The "Get Back / Let It Be" sessions • Day 8

Overview

January 13, 1969, marked a particularly strained moment in The Beatles’ “Get Back” sessions at Twickenham Film Studios. Just days after George Harrison walked out of the project on January 10, tensions among the remaining members remained high. A meeting at Ringo Starr’s house the previous day to address the issues had only deepened the divide, with George retreating to Liverpool for the rest of the week.

The absence of George cast a shadow over this session, and John Lennon was also notably missing for much of the day. Ringo arrived first, followed by Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman, Paul’s girlfriend. Efforts to contact John were unsuccessful until late in the morning, and he eventually arrived after lunch. The morning was marked by revealing conversations between Paul, Ringo, and Linda regarding John’s relationship with Yoko Ono and the growing fractures within the band. These discussions set the tone for a largely unproductive day.

A pivotal moment occurred during a lunchtime conversation between Paul and John, which was surreptitiously recorded by a hidden microphone placed by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s crew. This candid exchange, later restored and included in Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary “The Beatles: Get Back“, offered deep insight into the group’s mindset. John expressed frustration with the band’s formulaic approach to music and reflected on the creative excitement of earlier albums like “Revolver“. He speculated about the possibility of going solo, though he was unsure about leaving The Beatles altogether. Paul, in turn, encouraged John and Ringo to focus on performing well rather than obsessing over minor song details. He also deliberated over how to guide George’s contributions constructively.

Despite the underlying tensions, some musical work was attempted. The three remaining Beatles spent the afternoon refining “Get Back,” with Paul experimenting with lyrics and finalizing Jo Jo’s hometown as Tucson, Arizona. However, the overall mood was subdued, and the session ended early, around 5 p.m.

Conversations

Mal Evans, Ringo Starr and Michael Lindsay-Hogg were the first to arrive for this session. They started the day discussing the meeting that was held the previous day.

Mal Evans: How was the meeting?

Ringo Starr: The meeting was fine. A lot of good things, but then, you know, they all sort of fell apart in the end.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: I just spoke to Neil [Aspinall], who’s calling a couple of your colleagues, to see if they’re also gonna come.

Ringo Starr: Couple of colleagues told me last night that they would be there the same time.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Neil expressed an opinion that no one was coming.

Ringo Starr: Well, phone Neil and tell him I’m here for lunch. Have you got enough for a good documentary?

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: It depends how liquid the situation is.

Ringo Starr: Use it all.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Well, in other words, if we tell it like it is, then we’ve got a very good documentary. But if…

Ringo Starr: We’re hiding.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: If we’re hiding, then we don’t have much of a documentary. We just have a couple of days when things didn’t work out, that’s it.

From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021

Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman then arrived.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Neil spoke to me and he said… He, A, said he’d call me back at 11:15. And, B, he said he didn’t think anyone was gonna show. Then when I arrived back RS was here.

Paul McCartney: And PM was on his way. And JL was in bed.

From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021

They were soon joined by Neil Aspinall and Glyn Johns. The discussion turned on John and Yoko and whether John will join the session on this day.

Ringo Starr: Did you get in touch with John?

Neil Aspinall: I couldn’t get him.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Is he joining?

Neil Aspinall: I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to him. Nobody answers his phone.

Linda Eastman: ‘Cause I have a feeling that half the stuff Yoko said yesterday isn’t… She was talking for John. And I don’t think he really believed any of that, you know?

Paul McCartney: No, so, it’s… John didn’t talk, so Yoko talked for John.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Did George stay?

Paul McCartney: In the middle of all that, actually… George went. He said “I’ll see you…” See, but their point is that they’re trying to be as near together as they can. They wanna stay together, those two. So it’s all right. Let the young lovers stay together. But it’s not that bad, you know. We got a lot out of Beatles, so that if… I think John’s thing now… If it came to a push between Yoko and The Beatles, it’s Yoko.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: Funny enough, the other day when we were talking, John had said that he really did not want not to be a Beatle… Were you writing together much more before she came around?

