The January 1969 sessions at Twickenham and Apple Studio are The Beatles gift that keeps on giving. Thoroughly taped and filmed, it is a rich vein of material to analyze, especially as it has been chronicled in such a bad light by the group themselves, at odds with much of the evidence that has surfaced. SATB has examined the subject numerous times, notably with the two part
Winter of Discontent episodes but also two additional episodes featuring
Doug Sulpy (author of the seminal
Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image) and journalist/blogger Dan Rivkin (
They May Be Parted).
SATB 158 and
SATB 151 respectively But with the pending autumn release of the new and revised cut of
Let It Be on its way, we thought it would be a good time to both summarize and re-examine what there is to work with, considering that Peter Jackson's work is bound to stand as THE final word for a long time on the subject. Further, it is in the interest of offering a corrective to any public perception that what is to come will be a "whitewash" (the quotes in circulation discuss the group's friendship - as you will hear here, there is ample support for this, counter to the narrative they themselves have put out through the years). Dan Rivkin and I discuss (in a three-hour conversation split over two parts) what we feel are the important and key documented moments that *should* make the cut of Jackson's work. Part one includes: ~Discussions on what their goals should be ~The prospect of "divorce" ~ The roots of
Abbey Road ~"All Things Must Pass" ~"White Power"