the tape loops on Tomorrow Never Knows and the orchestral bit in A Day in the Life. Then you add Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby and his many other tracks that made a huge impression. Even with something like Strawberry Fields Forever which seems like a quintessential Lennon track, it was Paul who pushed it into an experimental direction. I feel like McCartney's central role in shaping the sound of the later Beatles is still undervalued. He's often reduced to the guy who wrote all the cheerful pop stuff but in reality, Paul was the most diverse Beatle in terms of musical influences and talent.
@@hansmahr8627 true enough; but you're focusing musically and I was speaking about the culture in general. at any street fair you will see 'imagine' stuff and Lennon portraits and t-shirts. There are no Paul pieces or 'yesterday' posters... or it's at least 10 to 1 john stuff.
@@hansmahr8627 Great points. I often find John's songs more meaty and profound, but at the same time Paul had great influence on how they sounded - which John sometimes resented, as we've heard - while I imagine John and the others had less influence on the sound and arrangement of Paul's songs. Paul's overall impact on the Beatles is probably greater than anyone's outside of maybe George Martin, but Paul's touch is often hidden in someone else's song (ie John).
@Fab4 I said 'cultural impact' not musical. Have a great life.
Great video, thank you Matt. Although you probably have many more Beatle stories to tell, I hope you can make a vid about the ‘She said she said’ - sessions - reading the comments it sounds like it would be very interesting.. cheers.
Great work - I have really enjoyed your series on Get Back/Let it Be. I'm 55, and have been reading on and studying the Beatles since I was a young teen. I continue to be amazed when things like this are unearthed! For this album, I'm really beginning to understand the timeline better. They had a really long and tedious recording period on the White Album, took a short Christmas holiday and hit the new year on Day One of 1969. They barely had a break from each other, had time to compose much new material and all four had personal distractions in their lives. The fact that anything came from this period is amazing. And now we are learning that it wasn't all anger and resentment and that there was positivity on the project. If the new series does do any 'revisionism' hopefully its to make this point a little more accurate.
These days the word "revisionism" has been weaponized and used to discredit - especially in Beatles circles. I expect the revisionism in this case to get closer to the truth than the old tired narratives have given us for 50 years.
@@popgoesthe60s52 That is my hope as well.
That's a very good point. No band would adhere to that demanding a schedule now.
Competition in such an arrangement as The Beatles is a natural thing-Paul and John handled it really well - being objective about each other’s (and the other guy’s) talent. For example the earlier Beatle’s songs were where John’s songwriting really shined- most of the hits in ‘64-‘66 were his and Paul let it happen quite graciously and for the betterment of the band.
Alternately, then from ‘66 -‘70 (starting with Revolver) Paul’s songwriting took over and John knew it was untouchable and returned the favor and let him fully blossom. This clip of Paul and John really shows they were well beyond ego with each other. The openness, honesty and acceptance is stunning and gives real deep insight into how they respected and admired each other - an amazing and highly functioning, partnership on many levels.
George just hadn’t the chance to develop that kind of depth in terms of his relationship with them, the competition aspect was not transcended the way it was for those two. Indeed, ‘Two Of Us’!
Lastly I’ll add- I met Paul a year and a half ago on the street (NYC). We talked for a bit and it was surprising how excellent a listener he is, especially being such an effective leader. Just like this conversation with John. He’s both very kind and interested in the other person. An extraordinary guy in that sense too…
Thanks for sharing your meeting Paul! How fortunate to talk with him.
Thank you for the video! Great discussion between John and Paul. They were approaching their 30's and some of their frustrations were starting to come to the surface! I would love to hear Paul now talk about this discussion!
I really liked your opening statement of “Hey Beatle fans...” I just settled right in and knew a good video analysis was forthcoming. Thanks Matt!
You are quite welcome, Jackilyn.
As a huge Beatle fan i find these videos invaluable.
I hope there's more videos coming through, especially now that the movie is coming out
Paul "Within each other, within ourselves, we've reached something which is nearly perfect. For everyone else you listen to, you got it..."
That's so true.
Perfection comes at an expense!
@@popgoesthe60s52 Indeed and by that time they reached the end of collaboration for the common good. But the 7 years they gave us can never be bettered, and that's their (including George Martin), magical legacy.
My God, what an insightful video. Incredible analysis. Thanks for this, Matt.
My pleasure, Nathan!