Paul McCartney: Oh, yeah. Sure. We’d cooled it because we were not playing together. ‘Cause we lived together when we played together. We were in the same hotel, up at the same time every morning, all day. As long as you’re this close all day, so something grows. And then when you’re not this close, just physically, something goes. Actually, musically, we can play better than we’ve ever been able to play. You know, we’re all right on that. It’s just that being together thing. It’s difficult starting right from scratch with Yoko there. ‘Cause I start out writing songs about white walls. (Laughs)Just ’cause I think John and Yoko would like that. And they wouldn’t. She’s great, she really is alright. They just want to be near each other. So, I just think it’s just silly of me or anyone to try and say to them, “No, you can’t.” It’s like that we’re striking ’cause work conditions aren’t right. But it shouldn’t be. “Can’t operate under these conditions, boy. We’re coming out.” It’s like they’re going overboard about it. But John always does, you know. You can’t go saying, “Be sensible about it and don’t bring her to meetings.” It’s his decision, that. It’s none of our business, like, interfering in that.

Neil Aspinall: But there’s still got to be that little bit of compromise.

Paul McCartney: Well, I think for them to be able to compromise, I have to be able to compromise first. Then they’ll be able to. But it’s silly, neither of us compromising. We probably do need, really, sort of a central daddy figure to say, you know, “Nine o’clock, leave your girls at home, lads.” You know, we’re all… But it’s gonna be such an incredible sort of comical thing, like, in 50 years’ time, “They broke up ’cause Yoko sat on an amp.” Just something like that. “What?” “You see, John kept bringing this girl along.” “What?” It’s not as though there’s any sort of earth-splitting rows or anything… Do you want to try and ring John?

Neil Aspinall: Mal was trying to ring but it was permanently engaged.

From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021

Finally, Paul got John on the phone, who told him he was coming. John arrived at lunchtime and he and Paul went to the cafeteria for a private conversion, unaware that the film-makers have planted a hidden microphone in a flowerpot.

John Lennon: It’s like George said, he didn’t get enough satisfaction anymore, because of the compromise he had to make to be together. It’s a festering wound that we’ve allowed to… and yesterday we allowed it to go even deeper, and we didn’t give him any bandages. And when he is that far in, we have egos.

Paul McCartney: The thing is, that’s what I was trying to say to George, you know. Whereas previously I would have said, ‘Take it there with diddle-der-diddle-der’. But I was trying last week to say, ‘Now take it there. Anything you like. Put whatever you…’

John Lennon: You see, the point is now, we both do that to George this time, and because of the build-up to it.

Paul McCartney: Yeah, we treat him a bit like that. See, ’cause he knows what we’re on about. But I do think that he’s right. That’s why I think we’ve got the problem now, you know, the four of us. You go one way, George one way, and me another. But I know it’ll apply to all of us, if one day you can all be singing like you sing. George can be really playing, I mean, like he plays, not like I keep try8ing to make him play.

John Lennon: Yeah, OK, because you’re afraid that how he’ll play won’t be like you want him to play, and that’s what we do, and that’s what you do to me. And I’m not gonna tell you what to play.

Paul McCartney: See, that… that seems to be the trouble, is that if you’d have been able to say that on the occasion, just even to say, ‘Look, I’m not gonna say anything about the song because it’s very difficult, I’m gonna really try and now…’

John Lennon: You know, I’ve always done the numbers like that. Now, the only regret about the past numbers is when, because I’ve been so frightened, I’ve allowed you to take it somewhere where I didn’t want. And then, that my only chance was to let George take over, or interest George in it. If you give me your suggestions, let me reject them and pinch the ones I like… is where my writing side is. Same goes for the arranging. I don’t want it to… I don’t know.

Paul McCartney: I know. I do know. I know what you mean, yeah.

