THE BEATLES Work Through Uncertainty, Frustration & Humor |

Some of the Beatles inner band dynamics appear here under the guise of uncertainty, frustration and always with some humor. This episode explores some of George's issues in the band and lets the viewer eavesdrop on a John-Paul conversation about George's leaving.
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[@terryprill2510]

Give John credit for trying to let Paul know he can be hard to work with at times, leaving John to not be able to invest his best at times. Their honesty is the way a family would work these issues out. There is a "brotherly" love between them because this doesn't lead to an argument but to an honest discussion, even though it started as an issue with George, it really wasn't really all about George but about them all. Thanks for sharing this, I doubt we'd get to hear it anywhere else.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you for the insightful comment, Terry.

[@thekitowl]

Excellent 👍

[@geraldlewis2479]

You're Great fully understand and you're welcome also

[@dreamfable]

Yes. That lunchroom meeting caught on a hidden mic was where John put down a line, telling Paul, "It's okay to make suggestions, but then let us choose," instead of always dictating to the others what McCartney wanted. After this meeting, in which Paul admitted, "You...you're the leader," Paul was easier to work with, especially in Apple studios (but then came the revelation in April that he'd secretly, on advice from his father-in-law John Eastman, bought extra shares in Northern Songs and wouldn't pool his shares with the others to try buying a majority of their copyrights).

[@victorarena23]

@@dreamfable a bit underhanded

[@calvertmorgan4550]

Interesting that you heard “We need George Harrison” as John feeling that George wasn’t giving his all. I hear it as the opposite: that GH is feeling insecure about his playing, about Clapton as the better guitarist, and JL is reassuring him: we don’t want that guy, what we want is YOU.

[@donkeyboy585]

The irony there is George is the one who brought Eric into the studio and put him in front of John and Paul

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Yes that was my first thought. Basically John saying, 'you're what we need and you're sitting right here, so get it done and quit complaining.'

[@silasmarner7586]

Well put I get a bit of both sentiments coming out of John Lennon on this one both that he wanted George to be into it and that once he is into it that's the guy he wants to play on his songs

[@KinkyBing]

@@popgoesthe60s52 I still believe George lost his confidence in playing his guitar, somewhere around the moment Paul played this amazing solo on 'Taxman'. After that, George focused on other instruments like the sitar for a while, and brought in Eric Clapton when he could no longer avoid being dragged back into this rock'n'roll-atmosphere going on on the White Album. He just lost his confidence and didn't seem to mind being replaced by better guitarists, like Clapton. In my opinion, the other Beatles didn't seem to know how to deal with his lack of confidence. Telling him not to play on 'Hey Jude' and 'Two Of Us' sure wasn't the right way, even though music-wise it did make sense.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

@@KinkyBing At the moment Beck, Page, Clapton, Hendrix, etc turn it up a notch, George stepped back. He had the talent but not the drive to get better until hanging with Clapton in 1969. His work on Abbey Road and the Let It Be solo are kick ass. In his solo career he basically became a singer songwriter and the guitar was secondary.

[@mr.cowboy4960]

Funny how george casually writes “left the beatles” as if thats an everyday ordinary task 😂 He just threw that in the middle of that diary entry

[@timothysullysullivan2571]

he always had that droll, dry understated way about him.

[@arnesaknussemm2427]

Paul is clearly taking all John’s criticism on board and there is no bad vibes or shouting matches as a consequence.

[@NxDoyle]

I think John's "George Harrison" comment was as much about instilling some confidence in George as it was a chiding for George not making enough of an effort. While John surely would have known that there were relative newcomers who had greater individual abilities with various instruments, nobody could match the collective strength of The Beatles. They didn't believe the hype, they knew how good they were.

[@yeepsleep]

I came across your channel last month, I was having a really rough week but I marathoned all your Beatles videos and they lifted my spirits. Shared with a few of my friends and they loved them too. Thank you for what you do.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

My pleasure. The Beatles do tend to lift spirits! More to come.

[@MrFagedaboudit]

Copy that, Alex

[@ileanahernandezvazquez8317]

Alex Glaze I agree with you. These are the best and most researched commentary's I've come across. Excellent work and thank you for for this gift for those of us who lived for every new album of creative music that changed our perceptions of the world in such a short period of time.

[@skoumant76]

Luv that George says he feels a Paul song is his song too. Sometimes group collaboration seems to get lost when discussing the Beatles. John song, Paul song, George song are all Beatles songs

[@dabreu]

Exactly.

[@ScarletVoodoo]

It would appear to be at the heart of what George dislikes about working on Paul's song. Paul doesn't really allow for collaborating when he takes the reigns and tells him exactly what to play. I can see both sides of the argument. I get why Paul would be precious about his song, but I also empathize with George because he's essentially being handled as a session musician and not a bandmate.

[@makeadifference4all]

Fascinating to hear John tell Paul that Paul sometimes pushed the band to do song arrangements that John didn't like, but he acknowledges retrospectively that Paul was often right.

[@newagain9964]

Paul was defacto band leader. Since revolver.

[@RadicalCaveman]

@@newagain9964 Paul, in this very video, acknowledges that John's the leader. But John often didn't lead, and then Paul did.

[@Sprtschk]

@@newagain9964 lemme guess, you think he's a sigma?

[@wrobinson1702]

This is fascinating stuff. The audio from John and Paul at lunch is particularly intriguing. John is clearly taking on the "older brother" role, which he had carried for the band's inception and first few years. But in the 2-3 years leading up to this event, Paul had been taking on more and more authority for the band's recording sessions. At this lunch meeting, John is gently trying to tell Paul, "There's a better way to address our little brother George. Let me give you some pointers-I've done this with him before" And it's unclear from this whether Paul really understood what his "older brother" John was trying to say.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Good points, William. Thank you for contributing.

