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Post by Steve Marinucci on Jul 25, 2008 10:15:43 GMT -5
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Post by John S. Damm on Jul 25, 2008 10:54:42 GMT -5
That is a pretty good summary, Steve, of why we don't have a gloriously restored Let It Be dvd with extras. At this point all we can reasonably hope for is the actual movie released on dvd with little to no extras albeit cleaned up as we marveled to from the bits on Anthology.
I don't think that the four camps could agree on or even have the enthusiasm or interest to go through the possible bonus footage.
Thus the least Apple could do is give us a cleaned up version of the movie on dvd with nothing more, like how Paul's Broadstreet was handled: an excellent dvd of the film itself with virtually no extras and no packaging. At least we have a nice version of that on dvd.
The film Let It Be is a fact, it existed. We should at least be able to watch it in a modern format in the best available condition. To not release it is regrettable historical revisionism; it would be Apple pretending as if LIB never existed. It did exist, warts and all(and some damn good footage too) and should be released even if to little fanfare.
Would I love a deluxe Let It Be on dvd with lots of bonus material or a 2008 "Director's Cut," sure! Now though I would be happy just to have the original film(cleaned up) in the dvd format legally.
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Post by mikev on Jul 25, 2008 11:59:38 GMT -5
As an owner of a legit VHS (which I transferred to DVD years ago), I would be happy with a least a 5:1 restored (for the studio bits at least) wide-screen version of the original movie.
The original VHS is mono, grainy and at the TV ratio, which is really terrible during the roof-top sequence.
In addition, some of the film performance footage is not in sync with the audio (during the rehearsals mostly). I would at least try to clean some of that up.
But, I think the biggest warts were already shown-mostly the big "fight". Big whoop. Even when George left the group-at least on audio-it was pretty non-eventful.
They can follow Paul's recent tradition-put out a regular release and follow up with a deluxe package months after when most die hard fans already bought the basic package ("Memory Still Intact").
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ImBigK
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Post by ImBigK on Jul 25, 2008 19:40:35 GMT -5
As I alluded to in another post, there is a restored LET IT BE sitting on the shelf, basically ready to go. It was prepared just prior to the ANTHOLOGY, and the clips seen in that project reflect the massive improvement in quality to be found. The initial reason claimed for delay was that its release would have detracted from the then-forthcoming ANTHOLOGY. However, it's widely rumored that one of the four Beatles/estates is opposed to reissuing it at all, which seems pretty likely to me, given how long it's been in limbo now. To understand why all previous home video versions (including laserdisc editions) of LET IT BE looked and sounded so terrible, you have to look a bit at the history of the project. [I've covered a lot of this stuff elsewhere, so those of you who have heard this before please forgive me.] When it was first planned, the show was going to be a television special about the making of a new Beatles album, GET BACK. Because of this, the footage was all shot on 16mm rather than 35mm film. There were two primary reasons for that: 16mm film has essentially the same aspect ratio as a television screen, and with the broadcast standards of the time 35mm would have offered no visible improvement to the picture quality seen on TV. 16mm also cost quite a bit less than 35mm, making the total project cost more realistic for television. By the time the filming had been completed, it became apparent to all involved that rather than a celebration of a new start, the film essentially documented the breakup of the group. In that light, the original idea of a television special seemed inappropriate. Furthermore, the Beatles were still contracted to United Artists for one more feature film. Thus, the decision was made to 'upgrade' the project to a theatrical feature. There were a couple of technical problems with that idea. While 16mm was fine for television, virtually all theatrical movies had by then gone to a widescreen format. In order to present the film in a standard theatrical ratio, the 16mm frames had to be blown up to twice their normal size, then cropped across the top and bottom. This resulted in the proper wide format, but also produced a visibly grainy and somewhat washed out look to the finished film. The use of stereo sound in films was still somewhat uncommon at the time, so UA decided to issue the movie in stereo, partially to offset the relatively poor quality of the visuals. However, the primary audio for the film was recorded in mono, so only the music was actually in stereo. Jump forward a decade and home video begins to emerge. One of the earliest titles issued was LET IT BE. Like most home videos of the period, it was transferred from the first available print, which in this instance had not been particularly well preserved. The color, which wasn't especially vivid to begin with, was even more washed out, and scratches and dirt