John Lennon: ’Cause there was a period where none of us could actually say anything about your arrangements ’cause you would reject it all. I’d have to tell George and I would just say, you know, like you do about me. You know, ‘I’m Paul McCartney’, and a lot of the times you were right, and a lot of the times you were wrong. Same as we always are. But I can’t see the answer to that, because you’ve suddenly got it all, you see.

Paul McCartney: I really don’t want you…

John Lennon: Well all right. I’m just telling you what I think. I don’t The Beatles revolve around the four people. It might a fu*king job.

Paul McCartney: You know, but I tell you what. I tell you one thing, what I think. The main thing is this: you have always been boss. Now I’ve been, sort of, secondary boss.

John Lennon: Not always.

Paul McCartney: No, listen. Listen. No, always! Really, I mean, it is gonna be much better if we can actually just stick together and say, ‘Look George, on ‘I’ve Got A Feeling’ I want you to do it exactly like I play it.’ And he’ll say, ‘I’m not you, and I can’t do it exactly like you do it.’

John Lennon: But this year, what you’ve been doing, and what everybody’s been doing, I’ve not only felt guilty about the way we’re all guilty about our relationship to each other, ’cause we could do more. And look, I’m not putting any blame on you. I’ve suddenly realised this, because that was my game, you know, but goals, they’re still the same. Self-preservation, you know. I know what I like, I’ve let you do what you want and George too, you know.

Paul McCartney: Yeah, I know.

John Lennon: If we want him, if we do want him, I can go along with that, because the policy has kept us together.

Paul McCartney: Well, I don’t know, you know. See, I’m just assuming he’s coming back. If he isn’t, then he isn’t, then it’s a new problem. And probably when we’re all very old, we’ll all agree with each other, and we’ll all sing together.

From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021

The live shows were scheduled on January 19 and 20, but after a question from Michael Lindsay-Hogg, decision was taken to push them back to January 26 and 27.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg: I think at some point we should talk conceptually about the show.

Paul McCartney: Okay, we have to be flexible, but we’re gonna have to be very flexible now. Which is like, the 18th today has changed to the 19th. ‘Cause we lost a day today. Tomorrow it will change to the 20th. The day after, it will change to the 21st. If George comes back, yeah. Put it back a full week, yeah.

From Peter Jackson’s film “The Beatles: Get Back“, 2021

From a moral to this song (tumblr.com):

January 13th, 1969 (Twickenham Film Studios, London): While Yoko and Paul conduct their own conversation with each other, Linda talks to John about the inevitable difficulties any relationship faces – even in the context of a musical partnership – and why it doesn’t prove the relationship itself is an expired one. John (inexplicably or not) laments the the White Album doesn’t sound like the genuine, inspired band collaboration they achieved in the past. 

LINDA: You were saying that—

JOHN: [pained] It’s like George said. It just doesn’t give me the same sort of satisfaction anymore. Because of the compromise we’d have to make, to be together. [long pause] You know, it’s that the end result of the records now aren’t… enough. Because now, we – we know it so clearly, how we arrived at it, and for what it was and all. Before, it was always a surprise when we – you know. We weren’t so aware of how we reacted to it. When the – something came out, like Revolver or Pepper or whatever, there was still that element of surprise that we didn’t know where it came from. But now we know exactly where it came from, and how we arrived at that particular noise, and how it could have been… much better. Or it needn’t have been at all. The only way to do it – satisfactory, for y– yourself – is to do it on your own. And then that’s fucking hard.

LINDA: But you were saying yesterday, you know. And you know something, you – you’ve always been sort of thinking that it can’t be any better than it was; you’re not just a studio musician. You always say it. I mean, [inaudible] – I’m saying, hey, you make good music together. And you like it or not, you know.

JOHN: [furtive] I like it.

LINDA: And making good music is also—

JOHN: But it’s just—

LINDA: It’s really hard working at a relationship.