[@lenalennon8746]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jH7QfJiqjZWFZq8

[@lenalennon8746]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jH7QfJiqjZWFZq8

[@dreamfable]

McCartney's behavior did seem to improve at Apple Studio once they reconvened. John said in the lunchroom that even he, John, had at times been intimidated about presenting ideas over the past few years ( although he'd fired back during the White Album). "It's okay to make suggestions, but then let us choose..."

[@OroborusFMA]

The lunch audio is clearly edited. They cut other people out, which is why the exchange sometimes doesn't sound quite right.

[@monkeybarmonkeyman]

It's eerie listening to these guys as indeed I was alive at that time and a big fan. There's so much being said without being said in these chats. George, just to me, sounds like he would suffer endless pain before he'd actually give an accounting of himself to the others. I think it was Paul who said, paraphrasing, "if we'd just talk it out like this when". He was very much on the money.

[@1rwjwith]

I am of two minds about this whole discussion. I can certainly see it from Georges point of view and I do think if they , Paul especially would have given more leeway to play more of his ideas on guitar in John/Paul songs they may have been even more interesting , to me at least. Take Hey Jude for instance, George was attempting to play some fills in the arrangement but got stifled by Paul. In fact Duane Allman ended up doing a version with Wilson Pickett where he played all kinds of fills and soloing over the end which were fantastic. Then again you can't argue with the success of Hey Jude as Paul arranged it! I think on Abbey Road you can hear George being given more leeway to play fills and short solos that really standup well. To my ear you can actually hear him play a lot more guitar than he had since the early days but by then he was way more up to the challenge! Anyway great segment on this!.

[@pendaflux]

For sure..... On the other hand, it would have been odd to give him equal treatment, because of the Lennon/McCartney songwriting arrangement. Harrison would get to accurately represent himself while the other two would have to perpetuate the construct that they are co-writers. The breakup had to happen.

[@newagain9964]

Paul was a better guitar player than George (and obviously John). He killed it on revolver.

[@quicktastic]

George: "It was you Paul. You should've looked out for me. If only we would've recorded my songs from '48 maybe we could've been successful, maybe we could've been somebody, instead of bums, which is what we are".

[@Gardosunron]

Nice one. George with the benefit of hindsight seems like a bit of sour grapes. George wrote some great songs , but his company is two of the greatest songwriters of the 20th Century.

[@martinhanley9524]

Okay Terry Malloy

[@mrsbluesky8415]

You win the internet !

[@TheSchemel]

@@Gardosunron George was dismissed even by George Martin. You take the song If I Needed Someone, if that was better produced, it would have been equal to anything Paul or John did. Don't Bother Me written in 1963 and it holds up to anything Paul or John did on With the Beatles album. I am tired of hearing about how George became a great song writer with Something and Here Comes the Sun. It gets old. So While My Guitar Gently Weeps isn't up to the Lennon McCartney standards? Please! Trunk, this is not directed at you, it's more directed towards George Martin, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney.

[@TheSchemel]

@@Gardosunron Remember to, that there are songs on All Things Must Pass that date back to 1966. All Things Must Pass was a number one album

[@elirosen1391]

Great video. I loved how John gently yet concisely laid out Paul's issues with with control and micromanagement regarding their songs' arrangements to Paul without getting too aggressive. That really sheds a different perspective on both the Get Back project, and John himself.

[@andyloftube]

Excellent point… how John actually comes across as a responsible, sensitive and constructive adult! Almost uncharacteristic of him - from the image we have gotten. ’Dysfunctional heroin addict’. There is no support for that mattering (if it was true) in any way in January of 1969. The ’winter of disconent’ did not happen in January but in February when Allen Klein entered and cut a wedge between the main axis, as was to become gradually evident during 1969. Also remember, Lennon’s weirdest ’happenings’ with Yoko were only beginning later in the spring. George’s musical style is agnozingly ’slow brew by trial and error’. Listen jow lost he is with the guitar lart on tale three of One After 909. And yet he absolutely nailed it on the rooftop. Slow brew. Lennon and McCartney a were both instant karma intuitives musically. McCartney being organized and controlled on top,of that - coming in with ready arrangements. Often with little real own musical input expected from band members. (He _would_ welcome help with lyrics if he was stuck, which came harder for him than music).

[@melinarodriguez8395]

Yes, John sounds very diplomatic and Paul doesn't seem offended at all

[@HolocronStudios]

“You need George Harrison” I love that

[@cristianperez2903]

I love how this situation (with George away from the band) gives John the opportunity to tell Paul a few 'home truths' about his relationship with George and also the chance to talk about some of Paul's overbearing professional traits in an honest adult way. No one is having their ego crushed but it is blatantly obvious that both John and Paul regard themselves as being in a higher league professionally than George. George is coming across as the Beatle most difficult to work with. It was he who was the first to say "NO" to a particular working condition, the first to say no to touring, concerts, this, that or the other.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

It seems that George Harrison may have been an introvert, which would be tough if you're in the Beatles! Thanks or the comment, Cristian.

