The Beatles - Get Back (1969)
The Beatles were in turmoil at the beginning of 1969. Along with the failure of Unfinished Music and the constant bickering between members, it was Paul McCartney's new idea for a television documentary that pushed them over the edge. McCartney had wanted to return the band to live performances following the turmoil from the previous year, but John Lennon and George Harrison were not favorable to this idea at all. McCartney's dominance, Lennon's reluctance and Harrison's aspiring songwriting skills made working together impossible, and their long time producer, George Martin, took off from most of the hostile sessions. In the middle of all of this were the Beatles other two members, Ringo Starr and David Bowie. Compared to the other three, they were willing to go along with whatever the group consensus was. But seeing as there was no group consensus, Bowie decided to do something about it. When Harrison threatened to leave the group, Bowie helped calm his nerves, and he returned to the group before there could be a falling-out. With Bowie being seen as the middle-man, Lennon and Harrison became more open to McCartney's live performance idea, as well as recording for the album that would release thereafter. Bowie would be rewarded for his achievements in the near future.
McCartney's live performance idea would pay off. On January 20, 1969, after a dress rehearsal just two days before, The Beatles would perform a single concert at the Palladium. It would be their first performance as a fivesome, with this being the largest concert Bowie had every performed at thus far. The concert was a smash success and boosted the band's morale ten-fold. By then, most of their upcoming album had been completed. The album would be have a rawer sound compared to their earlier work, with the closest comparison being to the White Album. The album would produced by George Martin as well as Glyn Johns, a first for the band.
The album would be released on April 25, 1969, exactly two weeks after their latest single "Get Back" / "Don't Let Me Down" had released. It was met with success both commercially and critically, but not to the Beatles usual standards. It didn't matter to them, however. The Beatles, with a little help from their newest bandmate, felt like a whole again and were at the top of their game. For their next album, McCartney pleaded with George Martin to have him produce again. Martin replied "Only if you let me produce it the way we used to".
"One After 909", "All I Want Is You" (Dig a Pony), "I've Got a Feeling", and "For You Blue" are all sourced from Let It Be... Naked, and "Can You Dig It" and "Get Back (Reprise)" are the 1969 Glyn Johns mixes from the Super Deluxe edition of Let It Be. The rest of the Beatles' songs are sourced from Abbey Road, Past Masters, Anthology 3 and McCartney. For Bowie's songs, "Did You Ever Have a Dream" is sourced from The Deram Anthology 1966-1968, "Janine" is from Space Oddity, and "London Bye Ta-Ta is from Bowie at the Beeb.
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