JOHN: I – I know.

LINDA: Of course! That’s what you said yesterday. It happens all the time, you know. And you also said you wanted [inaudible] The Beatles—

JOHN: It’s like all of us are dissatisfied with The Beatles LP. Now, it’s not because the way we got on doing it, because the end result was – was as good as it could’ve been. And – I don’t know what the reason could be. [offhand] Mal, could you get a little glass of wine?

MAL: Yeah. Red, or—?

JOHN: If I get down to my contributions, then I’m satisfied, you know. But the whole thing is less satisfactory.

RINGO: But I enjoy it more.

JOHN: But individually. Name any of them! There is no [inaudible]. Even George’s numbers are more satisfactory than any numbers we’ve done before. But as a whole thing, it’s just not satisfactory to me.

RINGO: Well, I mean, I dig it far more than Sgt. Pepper or anything—

LINDA: You know, it really—

JOHN: And I dig it too. I dig it, individually, far more than Sgt. Pepper. But as a whole – as a Beatles thing, I think it didn’t – it couldn’t work as a Beatles thing. I think it’s one of the best Beatles work we could have, you know, but as a – as an entity, as a whole coming out of all of us here – no.

From a moral to this song (tumblr.com):

January 13th, 1969 (Twickenham Studios, London): In the midst of a personal discussion about working together within the band, John tries to explain the disconnect in their process, and why he can’t envision their songs the way Paul can. As both John and Paul circle around the issues of honest communication and (living up to) each other’s expectations, they eventually project onto George bring George into the quandary of the Lennon-McCartney partnership. 

JOHN: And that’s all I did on the last album was say, “Okay, Paul, you’re out to decide where my songs are concerned, arrangement-wise.” [exasperated] I don’t know the songs, you know. I’d sooner just sing them, than have them turn into – into ‘Mr. Kite’, or anything else, where— I’ve accepted the problem from you that it needs arrangement. And then, because I’m an ape, I don’t know. I don’t see any further than me, the guitar, and the drums, and – and George Martin doing the— I don’t hear any of the flutes playing, you know? I suppose I could hear ‘em if I sat down and worked very hard! I could turn out a mathematical drawing if you’d like, but I could never do it off me own backside, I always have to just – [brushing sound from strumming motion] do that, you know?

PAUL: Yeah. 

JOHN: I mean— 

PAUL: [quiet] Yeah. Yeah. [pause] I’m onto the same thing, you know. That’s – that’s – we’re all at that. It is only, like, if you can just remember that we’re – you know. That the four of us are trying to do that. Because I mean, all of those things you say, you know, in some way, apply to me. Not all ways—

JOHN: Yes, yes, because everything applies a little bit to you, too.

PAUL: [inaudible] —it is just you saying it. They’re all – you know, in some way, to some degree, will apply to me. 

JOHN: ‘Cause once there was a period where none of us could actually, uh, say anything, about your criticisms. 

PAUL: [quiet] Yeah. Yeah.

JOHN: [bleak] ‘Cause you would reject it all.

PAUL: [quiet] Yeah, sure. 

JOHN: And so George and I would just go – you know, “I’ll give you a line here,” “Okay,” you know, “We’ll do four in a bar, and I’ll do…” And a lot of the times you were right.

PAUL: Yeah. 

JOHN: But a lot of the times you were – [the songs were] the same as they always are. But I can’t see the answer to that.

PAUL: No, but – no, that’s good you see. The thing is, like, within each other, within ourselves, we reach something that’s nearly perfect. And everyone else who’s listening will think, “That’s it. They’ve got it.” You know – you know what I mean. So okay, we know we nearly made it, but we’ve really made it, for everyone else. ‘Cause it’s okay, we’re into the fine, finest, finest technicalities – I mean, that’s where it’s at, you know. If one day, we can even keep all – if all the people who are listening to this, nearly nearly made it, they’ll think we’ve made it, you know. They’ll think that’s it. So okay, if we can nearly, if we can creep up on it – and that’s, see, that’s what I’m trying to do. Like last week, yesterday [inaudible] doing alright for me, I was really trying to just say to George, “Take it there,” you know, whereas I wouldn’t have gone [inaudible] and said, “Take it there – with diddle-a-diddle-a-da.” But I was trying last week, to say, “Now, take it over there, and it needs to be like – but, oh, what, like, whatever you—”

JOHN: You see, the point is now – George – is we both did that to George, this time.

