52 years is a long time coming, but for the greatest band in rock music, what’s a half century? Beatles fans waited a long time to get to see and hear the Fab Four in the studio on their final masterpiece Let It Be, but thanks to the Peter Jackson documentary Get Back, we can all see them work their magic in the studio. One of the highlights of the hit doco was seeing the Beatles working on John Lennon’s masterpiece “Don’t Let Me Down.”
In a two-minute video cut from the sprawling documentary, the Fab Four can be seen running through “Don’t Let Me Down” in the studio several times as Lennon tries to nail the vocals. It’s always beautiful to see the boys working together, although the star of the video is keyboardist Billy Preston, who was brought in at the last minute for the album session. His smile lights up the room, and his keyboard parts completely transform the song – it’s a must-see for Beatles fans.
The YouTube video title suggests that the Beatles were “rehearsing” the song in the clip. However, from the way every last instrument and singer is meticulously miked up for recording, it seems pretty clear that the footage actually shows the Beatles trying to record the best take to be included on the album. Lennon doesn’t seem quite happy with his vocals on this particular day, which is perhaps why these particular takes were not used for the final album release.
Preston helped the Beatles complete the album, with his playing and positive vibe easing the session. The footage shows that the Beatles really appreciated what Preston was contributing to “Don’t Let Me Down,” as Lennon tells him, “You’re giving us a lift Bill. We’ve been doing this for days,” to which Paul McCartney quipped, “Weeks.” The Get Back doco also featured footage of the Beatles playing their rooftop concert, in which you can hear their final arrangement for “Don’t Let Me Down.”
The Get Back documentary captured the recording process of the Beatles’ 12th and final studio album Let It Be. The Beatles recorded the bulk of the album in January 1969. However, due to disagreements about the mixing of the album, it was not fully completed at the time and was not released until May 8, 1970.
Although Abbey Road was actually recorded after Let It Be, due to the delayed release, Let It Be became the Beatles’ final studio album release.
If you would like to hear more from this legendary band, you can subscribe to their YouTube Channel and follow their journey on Instagram for more incredible music.