This BEATLES deep dive looks at the argument that took place between George and Paul on January 6, 1969. Thought by many to the the reason George left the group, the recordings reveal more about the group's working method, difficulties, and getting past problems that arise.
SUPPORT Pop Goes the 60s on PATREON: rb.gy/nhcy3
Imagine having an argument with one of your best friends, and 52 years later it’s discussed and dissected in a KZhead video.
It's The Beatles :)
Good point. I think most of us are just fascinated at the musical genius of these lads, and the kind of things minds like that clashed over. It would be like being able to hear audio of Beethoven, and Motzart as their brilliant musical minds butted over a few notes, and how they are executed.
a brave new world
At least it's the Beatles... These days every innate, trivial daily occurrence is put on the internet. It's gotten to a point where content is more important than facts or validity. Just some bored shmuck.... ;)
Will Paul & Ringo remember much about this after over 50 years, I wouldn't....
Ringo Starr: The World's Most Patient Drummer
I was listening... thinking Ringo probably is tired of this shit. I wonder if his opinions weren’t welcome... Or he just wasn’t interested in stepping in it.🤣👍🥃
Not that I'm taking sides... F@ck it--> I'm on Paul's side. What's so "controversial" about just keeping it simple (melody and guitar chords) until everyone learns the changes and then starting to experiment with the arrangements? Really, George? That's not a good suggestion? Please!!!
@@rman52 beautiful comment. Agreed.
@@rman52 Exactly, my thoughts too... Paul was the only driving force of the Beatles at that time
Cast here in the role of "Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Film."
It's unfortunately a no win situation. George at this point seemed desperate to leave, and was looking for a way out, and Paul knew it, but was fighting as hard as he could to keep it together. Lennon was lost to drugs and Ringo was actually the glue that probably resulted in Let It Be getting finished! Mad to think but never underestimate the importance of Ringo, he was everyone's mate and I think they all enjoyed being around him
And this whole time, Ringo is like, "I'll let this play out" The other peeps in the back didn't care. Seems to be that this was Paul's band and not John's. Strange how times have changed at this point huh?
When George said “You don’t annoy me anymore.” That says everything.
But yet he was hella lying. Hard to negotiate and cooperate when someone’s being nastily passive aggressive
George was being a drama queen
Yeah, that line says a lot.
That told me that spiritually he had already left the band.
George spent alot of time by then hanging out and playing with other musicians so coming back into The Beatles to do another project was like a step backwards for him. Magical Mystery Tour, same thing, Paul's concept with a flimsy script and they just improvised and hoped for the best.John and George weren't excited about doing it. Same with these sessions. They had grown beyond the band, wheras Paul was still putting all his energy into the band.
"Do you want to do 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer?" surely a sentence George never said again.
Very funny. I wonder if he was being sarcastic when he said it this time...
@@tonylaughlin6663 ohhhhh yeahhhhhhh.....
@@tonylaughlin6663 That's what I first thought too, that he was being sarcastic "Do you want to do.....hmmm, idk, ..... MAXWELL'S SILVA HAMMA? (sic)
@@silasmarner7586 George's approach sounds devilishly sarcastic... but who knows? ... other than they seemed to dislike that one... like John would say "one for the grannies!"
Ikr. I couldn’t believe he actually said that! Lol.
"Let's simplify it, and then complicate it where it needs complicating." That is advice that more songwriters, arrangers and engineers need to hear.
Yet, it ended up almost retardedly simple all the way.
@@hugoklau when in doubt, simplify, the acoustic version is way better than the electric anyway
@@hugoklau Yeah, but that's all the song needed was simplicity. If they all decided to go through the song doing their own thing, then they wouldn't have been able to hear what was working and what wasn't working. In the end, they got the best of both worlds because they simplified the instrumentation while George got to play the bass line on the telecaster and improvise in that way.
@@milessmith6611 They should have scrapped it altogether, along with for example Maxwells silver hammer. Its evident now that it was Paul that started the break-up by forcing his often silly idiosynchrasies on the rest of the band.
@@hugoklau Lol, really? Scrap Two of Us? Two of Us is a great fucking song out of the Beatles catalog. Yeah Maxwell's isn't the best song but some people do like it and I don't think George or Johns attitude towards Paul made those sessions any easier
I feel bad for George, when he came in with the song my me mine, he seemed so excited, but the rest of the guys didn’t show much interest…. So much so that George finally said dejectedly “it’s ok if you don’t like it, I’ll use it on my solo album”. He reminded me of a child that is so excited to bring home and show his parents his artwork that he made in school, and his parents didn’t give him the reaction that he was hoping for….
As a matter of fact Paul said I me mine was very nice and made some comments. I have have just seen it in the documentary Get Back. John said somethng it was waltz as if he didn't appreciate it being a waltz as they were a rock band. But soon he is dancing to the music with Yoko. So he liked it. I don't know why you said they didn't show interest. They showed interest.
@@dabreu well, George must of felt that way also, because he did say it’s ok if they didn’t like it cause he would use it on a solo album….I doubt he would have said that if he didn’t feel rejected in some way… again we are talking about feelings, and feelings of rejection do t always jive with the facts of a situation… I believe george FELT rejected by the other guys, even if other people in the room had different feelings…. And plus Paul has said in interviews that they should have paid more attention to George’s songwriting
and for the record his solo album has 5 songs that are far far superior to the bottom 5 on either Abbey Road or Let it be.
@@paulg444 just no. His best songs were on Abbey Road. A couple were decent on All things must pass, but most was filler. He literally put every song he ever thought of on that. All things must pass was also much better when the Beatles played it together.
@@paulg444 The End, Carry That Weight, Golden Slumbers, SCITTBW, I’ve Got A Feeling, One After 909, The Long And Winding Road, For You Blue, and Get Back were all very good songs. All though I don’t hate Her Majesty I just don’t think it’s a song if it’s that short
Paul: I always hear myself annoying you George: you’re not annoying me anymore John: *strums Ringo: *thinking about being in the octopuses garden
Yeah, a passive aggressive retort if I've ever heard one.
"I'd like to be....anywhere but here..."
"I'd like to be....anywhere but here..."
@@joetowers4804 bears repeating.
I like how when they are speaking you list the 4 Beatles on a black screen and place the text of their conversation beside the person speaking. That is a brilliant idea and it helps a lot.
Yes that was great
I just want to second (or third) Steve's comment. A fine job, Pop Goes the 60's!
totally agree with steve's comment, as i was looking at the clip i thought the same thing, i guess i could've made my own comment though hahahahahahah
Yes I agree was a good idea
Definitely. Otherwise I’ve had a hard time in the past making out what was said
It's weird to hear John not being the argumentative one and just observing in the background
He even seems respectful, like he maybe agrees with what Paul is saying but he doesn't want to offend or invalidate George. This argument seems so much like a brotherly argument. Its like John is trying to be the buffer, Paul is respectfully trying to let everyone know that they aren't making progress and they just need to break it down, and George is feeling downtrodden or something. Overall, very interesting dynamics
Maybe it was partially due to usage of heroin around that time. Just guessing
You know, out of this series of recordings, John, known for his sharpness, has been shown to be pretty quite the whole time. In some ways this was probably a concern, he just couldn't be bothered any more.