[@briang768]

I am always amazed by the power of the persistence of myth, and how the boys weren't above shaping the narrative to their own ends. Back in the days of the immediate breakup, the story that George Harrison always presented was that The Beatles sessions during the summer of 1968 were such a drag that he was so disgusted by John and Paul's domination that he no longer enjoyed making music, but was revitalized after spending the late fall with Dylan and the Band in Woodstock, NY only to arrive at Twickenham Studios to find more of the same old scene with John and Paul. And that would have been the accepted narrative except for a few scattered bootlegs which only the most diehard Beatlemaniacs would have tracked down. But with the widespread distribution of the Nagra tapes in the mid to late nineties, we have evidence that contradicts the accepted narrative of what caused the break up. According to these tapes, George is apparently recharged and eager to work with the Beatles, and as you have shown songs like All Things Must Pass were not rejected by the Beatles because of John or Paul's overbearing egos. My understanding is that Peter Jackson's crew have had access to software able to recover "lost" conversations due to extraneous background noises, and I am eagerly hoping that we get some new insights into all that happened during the Get Back sessions. I agree with you that George's chaotic life at this time hasn't been examined carefully enough. He's on painkillers due to dental problems, Eric Clapton's ex girlfriend Charlotte Martin is living at Esher and Patti Harrison has moved out. It won't be the last time, George is in a love triangle with Eric. It could be worse, George isn't screwing Ringo's wife, . . . yet. The same could be said with John being zonked on Heroin. There is one scene in Let It Be where Paul is talking with John who looks completely out of it. The Lennons were remarkably candid about their Heroin usage and how they kicked it. I was aware of the "Two Junkies" clip before Peter Brown's book was published, but without the Nagra tapes, I think it would be even more accepted as Gospel than it already is. As always, I admire your work and learn something new each time. If you don't upload before Thanksgiving, I hope you and yours enjoy the holiday.

[@martinhanley9524]

Without John and Paul there would have been no Beatles . Really . George was great but the amount of songs Lennon McCartney wrote together separately within the band was amazing . They had better voices too. Let’s get real .

[@bjornerikroth]

I guess George confessing that he didn't know how to arrange "All things must pass" within the 4 piece Beatles even after 70+ attempts didn't sound as good as "the others rejected my songs".

[@SuperGogetem]

@@bjornerikroth I wonder who rejected "Not Guilty" after doing nearly 100 takes! Was it John/Paul or George himself still not being satisfied?

[@patrickthomas8890]

@@SuperGogetem George Martin actually said it was him who rejected Not Guilty because he felt it was underwhelming…especially since Sgt Pepper was shaping up to be a landmark album with the level of quality with John/Paul’s stuff. That’s what inspired George to write Within You Without You (an interesting song for sure, but not one I listen to much). Sorry but Not Guilty is not a good song. I love George, but he was nowhere near John and Paul’s level. Aside from his moments of brilliance, he’s written an absolute load of duds.

[@patrickthomas8890]

1000000%. I so often see comments pushing this false narrative that George was a shy, mild mannered, enlightened genius who was bullied by Paul when in reality George was difficult and hadn’t written much of anything remotely close to the quality of Lennon-McCartney leading into the Get Back sessions

[@joex1609]

Everything on this channel is interesting and very well presented with great insight. The best Beatle stuff out there by far but all subjects have been really excellent.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, Joe - more to come!

[@Gardosunron]

agree. always an event when Matt releases a new video. love it.

[@dennisosborne4368]

The thing I have gleaned from these clips that it wasn’t just George and Paul clashing but George and John too. He walked out after a row with John not over Pauls criticism of his playing. He considered them both guilty of rejecting his songs too easily not supporting him as a writer and generally not treating him as an equal . George was always younger than them and they couldn’t change their perception of him as they all grew older . By 1969 he had enough. He was mixing with Clapton Dylan Delaney and Bonnie and getting more respect and having a better time with them . All Things must Pass showed what he was capable of by 1970 and at the time he was the equal of John and Paul as a writer

[@guruuDev]

Great stuff. I like Paul's conclusion that at the end they got it so close to perfect that the objective was consistently achieved despite difficulties of the process of getting there. She Said She Said was the one song as far as I know where McCartney stormed out and the rest finished it without him -- yet it still worked and the ideal result was achieved.

[@timothysullysullivan2571]

Supposedly it is the only Beatles track on which Paul doesn't appear in some form.

[@steadywoodward9390]

And the bass is absolutely banging. I mean listen to the start of it, someone is just banging the same note hard sounds fab

[@makeadifference4all]

@@timothysullysullivan2571 No. John is the only person playing in "Julia," for instance, and Paul wasn't involved in "Revolution 9."

[@timothysullysullivan2571]

@@makeadifference4all Good point. however he was very involved in Rev 9 on the tape loops and live mixing. They had everyone participating IIRC- Mal, engineers, etc. because it was complicated and had to be done in real time.

[@artdifuria2731]

The conversation between John and Paul, away from George, is at another level of understanding entirely. The two of them really were the leaders of the band. And in much of it, John is schooling Paul. Remarkable.

[@kathyanderson2761]

Great insight into George’s personal issues at home and this may have led to him walking out

[@Chrisdrumz]

The closest feeling I can equate to having when you post a new vid is that when I was a kid on Christmas morning and seeing the gifts under the tree.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

That’s very kind of you. Thank you.

[@songsmithy07]

You do great work. Thanks for transcribing the audio, and putting all of this material out into the Universe. It's a pleasure to watch your videos, especially your series on the "Get Back" sessions

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Sorry for the late response but thank you so much for the kind words.

[@songspire]

Brilliant video. This is how being in a band is really like. If you were in a band you get it.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

This is totally normal behavior in any band. But this being the Beatles, history told the story by emphasizing the wrong things and we all fell for it!

[@JRRoyall1]

You mean when you bring in a song you've written in 4/4 swing time, and the guitar player starts playing speed metal polka licks over it? And when you point out that it's not a speed metal polka song, you get accused of not respecting his "artistry?" Yup. Being in a band is EXACTLY like this.🤣

[@jamesdrynan]

Thanks, Matt, for clarifying George's personal problems during the " Let it Be " taping. Although a private affair for George, historically it provides context for his testy mood.

