GET BACK – Full disclosure…..all the peeps are Beatles fans – Mike and I being the most diehard of the bunch! So it is no surprise we all enjoyed this documentary of the fab four working in the studio back in 1969 as they prepared for a live performance or TV show or both. (They could never sort it out from one day to the next and only had a two-week window to put it together). Eventually the live performance would become the famous rooftop concert in London, there would be no TV show and many of the recordings would become part of the “Let it Be” album. There is so much to love about this 3-part series if you are a Beatles fan, and so much to discover if you are not. Mike and I felt like a fly on the wall watching these sessions, witnessing the true relationships between these four men, both personally and professionally. The biggest surprise for me was the love and humor of their brothers’ bond which is evident throughout, despite their frustration and resentment as they struggled to keep the band together and on task. Watching them work, seeing how they collaborated to make a song come to life and how they would playfully blow off steam as a respite from a creative block was fascinating. Unexpected gems are revealed in this peek into the late 1960s – the fashions (which Darlene and I loved), the archaic recording equipment and the free flowing cigarettes & alcohol. I enjoyed seeing the wives/girlfriends/kids visiting the studio and interacting with the guys. (Just an aside – Yoko comes off much better in this than her reputation at the time) One of my favorite parts was seeing the Beatles check out the newspaper articles written about them. One of them would bring in an article and read it to the others, and they would all have a good laugh at the lies being printed or comment on the information being broadcast by the press. The documentary wraps up with the entire rooftop concert cleverly presented in real time with a split screen. This enables us to see exactly what was happening on the roof, in the streets and by the cops simultaneously. It’s ingenious. It was interesting to learn the two surviving Beatles and the widows of the other two are all producers on this project. Also interesting is the excitement the Beatles continue to generate among younger folks. Linette’s son binged the whole series and then went out and bought all of the Beatles’ CDs. Incredible! As for me, the overall viewing experience was bittersweet. Because in the end, I was left with sadness. Sadness that the guys couldn’t hold the band together, sadness that so many of the folks in this documentary are dead, sadness that we won’t pass this way again. Still I’m grateful for the trip. Unanimous toasts!!! Cheers Lads! Boyfriends – 4 of course, plus 1 more; Girlfriends – 0.