The Beatles' Rooftop Concert - Fifty Years

It was fifty years ago today that the Beatles and Billy Preston performed a "rooftop concert" of their latest songs for what ultimately became the Let It Be album, atop the Apple Corps building along London's Savile Row, to be filmed for their documentary.  It was the live public performance that Paul McCartney wanted, but, except for people on adjacent rooftops and looking out at upper-floor windows windows across the street, no one got to see it.  But everyone in the whole darn West End sure could hear it.

Nothing was left to chance, a far cry from the rest of the Get Back/ Let It Be sessions.  Numerous amplifiers had to be ferried in from EMI, along with pieces of wood, tackle and rope to weigh down the wires. Tape operator Alan Parsons had to buy from a Mark's and Spencer's shop  pantyhose to place over the microphones to prevent the wind from blowing noise into them.  The day itself was a cold raw day, typical for London in January, and John Lennon and Ringo Starr had to borrow their ladies' coats to keep warm.  (The coat George Harrison wore, I assume, was his own.)

The Beatles did nine performances of five songs - "I've Got a Feeling" and Don't Let Me Down" were each performed twice, "Get Back" thrice - and the performance of "Dig a Pony," the first version of "I've Got Feeling" and their only take of "The One After 909" made the Let It Be LP.  (The version of "Get Back" that closes Let It Be is a studio performance, mixed from the same take that produced the 1969 single - with the applause at the end of the rooftop show and John Lennon's expression of gratitude crossfaded onto the end in place of Paul's spoken vocal about Loretta's mother.)  Not every performance made the accompanying film, but the movie still captures the energy and the spirit of good ol' rock and roll.  Alan Parsons calls it one of the most exciting days of his life, seeing the Beatles perform and getting feedback from the onlookers, including Yoko Ono, Maureen Starkey and the rest of the crew.  One person who did not get to enjoy the concert was Glyn Johns, who stayed inside to operate as the sound man.

The Londoners who made their way through the West End may have enjoyed the concert, but the businessmen who had their offices there didn't.  As that one businessman told Michael Lindsay-Hogg's film crew, they thought the Beatles' music was enjoyable in is proper setting but not when it was disrupting the business of the area.  Sure enough, the police were called in and stopped the concert.  George Martin became worried of what might happen next.  Just before the 42-minute show concluded, the Beatles managed to get through a third version of "Get Back" - after John and George turned their amps back on when the police turned them off - and Paul improvised a new spoken lyric - "You've been playing on the roofs again . . and you know your mamma doesn't like that . . ..  Oh, she gets angry - she's gonna have you arrested!"

Paul and Ringo still wish the group had been arrested.  They thought that it would have made a perfect ending for the film. 

Still, forty-two minutes were more than the Beatles got to play in their tour concerts.  And it was a day for everyone involved to remember.  You had to be there, but if you weren't - if, say, you were only three years old and playing in the snow somewhere in New Jersey and so couldn't be there - the Let It Be film is as close as you can come.  It can't be re-released on home video soon enough. 

"I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we've passed the audition." - John Lennon 

 

Above is the scene of the Beatles performing "Get Back" in the Let It Be film - the first two versions edited together. It was my Music Video of the Week for the fiftieth anniversary, but I've decided to keep it for posterity by including it here, as it's hard to find these days.