This is powerful stuff. Thank you for sharing it. My takeaway is that John is trying to say, to Paul, that George gets mixed messages and doesn't know quite what his role is. On John's songs he improvises. On Paul's songs he's micromanaged. It frustrates George to know end. The final straw is having Paul micromanage him on film for the whole world to see. Remember that George had just spent a month in the States, jamming with Dylan and Robbie Robertson, Danko and Helms. Everything he said or did with that group was golden. Improvisation was valued and encouraged. (Listen to Blonde on Blonde: Sad Eyed Lady or Pill Box Hat. It's Dylan with a backing band and The Band is jamming, improvising even as they lay down the final tracks). Anyway George comes back to merry old England. He's very unhappy at home and has stupidly brought another super model into his home. In the studio, it's morning and he's getting maybe four hours sleep. Yoko is there starring at him. Now Paul is micromanaging the guitar part on a silly Paul song (with the real possibility that Paul will embarrass him on film, pick up a guitar and play the part himself). John is courageously trying to tell Paul about the problem, and your point is well-taken. John's heroin addiction may have been overstated completely. Heroin addicts typically are asocial. John here is very frank and thoughtful, assuming leadership but also being respectful.
Great comment, Dee Jay! George was fortunate enough to spend time with the Band on their upward swing. He probably would have come away with a completely different feeling hanging with those guys in 1975! Thanks for watching.
Your interpretation really makes me more empathetic towards George -whom I always felt a bit too sour. Being in front of the cameras must have been extra difficult for all of them.
Anyone has different relationships with their friends, brothers.George knew that with Paul he would be more “ micromanaged”.then with John. That was how it was with Paul. He should of got over that a long time before. As he said “you don’t annoy me anymore”. (Best line in the film). John works with Paul a different way. They play with each other more.. John said they were non-sexual lovers. It felt to me that George was more bothered by the playfulness between John and Paul then by the micromanagement. At the farm there probably wasn’t any two who had that kind of relationship/partnership and George might have stop comparing himself to John and Paul. John has always been my favorite but what I think Paul is saying is that George’s feelings about the Beatles, Paul and about their relationship needs to come out from George. It can’t be some thing that Paul brings to the table. As someone who recognizes her passive aggressive moves George is being passive aggressive.
It's fascinating to listen to the conversations of John and Paul who left such a legacy of music. They all contributed so much to fundamental changes in music, recording and culture yet agonized privately about their creative process. Remarkable!
I really appreciate that your commentary on these tapes doesn't push an agenda, you're just telling us what you hear and supplying context for it. Also, the format you've chosen for your transcriptions is the best I've ever seen.
Thank you, Dennis - high praise indeed! I appreciate the support and more to come!
Matt, whenever you post a new video, I watch instantly! Until this series you’ve done, I thought I had this period of there’s figured out. But I didn’t. You’re right, John is much more together than a lot have assumed, he seems very clear. George seems far less indifferent than I would have thought, and I can see how they would get upset with Paul, who seems to talk in circles and is far more vague in conversation than the rest of the band. On the other hand, Paul’s arrangements usually are brilliant, even when the song wasn’t originally his, a la “Mr. Kite.” I’m also surprised they brought up “She Said She Said!” As always, thanks Matt!
I appreciate the support David!
WOW!
13:02 I believe the inaudible part he said “…and a lot of the time you were saying they were all wrong”
It’s SOOOOOO fascinating to hear John and Paul talk to each other so naturally. No interview. No image to uphold. Just them talking and not knowing it was being recorded
13:43 “it’s actually gonna much better if we could just get together and say..”
Thank you for that. My hearing is not what is used to be! I almost didn't use this audio but I am glad I did as several have appreciated hearing these intimate discussions.
He says "some of the time, as we all are, wrong"
Well Matt, another awesome video. Like someone else wrote, I was going to go to sleep, but saw another video of yours popped up (haha) and had to watch it, and then read every comment! Thank you for being such a great guide as the new understanding and narrative of the later Beatles unfolds. I just finished reading the Get Back book. All of this is so revealing. I can certainly understand George’s position as the younger brother here, not getting the attention and respect he craved, and later deserved. But, I strongly feel that Paul had every right to dictate how his songs should be arranged. As I shift my feelings with this changing narrative, I can’t help but be disappointed by George… And I am amazed by how much more present Lennon was than the original Let It Be movie and the old narrative would lead us to believe. Seeing a smart and funny Lennon in the later years just makes me miss him so much more. We can write a thousand reasons that the Beatles broke up, from Yoko sitting on an amp, to many more. But my feeling is that more than anything else, it was the stress of Apple Corp and the arrival of Allen Klein. PLEASE keep doing these videos. Perhaps one day, you may figure out some way of compiling all this fabulous content into one masterpiece of content. A book? A documentary film? I hope so!