were also visible in places. As was standard at the time, the transfer was made by centering the camera on the frames from the theatrical print. This had the result of cropping the left and right from each frame. What the home video was left with was actually only the center of the original shot... the top had been cropped for theatrical release, then the sides cropped for home video. This also meant that the image had once again been blown up, adding to the grainy quality of the picture. Furthermore, VCRs of the period were mono, so the home video master of LET IT BE was dropped to mono as well. This had no effect on speech, but substantially threw off the mixes on the songs. The net result was that the home video had both an inferior picture (cropped on all four sides and blown up twice) and inferior sound (all songs reduced to mono). Couple that with the fact that the label (Magnetic Video) had no great reputation for quality under the best of circumstances, and it's little wonder that every copy in circulation is pretty poor. For the restored video, the original 16mm film footage was located and matched to what was used in the theatrical cut. The color was then restored, and enhanced to correct for lighting issues and the like, resulting in the great looking clips we saw in the Anthology. They were fullscreen because that's the aspect ratio that was originally shot and how the image was intended. Therefore, the restored video is fullscreen. As for the sound, a full 5.1 surround mix was prepared for the songs. I don't know what other options were intended for this release, but I suspect the 5.1 used 'best available' for the non-music sequences, and might have offered an option to select the original mono or the theatrical stereo versions as well. [Note that these latter options are speculation on my part.] Best of all, some 20 minutes of new footage was selected and inserted into the film for a 'director's cut' of sorts. This primarily consisted of complete song performances, and was said to show the group in good spirits, offering a more balanced look at the Beatles in a studio setting than the film previously had. Obviously, this never made it to production. I suspect that the explanation linked above, that it 'raised a lot of old issues,' is truer than we'd like to believe. While adding some more positive footage may have helped in that respect, it apparently wasn't/isn't enough. Given that Apple ignored the obvious timing back when LIBN came out, the evidence is that whoever is the holdup isn't likely to budge any time soon. Oh well, maybe one of these days some bootlegger will manage to make a copy of that restored master. I can dream, at least. -Big K
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Post by vectisfabber on Jul 26, 2008 3:56:24 GMT -5
Very informative post, BigK - thanks hugely. I would add that the Apple sequences have full multitrack recordings and could therefore be mixed into 5.1 sound, whereas Twickenham had only mono recordings, so any 5.1 mix would be essentially artificial in nature ie. based on separating out different frequencies like the old artificial stereo stuff, albeit using modern technology.
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ImBigK
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Post by ImBigK on Jul 26, 2008 8:30:56 GMT -5
Vectisfabber-
Good point about the Apple sequences. There is actually one small portion of the Twickenham stuff that also got recorded from two sources, purely by coincidence, but it only amounts to something like 30-40 minutes out of the hours and hours that were shot there. There's a boot floating around where the two sources have been synched and de-clicked and it is kind of fascinating to hear in stereo.
-Big K
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Post by jimc on Jul 26, 2008 8:43:51 GMT -5
"Sync the second clap, please."
Sorry, everytime I think about Let it Be, this phrase loops in my head.
Thanks for the information about the film. I agree about the timing with LIBN -- if it wasn't to be then, then why ever? I don't expect it.
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Post by John S. Damm on Jul 26, 2008 9:25:13 GMT -5
However, it's widely rumored that one of the four Beatles/estates is opposed to reissuing it at all, which seems pretty likely to me, given how long it's been in limbo now. Is it the Harrison or Lennon camp, if you know BigK? Like I said, I'd be happy at this point just to get the existing cleaned up version released on dvd with no fanfare, no extras, and no more packaging than what the regular LIB albums had back in 1970(I'm not talking about the limited boxset). That should be a happy compromise to the objecting camp: LIB is released but to no self-created fanfare. The fans now have a nice, legal copy of the film on dvd to shut us up without too much attention drawn to the indifferent performance of John throughout(assuming it is Yoko objecting) or George being bullied and humiliated by Paul(if it is Olivia objecting). It is ridiculous that so much important Beatles material is sitting in the cans, including modern versions of the albums, while we get prickteased by stuff like LOVE or now a documentary on it. Every two-bit rock group now has their album catalog rereleased in gloriously remastered sound with great dvd's of their live shows available to fans but not The Beatles.
