Yesterday marked the 39th anniversary of the famous 1969 rooftop performance by The Beatles from their Apple Headquarters in London. This impromptu gig on a cold winter day has become legendary. After all, it was technically The Beatles’ final live performance which ended up being cut short by police intervention.
The rooftop concert does not showcase The Beatles in their finest form. It is somewhat of a ragged performance, but in a sense, that is what makes it so great. It is an authentic and insightful look at the band (and keyboardist Billy Preston). There are no sleek overdubs. The Beatles were simply running through some tracks from the ongoing rehearsals that had taken place downstairs at Apple. It doesn’t get any better than when a group of talented musicians just plugs in and plays.
The rooftop performance wasn’t a highly tight affair playing-wise, but there were some spirited performances of tracks like “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “Get Back,” and “Don’t Let Me Down.” It amazes me that an official release of this famous gig has not appeared on some sort of Beatles archival project. It is certainly worthy from a musical and historical standpoint. The set list included:
1) Get Back
2) Get Back
3) Don’t Let Me Down
4) I’ve Got A Feeling
5) One After 909
6) Dig A Pony
7) I’ve Got A Feeling
8) Don’t Let Me Down
9) Get Back
By 1969, The Beatles were a fractured band. Their demise was inevitable. But through all the drama and personal tension between some members of the band, they were able to produce their final masterpiece with George Martin, “Abbey Road.”
However, prior to work on “Abbey Road,” a series of tension-filled rehearsals and the rooftop gig were recorded. In 1970, bits of this material were culled from the vaults to compile the controversial final Beatles’ album, “Let It Be.”
Up to that point, all official Beatles recording projects had mostly been of the highest production value. For the “Let It Be” album, the essence of the project was that it showed the band in a stripped down, live setting. This was also the first time where there seemed to be a lower standard from a performance standpoint. The performances weren’t as cohesive and lacked some of the energy from the past. Still, the finer moments on this underrated album such as the title track “Let It Be,” “The Long And Winding Road,” “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “Get Back,” and the beautiful “Across The Universe” are of very high quality and can stand alongside The Beatles’ best work.
Other than the segments found on “Let It Be” and “Anthology 3,” the bulk of the historic rooftop gig had been kept in the vaults for 30+ years. In 2003, Capitol reissued “Let It Be” as “Let It Be…Naked.” Initially, I thought it was a chance to hear some undoctored live tracks from the Apple rooftop. Unfortunately, the live material from the rooftop used was heavily edited in parts. The rooftop gig still had little representation from an official standpoint.
For almost 40 years, one of rock’s most famous concerts by arguably the biggest band of all time has remained in the vaults. The Beatles’ rooftop performance at Apple is a special and unique glance at one of the most influential bands ever. Happy belated birthday to this special moment in rock history, maybe something will happen with the tapes on the 40th anniversary. In the meantime, the legend will continue to grow.
The rooftop concert does not showcase The Beatles in their finest form. It is somewhat of a ragged performance, but in a sense, that is what makes it so great. It is an authentic and insightful look at the band (and keyboardist Billy Preston). There are no sleek overdubs. The Beatles were simply running through some tracks from the ongoing rehearsals that had taken place downstairs at Apple. It doesn’t get any better than when a group of talented musicians just plugs in and plays.
The rooftop performance wasn’t a highly tight affair playing-wise, but there were some spirited performances of tracks like “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “Get Back,” and “Don’t Let Me Down.” It amazes me that an official release of this famous gig has not appeared on some sort of Beatles archival project. It is certainly worthy from a musical and historical standpoint. The set list included:
1) Get Back
2) Get Back
3) Don’t Let Me Down
4) I’ve Got A Feeling
5) One After 909
6) Dig A Pony
7) I’ve Got A Feeling
8) Don’t Let Me Down
9) Get Back
By 1969, The Beatles were a fractured band. Their demise was inevitable. But through all the drama and personal tension between some members of the band, they were able to produce their final masterpiece with George Martin, “Abbey Road.”
However, prior to work on “Abbey Road,” a series of tension-filled rehearsals and the rooftop gig were recorded. In 1970, bits of this material were culled from the vaults to compile the controversial final Beatles’ album, “Let It Be.”
Up to that point, all official Beatles recording projects had mostly been of the highest production value. For the “Let It Be” album, the essence of the project was that it showed the band in a stripped down, live setting. This was also the first time where there seemed to be a lower standard from a performance standpoint. The performances weren’t as cohesive and lacked some of the energy from the past. Still, the finer moments on this underrated album such as the title track “Let It Be,” “The Long And Winding Road,” “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “Get Back,” and the beautiful “Across The Universe” are of very high quality and can stand alongside The Beatles’ best work.
Other than the segments found on “Let It Be” and “Anthology 3,” the bulk of the historic rooftop gig had been kept in the vaults for 30+ years. In 2003, Capitol reissued “Let It Be” as “Let It Be…Naked.” Initially, I thought it was a chance to hear some undoctored live tracks from the Apple rooftop. Unfortunately, the live material from the rooftop used was heavily edited in parts. The rooftop gig still had little representation from an official standpoint.
For almost 40 years, one of rock’s most famous concerts by arguably the biggest band of all time has remained in the vaults. The Beatles’ rooftop performance at Apple is a special and unique glance at one of the most influential bands ever. Happy belated birthday to this special moment in rock history, maybe something will happen with the tapes on the 40th anniversary. In the meantime, the legend will continue to grow.
1 comment:
"Arguably the biggest band of all time?". There is no argument really, there is or was the Beatles and then everyone else. If any doubt remains, why are we celebrating a 39 year old jam session?
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