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On this day, January 2, 1969, filming of "Let It Be" began.
{edited} 1969, not 2969
Hat tip, This Day in Music
1969 - The Beatles
Filming began at Twickenham studios in England of The Beatles rehearsing for the 'Let It Be' album. The project ran into several problems including George Harrison walking out on the group on January 10th.
Let It Be (1970 film)
US film poster
Let It Be is a 1970 British documentary film starring the Beatles and directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. The film documents the group's rehearsing and recording songs in January 1969 for their twelfth studio album Let It Be. The film includes an unannounced rooftop concert by the group, the last public performance of the four together. Released in May 1970, just after the album's release, Let It Be was the last Beatles film for 51 years.
{snip}
Filming
The Beatles assembled at Twickenham Film Studios on 2 January 1969, accompanied by the film crew, and began rehearsing. Cameraman Les Parrott recalled: "My brief on the first day was to 'shoot The Beatles.' The sound crew instructions were to roll/record from the moment the first Beatle appeared and to record sound all day until the last one left. We had two cameras and just about did the same thing." The cold and austere conditions at Twickenham, along with nearly constant filming and sessions starting much earlier than the Beatles' preferred schedule, constrained creativity and exacerbated tensions within the group. The sessions were later described by Harrison as "the low of all-time" and by Lennon as "hell ... the most miserable sessions on earth"
The infamous exchange between McCartney and Harrison occurred on Monday, 6 January. Around lunchtime on Friday, 10 January, tensions came to a head and Harrison told the others that he was leaving the band. This entire episode is omitted from the film. He later recalled: "I thought, 'I'm quite capable of being happy on my own, and if I'm not able to be happy in this situation I'm getting out of here.' So I got my guitar and went home and that afternoon wrote 'Wah-Wah'." Rehearsals and filming continued for a few more sessions; the finished film only used a boogie-woogie piano duet by McCartney and Starr, although it was included in such a way that Harrison's absence was not apparent. Towards the end of the 10 January rehearsal, Lennon raised the idea of drafting in Eric Clapton to play lead guitar if Harrison did not rejoin the band early the following week. Lennon was captured on tape saying, "I think if George doesn't come back by Monday or Tuesday, we ask Eric Clapton to play", adding that this would be congenial to Clapton since the Beatles, unlike Clapton's previous band Cream, "would give him full scope to play his guitar". Years later, Clapton dismissed this idea: "The problem with that was I had bonded or was developing a relationship with George, exclusive of them. I think it fitted a need of his and mine, that he could elevate himself by having this guy that could be like a gunslinger to them. Lennon would use my name every now and then for clout, as if I was the fastest gun. So, I don't think I could have been brought into the whole thing because I was too much a mate of George's."
Former Apple Building, 3 Savile Row, 2007
At a meeting on 15 January, Harrison agreed to return with the conditions that elaborate concert plans be dropped and that work would resume at Apple's new recording studio. At this point, with the concert broadcast idea abandoned, it was decided that the footage being shot would be used to make a feature film. Filming resumed on 21 January at the basement studio inside Apple headquarters on Savile Row in London. Harrison invited keyboardist Billy Preston to the studio to play electric piano and organ. Harrison recalled that when Preston joined them, "straight away there was 100% improvement in the vibe in the room. Having this fifth person was just enough to cut the ice that we'd created among ourselves." Filming continued each day for the rest of January.
During the sessions, the Beatles played many songs that were not featured in the film. Some would end up on Abbey Road ( "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" ); others were destined for future albums by McCartney ( "The Back Seat of My Car", "Teddy Boy", "Every Night" ), Lennon ( "Gimme Some Truth", "Child of Nature" – later reworked as "Jealous Guy" ), and Harrison ( "All Things Must Pass", "Isn't It a Pity" ). The group also experimented with some of their previous songs ( "Love Me Do", "Help!", "Lady Madonna", "You Can't Do That" ) and played "I Lost My Little Girl" – which was the first song written by McCartney, when he was 14.
Trying to come up with a conclusion for the film, it was suggested that the band play an unannounced lunchtime concert on the roof of the Apple building. On 30 January, the Beatles and Preston played on the rooftop in the cold wind for 42 minutes, about half of which ended up in the film. The Beatles started with a rehearsal of "Get Back", then played the five songs which are shown in the film. After repeating "I've Got a Feeling" and "Don't Let Me Down", takes which were left out of the film, the Beatles are shown in the film closing with another pass at "Get Back" as the police arrive to shut down the show. On 31 January, the last day of filming and recording, the Beatles reconvened in the Apple building's basement studio. They played complete performances of "Two of Us", "The Long and Winding Road" and "Let It Be", which were included in the film as the end of the Apple studio segment, before the closing rooftop segment.