@@Draganism Well entranced w/ Yoko at that point too.
@@jamesanderson348 Yoko was the main factor, I bet.
I was expecting Ringo to chime in and suggest something, and then the three of them simultaneously say "Shut up, Ringo"
I just love how casually George calls Paul ‘Paulina’
Sounds like it wasn’t the first time lol
He doesn't
I was wondering if anyone else caught that!
Seriously, is this the most polite “argument” in the history of rock? When I think “argument”, I envision yelling, name calling, f-bombs, etc. This is just going through the motions.
Well stated, Jeremy.
I think just the presence of the camera rolling suppressed it a wee bit. Even tho they could've said, "CUT OFF ALL RECORDING DEVICES!" and bashed it out.
Arguably true, but was it because they tried to behave in front of rolling camera? Remember during the recording of 'She Said She Said' Paul shouted F-bomb and storming out?
Im a Lynyrd Skynyrd fan...those guys got in fist fights over a chord. This is nothing. Lol
This is actually pretty tame compared to John & George coming to blows a few days later.
George: dyou wanna do maxwell's silver hammer? John : *strums aggressively to distract them*
Almost as if to say, let's just do it, this way..
@́ Note: Maxwell's stupid Hammer is timeless: it sucked before they recorded it, during, and will suck through eternity.
@́ Hey, everyone has their own taste. I'm not here to knock anyone's opinion. I just feel it's the worst in their catalog.
@@rudolphguarnacci197 I read, but could be wrong of course, that John didn't really like Paul's old fashioned 1920's type songs as Beatles songs, like When I'm 64, Your Mother Should Know, Honey Pie. But Maxwell's Silver Hammer, if John didn't like that one, you would think he would have laughed at the lyrics because the story was such a naughty hoot. We'll never know....
@@rudolphguarnacci197 have you heard the song "number 9"? i think that might compete with the worst beatles song
It was great to finally see the entire "argument". As presented in "Let It Be", it appeared way more contentious and ugly. But when viewed in its full context, it was simply a creative disagreement.
Exactly, not an argument at all. Just two creative people having a creative differences
@@steeeebs7286 yes ..where one was so happy with the friendly debate he leaves the band
@@rODIUMuk I don’t know what film you were watching but he didn’t even leave then he left as he was watching Paul and John laughing and singing The Two of Us, it looked like he felt left out. John also told Ringo he didn’t like what he was playing for drums on his Dig A Pony, Ringo didn’t get into a huff about it the way George did, but I guess he was having some personal problems at home at the time so maybe that explains it. I thought Paul was perfectly polite with everything he said to George or everyone else for that matter.
@@lindakelly9552 watching the whole film you can see the “argument “ in a different light. Paul is frustrated because even he doesn’t know what is not happening with the song at this moment. Just talking about simplifying the song. George is frustrated because until Paul knows what he wants, nothing he, George, does is right. Thus “I’ll play what you want or I won’t play at all. Once Paul figures out he needs to play acoustic, George added his part, John does his part, Ringo his part, and the song becomes a classic. George says something like, “that was quite nice after all the problems we had. It was a beautiful loving moment. A moment he felt in sync with his mates. I agree, George left because he felt very left out at that moment, was having troubles at home and had a two year old tantrum. Happens
I didn't even hear a argument just work
Paul seems like that one person in the group project that tries to get everyone to do their part but having to do 90% of the work in the end
OMG, yes! Like every group project EVER!
You can also view the situation as Paul trying to decide when , where, why and how. Not cool either
@@stratcaptain66 As I understand it, the alternative to Paul deciding all those things at the time was to have nothing happening/getting done.
@@MechanicalMarketer253 not true. George wanted respect and Paul wanted it to be Paul McCartney and The Beatles. Have you heard all things must pass? That’s what he had, yet John and Paul wanted none of it. It’s kind of funny because Paul didn’t have any album that was even close to All things must pass.
@@georgethebugeater7950 Paul was definitely a workaholic and a perfectionist, which frequently clashed with John and George's more laid-back work ethics. But Paul was also paranoid about being too controlling and struggled to walk the line of keeping everything together while not being too dominant. John was jacked up on heroin, mentally tapped out and just generally dealing with his own issues of existentialism (there was also some sort of falling out between him and Paul the year before, but what the details of that are still a bit of a mystery). George was also obviously tired of playing second fiddle within the group because he had recently blossomed into a very talented and ambitious songwriter himself (but only so recently that John and Paul had yet to take notice, only really doing so right before the end during the Abbey Road sessions). Combined with the fact that he often had a hard time expressing himself and tended to bottle up his emotions and you have a recipe for disaster. Meanwhile Ringo was just along for the ride because he enjoyed hanging out with his friends. So you essentially have a situation in which Paul is the only one actively trying to keep the Beatles together as both a band and as a musical brand and coming up with new creative ideas and projects to keep that train going, while John and George were distracted by their own ambitions. In short, no-one is truly to blame here, and the four Beatles had simply grown apart creatively and musically and could no longer work together as a cohesive unit as they each had their own styles and ambitions and wildly different work ethics.
George : "You don't annoy me anymore":. That says everything.
Right?! That line was demolishing.
@@joetowers4804 Not really. That kind sounds like something one of my teenage daughters would say.
I love George, but that is just typical passive-aggressive bitchiness from him--we have to be careful not to sanctify any one of The Beatles. George's problem in the band (they each had them) was that John & Paul were just far grander musical talents than he was. George & Ringo were 100% essential to The Beatles, but that doesn't change the fact that John & Paul were the writers and innovators & characters.
It's a pretty mean putdown but he knew he'd get away with it.
@@carlbaumeister3439 fantastic contribution.
I love how George called Paul “Paulina” ahahhaah
I thought that I was the ONLY one who heard that. He's actually calling him "Bitchie"!
THAT caught me by surprise! I think Paul missed it 😂
haha,, I caught that too,, he was being a Paulina
That was good ,backhanded little George comment
Glad to see there are at least a few on here who aren't joining the kiss Paul's a-s party!
After loving Two Of Us for most of my life, hearing how it comes together is even more magical. They’re frustration thinking that they’re in a stalemate when you can actually hear it being sculpted and coming together.. even through the chaos.
Yes, and once they reconvene at Apple, George says how great the song has turned out after all the difficulties at the beginning, so that was a nice moment.
