After this review I will explain my history with the Beatles.
This day, October 12, is a landmark day in the storied history of Beatles books with the formal release of a beautifully designed book titled “Get Back”, the beginning of a worldwide campaign in advance of the latest gem with the same title from Academy Award-Winning Producer and director Peter Jackson. Jackson , a certifiable Beatles fanatic, is putting his unique film talent on display. And that’s what the book is all about – the musical legend of the Beatles mixed with a directors view.
It’s been 5 years since Ron Howard and White Horse pictures presented EIGHT DAYS A WEEK, the vivid story of the Beatles North American tours and worldwide destinations. I was thrilled to be a part of it. GET BACK is the story of the Beatles return to the studio to compose new material The new film takes you inside the studios watching the best moments of many hours of film and conversation. The epic begins in November. That is coming up. But first…
GET BACK, ” THE BOOK replicates that “Fly on the Wall” feeling of the best moments of the hours and hours of film of the Fabs as Ringo calls them, laughing and creating and making music. THE book is fantastic, perhaps the most important book in Beatles history. Some may dispute that, but where else would you find a written transcript of what they said matched with spectacular photographs, some of them taken by Linda McCartney. The cover and photos are brilliant, but the special part of this book is the transcripts of their voices, their critiques, the give and take during the private countdown to the end of the Beatles. In the final pages there is a definitive determination that unlike most previous reports, the Beatles were roaring with energy and solid teamwork as they finished their studio work and headed up to a rooftop to perform their final concert. Readers of the book will be able to read the words and watch the FABS, as Ringo calls them, create the tunes and aura in the studio. Conflict would come later, but for these final moments, the four “boys” from Liverpool would be creative compatriots and friends as they were in the beginning. The pictures and words are fascinating together. The writing itself is brilliant. I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy. Frankly, I can’t wait to return to the book, re-reading the quotes and staring at the pictures. You will too.
It is my belief that copies of this book will become family heirlooms passed on to generations.
The book release is the beginning of a worldwide campaign in advance of the latest gem from director Peter Jackson. “Get Back” is a six hour film in three parts arriving on Disney+ on Thanksgiving weekend and available for streaming.
The sequence of Book to Film is fascinating. Now you can read
the quotes, look at the body language and in a little less than six weeks, you will be able to hear the quotes come to life with the film. My guess is that many people will go back and forth from book to film and film to book.
The book was published by Callaway in the UK. These projects are being produced by Jackson’s New Zealand company, in association with Apple Corps, the company that quite progressively manages the assets of the Beatles as a group. Paul and Ringo have their own companies for individual projects. George and John’s families direct individual companies for their work outside of the Beatles.
In the meantime, turn the pages while you wait for Jackson’s holiday treat.
Larry Kane. Philadelphia. Oct 12, 2021.
A personal note: I’ve had a wonderful career but frankly I didn’t want to go on the Beatles tour in 1964. After getting a surprise invitation from Beatles press officer Derek Taylor and Manager Brian Epstein, I told my bosses at a Miami radio station that there were more important stories to cover. Did I lose my mind? What can I tell you? Did I know that the Beatles would become the greatest band in the world? The decision to “follow a band” turned out to be a career changer. I witnessed 55 Beatles Concerts “LIVE from 1964 to 1966, enjoyed their company om the chartered plane, in their dressing rooms, backstage, and in their hotel suites. The experts believe that I have seen more LIVE concerts than anyone still with us, except of course two guys I joined at the Premiere in London of “Eight Days A Week”, the Ron Howard-White Horse Pictures production. Their names are Paul and Ringo.
It’s been 57 years since that first tour . My career in Philadelphia included anchoring for many years, political commentaries on the radio and writing five books. There were moments when my career would take me back to the Beatles. There was the last film interview of John and Paul together in 1968, just 7 months before the breakup. In 1975, John actually did the weather on my TV news broadcast.
It is an irony that the one story I wanted to avoid become one of the biggest stories ever. In life, you never know when opportunity will strike.