Since 1970, people have argued over why the Beatles broke up. Now, for the first time, we know.
Authoritative, illuminating, and thoroughly engrossing, Get Back is already winning praise as a unique window into the interaction - and dissolution - of the world's greatest rock and roll band. Beatlefan magazine hailed it, along with the books of Mark Lewisohn, as "the most valuable Beatles volume put out in recent years."
Here, for the first time, Beatles experts Sulpy and Schweighardt trace the group's breakdown through the fascinating prism of the Get Back recording sessions. January 2, 1969: The Beatles begin a month of intensive sessions, designed to capture the musicians "as nature inteded." Playing, raw, live, with no studio tricks or gimmicks, the Beatles were consciously rejecting the high-gloss production style of their recent albums in favor of a return to their earlier stripped-down rock and roll sound. But Beatles Unplugged soon became Beatles Undone, and the project turned into the thirty-day saga of a group in freefall. Bickering and sniping, trudging through sloppy versions of old hits, the Fab Four were coming apart.
For twenty-five years, tapes from the ill-fated Get Back sessions - only a fraction of which were released as Let It Be - have circulated among collectors. Sulpy and Schweighardt, for the first time, have undertaken a Herculean task: Sifting through those countless hours on tape, they reconstruct in amazing detail the drama of those sessions - the songs, jokes, outbursts, and fights. Get Back puts the reader in the studio as John cedes power to Yoko, Paul scrambles to keep things afloat, and George quits the band. It traces each step in the band's unique creative process. And, finally, it relives the glorious coda - when, for an impromptu rooftop concert, all four left their differences downstairs and mustered the singular Beatles magic.
The first book to offer a definitive, minute-by-minute chronicle of the events of that much-discussed month, Get Back is an indispensable addition to every serious Beatle fan's library. Yet it is much more than a simple collection of information: Doug Sulpy and Ray Schweighardt have given us a singularly candid look at these four collaborators in their greatest moment of crisis. There has never been a book on any musical group more intimate, thorough, or revealing.
"Along with the [Mark] Lewisohn books, the most valuable Beatles volume put out in
recent years.... The result will amaze the reader.... It's a must for all
Beatlefans."
-Beatlefan
"A fascinating glimpse into the workings of a Beatles session.... This book will
long remain an influential, dog-eared source to the Get Back sessions, as fans
and scholars alike puzzle over the disintegration of a historical and influential
group.... [An] impressive and welcome pop-culture anthology."
-Popular Music
"Exceptional.... If you think you know everything about John, Paul, George, and
Ringo, think again. This book offers a wealth of surprises for even the most hard-core Fab
Four fanatic."
-Friday Morning Quarterback
"A wealth of information! Without exaggeration, this book is really adding
something new to the well-known story.... [A] masterpiece."
-Beatles Unlimited
"A monumental testament to sheer perseverance and first-class detective work....
The Get Back project is traced with uncompromising accuracy and attention to
detail.... Nothing short of fascinating and revealing.... A 'must' for every Beatles
bookshelf."
-Goldmine
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