He calls him Paulina lol Aside from that, they're rehearsing for a TV show that it seems only one person is really into doing. It's stressing everyone out being in this film studio, being filmed, for a project that doesn't really seem like it's a good idea to do. All their conversations being taped and captured. There's loads of people saying George is being passive aggressive. But he says "but I don't think you really know what that one is." Which ends that famous statement, "Whatever it is that will please you, I'll do" now that theres context. BECAUSE HE'S RIGHT. Paul doesn't know what he wants. But he's putting pressure on everyone to get ready for this tv show that's happening in less than 2 weeks, and he wants to get 20 or 30 songs rehearsed and ready, and they're only on SONG NUMBER 4. It's like dude! Your committing everyone to something you think can be done, and getting frustrated that everyone isn't seeing how nice you're being and diplomatic and trying to get a work ethic going. But you've got 12 days to get 20 or 30 songs together, with a group of musicians who haven't performed live in front of an audience in YEARS, trying to write brand new songs, rehearse them, and know them so everything sounds super professional. In a cold, unworkable environment that no one is enjoying being in, while being filmed THE ENTIRE TIME, with every conversation being recorded with or without your knowledge. PEOPLE NEED TO BACK OFF GEORGE. He's absolutely right. Slowing down the process by jamming and improvising? You cannot get 20 or 30 songs ready in 12 days, when you can't even get past song 4 deciding whether to uncomplicate or complicate it. You've got 15 more songs you haven't even either written or rehearsed just to make that TV special last 30 minutes!!!! Cuz all your songs last no more than 3 minutes tops. That's why Long and Winding Road, goes on FOREVER! He's asking the impossible from them, on a project that's not a truly workable idea in the time frame they've got. And being filmed while doing so adds to the drama. 8:17 --- FAMOUS LAST WORDS, as Paul has them attempt a song that describes killing 3 people. But Oh! Darling has nothing to worry about, he will do them no harm. :D
Good comments and especially after the Get Back release. Get Back completely changed the narrative of the entire project and I’m glad it was released over that garbage put out in the 70’s.
Ringo made some great points
I was gonna say ... he just wouldn’t shut up. And all that playing in the background whenever the others did start talking ...
lol watching the get back sessions you can just see the words he's not saying lol he's more annoyed than all of them.
lol
@@dylangifford6174 Often times Ringo was the only Dr. in the asylum.
The most overblown argument in the history of music.
@@jonkelley4694 Yes! 😂
Exactly
Agree completely. Blown out of proportion to gain media attention.
For sure !
Ain't that the truth?
Ringo has recently said we wouldn't have made so much music if it wasn't for Paul. You can see he is really the musical director and I guess the unofficial band leader in the last few years. He had to be the true task master to kinda push things along.
@@mp-rn6lb maybe. Or maybe Paul was the only one left that had the consistent drive to work like they did when they used to have a manager (besides Ringo). Perhaps John was looking for a way out and moving on with Yoko. We are not John; we’ll never really know.
@@mp-rn6lb The band never recovered from Epstein’s death. They needed his guidance and authority. Paul even mentioned it in the film - they haven’t had a father figure, an authority (they trusted) since Brian died. Allen Klein was the wrong answer. Dick James sold off the controlling shares of Northern Songs, which was probably worse. More than anything else, the business end broke them up.
@@mattquinlan4629Maybe you are right, John was looking for a way out to spend his time with Yoko, or maybe he felt humiliated by Paul's posturing and obvious leadership challenge, which in turn unsettled the other 2 members of band, especially George.
I also get the impression that Paul is the leader and is trying to push things through. Even ito enthusiasm, it’s just more apparent with Paul. It’s like John is willing to take more of a step back and let Paul do the management stuff, like navigating the relationships.
Facts
As a musician myself with a number of uneventful bands behind me I can say that this is most probably NOT the reason why George left. This is just a REGULAR rehearsal between bandmates that have been working together for years. You get to know the ins and outs of everyone, and with that knowledge come tiredness. Just like in a relationship, the tiny nuances that were fascinating and new at first become boring, irritating details that trigger friction and may lead to discussions that were not so big a deal in the first place. They end on a playful note trying to break some of the tension because they know this is the process, yes it can be incredibly amusing, but it can get rather dull and difficult sometimes. They should know.
You’re a “musician” that is unsuccessful and nobody has ever heard of. Doesn’t really make you a musician...it just makes you some dude that refers to himself as a musician. I like to play basketball but I’m not a “basketball player” just because I play hoops on Tuesdays at the local community college gym. Get real, Dude. Get back
@@Micknkeithable I get your point, but I actually have a bachelor's degree of music in music theory so yeah, I think I'll continue referring to myself as a musician. However, I don't understand why you decide to get fixated on the details of my life rather than the actual point of my comment lol. Seems like you just need to chill at that local community college gym ✌
@@Tom_Coppola defintion of musician "One who makes music a profession or otherwise devotes himself to it, whether as composer, performer, critic, theorist, or historian." I believe you qualify.
This wasn’t why George left. It was an argument he had with John off-camera.
@@Micknkeithable That wasn't a very charitable thing to write. How do you know he isn't a musician - because he might not not be rich and famous? 99.99% of musicians aren't, FYI. I thought his comments were insightful.
The Beatles: *release Sgt. Pepper's and Magical Mystery Tour the same year* The Beatles: *create Let It Be album and White Album the same year* Also The Beatles: "We don't get anything done"
many popular musicians at the time released the same amount of music, if not more, while touring (which The Beatles didnt after '66). I think that's part of the reason they felt obligated to put out more music.
Things were produced much more quickly then, it’s just the way they operated - whereas today if an album hits keep milking it with tours etc rather than have some studio time when you’re not on the road and might produce a flop. How many (potential) great songs get lost as a result? By way of example, 5 years is the gap between the last two albums by both Adele and Arctic Minkeys. It’s also the full duration of the Smiths recorded career.
Monkeys. Not Minkeys.
@@troubledjoe6201 In Hip Hop, you have similar speeds for artists realeasing albums or mixtapes these years. Probably, it is just harder to innovate in the field of Rock and Pop these days, because so many things have already been done. I don't think any bigger artist keeps good material in their lock only because they think they make more money like this.
@@aheendwhz1 Possibly and interesting point; I'm thinking more about how a more regular release cycle might push/motivate artists to come up with something that might otherwise simply not exist, rather than keeping stuff in the locker. The clip appears to show Paul hacking out Get Back under the pressure of "we've got to get this done because the release date is X". OK, He's not a fair point of comparison for 99.99%+ of artists but I cant help wonder!
the craziest thing about the whole Let it be project is that it took place just over one month after releasing a double album. Nowadays groups don't release anything for at least two years after an effort like that; let alone film themselves putting together all new tunes
Well, most people have normal jobs and can't devote an entire month to something like that.
@@gh87716 he was referring to recording artists, not plumbers and firemen
They were better musicians back then because they had to be. Didn't have recording tricks and technology that masks mediocre musicianship.
Because they already made name for themselves and don't really have to tour to promote their stuff, nowadays artists put so much effort on touring and promoting
It’s also because they were the greatest band in history
Anyone who’s ever made a record with people they’re extremely close to would not call this an argument. It’s just how records get made. Arguments employ yelling and words that start with F… but that’s also how records get made.
Right, I hear Paul laying out his own manner of songwriting which sounds like: Building a framework first, then adding the 'furniture' and then the flourishes last. Whereas George's style of writing seems to be hands on, making sound - whether bare bones or stylized from the outset. Just two different approaches.
I agree. Passion & warfare. Have some balls. People are way too left wing, snowflakey, woke and sensitive these days, in the workplace etc.