PAUL: Mm.

JOHN: And because of the build up to it, that – now he can’t even take that. 

PAUL: Treating him a bit like a mongrel, yeah. 

JOHN: He can’t even – you know. It’s like if I say, “Alright, take it,” he’ll say, “Well, look, I can’t take it. I’ll forget it.”

PAUL: Yeah…

JOHN: I have to, uh—

PAUL: ‘Cause he knows what we’re all about.

JOHN: Yeah.

PAUL: So he knows that when we say, “Take it,” we expect doo-doo-duh-duh-doo. If I said that, then you’d expect—

JOHN: But it’s just that bit. The bit where we’ve – ‘I’ve Got A Feeling’.

PAUL: Yeah.

JOHN: We – there’s no way we could have translated it to him, to say… you know. 

Session activities

The performances are sequentially numbered using the nomenclature from the book "Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image" by Doug Sulpy. DDSI 2.01 is, for example, the first performance from January 2nd, while DDSI 31.65 is the sixty-fifth performance from January 31st. This numbering is at times different from the DDSI numbers used on the bootleg collection "A/B Road Complete Get Back Sessions", likely because "Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image" was updated since the release of this collection.

1. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

   Recording • DDSI.13.01 • 1:00

2. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

   Recording • DDSI.13.02 • 3:36

3. Sleep On It, Otis

   Recording • DDSI.13.03 • 2:50

4. Baby, Come Back

   Written by Eddy Grant

   Recording • DDSI.13.04 • 0:22

5. Build Me Up Buttercup

   Written by Mike d'Abo, Tony Macaulay

   Recording • DDSI.13.05 • 4:06 • Ringo asks who recorded “Build Me Up, Buttercup.” He’s being told it’s The Foundations, and Paul and Linda both sing a bit of the chorus

   Paul McCartney : Vocals Linda Eastman / McCartney : Vocals

6. Build Me Up, Buttercup

   Recording • DDSI.13.06 • 9:46

7. Build Me Up, Buttercup

   Recording • DDSI.13.07 • 0:18

8. Instrumental

   Recording • DDSI.13.08 • 3:39

9. Instrumental

   Recording • DDSI.13.09 • 0:06

10. Instrumental

    Recording • DDSI.13.10 • 0:38

11. Instrumental

    Recording • DDSI.13.11 • 3:16

12. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.12 • 0:14

13. Instrumental

    Recording • DDSI.13.13 • 2:21

14. Dig A Pony

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.14 • 1:31

15. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.15 • 1:33

16. Instrumental

    Recording • DDSI.13.16 • 1:03

17. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.17 • 0:40

18. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.18 • 0:32

19. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.19 • 0:50

20. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.20 • 0:11

21. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.21 • 0:48

22. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.22 • 0:34

23. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.23 • 0:19

24. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.24 • 1:11

25. Instrumental

    Recording • DDSI.13.25 • 3:04

26. Instrumental

    Recording • DDSI.13.26 • 1:06

27. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.27 • 5:05

28. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.28 • 2:44

29. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.29 • 2:58

30. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.30 • 5:49

31. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.31 • 1:51

32. Get Back

    Written by Lennon - McCartney

    Recording • DDSI.13.32 • 0:40

33. On The Road Again

    Recording • DDSI.13.33 • 0:39

    Performed by : John Lennon

34. Improvisation

    Recording • DDSI.13.34 • 1:01

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