A book? Possibly. I have the outline pretty much done! Thanks for the support.
@@popgoesthe60s52 YES!!! I WILL PREORDER TODAY! :)
I saw the “ let it be “ movie at the picture theatre in 1970 . I was 13. That rooftop performance was so good, all I could think about was … what will they do next. Break up didn’t cross my mind!
George is the hardest Beatle to get a line on. His sense of humor is at times brilliantly biting and sarcastic...but frequently he's not really joking. I honestly feel he was the one with the deepest wounds after the breakup.
But what do you do if you're George? You're writing things at this point that equal John & Paul in quality...but still occasionally miss the mark, just like the others do.
I thought "Circles" was just an awful song when I heard it on the re-re-reissue of the White Album and can't imagine what the others thought...but...you also present songs like "While My Guitar..." and the shoulda been a Beatles song "Sour Milk Sea" and others only to find and you can't get John and/or Paul to take them as seriously. And you're only...only 25 almost 26 years old. What do you do? At 25...I would have probably let them have it verbally with both barrels. I think people tend to overlook the age factor with The Beatles at times. I can see a 25 year old making those diary entries in that manner...especially a "rock star".
I have a feeling, no pun intended, that when George came back he knew to hold back his "A" material for the session, just give 'em a couple of catchy tunes and get the session over.
In all likelyhood, George was an introvert, which would have made it really hard to be in the Beatles!
George said they didnt take "While My Guitar..." seriously, but I truly believe Paul did. I´m just thinking of Paul´s piano line, his harmonies, his singing like an electric guitar at the end of the song....
Totally agree very incisive ! No real management support at this stage !
I think that for what I heard here is that George was outgrowing the Beatles and was frustrated with everything that was going around the group. They should have taken some time off and then get back together after their management and legal issues were solved.
@@RicardoRMedina yes i think so ! The Beatles myth weighed on George more than the others perhaps ? Interesting how he went to the rock and roll hall of fame induction ! I think in the solo works we see the variety of talent ? George though in mind works best on ATMP apart in the Beatles ( when allowed) and the travelling Ws ?
Context is they had pressure expectations like no others !
brilliant presentation. Love this series so much. ;0)
Matt, love the graphics/singing on the way out with the band. Nice touch!
Thankyou, Evan!
there's a series on UA-cam called Understanding Lennon/McCartney, and Vol. 2 uses a good chunk of this audio of John and Paul being completely open about their frustrations working on their songs. Now, watching this video with more of these conversations, as you say here, it is startling how open and upfront they are! Thank goodness they broke up shortly afterwards, as I can imagine how they were feeling
On another note regarding how The Beatles could be having fun and then break up 8 months later, I think of an interview from Stewart Copeland about why The Police broke up: they knew that when they worked on making an album, all 3 of them cared deeply about making the music as good as possible, but as the years went by, the highs got very high and the lows were eventually just unbearable, and at a certain point you don't wanna have to deal with the lows , regardless of how well all of you can work together
Long comment, my apologies, but great stuff as always man!
That is a GREAT series. I wish the editing and narrative was tighter. But the channel's use of interviews from outside the "big" sources is fantastic. You get such a good insight from those videos.
No problem on the length - all good stuff! Thank you for watching and commenting.
Excellent comment! Thanks for sharing!
The Lennon "4/4/4" suggestion makes more sense after hearing this. They know about the "problems with George" but can't really come to terms with them in their existing working model. Eventually John decides that if they are to continue, the record space will be pre-divided between them. I don't think Paul liked that idea very much, and indeed they separated instead.
@@bjornerikroth You hear interviews with John's childhood friends that he always cared about fairness and sharing and even though he can be domineering in his own way i think we see him coming around to wanting to share equally with george - that's commendable. Paul, I don't think, was ready for that.
I hate going to parties. But I would enjoy a party if I was chatting in the kitchen with this guy
Poor George. Paul was always my favorite Beatle since childhood, but I think for the first time on recorded tape in the studio, we hear of how he can be a major pain in the ass at times. Thanks for the upload!