YEP - the frustration for me - was trying to get everyone to work on just one song at the time - and if you stopped to talk about an adjustment - everyone with a guitar - would drift off into playing riffs not even associated with the song at hand. I would end up yelling at the top of my voice to get everyone back on track. I finally got a digital program - played all the instruments myself - soon an entire album was finished - solo is much easier than dealing with a band.
The get back sessions really showed this
Yep I think a lot of people in bands recognise this. And the worst part is having these conversation when guitars and drums are around, somebody will either interupt you with an ear splitting little ditty or theres always one who insists on keeping 'jamming' so you cant talk or practice anything. You have to really structure this sort of thing
George is getting a bit passive aggressive, but to be fair being in a band is bloody difficult. Imagine the pressure being in The Beatles.
Paul and George knew each other even before Paul met John.
Ringo said on Stern that without Paul's work ethic not much would have been done.
Paul is absoultely right. When you study the basics, you have a hell of a lot more to improvise off of, and you are consequently more familiar with the music on a bigger picture level. Sounds like George just wanted to loosely play by ear, but that's hasn't been very efficient obviously, which was the reason Paul was saying.
100% agree
Or George remembered something that had worked at a previous rehearsal, and wanted to give the song some structure he thought the part had.
@@glenforde6558 they agreed who wrote the song will drive rehearsal. So, Mr. Harrison was bitching.
@@krollpeter looks like Paul was in this particular instance.
Yeah, bury George that makes sense.
On a much smaller level I've struggled with a similar problem that Paul and George have. I value the idea of getting the basics down to muscle memory so that later on you can improvise and flesh out the song. My best friend who is also a bandmate, believes in just jamming aimlessly until something clicks and that's the song, and you don't change much. It doesn't matter how long or random it is, that's the song because it happened naturally like everything is jazz. When working with a gun for hire session musician, you can say "listen, this is my thing and you'll do it how I like it, or you don't get paid." But when it's a close friend and musical colleague, you feel the need to endlessly compromise your vision as every musical decision becomes personal to everyone's ego. We should all do what's best for the song at the end of the day.
It's simple. just use someone else.
I always hear myself...you know...annoying you
I think should let it take it course music always comes together
Jamming has its place but structure always produces the better tunes
Spoken like a controlling solo artist.
None of this was ever really meant to be heard... I’m not complaining, of course It is very cool to hear and even cooler to get proper context George doesn’t appear to be as pissed off as portrayed in the movie, John appears to be helpful and Paul appears to be trying too hard to make everything work.... That the song emerged as an acoustic classic is testament to the beauty of their minds
What do you mean, none of this was ever really meant to be heard? Where is this audio from anyway?
@@somekindofbox264 These discussions were private conversations... they were recorded while The Beatles were getting the songs together...some of it was used in the original "Let It Be" movie but as pointed out by the very title of this particular video, it was completely out of context....EVERY band has these conversations, disagreements and arguments before they settle on an arrangement of a song or abandon it altogether
They did a brilliant job reworking it and making it juuuust right in my opinion....
You´ve got to consider this ¨argument¨ was all done in front of cameras. I´m sure it could´ve been a very nasty row if they hadn´t been on their best behavior.
In liverpool that's not a argument that's a discussion with a difference of oppions
Then, what's an argument in Liverpool?
Chicago, too.
A Liverpool argument usually involves sleeping with another's wife..
@@tdunph4250 Which means Ringo and George had quite a row . . .
@@carlbaumeister3439 you would be correct sir!
The fundamental problem that every band faces is that music is incredibly personal and individualistic. Anyone who writes a song is trying to hear it in their head the way that they want to hear it, and that doesn't normally line up with how others want to hear it. So there's an inherit friction in any band, some deal with it just fine and let cooler heads prevail, and others really struggle with the ego. Because they can't express their creativity in a way that is satisfying to them.
Great point!
thanks expert
Just like everything in life, humans need hierarchy. Things go much more smooth when there's a clear person in charge.
@@jjmarcos That's somewhat simplistic
@@lotuseater7247 it's really not. Name one human endeavor that functions better without a clearly defined hierarchy
Another important missing element was George Martin. The Beatles were essentially producing themselves here and, as you can see, it's not going smoothly. They were accustomed to his input in arranging their songs and his absence is notable. They made sure to bring him back for their final project a half year later: Abbey Road.
They weren't as tight a unit without Martin and they knew it deep down.
They were also undisciplined, but yet resented Paul's efforts to impose some discipline on the rehearsals. Poor Paul couldn't win for trying, and I think that many of John and George's frustrations went beyond Paul, but he ended up being the fall guy.
John basically asked Martin that they didn't want him to help them make a "dishonest" album like supposedly they did with the overdub heavy _Sgt. Pepper_ and _Magical Mystery Tour_ or the four-solo-artists-making-one-double-album _White Album._
Yes, in other words, let's not make another one like our greatest body of work, let's make an album that sounds like a bunch of demos. Fortunately Glynn Johns and Phil Spector were able to salvage what they had, but it did require some overdubbing in the end.
This is a standard discussion for practically any band. I wouldn’t call it an argument. I mean, there’s this, and then there are the full blown arguments in other bands - shouting, swearing, violence. Thanks for putting the alleged argument in perspective - I wonder if it will make the Peter Jackson cut.
@@jonkelley4694 It's a hesitasion with his voice.
@@Sesamox I agree. If it hadn't been, he surely would have edited the offending noise.
@@Sesamox - Yes, almost like “umm”, as he’s formulating what he wants to say. Jon Kelley is either a really stupid man or a very smart two year old.
@@jonkelley4694 “.... was 💨 lack of preparation....” Preparation-H perhaps?? 😂😂😂
@@Sesamox Sometimes hesitation takes other route. 😂😂😂
This is gotta be the most peaceful, quiet, polite, argument, I ever heard in my life . This was an argument???
You've never been to Liverpool, have you? The words are polite in the way that being stabbed slowly between the 5th and 6th rib is "gentle". But they were more or less brothers and remained so even after all the legal squabbles of the early '70s, and you get that clearly in both "Anthology" and "Understanding Lennon/McCartney" Oh, and "this HAS be,,,". Be nice to English. Itz uh grate langwich.
Isn't it the British way? Like the queen saying "It would be so nice if you weren't here, wouldn't it?"
They were being filmed. Cameras off, this could have escalated into a fist fight and the Beatles breaking up right there and then.
@DEKMAN99 well said mate. Well said
Most definitely one of the best Beatle-related videos dropped on KZhead in recent times. Will check out more from your channel, thanks!
Thank you for this! I did think Paul was featured in a bad light here in the movie/series, and in many respects it was undeserved. Two of Us is one of my favorite songs by The Beatles, so I love that final version. I’ve never been in a band, but I’ve been involved in too many group projects in the academic field. Caro in another post nailed it - One person usually ends up doing most of the work, despite trying to get everyone to do their part.
The problem though is that Paul was expecting everyone to do their part his way rather than respecting the creative process of the band as a whole. The video also points out that John (and George) are trying to get him to lead more on his song and be more specific about what he wants for the song but he doesn't want to be seen as dominating the creative process, so he continues to be vague despite clearly having a certain vision in mind. A leader shouldn't be expected to do all the work, but they should at least be expected to lead.