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ImBigK
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Post by ImBigK on Jul 26, 2008 10:54:32 GMT -5
Is it the Harrison or Lennon camp, if you know BigK? From what I've heard, near the end of his life George himself either made some disparaging comments about the movie or specifically said he'd just as soon not see it ever again (or something to that effect), and now Olivia has taken that comment to heart. That said, the source I've seen for this is not as reliable as the other information I've posted above, which is why I didn't specify earlier. -Big K
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Post by Joe Karlosi on Jul 26, 2008 16:32:15 GMT -5
Is it the Harrison or Lennon camp, if you know BigK? From what I've heard, near the end of his life George himself either made some disparaging comments about the movie or specifically said he'd just as soon not see it ever again (or something to that effect), and now Olivia has taken that comment to heart. That said, the source I've seen for this is not as reliable as the other information I've posted above, which is why I didn't specify earlier. -Big K Uh-oh .. I hope this is not true... we've come to take for granted things like this with Yoko, but I really hope Olivia's not the stick in the mud. It would be WRONG to avoid this historical document. I definitely recall George saying in an interview (early 70s?) almost this, verbatim (some paraphrasing added): "It's a good film, because it shows our warts. For me personally, I can't stand seeing it -- but for those who like to see 'our warts', it's good".
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Post by Steve Marinucci on Jul 26, 2008 17:58:08 GMT -5
From what I've heard, near the end of his life George himself either made some disparaging comments about the movie or specifically said he'd just as soon not see it ever again (or something to that effect), and now Olivia has taken that comment to heart. That said, the source I've seen for this is not as reliable as the other information I've posted above, which is why I didn't specify earlier. -Big K Uh-oh .. I hope this is not true... we've come to take for granted things like this with Yoko, but I really hope Olivia's not the stick in the mud. It would be WRONG to avoid this historical document. I definitely recall George saying in an interview (early 70s?) almost this, verbatim (some paraphrasing added): "It's a good film, because it shows our warts. For me personally, I can't stand seeing it -- but for those who like to see 'our warts', it's good". It's been known for a long time that George was a major reason that "Let It Be" wasn't released on DVD. There was a thought when he passed away that that would no longer be a consideration, but apparently he's not the only one against its release.
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Post by mikev on Jul 26, 2008 18:44:25 GMT -5
Okay, then let's try the LIBN (aka Edit Be) start from scratch approach...a DVD of 5:1 live unspectorized performances....call it Get Back or something original...
I'll buy what you want to put out or I won't buy any Apple product at all. Whatever it is to please you...I'll do it.
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Post by Sir Frankie Crisp on Jul 27, 2008 0:29:53 GMT -5
Is it the Harrison or Lennon camp, if you know BigK? From what I've heard, near the end of his life George himself either made some disparaging comments about the movie or specifically said he'd just as soon not see it ever again (or something to that effect), and now Olivia has taken that comment to heart. That said, the source I've seen for this is not as reliable as the other information I've posted above, which is why I didn't specify earlier. -Big K Well that’s just freakin’ great. We’ll never see a legitimate release of Let It Be in our lifetime if that’s the case. As much as I dislike the movie I’d be the first one in line to buy a new-fangled, four on the floor, remixed, remastered, high def, low fi, surround sound, wide screen, boxed set, multi plex, dolby, limited edition director’s cut with rack and pinion steering. Anything would be an improvement over that craptastic VHS copy I bought 80 years ago at K-Mart. I always thought Paul might be the one stalling a re-release of the film. As much as I like Sir Titsaloft he comes across a bit too domineering in Let It Be - kind of like a school teacher trying to regain control of a class. The Beatles energies are either spent or focused elsewhere and to his credit, Paul is trying to provide direction. At this point in their lives John would rather be in a bag with Yoko, George would rather be picking a lotus flower with a bogey yogi and Ringo’s thinking about his next film project. Who knows, but Paul may see himself in a less flattering light all these years later. Actually, I’m of two minds about “Let It Be.” I have always been uncomfortable watching the Fabs trying to get their act together for the cameras while they were drifting away from each other. It’s sad to see a tattered end to a storybook tale and the film itself is a mess. It’s amateurish, the music is out of sync with certain scenes and it looks like it was edited by Stevie Wonder. And in spite of that the music holds it together and the final scene on the rooftop still gives me goose bumps and makes it all worthwhile. And while we’re at it, if you’ll pardon my French, what the hell happened to Magical Mystery Tour? Why haven’t we seen this on dvd? I have a washed out VHS copy that makes my eyes bleed. I remember when it was originally released it went over like a pay toilet in a diarrhea ward. It’s a disaster of a movie but once again, I’d be first in line to buy a revamped version. I like the Merry Prankster vibe to the film but it would have helped to actually have a storyline. In spite of its shortcomings there are some great scenes like “I Am the Walrus, “The Fool on The Hill” and the big Busby Berkeley send up with “Your Mother Should Know.” There are millions of Apple dollars to be made but they are squandering their opportunity.