[@drbassface]

Wow. So great to here Paul and John speak so respectfully and with an open heart, without Contempt. Love these guys. Thanks!

[@evanshear5378]

Matt, love the graphics/singing on the way out with the band. Nice touch!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thankyou, Evan!

[@jimmybonar2566]

Great video, thank you Matt. Although you probably have many more Beatle stories to tell, I hope you can make a vid about the ‘She said she said’ - sessions - reading the comments it sounds like it would be very interesting.. cheers.

[@nathananthony7517]

My God, what an insightful video. Incredible analysis. Thanks for this, Matt.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

My pleasure, Nathan!

[@ChaunceyGardener]

Nice of you to keep Ringo's portrait there - the true quiet Beatle.

[@followyourbliss973]

Thank you for the video! Great discussion between John and Paul. They were approaching their 30's and some of their frustrations were starting to come to the surface! I would love to hear Paul now talk about this discussion!

[@dennisdeems9293]

I really appreciate that your commentary on these tapes doesn't push an agenda, you're just telling us what you hear and supplying context for it. Also, the format you've chosen for your transcriptions is the best I've ever seen.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, Dennis - high praise indeed! I appreciate the support and more to come!

[@jackilyncaraballo6586]

I really liked your opening statement of “Hey Beatle fans...” I just settled right in and knew a good video analysis was forthcoming. Thanks Matt!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

You are quite welcome, Jackilyn.

[@navneetsinghr4290]

I couldnt help but notice that How John was brutally honest, he never hides his problems,. Even tho he wanted to leave the band, he always tried to hold it all together.

[@Fritha71]

By having his girlfriend present at all times at the sessions?? Yeah, that will help LOL

[@waynej2608]

@@Fritha71 It helped him. Thus, he was helpful with the project.

[@guywallace1430]

Within the closeness of their relationship, over time, George's frustrations with in the band are expressed in passive aggressive terms which is abundantly clear in this conversation.

[@jayroberts2017]

Great work - I have really enjoyed your series on Get Back/Let it Be. I'm 55, and have been reading on and studying the Beatles since I was a young teen. I continue to be amazed when things like this are unearthed! For this album, I'm really beginning to understand the timeline better. They had a really long and tedious recording period on the White Album, took a short Christmas holiday and hit the new year on Day One of 1969. They barely had a break from each other, had time to compose much new material and all four had personal distractions in their lives. The fact that anything came from this period is amazing. And now we are learning that it wasn't all anger and resentment and that there was positivity on the project. If the new series does do any 'revisionism' hopefully its to make this point a little more accurate.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

These days the word "revisionism" has been weaponized and used to discredit - especially in Beatles circles. I expect the revisionism in this case to get closer to the truth than the old tired narratives have given us for 50 years.

[@jayroberts2017]

@@popgoesthe60s52 That is my hope as well.

[@Gardosunron]

That's a very good point. No band would adhere to that demanding a schedule now.

[@LearnMusclescom]

Well Matt, another awesome video. Like someone else wrote, I was going to go to sleep, but saw another video of yours popped up (haha) and had to watch it, and then read every comment! Thank you for being such a great guide as the new understanding and narrative of the later Beatles unfolds. I just finished reading the Get Back book. All of this is so revealing. I can certainly understand George’s position as the younger brother here, not getting the attention and respect he craved, and later deserved. But, I strongly feel that Paul had every right to dictate how his songs should be arranged. As I shift my feelings with this changing narrative, I can’t help but be disappointed by George… And I am amazed by how much more present Lennon was than the original Let It Be movie and the old narrative would lead us to believe. Seeing a smart and funny Lennon in the later years just makes me miss him so much more. We can write a thousand reasons that the Beatles broke up, from Yoko sitting on an amp, to many more. But my feeling is that more than anything else, it was the stress of Apple Corp and the arrival of Allen Klein. PLEASE keep doing these videos. Perhaps one day, you may figure out some way of compiling all this fabulous content into one masterpiece of content. A book? A documentary film? I hope so!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

A book? Possibly. I have the outline pretty much done! Thanks for the support.

[@LearnMusclescom]

@@popgoesthe60s52 YES!!! I WILL PREORDER TODAY! :)

[@luckykennedy7364]

With the six hours of footage forgetting there’s gonna be some meme material in there’ll boy I can’t wait

[@ricknbacker5626]

Johns "let the others bicker/argue while he hangs back and observes" technique is on full display here. That's something great Generals understand. To me, She Said She Said seems to be the flashpoint song, which caused the Lennon/McCartney songwriting alliance to fracture. Still together, but not fully connected anymore. You've got a great channel Matt. We are blessed to have it, and you. Can't wait for November 25!!! Have a great Thanksgiving. Cheers, RNB

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thanks again, Rick!

[@Mandrake591]

Matt, whenever you post a new video, I watch instantly! Until this series you’ve done, I thought I had this period of there’s figured out. But I didn’t. You’re right, John is much more together than a lot have assumed, he seems very clear. George seems far less indifferent than I would have thought, and I can see how they would get upset with Paul, who seems to talk in circles and is far more vague in conversation than the rest of the band. On the other hand, Paul’s arrangements usually are brilliant, even when the song wasn’t originally his, a la “Mr. Kite.” I’m also surprised they brought up “She Said She Said!” As always, thanks Matt!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

I appreciate the support David!

[@tdunph4250]

Excellent video as always Matt. You had mentioned that during the 'secretly bugged" lunchtime discussion that John and Paul had on the day George walked out that Yoko, Linda and Ringo were in all probability present for this. I would have to half jokingly disagree with you. From what I heard, Yoko couldn't have been there. The evidence to support this was that John and Paul were able to have a conversation and were not being interrupted by her.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Good point! She may have realized the gravity of the situation and kept quiet - or she was in the restroom. Thanks T Dunph1

[@glennsmusic]

... and I noticed in another discussion ostensibly between Paul and George that Linda was not backward in putting her 2 pence in...