I believe Paul really didn't mean to come up as evil or annoying... but he didn't really have that "leading" quality, that leader charisma that's necessary to ease down various independent minds and make them work as one. John might have had it in the early days but at this point he wasn't very interested in leading. I think Paul just was SO involved in his own creative path that he neglected the other's feelings... but I don't think he was intentionally mean to George. Paul might have failed as a leader, but let's not forget that his pushy attitude is what helped to get those last records made.
@@Kate-sx9uh that's exactly what I mean... John was good at persuading people and he gave that vibe of knowing what he was doing (even when he did not know a thing about Allen Klein). Paul was right about most things but he did not have that persuasive quality... John was also very good ay convincing a lot of people that Paul was the "bad guy" of the story (to the point where many people still believe it today).
@StarStabbedMoon Maybe you should remember that this only captured three weeks of the Beatles working lives before you pass judgment on Paul. They were under contract to complete another album and film which had been put off for two years. Paul at least attempted to honour it. The others couldn't be bothered.
Paul is trying to balance the fact that he's a naturally nice guy while still getting his music made.
And he’s not being rude. No one is yelling your insulting. Just a bunch of guys getting frustrated cos the magics not there.
@@MrBobbyFreakout well…. i think the other thing here that people dont remember is these four guys are BEST friends. and best friends can be like siblings when they fight. also, when tensions are high between people that know eachother extremely well, they notice all the subtle words at each other. its obvious paul knew george felt he was controlling in the past-and paul was trying as hard as he could to not let it seem like that here.
@@MrBobbyFreakout And because of the bass player's chronic genital itch.
@@grouchomarxist5612 haha. The long and nagging itch
@@grouchomarxist5612 One of us has itchy patches/penis scratches/on my way to the pharmacy
The other thing making George very touchy was his marriage was kind of coming apart so I think he had alot of tension at home too. Plus george was the kind of player where he needed time to work stuff out. Once he did he came up with cool stuff but it took him a while to craft his part and I think Paul was feeling the pressure of this live show they had to get ready for and so the stress of that pressure and george needing space and time to work it out was not working. For the last 4 years they had taken months In studios to complete projects now suddenly it was like 1963 again where they had to get it together quick and they had kind of lost that ability
Paul or John would write a song, so they would know what they wanted long before they got to the studio, whereas George was expected to come up with something quickly.
George was very fed up with Paul by then, to understate the point. As early as Rubber Soul Paul was capable of yelling "No no no!" when George failed to read his mind straight away about how and what Paul wanted him to play. If you listen to Revolver you'll notice George is not playing lead on any of Paul's songs. And apparently Paul threatened to veto Taxman unless he played the solo. Luckily for all that actually worked out superbly with Paul playing one of the best lead breaks ever.
@@neilpemberton5523 Some of the Paul guitar solos were a result of George Martin's impatience with Harrison's songs taking valuable time from the Lennon/McCartney hit making cash cow.
@@halweiss8671 Thanks for that! I was not aware. I did know that George the Beatle was not a fan of George the producer. So that is part of the reason.
@@neilpemberton5523 there was no threat...lol. george martin asked paul to play the solo because george couldn't play it at the speed he intended to play..
I just watched this for the first time, I like the way you analyze the situation. I believe the Beatles loved each other like family and they were generally pretty nice to each other. We loved them so much and were like kids dealing with a divorce. In the end they were even better and nicer than I’ve always imagined. The Beatles is just a beautiful thing that happened in this shitty world.
Hearing all this makes it even MORE amazing that we wound up having the masterpieces that resulted, that we all loved. I had always kinda thought that while there were egos involved, they had the songs largely written already and it flowed more smoothly.
Def seems like Paul is trying to walk on eggshells to not offend George
George seemed to be a bit of a passive aggressive personality.
@@Sirharryflash82 he kinda did, why we love him tho. Very cynical and what not, but I could see how a controlling personality like Paul would confikct w a passive agressive George
Right. This argument is about George not wanting to be told what to play. And it seems like an argument they've had a lot, from the sound of it.
@@Sirharryflash82 No one seems to see how manipulative Paul is. He has always been keenly aware of when the cameras are on, and when they arent. Thats the reason why all of the Beatles hung out after the breakup…. EXCEPT Paul.
@@TheAlibabatree Ringo hung out with Paul quite a bit actually. It was George that kind of distanced himself from the others.
George: Do you wanna do maxwell silver hammer?? John: STRUMMING TWO OF US IN TOTAL DREAD
lol
Why did he dread that song man?
@@Ravellumba by then they had just heard short snippets of the song, they probably didn't hate it. It was only after they started working on abbey road, when paul made the band record several takes of the song that they started hating it, simply because they heard and played it so many times
@@Carlos-xz1qx i believe 'hate' bloomed after take 50 at some point....
I noticed that too 🤣he was like “dear god let’s just keep playing Two of Us.”
Loved this the insight & the fact you put the text next to the picture. Really enlightening. Crazy amount of pressure they put themselves under. The Get Back movie is a real treat for us to relive such a wonderful time of great music.
Your analysis, with the background, and the voices put against the avatar of the Beatle speaking. It's fascinating, informative and enjoyable. Thanks for doing this.
Great layout with the voices matching the pics! Yes being in a band can get crazy.
I can't wait until Peter Jackson's movie comes out.
@@jonkelley4694 will you shut up?
Going to be REALLY good.
As long as he shows the scars as well as the beauty. We don't need another gloss only project. I love (LOVE!) The Beatles but I know there was tesion and drama between them and want to see that as well.
I hate to be "that guy," but I'd be lying if I said wasn't interested in seeing moments where John is clearly high on h
Nah that's why he's making it in the first place, people ONLY focus on the negativity. That's just as much a rewrite of history. They didn't spend all of their sessions smashing plates
I'm with Paul on this. It is Paul's song, he is trying to work it out methodically so it sounds good and it's hard to put it all together if everyone is trying to do their own thing. Imagine four people playing completely differently and trying to make a song the blends together. John seems to see the issue and George is just frustrated that he can't do whatever he wants, whenever he wants to do it, while the writer is trying working it out. I think George is letting years of frustration over not having a louder voice on their albums get the best of him and Paul is frustrated because he just wants to make a song work and has to coddle George's feelings.
you hit the nail on the head, for years he played whatever Paul told him to play and I think he was being difficult on purpose, he could have easily just played the Chords G, A, Fm, C straight 4/4 and let Paul figure out the lyrics but he was being spiteful and improvising licks, and it's hard to come up with lyrics and figure out what type of melody while George is playing licks on that part. So George knew what Paul wanted he was being spiteful I agreee after years of pent up fustration
Don’t forget George was being cucked by his wife at the time. It’s also why he suggests bringing in Eric Clapton. Defeated bro!
@@newagain9964 Yeah George was on a low, going through a hard time, felt dejected and pissed off. He is passive aggressive at this point but I think he had a lot more going on than even the other Beatles were fully aware of.
Love how you formed the conversation first time I actually understood this.