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Post by Joe Karlosi on Jul 27, 2008 5:59:00 GMT -5
It really is absurd that LET IT BE is not out, and I hope it's just a rumor that one of the Fabs (or their wives) are the ones putting the brakes on its release. This is history and it's The Beatles and their great music. I also think it's important to show the band at this later stage of their career, and not being just your typical happy-go-lucky moptops. But then again, maybe that's what Apple wants? I've toyed with the notion that perhaps Apple wants to craft this fake "LOVE, LOVE, LOVE" and fairytale image of The Beatles and maybe does not want to show them looking so bland and grim.
Well -- there will always be bootlegs being sold in the meantime, so Apple had better realize that.
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Post by barbara on Jul 27, 2008 8:28:36 GMT -5
I swear I read once Paul saying that it was nearly ready and would likely come out that year (this was a few years ago now). I never thought it was Paul that stalled the project. I know George , for years, opposed anything Beatle related. I heard he only did Anthology because his finances were not good at all. I never heard anything about him not wanting Let It Be out though. It's not like he would have had to particpate to the level Anthology required. If anyone had ever told me that George would have been the driving force behind LOVE I would have thought them a tad crazy. He would have been my last choice for that. If he was ok with LOVE and Anothology I am not so sure he would care about Let It Be coming out enough to stop it. I am pretty sure Ringo would not care one way or the other about it. I assumed it was Yoko not wanting it out (don't get mad at me and defending Yoko Joe K - it is just my opinion). Yoko did NOT look good in that movie - whether it was drugs or difficult preganacy or the combo I do not know. She also looked way out of place. What was she doing there in the middle of it all? I know John wanted her there, but she did not belong. This is a woman who said they "dabbled" in heroin. Somehow that does not go along with John screaming Cold Turkey. She has sanitized the John and Yoko story and may not want that bit of film out. It would open the whole Yoko broke up the Beatles story again and she may not want that - no matter how much she has brought up being the "dragon lady". My summary of Let It Be is George and Ringo look like they would rather being having dental surgery for most of it. Paul is trying way way too hard to make a broken band work again as he was the only one who still wanted to be in a band. I wanted to shake him and tell him - it's over, give it up! John used Yoko as a buffer when he should have just quit, apparently not having the mental strength to do so. In short it is a sad film with tiny moments of brilliance. Other than a few scenes :Paul and Ringo calling each other James and Richard then playing piano together and the rooftop concert I could happily leave it on my shelf in VHS format. I honestly think if it was coming out it would have come out with Let It Be Naked and it didn't.