[@SuddenlyAliens]

No, both of them are very clearly present for other portions of the lunchroom tape.

[@dazzads]

i just found your channel and i cannot tell you how much i am enjoying it!! i’ve never seen anyone dissect and explain the history of the beatles in the way you do. i’ve been binge-ing for days!! amazing work. thank you.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Welcome, Danielle. Plenty more to come!

[@dazzads]

@@popgoesthe60s52 awesome!!! looking forward to it!

[@jamesdrynan]

It's fascinating to listen to the conversations of John and Paul who left such a legacy of music. They all contributed so much to fundamental changes in music, recording and culture yet agonized privately about their creative process. Remarkable!

[@astrosjer822]

This is such a great series. Thank you. I hope we have another one coming before the new Peter Jackson movie?

[@martinsplichal1581]

Thanks Matt, it's pretty wild to hear this candid conversation between John and Paul. Cheers.

[@1rwjwith]

Man is this fascinating stuff! Never heard this before. Thanks.

[@yinoveryang4246]

George was just hugely self-conscious about his guitar play,ing at this point. He’s not Eric Clapton as he says. (And suddenly there were many other players who George couldn’t hold a candle to in some ways ) The most competent guitarist in the Beatles was his main role at that point. . So he became defensive. You actually see that in some of the clips that’ve been released, where he’s kind of “showing off” with the guitar as much as he could, while people are talking. He’s inevitably become awkward about it. It’s nice how supportive John and Paul are despite this.

[@webmart70]

I love John even more listening to this....

[@abzalayten4039]

Thank you for your videos

[@martinmcgrath1985]

One of the very best channels on the Beatles..keep up good work👍

[@timothysullysullivan2571]

great as always! never heard this before. Comments: Noodling on electric guitar while a bandmate is saying something important for them is very rude and domineering (John); George is fairly passive/agressive- which was one of Geoff Emericks complaints about him IIRC; of course how direct can you be with a John or a Paul? probably a learned survival mechanism... She Said session- Paul walked out; supposedly the only beatles track on which he does not appear in any way; must've been a heck of a fight... interesting to hear John's resentments towards Paul's musical domination here. We know how George felt, but John had it too. I think maybe from some jealousy that Paul by far produced the most commercially successful and popular tracks. John knew his own genius, riddled also w insecurities. But it was clearly hard for him as Paul gradually took over. John's work probably had more artistic and cultural impact- especially on creatives and other musicians. But take Paul's hits out and look at the overall list... I think this tape is kind of like the heart to heart talk of why we're going to end this marriage- just airing it all out. You know it's over, so this is your chance to vent (john). Paul being conciliatory but he can't argue with their points- bc they are true. I think, as in families, john, paul and george martin always saw george in a 1962/63 light- weak writer; often struggling with solo's etc. He grew, but their respect only came too late. Clearly he had the best songs on Abbey Road- which is astounding if you think about it- competing w Lennon/McCartney. Also, to me it sounded like John was sincerely trying to encourage george- 'we need GH here...' Of course John's motives were almost always selfish- which he admitted often. When Brian died, he said his first thought was 'glad it's not me...' and that was one of his closest relationships.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Great recap Sully! Thanks for the comment.

[@hansmahr8627]

I don't know if I would say that John's stuff had a greater cultural impact. The whole concept for Sgt. Pepper for example was Paul's idea, same as the tape loops on Tomorrow Never Knows and the orchestral bit in A Day in the Life. Then you add Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby and his many other tracks that made a huge impression. Even with something like Strawberry Fields Forever which seems like a quintessential Lennon track, it was Paul who pushed it into an experimental direction. I feel like McCartney's central role in shaping the sound of the later Beatles is still undervalued. He's often reduced to the guy who wrote all the cheerful pop stuff but in reality, Paul was the most diverse Beatle in terms of musical influences and talent.

[@timothysullysullivan2571]

@@hansmahr8627 true enough; but you're focusing musically and I was speaking about the culture in general. at any street fair you will see 'imagine' stuff and Lennon portraits and t-shirts. There are no Paul pieces or 'yesterday' posters... or it's at least 10 to 1 john stuff.

[@slide4180]

@@hansmahr8627 Great points. I often find John's songs more meaty and profound, but at the same time Paul had great influence on how they sounded - which John sometimes resented, as we've heard - while I imagine John and the others had less influence on the sound and arrangement of Paul's songs. Paul's overall impact on the Beatles is probably greater than anyone's outside of maybe George Martin, but Paul's touch is often hidden in someone else's song (ie John).

[@timothysullysullivan2571]

@Fab4 I said 'cultural impact' not musical. Have a great life.

[@peterismyfirstname2872]

Good work, much to think about, a little on the sad side, youth, pressure,drugs,fame,amazing talent, such a shame, yet incredible the Beatles ever happened in the first place. Surprised it lasted long as it did considering all of the above. I was alive in their time but, too young to be aware of the Beatles divorce. Fans had to have been crushed when the Beatles broke up Thanks man.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thanks for the comment, Peter. I was too young too so I was spared the broken heart, I guess.

[@gripweed313]

Poor George. Paul was always my favorite Beatle since childhood, but I think for the first time on recorded tape in the studio, we hear of how he can be a major pain in the ass at times. Thanks for the upload!