I totally get what Paul is saying. It sounds like he's saying "Since this doesn't seem to be working, let's figure out the basic rhythm instrumental first, and get that squared away till it sounds good, before we think about what kind of lead instrumentation to add on top". That makes sense to me.
Agree
And then a few months later proves he was right by releasing a monster triple album while collaborating with dozens of other gifted musicians. “All Things Must Pass” showed just how much George was held back by the other lads
Yup. He just wanted a take of the chords so they can get an idea of the progression, and rhythm, and then they can add lead bits over it and “complicate it”
Agree. It’s not that George was wrong, he’s just being difficult. He’d likely been in that situation too many times. Paul knew they had to put the songs on an assembly line and get them sorted, then add the textures. Frankly, that’s a very productive approach. Rather than, say, the Grateful Dead approach of throwing every genius phrase in from the beginning, then trying to pare it down to a cohesive finished product.
@@drdrew3 Has nothing to do with the subject of the situation, much less prove George was right. George was being a pain in the ass.
One thing is for sure, none of the Beatles would imagine 50 years later we would be breaking this down, word for word, to try to understand what they meant. They are brothers, tired and irritable, getting up way too early in the morning and reporting to cold Twickenham studios. Another factor would be the compressed time frame of this project after the extended "White album" sessions only a few months before. Trying to come up with 12 or 14 new songs from scratch is a daunting task.
Don't forget about Itchy Dick. That guy couldn't have been helpful....
Yup - could you imagine trying to create stuff as good or better than the stuff prior?! Good god.
C Hoy - Not to mention the cameras and technicians everywhere, wires and equipment strewn about and no creative vibe in the room whatsoever.
@@crusheverything4449 Exactly. It's like John said, about trying to make music at eight in the morning and then, them filming you... Actually, all things considered, I think the lads did just fine.
I think what’s really bothering Paul is the fact that John is not engaged and doesn’t seem to give a crap and is indifferent to it all. When before Yoko, he and Paul probably went at song writing with the same drive and passion and now Paul seems like he is the only One that gives a shit and this is why he is angry and frustrated
With the release of the Peter Jackson documentary, I think in hindsight that it's unfair to put the blame onto John or Yoko for this one.
Lol, when it comes to the Beatles fandom you can always depend on one thing: If something went wrong... it was Yoko's fault.
@@captaincraig5016 Please do you think you saw everything on this 8 hour film, Yoko had much more to say than you can see on this film. I think either Yoko herself or Peter Jackson decided since she wasn’t a Beatle we didn’t want to hear from her. John and Yoko though I suspect more John was doing heroine from the white album sessions thru parts of let it be. Sometimes John looked like a zombie, they cut out the part where he was saying he felt sick and burping. All you have to do is look at John’s eyes, those were not natural, they were drug fueled. Now I love John Lennon and his music, but this was not the same John Lennon of yester years.
Really enjoying your channel. You do not just expound on your thoughts, but back them up with your knowledge and the facts you have learned and now share with us. Please keep it up; made big fan today!
Thank you for the warm comment. Plenty more to come!
A Beatles reunion would have had to be amazing to live up to the expectations people had. In some ways the fact that it never happened was a blessing in disguise.
That was exactly John's major objection thru the 70's. They got really close to doing it a couple of times, but then realized they'd have to work up new material together, and remember- the last year or two when still together were disastrous overall (aside from the deliberate truce for Abbey Road- which only took a few weeks to record)
As you say, we Beatle Nuts always go on about this spat between Paul and George only because we have filmed/tape evidence of it, but it probably happened on every album. Many artistes say tension leads to creativity (... or they split, lol!!).
@@jonkelley4694 I sometimes think I get away with it as well ... 'til the smell hits!
Exactly. On all other albums the only sound recording was for potential inclusion in a record with a little bit of chatter but usually by the time the tape was rolling the song had been more or less worked out. Here what we mainly hear is tape recorded only for the film and is material which wouldn't previously have been recorded at all. Incidentally, If you really want to hear conflict try the Troggs tapes.
@@johnnhoj6749 Which ones? I'd like to hear.
To some extent, yes. It was just all building up worse and worse by this point. "Every time we recorded it was absolute torture." - John quote
Well if these people who mad about these tension ever work in their life, they would have known that tension is part of every kinds of work/activities that needs team cooperation. I'm sure everyone has at least once be mad at your friend/co-workers or vice versa.
And after all this! The song becomes a masterpiece! It’s one of my favourite songs from the Beatles
Seems like George starts the petty ego stuff saying things like "you don't annoy me any more" and calling Paul "Paulina". John readily agreed with Paul that the way they were going about it was convoluted. Paul was pushing for a simpler approach so they transitioned to acoustic guitars at some point, and _Two Of Us_ turned out beautifully.
I’ve had bigger arguments with myself than this. 😄
Well stated, Jimmy.
Lol!!! Good one!!
Oh No Ya Haven’t!!🤪
English reserve...
@@BeesWaxMinder hah hah hah hah hah!
George calls Billy Preston... Billy: "Hey, George. What's happening?" George: "Hello, Billy. Would you like a gig? It may involve some babysitting and refereeing."
Thanks to this situation we've got "All things must pass", so grateful Paulina!
When we only hear the finished product and not the collaboration between band members trying to understand each others' concept of how a song should sound, we think of their disagreements as something terrible. But although the Beatles were a little burnt out by this time and maybe a bit tired of one another, I think each wanted to make the song right. I think their breakup happened at the right time for each to discover their own talents. Great music came our of each of their solo careers.
I think the ‘argument’ was pretty civilised. You can feel the tensions, and you do a great job of joining the dots on those, but most workplace arguments could be a lot more feisty. I’m quite impressed at how much they kept their cool. Great video and nice layout for the argument segments.
Things do hit the fan in a mellow way and then they seem to be able to face the issues head on and get past them.
I agree. I was impressed with how acutely aware Paul was of being perceived as 'the boss' and how that could rub the other members the wrong way. In years past I've read of how irritated the other members were of Paul 'running the show' too often. But here it's really apparent that Paul plays that balance very delicately.
@@milosit - the problem was Paul really came into his own 66 onward and wrote the majority of songs, since it was the rule with the Beatles," whoever wrote the song directs the song" of course Paul would be the boss on most of the recordings. John was supposed to be the leader but he didnt lead them in the 66 onward years and really, i dont think George or Paul would have followed anybody by then anyway, they were far too talented. In reality, there just wasnt enough space on a single album for them to get all their songs on, they were very different artists by Let It Be, and i think Paul was really the only one who wanted to perform live again.
I wonder what caused George to walk out a few days later. I heard a rumor that he and John got into a fight that came to blows
@@WinkDaMan07 That's interesting. John was a peace preacher but could scrap in his younger days and I once heard that George was as tough as John wanted to be. In their younger years, that is.
It is actually refreshing to hear a band of this caliber going through the same thing some of us pididdly bands do when working through the process. Reminds us that even with that kind of success and fame still they were pure about the music literally still as if a garage band. Add to that us hard core Beatles fans enjoy anything that let's us be a fly on the wall.
