Sunday, December 26, 2021

Get Back Observation: The Beatles read a lot about themselves

 I have been watching the "Get Back" documentary carefully and have discovered a lot of interesting little tidbits of information.   I thought it would a fun new series for me to share with you the things I am discovering.  Some discoveries are sort of a big deal and others are not.   I do not expect anyone to agree with some of the things I found and my take on them.   This is just for fun.


Discovery #1  

The Beatles had a LOT of interesting reading information in the studio with them and frequently it has something to do with them.    Take a look at some of the reading material. 


1.  The Beatles Complete Works

(Published in January 1969 in the Netherlands)

This book that Yoko is seen reading appears to be a book of Beatles lyrics from 1963-1968 filled with Beatles photos along with the lyrics.  







2.  TeenSet magazine 

February 1969

Yoko is spotted reading the newest issue of TeenSet with John on the cover.   I have posted below the table of contents and a little of The Beatles article included.   










3.  The infamous Michael Housego article from the Daily Sketch

I would love to know who told Michael Housego anything about George leaving the Beatles.   We know all about the guys reading this story because we hear Paul performing the details of the article.   I found the actual story on reddit and will post it here.  (as always click to enlarge)


4.  Beatles Book Monthly 

January 1969   Issue 66

One of the first things you see The Beatles reading was The Beatles Book Monthly Issue 66 with Ringo playing the drums on the cover.   I really believe they read over BBM every month!

Here is some of what they were looking at. 





5.  Open City newspaper

Open City  was a radical underground newspaper from San Francisco from 1967-1969.  It was published by John Charles Byran.  It was best remembered for a column called "Notes of a Dirty Man."   I am not sure of the date of the newspaper the Beatles had.   It is NOT the January 24 - 30, 1969 issue.  But as you can see from this screenshot -- it has a story about the White Album (which still wasn't known as The White Album yet).  



Honorable Mention:

Weekend:  newspaper supplement

I cannot find much information about the paper that John and George are reading.  But the headline says "Wild Life:  Tragic Death of a Dancing Queen."  



This is a sampling of what I saw in means of newspapers and magazines.  There were other newspaper articles that were read aloud and other magazines laying around that I couldn't see exactly what they were.  Did anyone else notice any other reading material?  

7 comments:

  1. Really nice collection. I particularly like the Brian Hagiwara illustration, and the articles are also like dipping back into the 60s. I would love to gather a big collection of papers and magazines from 68 and early 69 and read over a 2 week sabbatical.

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  2. I didn't realize they followed the press so closely, and they were interested in what was being written about them.

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  3. a few of the things i noticed was that paul had his rick sanded down during these sessions, the beatles was the number one album in the world at the time, and that maureen was fabulous. (beatle55).

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  4. they probably had a good laugh reading the written stuff about themselves

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  5. More magazines: page 127/ 128 The Beatles Get Back ( Apple/Callaway 2021) a Time magazine of january 24 1969.

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  6. So I am trying to figure out if Michael Housego just lied or did someone lie to him. Is he still alive? I tried to do a search online but came up with very little. If he is alive, maybe someone can interview him.

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    1. Laurann -- I found very little as well. I wonder who leaked information to him that George had left in the first place and where did this guy come up with the story about George and John fighting? Very, very little information about this guy out there.

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