[@davidevans3175]

"Dick James" was their song publishing company and "the kids" were their songs. John was never a bonafide heroin "junkie", he snorted a lot of heroin apparently but never shot it up, never became that kind of user. A "real" heroin addict who can't go more than a few hours without it, who liquifies it with a lighter and a spoon, ties off his arm (or leg after the veins in his arm collapse) and shoots up, gets hepatitis from dirty needles, who can barely keep his eyes open let alone function in life - that was not John. So the "wacked out on heroin" description people make is an over statement. Great channel - keep up the good work!

[@strose2002]

Another great video! Always learn something new and interesting no matter the subject. Your Beatles videos are tremendous. Thanks for putting in the countless hours of work. As far as music goes, the Beatles, to me at least, are gifted as well as complicated.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Good point! Gifts = complications. Thanks for the comment.

[@annawitter5161]

So much to dig deeper for. Even snide guitar playing in the background! Fascinating! I think George should have gone solo at that point or earlier, that would have eased his frustration, and then he could still have played with the group

[@hugosanchez7599]

This is really really great content. I can't wait to see the Get Back documentary. The great thing about The Beatles is that you listen to any of their conversations or discussions and their characters are so well "written" that it seems you're watching a film or reading about fiction characters. But they were real

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, Hugo! I appreciate the comment.

[@Customsaberparadise]

really interesting to hear such a candid personal conversation between john and paul discussing george ,they really were on the same wavelength most of the same time, its like a form of telepathy. I think george had a lot of issues during the sessions his marriage his artistic licence being blocked so he though by John and Paul. I all seem to get to a point where it all just exploded causing him to walk out.

[@akimmbo]

brilliant presentation. Love this series so much. ;0)

[@Fer-un9vh]

Love the series my man, keep it going!!! xxx

[@paulsmith1391]

The audio material is absolutely captivating. Thanks for compiling, transcribing and contextualising! Great work!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

I appreciate the feedback - thanks Paul!

[@billleary5779]

Thanks for the continuing videos on Let it Be/Get Back Matt! It’s amazing how much one can gleam from these sessions. It will be very interesting as to how this gets treated by Peter Jackson. Thanks for sharing!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Hey Bill! Sorry I seemed to have missed this comment. Thank you for the warm compliment!

[@billleary5779]

@@popgoesthe60s52 no worries….you get a ton of comments…thanks for responding. Enjoy the Get Back series!

[@milljonsson8161]

My favorite place to go The Beatles at Pop goes the 60's. Thank again for a great video.

[@cliveedwards2958]

I like the way you have pictures of the people with dialogue next to them..makes it so much easier to follow who said what to who. Good work!!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thanks for commenting Clive!

[@durangomcmurphy1529]

I think Ringo hits the nail on the head .

[@mythserene]

He always does. He's unquestionably the most emotionally intelligent of the group. He has great antenna and he's also just a natural peacemaker.

[@WorldsWorstBoy]

Just found your channel yesterday and I’m hooked

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Welcome! Glad to have you on board.

[@Fludded]

It’s interesting contrasting this conversation between Paul and John and how they both feel obliged to keep tight lipped on arrangements and expect each other’s contribution, with how they were as solo artists. Quite definitely John is telling people what to play on the imagine album. Harder forJohn and George initially as McCartney just ended up playing everything on his stuff. Fame and growing egos killed the Beatles.

[@kcjc]

It was pretty fun to read along with the Get Back book to some of the audio in this

[@Anthony-hu3rj]

Good work as always. A pleasure to watch and listen to. Thank you.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

My pleasure, Anthony.

[@tonythepostman]

It is truly amazing we are still learning new stuff about the beatles 50 years on. Brilliant video!

[@JB19504]

"If you write a song, I should feel like I wrote it". I LIKE that attitude.

[@Gardosunron]

This is goldmine stuff for us Beatle gurus, nuts, experts, fanatics- Thanks Matt! The most interesting part was John and Paul in the cafeteria. That's them speaking their minds and not just being flippant and joking around. They discuss the arrangements and George's role .John says sometimes him and George just feel like sidemen for Paul. Some of this stuff we knew, but still fascinating to hear.

[@thekitowl]

Ringo said that John was exited to hear what the others would bring to his songs whereas Paul told you what to play.

[@bobf6763]

Even more amazing, Paul didn't really react to that criticism in any meaningful way. It's like he knew he could be overbearing at times but didn't seem to think it was a real issue. He had effectively assigned himself the role of "Beatles arranger", and when told to his face that this wasn't appreciated, he pretty much 'shrugged his shoulders' about it. Maybe a bit of an 'empathy gap' there?

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Perhaps, though after listening to over 90s hours of these sessions, Paul repeatedly tip toes around George and offers suggestions but allows George to arrange his own songs. This is evident the the All Things Must Pass sessions. Paul certainly supported the recordings of Something, Old Brown Shoe, Here Comes the Sun, and I Me Mine, so I think he took his arranging of others songs to heart on some level. Now, Paul's songs were another matter.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

My pleasure, Trunk!

[@Gardosunron]

@@popgoesthe60s52 Your right Matt. As much as John "seemed" to be fairer to George , it appears he often didn't show up for his recordings whereas Paul always added great things to a George song. The piano intro to While My Guitar Gently Weeps or the solo on Taxman for example.

[@sammilton8988]

this is easily my new favorite channel. i absolutely love everything about it. i get excited seeing a new video in my feed, which i don’t think i’ve felt with any other channel in yearss. keep it up friend!

[@stevecrescini2081]

The scene in the cafeteria is crazy thinking you have John and Paul sitting together while the wait staff is walking by greatness

[@cajunqueen5125]

holy crap, these were very insightful/interesting audio clips, and so were your added narrative and comments. Great work, luv it.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, Queen - I appreciate the support!