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Post by Steve Marinucci on Jul 27, 2008 8:45:22 GMT -5
I swear I read once Paul saying that it was nearly ready and would likely come out that year (this was a few years ago now). I never thought it was Paul that stalled the project. I know George , for years, opposed anything Beatle related. I heard he only did Anthology because his finances were not good at all. I never heard anything about him not wanting Let It Be out though. It's not like he would have had to particpate to the level Anthology required. If anyone had ever told me that George would have been the driving force behind LOVE I would have thought them a tad crazy. He would have been my last choice for that. If he was ok with LOVE and Anothology I am not so sure he would care about Let It Be coming out enough to stop it. I am pretty sure Ringo would not care one way or the other about it. I assumed it was Yoko not wanting it out (don't get mad at me and defending Yoko Joe K - it is just my opinion). Yoko did NOT look good in that movie - whether it was drugs or difficult preganacy or the combo I do not know. She also looked way out of place. What was she doing there in the middle of it all? I know John wanted her there, but she did not belong. This is a woman who said they "dabbled" in heroin. Somehow that does not go along with John screaming Cold Turkey. She has sanitized the John and Yoko story and may not want that bit of film out. It would open the whole Yoko broke up the Beatles story again and she may not want that - no matter how much she has brought up being the "dragon lady". My summary of Let It Be is George and Ringo look like they would rather being having dental surgery for most of it. Paul is trying way way too hard to make a broken band work again as he was the only one who still wanted to be in a band. I wanted to shake him and tell him - it's over, give it up! John used Yoko as a buffer when he should have just quit, apparently not having the mental strength to do so. In short it is a sad film with tiny moments of brilliance. Other than a few scenes :Paul and Ringo calling each other James and Richard then playing piano together and the rooftop concert I could happily leave it on my shelf in VHS format. I honestly think if it was coming out it would have come out with Let It Be Naked and it didn't. Barbara: As far as Love goes, I remember the Las Vegas newspaper column item that said George (and I believe Paul) had been out there and met with the guy from Cirque du Soleil. It was George's inspiration, though, that got the wheels in motion. I think his attraction to it was the transformation of the Beatles' music into a dance performance, which is basically what "Love" is. If you recall, Michael Nesmith did something similar with "The Prison" years before. I was privileged to see a performance of that (with Nesmith performing live) in San Francisco. At the time, it was not a highlight of his career. "The Prison" was a confusing work. Apparently, though, they all dislike LIB. I think, though, for historical reasons and to cap the bootlegs, it'll come out eventually.
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ImBigK
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Post by ImBigK on Jul 27, 2008 11:46:43 GMT -5
Steve-
I was about to say the same thing. From their point of view, it would be surprising if any of the Fabs DIDN'T find LIB pretty unpleasant. Of course, just letting the thing be issued would hardly obligate them to watch or otherwise revisit it. I think John may be on to something with the idea of just putting what they've got out with little or no fanfare. They could placate the fans without having to do interviews or watch tons of advertising for it. I'm sure it will eventually see the light of day -- as you said, it's historically important and readily available on boot anyway -- but God knows when that'll finally happen.
-Big K
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Post by Snookeroo on Jul 27, 2008 11:53:57 GMT -5
Lots of interesting thought and info here. I also have that old VHS of the movie, and I agree that at least a cleaned up DVD version of that would be better than nothing.
A couple of comments regarding some of the above points:
It's interesting to think that Olivia might be a big part of keeping this stalled. Most will blame Yoko.
On "I've Got A Feeling" Paul is NOT instructing George - he's instructing John who is as disinterested in Paul's direction as anyone could be. John didn't care and Paul was just trying to explain (a better word than instruct) what he wanted. I feel Paul's frustration in that scene but I guess that the bad vibes had reached such a point that Paul was in a "no win" situation. I always rebel against the popular notion that Paul is and egomanic in this movie. He was trying to keep the band together and it was an impossible task. But he didn't realize that yet.
I kind of wish John was around to say something like, ah just put the f**king movie out". It's a part of the bands history weather some people like it or not. If it's held up because the dearly departed George felt that way then it's a damn shame. The Beatles survived the admission that they took LSD, and they survived John's "Jesus" comment. The LIB movie will not harm the legacy for crying out loud.
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Post by Snookeroo on Jul 27, 2008 12:06:18 GMT -5
Here's a clip of the scene. Tell me if I'm wrong by all means - but can you feel Paul's frustration? Maybe recent history between the guys fueled John's attitude hear, but my eight-year old son can play that "falling" riff better than John does here. And I'm sure John could have done it better also.
BTW - listening to the album and movie performances it seems that george handles that particular guitar riff. It may have been handed over to him later.
The shot of Paul standing and screaming, "good morning" is a man trying to energize an almost dead horse IMO - not a guy on an ego trip. Thoughts?
Here's the clip:
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Post by pbirdchat on Jul 27, 2008 13:58:29 GMT -5
Our band played last night and I watched my copy of LET IT BE when I got home. My copy is a transfer to DVD that a friend of mine sent me from Hollywood CA. It has an audio feature to choose between 2 channel or 5.1. and it does sound a lot better than my VHS copy.