One thing I’ve gathered from all of these kind of videos is The Beatles really did speak in their own little language.
Yes, and I think they did it more so when they had other people around them.
Good stuff. Thanks for putting this together.
Super insightful!
Nice job as always, I really enjoyed this video, thanks!
Fantastic ! 👍
Great work!
Love it!!!
Hearing John and Paul talk freely about themselves is a rare treat. It sounds very polite, maybe because their wives were also present. The "She Said She Said" quip is interesting. Paul has only said they had a "barney" and he walked out. He has never said what it was all about. A fair guess is that Paul tried to rearrange it and John put his foot down and George sided with John. So Paul walks out. Not getting his way meant "do it yourselves then". Maybe Mark Lewisohn will provide the answer one day...
Yes, I am expecting more clarification from Lewisohn on this one too. Maybe his book will be out next year?
@@popgoesthe60s52 I think he's said 2023 as "most likely" release date so I'm not holding my breath for next year.
@@lonedrone I was hoping that with the pandemic he had the opportunity for more work time! Probably not.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Pre-pandemic he did the "Hornsey Rd" gigs just to keep him financially afloat. His ambition is huge and he is attempting to write a definitive historical account. He reckons about 10 years per book... That's pretty extreme.
Amazing as always, thanks for the video!
This is such a great series. Thank you. I hope we have another one coming before the new Peter Jackson movie?
It's amazing how subtle and gentle most if not ALL of the Beatle disagreements and "controversies" were. They worked out their issues in such gentlemanly, thoughtful and even novel ways. Is it really any wonder that the Beatles continue to cast their legacy long, long into subsequent generations? Then you compare this to another successful British act like the Kinks who were in constant disagreement, occasionally estranged from each other, constant arguing, fist fights in the studio and even live on stage. The Kinks even got banned from playing American performances for a few years. Amazing they lasted as long as they did.
Yeah the Beatles were certainly calm about all this, but sometimes at bit passive aggressive. I think a knock down, drag out fight may have helped them clear air sooner!
An amazing post! Thanks
Great job Thank you so much
Amazing video! Keep it up. It is so amazing to just hear them talk like this
Wow thanks for sharing this
I really love these!
I love all your videos about the Beatles!
Cracking video, excellent stuff!
George's diary reference to 'King of Fuh' would have referred to a session for 'Brute Force' a/k/a Stephen Friedland, erstwhile songwriter and producer (as a 'Token') of tracks such as 'What a Lonely Way to Start the Summertime' by the Bitter Sweets. Apple pressed 1000 copies of 'King of Fuh' but neither Capitol or EMI would touch were willing to distribute it. He was a Facebook friend of mine and posted some unusual and strange posts.
AMAZING channel. thank u so much.
Great stuff as usual Matt.
This is amazing. Never heard any of this. Ill have to revisit.
The scene in the cafeteria is crazy thinking you have John and Paul sitting together while the wait staff is walking by greatness
Another great post man.
Man is this fascinating stuff! Never heard this before. Thanks.
Love the series my man, keep it going!!! xxx
Good work, much to think about, a little on the sad side, youth, pressure,drugs,fame,amazing talent, such a shame, yet incredible the Beatles ever happened in the first place. Surprised it lasted long as it did considering all of the above.
I was alive in their time but, too young to be aware of the Beatles divorce. Fans had to have been crushed when the Beatles broke up
Thanks man.
Thanks for the comment, Peter. I was too young too so I was spared the broken heart, I guess.
@Disneyfamily515 Correct. Paul and John argued during the recording of She Said She Said on Revolver. Paul was so enraged that he walked out on the session and George ended up playing bass on the song. Paul's exit on the track was one of the bases of the Paul Is Dead rumour (how Paul walked out on a session and in the aftermath crashed his car and died) however later when the creators of the Paul Is Dead hoax justified that as evidence they moved the date forward a few months and said Paul walked out on a session on November 9th, 1966 even though the Beatles were never in the studio on that date. There were very few sessions where Paul actually walked out of in a huff.
Thank you for the info. Much appreciated.
Exactly what the argument was about isn't known, I think. It's been speculated that Paul left because the others taunted him about not understanding the LSD imagery in the song as he hadn't taken it - but there is compelling evidence for Paul actually having done so, in Dec 1965 with Tara Browne.
Great stuff. Thanks for the time you spend on putting all of this together.
Thank you, Steve!