[@garettjeff]

Matt this channel has the best Beatle content on KZbin. Thank you for all your efforts ! I always learn something and I thought I knew everything!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, garettjeff!

[@socrates1818]

Competition in such an arrangement as The Beatles is a natural thing-Paul and John handled it really well - being objective about each other’s (and the other guy’s) talent. For example the earlier Beatle’s songs were where John’s songwriting really shined- most of the hits in ‘64-‘66 were his and Paul let it happen quite graciously and for the betterment of the band. Alternately, then from ‘66 -‘70 (starting with Revolver) Paul’s songwriting took over and John knew it was untouchable and returned the favor and let him fully blossom. This clip of Paul and John really shows they were well beyond ego with each other. The openness, honesty and acceptance is stunning and gives real deep insight into how they respected and admired each other - an amazing and highly functioning, partnership on many levels. George just hadn’t the chance to develop that kind of depth in terms of his relationship with them, the competition aspect was not transcended the way it was for those two. Indeed, ‘Two Of Us’! Lastly I’ll add- I met Paul a year and a half ago on the street (NYC). We talked for a bit and it was surprising how excellent a listener he is, especially being such an effective leader. Just like this conversation with John. He’s both very kind and interested in the other person. An extraordinary guy in that sense too…

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thanks for sharing your meeting Paul! How fortunate to talk with him.

[@saeba2393]

Matt, I'd love to see a video on how Apple passed on Crosby, Stills and Nash. I've always been intrigued to know why and I have heard many different stories in my own research of the topic. I think you'd be the perfect person to bring this piece of 60s music history to light.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

I don't know too much other than George Harrison voted them down. I have a book on CSNY by Peter Doggett which may offer some clarity. I may do a quick overview of CSNY in the 70s, so stay tuned.

[@rogernetzer1054]

Just wonderful. Beautifully researched and articulated. Fascinating. Great work!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you, Roger. Much appreciated and more to come.

[@GilbertNeal]

When they were on the ascent there was practically no time or reason to have these long conversations. But when they were in a position of a purely studio band where honesty could have meant happiness, they just did everything EXCEPT be honest with each other. It would have been nice. To avoid conflict is such an English thing.

[@spockboy]

More more more! I love the way your present the dialogue and your knowledgeable commentary in between. Good work.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thanks SpockBoy! More to come.

[@65TossTrap]

This is powerful stuff. Thank you for sharing it. My takeaway is that John is trying to say, to Paul, that George gets mixed messages and doesn't know quite what his role is. On John's songs he improvises. On Paul's songs he's micromanaged. It frustrates George to know end. The final straw is having Paul micromanage him on film for the whole world to see. Remember that George had just spent a month in the States, jamming with Dylan and Robbie Robertson, Danko and Helms. Everything he said or did with that group was golden. Improvisation was valued and encouraged. (Listen to Blonde on Blonde: Sad Eyed Lady or Pill Box Hat. It's Dylan with a backing band and The Band is jamming, improvising even as they lay down the final tracks). Anyway George comes back to merry old England. He's very unhappy at home and has stupidly brought another super model into his home. In the studio, it's morning and he's getting maybe four hours sleep. Yoko is there starring at him. Now Paul is micromanaging the guitar part on a silly Paul song (with the real possibility that Paul will embarrass him on film, pick up a guitar and play the part himself). John is courageously trying to tell Paul about the problem, and your point is well-taken. John's heroin addiction may have been overstated completely. Heroin addicts typically are asocial. John here is very frank and thoughtful, assuming leadership but also being respectful.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Great comment, Dee Jay! George was fortunate enough to spend time with the Band on their upward swing. He probably would have come away with a completely different feeling hanging with those guys in 1975! Thanks for watching.

[@melinarodriguez8395]

Your interpretation really makes me more empathetic towards George -whom I always felt a bit too sour. Being in front of the cameras must have been extra difficult for all of them.

[@majipoorcat]

Anyone has different relationships with their friends, brothers.George knew that with Paul he would be more “ micromanaged”.then with John. That was how it was with Paul. He should of got over that a long time before. As he said “you don’t annoy me anymore”. (Best line in the film). John works with Paul a different way. They play with each other more.. John said they were non-sexual lovers. It felt to me that George was more bothered by the playfulness between John and Paul then by the micromanagement. At the farm there probably wasn’t any two who had that kind of relationship/partnership and George might have stop comparing himself to John and Paul. John has always been my favorite but what I think Paul is saying is that George’s feelings about the Beatles, Paul and about their relationship needs to come out from George. It can’t be some thing that Paul brings to the table. As someone who recognizes her passive aggressive moves George is being passive aggressive.

[@SpookyLuvCookie]

Herb Alpert's 'Whipped Cream And Other Delights' there in the background. Kudos.

[@RascoHeldall]

Not sure I’ve ever watched a KZbin video then immediately felt compelled to rewatch it straightaway afterwards. Fascinating stuff

[@popgoesthe60s52]

That's a very high compliment, Rasco - thank you!

[@Slydeil]

Paul "Within each other, within ourselves, we've reached something which is nearly perfect. For everyone else you listen to, you got it..." That's so true.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Perfection comes at an expense!

[@Slydeil]

@@popgoesthe60s52 Indeed and by that time they reached the end of collaboration for the common good. But the 7 years they gave us can never be bettered, and that's their (including George Martin), magical legacy.

[@markwestervelt9708]

Wow Great job. Never heard this. I think way back to the quarrymen Paul was always arranging the harmonies and arrangements. You left me wanting more. Thanks Lol 👍

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thank you for the nice compliment. More to come.

[@ciamber]

I can't express how happy I am to have found this channel. What amazing and insightful work.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Very kind of you to say! More to come.