I’ve had countless, much more amplified versions of this “argument” in bands I’ve been in. You get four or five guys in a room, all with several ideas and all wanting their ideas heard and used and it gets to be a clusterfuck pretty quickly. We worked best when a couple of us wrote a song and presented the main structure to the rest of the band, either on a demo tape or by playing and singing it, while the others sat and listened with no instruments at the ready. Add the pressure The Beatles were under, not only to write songs, but to write BEATLE songs and it’s a wonder the fights weren’t much worse!
@@crusheverything4449 I made the mistake years ago being in a band with my wife. Led to divorce. Egos, creative differences what have you. This is why when some were so upset the Beatles broke up my take is be thankful they lasted 10 years and we got so much great music from them.
There were 3 major reasons why they all were nervous and irritated: The first one was Yoko at all times in the studio. The second ones were all those movie cameras following every movement and every little discussion between The Beatles. Third, the frosty atmosphere in that enormous Twickenham studio. I wonder how they could work at all.
After watching Get Back, it didn’t seem like Yoko was much of a problem. She didn’t really have an input other than sitting next to John, maybe whispering stuff to him, or asking one of the guys on the side to get her something so she’ll have something to do while the guys are recording.
@@DH_Artist Since John`s death, Yoko has a veto-right in all new Beatles projects (films, records, books, etc). You will never see the real Yoko in any Beatles project.
I am so grateful to you for this. so very grateful. It's perfect and thank you for knowing exactly what we needed to listen to here.
My pleasure - more to come!
Paulina! 🤣 I wish they captured John calling him Princess.
So tired of Paul. He's become so greedy.
@@rudolphguarnacci197 Especially as of late, and as good as III is, it's still sunk to #200 on the charts in just a month.
@@rudolphguarnacci197 don’t buy his stuff, you don’t have to ya’know.
@@donna. Paul should’ve said, “well Georgina, we gotta do this ya’know”.
@@johnharrison9685 He couldn't say that because it's without merit. Unlike the Princess.
As always, when I see these conflicts between Paul and the rest of them, i inevitably see Paul being totally normal, and the others either being passive aggressive, or aggressively insecure, or whatever. And yet it's always Paul that gets criticised. It's absolutely unfair.
Unfair really, especially when we know his contributions to John and George songs.
This.
John was the instigator who got the other 2 to turn against Paul. Yoko was a toxic entity in that studio and John was an asshole. They had to deliver a film and a soundtrack to fulfill a contract and these guys dragged their heels every change they got.
True. The more footage I see and the more discussions I hear between the band members, the more I appreciate Paul's patience (especially with Yoko) and also his willingness to pitch in 110% on everyone else's songs. He never just dials in a bass part or a guitar solo no matter whose song he's working on.
1000% this. Paul gets credit for being the villain just because he was still *trying* while the others goofed off and wouldn't come together. They resented him for trying to organize them, but they were often terrible bandmates. We wouldn't have anything from Pepper on without Paul.
i am watching this for the third time after watching Peter Jackon's Get Back, and i am just happy this video will soon have a million views and thousands of comments. What a time for life time Beatles fans. And such a great work, Matt. Congratulations and keep digging. This is such a big part of many of our lives
Much thank, Pepe! It is a great time to be a Beatles fan!
I just stumbled across this channel...Great video...Never seen Beatles presented like this before...Very refreshing! Thanks!
Thank you, Rick. Plenty more to come.
It's interesting to hear John being diplomatic and trying to stay out of the middle for once.
Paul always get such an unfair bad rap, when he comes across very diplomatic. John and George seemed very passive aggressive, jealous at times, and moody. They were not always the spiritual enlightened angels many make them out to be
Idk George sounds like Paul has been hassling him prior to this video i could be wrong but knowing the camera is rolling maybe that's why Paul was being more chill. But we can only speculate because this is one piece taken out of context
They never were. George seems to be difficult for the sake of it and to me has always come off a tad self-absorbed and snarky if he doesn't get his own way.
@@ricardogonzalez-om4gn True, but from what I’ve read was that this specific argument stemmed from resentment over Hey Jude a few months earlier. George wanted to do a guitar lick after every sung line (a call and response) but Paul said he didn’t like it for the song...the rule they had was whoever wrote the song would get veto power to shoot something down. George got very pissy about it, pouted, and refused to play anything. In Paul’s defense, it was a terrible idea....it would’ve ruined the song...but George took it personally.
@@danielebowman Exactly. Crazy how so many people think George was a mild mannered angel just bc he was quiet in interviews
@@pts5217 I agree. A guitar lick wouldnt work on that Hey Jude song!
Let it Be was basically a Paul song but George's guitar playing was fantastic. Come together was basically a John song but Paul's bass was absolutely astounding. All their music all 4 contributed. What a good little rock and roll band! 😍
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Thanks for the comment, Paul.
That's for sure!
"Good" and "Little" are two words I would never use to describe the best band that ever existed.
i would argue the best part of come together is ringo's drums. paul's bass is so good too, he's at his best on abbey road for sure.. come together, she's so heavy, and his best playing is on something by far.
I rarely hear arguments that are so civil! They are always gentlemanly.
I think people underestimate the pressure cooker The Beatles lived in. George, Paul, John and Ringo could all have their moments because like everyone else, they are not perfect. When George was seriously ill, Paul sat with him holding his hand ... that says everything about their relationship.
Paul: “Let’s get the confusion unconfused THEEEN confuse it where need be” George, Ringo, and John: *visible confusion*
Seems feasible now - music de-confused and then confused. They seemed to work that way more often than not.
*Confusion of the highest orda*
A bit right half brain thinking but then there ya go...... I guess it comes with the territory.
I think he means let’s start it simple then add all the flairs and extras after.
This is so illuminating! I always thought their rift was over George's contribution to "I've Got a Feeling." Never knew it was about "Two of Us." It's really fun being a fly on the wall, listening to how the creative process works. Great stuff. Keep it coming!
Thank you, Steve, - plenty more to come!
This is indeed the best narration and presentation of what is happening. Thankyou!!!
My pleasure Douglas! Thank you for the warm comment.
George is playing what he feels spontaneously. And sometimes that results in great parts. And Paul wants to focus on basic tracks and leave more specific parts to the overdubs. I suspect George doesnt want to lose what he's coming up with spontaneously because he likes it.
Yes You've got to catch the creative sound then or loose it.
When they played George’s tunes did he not yell out what he wanted and needed on the track, yes he certainly did. And Paul was trying to eat back to basics first and then build on it after. It was his song, he had every right.
“let’s get the confusion unconfused, then confuse it.” LMAO
Been a fan since 62 ! IMO Your channel is the BEST factual and reality based on facts on You tube ! Anyone that's a musician and or was EVER in a band knows the supposed "ARGUMENT" was a normal part of the learning curve of working up a song in a band atmosphere . Wether its a Cover or YOUR own material that's how it goes a lot of the time !
Thank you Vito - I appreciate the comment!
Poor George. No one in all of the history of music suffered so much peer pressure.
The new "Get Back" movie proves that they were still very much together, and great friends. It was Twickenham Studio that was miserable!!! As soon as they were back at EMI with Billy Preston, the mood took a complete 180. They were all still best friends.