{snip}
US film poster
Let It Be is a 1970 British documentary film starring the Beatles and directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. The film documents the group's rehearsing and recording songs in January 1969 for their twelfth studio album Let It Be. The film includes an unannounced rooftop concert by the group, the last public performance of the four together. Released in May 1970, just after the album's release, Let It Be was the last Beatles film for 51 years.
{snip}
Filming
The Beatles assembled at Twickenham Film Studios on 2 January 1969, accompanied by the film crew, and began rehearsing. Cameraman Les Parrott recalled: "My brief on the first day was to 'shoot The Beatles.' The sound crew instructions were to roll/record from the moment the first Beatle appeared and to record sound all day until the last one left. We had two cameras and just about did the same thing." The cold and austere conditions at Twickenham, along with nearly constant filming and sessions starting much earlier than the Beatles' preferred schedule, constrained creativity and exacerbated tensions within the group. The sessions were later described by Harrison as "the low of all-time" and by Lennon as "hell ... the most miserable sessions on earth"
The infamous exchange between McCartney and Harrison occurred on Monday, 6 January. Around lunchtime on Friday, 10 January, tensions came to a head and Harrison told the others that he was leaving the band. This entire episode is omitted from the film. He later recalled: "I thought, 'I'm quite capable of being happy on my own, and if I'm not able to be happy in this situation I'm getting out of here.' So I got my guitar and went home and that afternoon wrote 'Wah-Wah'." Rehearsals and filming continued for a few more sessions; the finished film only used a boogie-woogie piano duet by McCartney and Starr, although it was included in such a way that Harrison's absence was not apparent. Towards the end of the 10 January rehearsal, Lennon raised the idea of drafting in Eric Clapton to play lead guitar if Harrison did not rejoin the band early the following week. Lennon was captured on tape saying, "I think if George doesn't come back by Monday or Tuesday, we ask Eric Clapton to play", adding that this would be congenial to Clapton since the Beatles, unlike Clapton's previous band Cream, "would give him full scope to play his guitar". Years later, Clapton dismissed this idea: "The problem with that was I had bonded or was developing a relationship with George, exclusive of them. I think it fitted a need of his and mine, that he could elevate himself by having this guy that could be like a gunslinger to them. Lennon would use my name every now and then for clout, as if I was the fastest gun. So, I don't think I could have been brought into the whole thing because I was too much a mate of George's."
Former Apple Building, 3 Savile Row, 2007
At a meeting on 15 January, Harrison agreed to return with the conditions that elaborate concert plans be dropped and that work would resume at Apple's new recording studio. At this point, with the concert broadcast idea abandoned, it was decided that the footage being shot would be used to make a feature film. Filming resumed on 21 January at the basement studio inside Apple headquarters on Savile Row in London. Harrison invited keyboardist Billy Preston to the studio to play electric piano and organ. Harrison recalled that when Preston joined them, "straight away there was 100% improvement in the vibe in the room. Having this fifth person was just enough to cut the ice that we'd created among ourselves." Filming continued each day for the rest of January.
During the sessions, the Beatles played many songs that were not featured in the film. Some would end up on Abbey Road ( "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" ); others were destined for future albums by McCartney ( "The Back Seat of My Car", "Teddy Boy", "Every Night" ), Lennon ( "Gimme Some Truth", "Child of Nature" – later reworked as "Jealous Guy" ), and Harrison ( "All Things Must Pass", "Isn't It a Pity" ). The group also experimented with some of their previous songs ( "Love Me Do", "Help!", "Lady Madonna", "You Can't Do That" ) and played "I Lost My Little Girl" – which was the first song written by McCartney, when he was 14.
Trying to come up with a conclusion for the film, it was suggested that the band play an unannounced lunchtime concert on the roof of the Apple building. On 30 January, the Beatles and Preston played on the rooftop in the cold wind for 42 minutes, about half of which ended up in the film. The Beatles started with a rehearsal of "Get Back", then played the five songs which are shown in the film. After repeating "I've Got a Feeling" and "Don't Let Me Down", takes which were left out of the film, the Beatles are shown in the film closing with another pass at "Get Back" as the police arrive to shut down the show. On 31 January, the last day of filming and recording, the Beatles reconvened in the Apple building's basement studio. They played complete performances of "Two of Us", "The Long and Winding Road" and "Let It Be", which were included in the film as the end of the Apple studio segment, before the closing rooftop segment.
{snip}
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