Its been a while since I've watched LET IT BE, but my main concern is the TERRIBLE EDITS! Someone earlier said it looked that it had been edited by Stevie Wonder and that's right on. If we ever do get a DVD release, I hope that complete performances are compiled even if there are mistakes. And the syncing should be addressed. I've made my own DVD's of our band taking the audio from a performance and running it through a mixing board for EQ and sweetener, then flying it back to the video performance and replacing the original audio with the re EQ'ed one. IN SYNC! It can be done.
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Post by rockwizard on Jul 27, 2008 14:33:55 GMT -5
And while we’re at it, if you’ll pardon my French, what the hell happened to Magical Mystery Tour? Why haven’t we seen this on dvd? I have a washed out VHS copy that makes my eyes bleed. MMT has been released twice on DVD....the MPI version(now out of print) and an import playable on NTSC DVD players from Avenue One. If you can't find it locally, check out E-Bay, they have a few listings for it. Back to Let It Be.......I can only hope before I die this will come out in ANY updated form. Like mentioned before, no matter which format you had this(LD, RCA Selectavison, Beta/VHS) it was in MONO and the picture was horribly chopped and bled out. Why they don't put this out is indeed a mystery. They tease us with Anthology of the cleaned up footage of LIB and SHEA, and it is still "in the can" on the shelf. What are they waiting for? Don't really know how many 1st and 2nd generation fans are still around(and really care!!), but the numbers are dwindling by the day. Why not do us ALL a favor and put this out LEGALLY? Maybe the so called "braintrust" get their rocks off by seeing how much bootleggers could get by moving this again...and again.....and again..... Kinda weird....Beatles bootlegs have been around since the late '60's and it took them all that time to realize that is what WE wanted. So...Anthology came out. And yep folks, it SO incomplete. Not to knock anyone, but maybe....just maybe with some new blood running Apple, some of the in the can stuff will see the light of day and hopefully(GASP), a remastered Beatles catalog we all can be proud of.
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Post by John S. Damm on Jul 27, 2008 16:10:42 GMT -5
Why they don't put this out is indeed a mystery. They tease us with Anthology of the cleaned up footage of LIB and SHEA, and it is still "in the can" on the shelf. What are they waiting for? Don't really know how many 1st and 2nd generation fans are still around(and really care!!), but the numbers are dwindling by the day. Why not do us ALL a favor and put this out LEGALLY? Maybe the so called "braintrust" get their rocks off by seeing how much bootleggers could get by moving this again...and again.....and again..... Kinda weird....Beatles bootlegs have been around since the late '60's and it took them all that time to realize that is what WE wanted. So...Anthology came out. And yep folks, it SO incomplete. Not to knock anyone, but maybe....just maybe with some new blood running Apple, some of the in the can stuff will see the light of day and hopefully(GASP), a remastered Beatles catalog we all can be proud of. That is a great rant and I mean that as a compliment(as was Sir Frankie Crisp's which made me laugh my ass off!). There will always be Beatles' fans but they won't be maniacs in the large numbers like us 1st, 2nd(which I claim to be) and 3rd Gen fans. I think that us maniacs have either a memory of The Beatles(I have some original memories of them as an actual group) or at least of the solo members although sadly John is a stretch for many 3rd Gens. If Apple wants to make some money it needs to get this previously discussed material out to us. The 1 Beatles Generation(from the 2000 comp. album) has proved superficial and fleeting as a whole, of course with individual exceptions. We want LIB, MMT, Shea & other filmed concerts, comprehensive videos and remastered albums NOW!
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Post by mikev on Jul 27, 2008 20:01:29 GMT -5
Okay I'm 47 now...a sort of hybrid 1st generation Monkee fan 2nd generation Beatle fan...but definitely a 1st generation Beatles cartoon person. Didn't see Let it Be (and Head)until I was in college.
Anyway...not sure if I'll be as excited when I'm 65 to finally learn that Let it Be is getting released on whatever the meduium will be...
