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| Peter Jackson |
As we've said, Christmas 2020 will be like no previous holiday.
The reasons aren't worth revisiting.
But, this morning, a gift showed up in the form of a video from Peter Jackson, the director responsible for the Lord of the Rings films.
Jackson announced almost two years ago that he's working on a documentary for the recording sessions for The Beatles' Get Back album.
The original documentary by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg from 1970 called Let It Be, gave a glimpse into a band falling apart in early 1969.
Jackson says that he and his crew have 56 hours of footage that they've been reviewing and editing. The film was supposed to be released in 2020 but COVID delayed that. The film will now debut in Aug 2021.
As a Beatles fan (this will not come as a surprise), I had to pick my jaw up off the floor at the sneak peek that Jackson provided. The images show a different take on those recording sessions. Lindsay-Hogg's footage highlighted some terrible moments, such as George Harrison's dispute with Paul McCartney on the former's guitar playing.
"Okay, well, I don't mind," George said, responding to McCartney. "I'll play whatever you want me to play. Or I won't play at all if you don't want me to play. Whatever it is that will please you, I'll do it."
George would briefly leave the bad, leading to the idea that Eric Claption might replace him. While it was briefly discussed, the concept never came to be.
Jackson's footage provides different insights. I was struck by the lighter mood that I picked up on. George does seem to be smiling and even enjoying himself. John Lennon, who by all accounts was intending to be the first to quit the band (McCartney publicly beat him to it, but Lennon was basically gone already) smiles broadly throughout.
One thing is for sure: Yoko Ono is omnipresent. But Linda McCartney, Billy Preston and others show up in various roles.
Oh yes. August of next year can't get here soon enough.
I say all of this as I listen to McCartney III, the new album from Sir Paul that dropped a few days ago. I got an email saying that the album is $3.99 at Amazon as an MP3 download. I couldn't beat that price.
Read a review from Rolling Stone here. My take is there are some really good sounds here, and his vocals are good for a man who is 78-years old. You're not going to find the vocal acrobatics of "Maybe I'm Amazed" or "Helter Skelter," which is good because those already exist.
Oh, and if you don't already know, he plays every instrument on this, as he did on McCartney in 1970 and McCartney II in 1980.
So, to sum up: it's a good Beatles day.
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