[@marekkubalamusic]

Thanks again for the video and shedding light on these fascinating chats! I am sure some of the hardcore Beatles biographers were aware of these recorded discussions but they are clearly not widely known by many other die-hard fans (including me). My main observation is just how calm and civil The Beatles always seem when discussing really quite difficult & important issues, such as intra-band problems and even the future/end of the band itself. I guess that demonstrates how deep their relationships were after more than a decade of being in each other's pockets and going on this extraordinary ride together. It also allowed them to be quite honest and direct in their assessments of each other's musical and personality traits (and flaws) without seemingly causing much offence. Paul, we know now, was anxious about the band's future but it doesn't come through so obviously in these chats where he too seems pretty calm, whereas others might have taken some personal offence at some of the comments made. We see it also in the tape of the post-Abbey Road discussion where John and others could be quite honest about not being into Maxwell's Silver Hammer, without Paul seeming to take it too personally. I think the manner they held these discussions with one another so calmly and respectfully, even though things were clearly winding to their end-game, with hardly any raised voices, speaks volumes. But of course it all boiled over and got a bit nasty a year or two later during the divorce... when they were no longer around each other so much... sad but perhaps not so surprising.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thanks for the reflections, Marek!

[@FiveLiver]

John and Paul speaking here is reminding us that they were the core of the Beatles and had to pretend they weren't for the sake of George's ego.

[@mydozer]

John thought he and Paul were the Beatles, according to someone, I don't remember who.

[@robertbrown8362]

I was gonna crash,but stayed awake to watch your vid as its so interesting,nice one and thankyou.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

A very high compliment! Thanks for watching, Robert.

[@westfield90]

I absolutely love these tapes. They offer a unique insight into these ‘mythical gods’ that no biography or interview ever could. It truly shows their human personalities, dynamics, pressures and psychologies. It heightens my respect for them since what they achieved and gave to this world was not easy and took a lot of hard work, sweat and discussion.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

These recordings certainly show plenty of depth that make the old narrative look foolish at times.

[@peterschleh9382]

thank you for all your work here this is absolutely fascinating, with the addition of your perspective and background. much appreciated!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

You're welcome, Peter!

[@davidholiday4494]

Thanks, Matt. As usual a very strong and illuminating video around the subject. The exchanges between John and Paul I find particularly fascinating. I love John for saying what he did - kind of like a reprimand - which I personally felt, Paul needed. It is truly amazing how personally one can take their thoughts, words and actions even in these days. It says a lot about the spirit of people (music makers and those who listen to them) in terms of the things they hold close to their hearts - imagined or real. The power of music never ceases to amaze me. Thanks again!!!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

You're welcome, David. If their music didn't matter so much to them, they wouldnt have these problems! Thanks for the support.

[@TheEeliciousOne]

Matt, another fantastic video revealing the dynamics of the Beatles' creative and personal relationships. After watching this video, based on a comment, I went off and watched "Understanding Lennon/McCartney vol 2: the Break-up" video. There is a lot of talk with JL out of the room about YO and heavy nature of her presence. There is a section where YO wanted a microphone so she could "sing", and she eventually "sings" along with PM playing a Beatles song on piano. She does her "Why" stuff, not actual singing. In this excerpt, John does come off well here as a mediator / conciliator, but he really was mostly out of his head. Reading the "Riding So High" book right now and it is quite surprising that JL didn't end up like Brian Epstein. With the sheer amount of "soul destruction" he put himself through with his consumption, and YO's obvious targeting the Beatles and finding one that was open to her "art". "Understanding" is flawed but it does look like YO was doing her best to separate JL from the rest so she could keep JL for herself and promote herself. Maybe it was JL's love of her, but YO was definitely manipulative of JL's weakened nature. It seems that PM could be very pushy artistically, but as Ringo had said, if PM didn't push them to record, they wouldn't have had as much great music as the world does. If JL and GH hadn't medicated themselves with bouts of "soul destruction" and got to work, they probably would have been able to meet PM's creative force. After all, JL dominated A Hard Day's Night. He had the ability, but when he was too busy "feeding his head", nothing really came out. I would posit that if Allen Klein had not entered the picture promising an art exhibition for YO in Syracuse NY (WTF? Syracuse? NYC would be a promise. Syracuse is a mid-state backwater of New York.) and being a true "Dastardly Dan" baddie who could have potentially effed the band financially and taken the band's assets for himself, my guess is that PM would not have had to "sue" the other three for relief. Well, anyway, keep up the great work! Thank you.

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Hey Leemer - great comments. I agree with both Yoko and Klein's manipulation of John Lennon, who was ripe for the pickin'. Yoko didn't care about the Beatles at all but I think it was more Klein that killed the goose that laid the golden egg. I appreciate the comments!

[@grahamjhalpin6152]

AMAZING channel. thank u so much.

[@nomehdrider]

I really appreciate the work that you put into this Mat, great job! I recently heard a rant someone had posted on FB, where Paul is unloading about on the breakup, and basically laying it on John. I think it has helped to contextualize thinking of it as a job that they were working at together, rather than a higher calling that have often considered it. Again thanks

[@popgoesthe60s52]

You're welcome, James! I appreciate the support.

[@VolodyaVolodenka1981]

priceless! many thanks

[@popgoesthe60s52]

You're quite welcome, Vladimir.

[@jackfrance4560]

Amazing video! Keep it up. It is so amazing to just hear them talk like this

[@mogenslauridsen]

Really, really great stuff, this. Thanks for giving us these analysis and transcripts. This is some of the most interesting conversation I've heard regarding the state of the band start 69!

[@popgoesthe60s52]

Thanks for watching, Mogens!

[@Erickchicas]

Amazing as always, thanks for the video!