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Post by Joe Karlosi on Jul 27, 2008 22:08:43 GMT -5
I assumed it was Yoko not wanting it out (don't get mad at me and defending Yoko Joe K - it is just my opinion). Yoko did NOT look good in that movie - whether it was drugs or difficult preganacy or the combo I do not know. Does ANYONE look especially good in LET IT BE? Everyone's bored, everyone's dragging through it. You can't have it both ways when it comes to Yoko Bashing. You can't on the one hand fall back on the old familiar "Yoko just inserts herself everywhere and into everything and wants all the exposure" in one post, and then say "Yoko probably doesn't want LIB released because she doesn't look good in it" in another. Personally, I doubt that the hesitance on this release has anything to do with the surviving two Beatles, nor Yoko nor Olivia. Probably just an Apple thing.
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Post by Joe Karlosi on Jul 27, 2008 22:13:48 GMT -5
Our band played last night and I watched my copy of LET IT BE when I got home. My copy is a transfer to DVD that a friend of mine sent me from Hollywood CA. It has an audio feature to choose between 2 channel or 5.1. and it does sound a lot better than my VHS copy. Its been a while since I've watched LET IT BE, but my main concern is the TERRIBLE EDITS! Someone earlier said it looked that it had been edited by Stevie Wonder and that's right on. If we ever do get a DVD release, I hope that complete performances are compiled even if there are mistakes. And the syncing should be addressed. I've made my own DVD's of our band taking the audio from a performance and running it through a mixing board for EQ and sweetener, then flying it back to the video performance and replacing the original audio with the re EQ'ed one. IN SYNC! It can be done. I'm a big movie fan in general, and LET IT BE (the film) is what it is. There should be no tampering or re-editing of the main film. THAT'S the original movie. I don't mind the picture being cleaned up, obviously, but for anything "new" or "Extra", I would prefer these as bonuses on another disc. And there is PLENTY of alternate unused footage to fill a bonus disc.
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Post by melody on Jul 28, 2008 0:14:13 GMT -5
I swear I read once Paul saying that it was nearly ready and would likely come out that year (this was a few years ago now). I never thought it was Paul that stalled the project. I know George , for years, opposed anything Beatle related. I heard he only did Anthology because his finances were not good at all. I never heard anything about him not wanting Let It Be out though. It's not like he would have had to particpate to the level Anthology required. If anyone had ever told me that George would have been the driving force behind LOVE I would have thought them a tad crazy. He would have been my last choice for that. If he was ok with LOVE and Anothology I am not so sure he would care about Let It Be coming out enough to stop it. I am pretty sure Ringo would not care one way or the other about it. I assumed it was Yoko not wanting it out (don't get mad at me and defending Yoko Joe K - it is just my opinion). Yoko did NOT look good in that movie - whether it was drugs or difficult preganacy or the combo I do not know. She also looked way out of place. What was she doing there in the middle of it all? I know John wanted her there, but she did not belong. This is a woman who said they "dabbled" in heroin. Somehow that does not go along with John screaming Cold Turkey. She has sanitized the John and Yoko story and may not want that bit of film out. It would open the whole Yoko broke up the Beatles story again and she may not want that - no matter how much she has brought up being the "dragon lady". My summary of Let It Be is George and Ringo look like they would rather being having dental surgery for most of it. Paul is trying way way too hard to make a broken band work again as he was the only one who still wanted to be in a band. I wanted to shake him and tell him - it's over, give it up! John used Yoko as a buffer when he should have just quit, apparently not having the mental strength to do so. In short it is a sad film with tiny moments of brilliance. Other than a few scenes :Paul and Ringo calling each other James and Richard then playing piano together and the rooftop concert I could happily leave it on my shelf in VHS format. I honestly think if it was coming out it would have come out with Let It Be Naked and it didn't. One of the most knowledeable and trusted Beatle experts with access to insider info over at the Steve Hoffman board recently said that it is Yoko who is holding up this DVD release. He didn't elaborate on the reason but I'd bet your speculations are roughly correct. I agree with your basic summary of what went wrong and why, but I still think LIB is a fascinating (if not somewhat misleading) document of the imploding of the worlds most beloved band and consider only the first 1/3 of the film to be sad and depressing (still some good moments there tho). Once they are over at Apple with Billy Preston on board the mood lightens significantly, everyone seems more focused and energized, and the Roof top concert is still a KILLER to beyold. As bad as it was at the start of these sessions, they all managed to pull themselves together and deliver. An important part of the band's history and a story worth telling and told honestly. I'd certainly welcome a 'directors cut' with 20 minutes of additional footage to balance things out to give a more complete and accurate picture of what was going on. Not counting on it anytime soon......