Absolutely a big change in the right way
The best comment you made is this: "I don't think this is that big of a deal". I have always found it amusing that some fans use that small snippet from the "Let It Be" film of Paul & George having a little squabble - as a big reason why they broke up. This is just such a minor little argument. Both Paul & George make a real effort to squash it and move on - almost immediately. I have always said about this particular incident... that if you feel this is some big deal - then you must have never seen a real argument. Pretty much every band that has ever existed has had real fights - that would make this exchange between Paul & George seem like a pillow fight at a middle school girl's sleepover. I have communicated with many people over the years - who see this small portion of the LIB film as THE beginning of the end - of the group. To which I have always said... you have got to be joking. And you are also correct - when you say lots of people think this was why George left the group (and those people are all completely incorrect). George told the others he was quitting the group - after he and John had a real major fight (after which John actually suggested getting Clapton to replace Harrison). It had nothing to do with this tiny bump in the road with Paul. The little disagreement with Paul happened - and then was over within minutes... and basically forgotten. There is a quote that I heard from Ringo - where he says that Paul would be sort of directing us in recording sessions much of the time. Then if George or someone else felt Paul was being too bossy - McCartney would back off.... but then nothing would get done. And then they would be like - come on Paul, direct us. So it seems that in terms of "being bossy", Paul was sort of damned if he did... and damned if he didn't. He found himself in a tough position... and in my view - he did the best he could (and the end results of the LPs that were created from 1967 on - speak for themselves... some of the greatest music ever made).
It's difficult to properly judge the argument without the context shown in this video. I saw the scene as George sticking up for himself against the subtely condescending Paul. It could sound like Paul was trying to "simplify" George's part because it's "complicated". As we learned here, Paul was actually talking about the arrangment of the song as a whole. It obviously wasn't a perfect conclusion, but with what knowledge we've had til recently, it was a sound one.
I remember that Ringo quote. It's also interesting how big Paul's input to Don't Let Me Down was. He really doesn't get enough credit for his arrangement skills. Of course having George Martin producing these sessions in a studio setting would have helped. thanks for the insightful comment!
@@popgoesthe60s52 Actually george's Riff and complicated lead part make the song
@@victorarena23 not really
This is so great thank you for the analysis and for how you show us who is speaking.....GREAT STUFF! So appreciative.
Thank, Kenneth! I appreciate the comment.
These are the most elegant and polite arguments ever. Fantastic videos dude. I have been a Beatles fan since my childhood in the late 70s and early 80s. I use to watch Birth of the Beatles when it would come on television. And my mom rented the Complete Beatles for me in 1983 after it came out on VHS. I had a copy of The Beatles, Lennon and Me when I was 9 years old. One of my favorite books was Here, There and Everywhere. Anyway, good work.
Thank you, Erik, more to come.
Fascinating...first time I've heard the argument in full - Paul is surely correct in what he's saying about not over-complicating things too soon. Probably switched to the acoustic version to avoid further conflict - a pity as I prefer a faster version of 'Two of Us' as performed at the beginning of the Let it Be film.
I’m so glad they went acoustic on it. Unusual way to start a Beatles album. Fantastic version.
Paul was always correct in his own mind. I give George credit for never taking a swing at him.
@@neilpemberton5523 even to the point of reworking Let It Be in his desired direction years later :)
@@adamrobinson8620 Well I don't blame him for doing that. He didn't like what Phil Spector had done to the album.
@@adamrobinson8620 Actually that is the exception to my usual allegiance to George and John. Phil Spector butchered Let It Be with the full backing of John. When Paul heard the result he exploded and left the band. And at least Paul was still trying. John's contributions to the last two albums were pretty weak by his usual standards.
Paul is like "don`t press me into that role again where I am the bad guy because I don`t like your idea - I will not say that even though I mean it!" George is like: "I already meditated myself above even caring about your eternal bossyness and disrespect, so there" Both are hurt.
Time stamp?
lmao okay put words in their mouth...george was. very bothered as well, none of them were any high beings..
@@freebird3004 True, a lot of people almost sanctify John and George, which obviously means Paul is the evil bossy brat who made them suffer. Others think Paul was a saint and say the others are the worst. If we're honest, they're all still human beings, and this was a particularly hard and tense period, so all things considered, this was pretty tame. That being said, in this particular discussion, I do side with Paul a bit more. It is his song after all, and he's only trying to get it right. That's only natural.
Wow - this is a fantastic walk through of that "argument" that cleared up some questions I've had - even after watching "Get Back." There's really a wealth of knowledge here that is condensed in this 14 minute video - so well done.
Thank you, sappo!
There are a lot of really worthless "hot takes" and deep dives on the Beatles and music generally on KZhead, but this was absolutely fascinating and I loved how it was framed in the video. Thank you for putting all this work into it.
Thank you, Arthur - more to come.
i LOVE you. these vids are just so interesting as I love going deep into beatles stuff. :-) There is nothing better than listening to the best songwriters in the world work out their music. And the fact that you're breaking it down so well makes it even more amazing. THANK YOU
Thank you, Anthony - more to come!
I completely agree with Anthony's statement.
Ye I agree , this is all fascinating stuff
Right on, Anthony!
Awe I love seeing a man say I love you. I’m not gay just love caring people.
The other three are whinging away and Ringo's just sat there wondering if he should have beans on toast or chips, beans and egg for his tea or if he should he chance it and hope the chippy is still open.
Well done, sir. Talk about being spot on! #GetBack
I feel bad for Paul. Guy just wanted to work and everyone totally antagonized him for it
Shame we didn't get to hear the part where George says " hey guys, can we wrap this up already? Ringo's wife is waiting for me"
Eric Clapton is home with Patti.
DID HE REALLY SAID THAT LMAO
@@zairaanika4236 I don't believe so, but he did have an affair with Maureen.
@@zairaanika4236 na it's a joke
Y'all read that book too,huh? "You Never Give Me Your Money?? Whoooo Doggie! Pretty Brutal. In my top 5 Beatles books! Andy's Beatles Gear Books as well. Shout! by Phillip Norman, and Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn. George Martin's books are a whole other thing. It seems the best ones stick to either music or personal lives exclusively. "Shout" actually does a good job melding the two.
Similar to Paul's and George's approach to learning a song (getting the basic rhythms down first vs. writing licks concurrently), George also brings up that Paul always has his own part written and nailed down before George gets to write his part, or Paul would apparently say "play this." Just more proof that a breakup, at least between these two, was inevitable
Yes, I agree, he fundamentally didn't wanna work that way with Paul. He just didn't..
Or that Paul was better prepared and invested in making one last good record than George. I think he had pretty much checked out at this point, going through a divorce, fed up, etc.
@@fifthbusiness1678 I think if you are in a band you need to need learn how to compromise all ideas into a song, this song is also a dud.
John used to say they would go off on their own holiday and Paul would write songs and ring them up and say lets record and John would rush to write some stuff to bring to the session. Brilliant stuff but he was rushed and resented it.
This has to be the most polite argument I’ve ever heard
very interesting my friend I've never heard this before. Thanks for up loading. Tony Leics uk.