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Post by melody on Jul 28, 2008 0:41:34 GMT -5
Lots of interesting thought and info here. I also have that old VHS of the movie, and I agree that at least a cleaned up DVD version of that would be better than nothing. A couple of comments regarding some of the above points: It's interesting to think that Olivia might be a big part of keeping this stalled. Most will blame Yoko. On "I've Got A Feeling" Paul is NOT instructing George - he's instructing John who is as disinterested in Paul's direction as anyone could be. John didn't care and Paul was just trying to explain (a better word than instruct) what he wanted. I feel Paul's frustration in that scene but I guess that the bad vibes had reached such a point that Paul was in a "no win" situation. I always rebel against the popular notion that Paul is and egomanic in this movie. He was trying to keep the band together and it was an impossible task. But he didn't realize that yet. I kind of wish John was around to say something like, ah just put the f**king movie out". It's a part of the bands history weather some people like it or not. If it's held up because the dearly departed George felt that way then it's a damn shame. The Beatles survived the admission that they took LSD, and they survived John's "Jesus" comment. The LIB movie will not harm the legacy for crying out loud. Great post, snookeroo, except I don't believe George/Olivia are responsible for the delay. The film wouldn't taint the Beatles legacy but may shine and unfavorable light on the JohnandYoko legacy. The P & G *row* in the movie has to one of the most over-blown and misleading events in Beatle history. Reading the Doug Sulpy book on these sessions or listening to the Nagra tapes reveals that Paul did not tell George what to play (despite George lossing his cool and sarcastically saying that). Paul for the most part behaved more like a guarded diplomat walking around on egg shells than an over-bearing bully. He more or less does organize and push forward the sessions, but SOMEONE had to...
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Post by vectisfabber on Jul 28, 2008 3:10:31 GMT -5
Its been a while since I've watched LET IT BE, but my main concern is the TERRIBLE EDITS! Someone earlier said it looked that it had been edited by Stevie Wonder and that's right on. If we ever do get a DVD release, I hope that complete performances are compiled even if there are mistakes. And the syncing should be addressed. I think you are certain to be out of luck there, because I think that, by and large, there simply aren't complete edits of most of the songs. Audio tape was cheap, which is why the two Nagras were running constantly, but film stock - even 16mm - was expensive (don't forget, Let It Be was filmed, not videotaped). The two cameramen were clearly aware of the need to use film stock sparingly, hence the multitude of short film takes (as is clear from the constant sync beeps and take announcements on the Nagras). So it's a matter of syncing up whatever takes are available for that particular audio segment - which may be as few as none! - and then filling out the rest of the audio with other material which, at best, appears to match up or, at worst, doesn't conflict. Not easy, and I doubt whether sifting through outtakes will provide too much footage which will sync up better than what was done with the release print.
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Post by mikev on Jul 28, 2008 6:58:47 GMT -5
Could have been VERY interesting if it (Get Back sessions) was also videotaped the way the two singles (HJ/Rev) were. After all, it started as a TV special.
Imagine if the Beatles actually attempted a concept film circa late '69 to fufill their United Artist obligation.
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Post by John S. Damm on Jul 28, 2008 9:15:21 GMT -5
The P & G *row* in the movie has to one of the most over-blown and misleading events in Beatle history. Reading the Doug Sulpy book on these sessions or listening to the Nagra tapes reveals that Paul did not tell George what to play (despite George lossing his cool and sarcastically saying that). Paul for the most part behaved more like a guarded diplomat walking around on egg shells than an over-bearing bully. He more or less does organize and push forward the sessions, but SOMEONE had to... I totally agree that that scene of a row between Paul and George is pretty tame. I suspect that The Beatles had much more vigorous "rows" both before and after that one. The Sulpy book documents that there were much more bad feelings throughout the "Get Back Sessions" between John and George than George and Paul. It is actually rather startling when reading that book as some of the conventional thoughts about those sessions fly out the window. Both John and George swept that inconvenient truth under the rug once Paul filed suit to dissolve The Beatles.
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