How I Could Have Saved the Beatles

Taken From the Beatles New Documentary “Get Back”

(spoiler alert: do not read if you haven’t seen the documentary)

Allow me to state up front that I am a fan. My earliest remembrances are of my sister playing the 45 of “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and me, running up and down the halls of our house, singing along at the top of my lungs. I remember my brother soaking off the cover of their album “Yesterday and Today” and revealing the “butcher cover” underneath it and thinking, “Man these are some crazy guys?” I remember when he brought home the Sgt. Pepper album and even though I wasn’t allowed in his room, the walls in our house were very thin, and I would lay in my bed and just listen . . . and listen. And I remember when he threw them all away, every album, except one. I have that album.

As I grew up and chose music as a career, I, like many others, grew to appreciate their creativeness, genius songwriting, and all the pioneering works that created new genres of music. All the original “firsts” that can be traced back to these four guys is astounding! So when I heard about the new Peter Jackson documentary I was eager to devour it!

This is the closest I've ever been to a Beatle. Photo taken at the Paul McCartney Concert at Safeco Field, Seattle Washington, July 1013

“Get Back” begins in January of 1969. By then a lot of things had happened, a lot of things had changed and were changing. Brian Epstein their long time manger and friend had passed away a couple years earlier. They were trying to break away from EMI control and build their own studio and get their “Apple” business corporation off the ground. Personal relationships were changing. Paul started dating Linda Eastman and John was now with Yoko Ono. Each of them were embarking on their own solo projects and the world as a whole, was just a different place from 1964.

Although they had produced a massive and very successful undertaking in the making of the Beatles “White Album” the year before, the group was rarely working together. They adopted a more piecemeal and patchwork approach to recording. With the invention of track recording, it allowed for each Beatle to record their tracks at different times. As a result it’s hard to find a date in 1968 that all four were working together. For example, Paul’s song “Mother Natures Son” was recorded without any of the other Beatles involved.

They did however, on August 13, 1968, cram into a small tape room at Abby Road Studios to record “Yer Blues.” Supposedly they were trying to recreate the crowded feel of performing together that they had in their early days of playing at the Cavern club. Could this be what prompted them to decide to make their next project a “Live” performance project?

As soon as they decided they would do a live performance then all kinds of decisions needed to be made. They would perform live but they would also record it for an album. However by this time they were so used to being a recording studio band that performing music live, and writing music that could be reproduced live, was a challenge. They were only a four piece band with thirty piece imaginations and so it was hard to limit compositions to just four musicians. Thus the arrival of Billy Preston on Keys.

But still decisions had to be made! And as we discover in this documentary, they were creative geniuses, not decision makers, and not business men and not producers or managers! Their business venture in retail under the Apple umbrella had failed and their was no one to be the go between for four alpha males who were all very amazing artists. This is where I come in as to how I could have saved the Beatles.

There have been so many speculations as to why the Beatles broke up. Many blame Yoko, yet in the film we see her being very pleasant and getting along with everyone and Paul even sticking up for them saying things like they love each other and want to be together, and it’s their business etc. We see Paul bringing Linda into the studio and Lindas daughter as well! So I think Yoko gets a bad rap. Some say it was trying to agree on a new manager. John, George and Ringo wanted to go with Alan Klein and Paul wanted to go with the Eastmans, his soon to be inlaws. This was probably the main reason for the break up but also their creative process as a group needed to be addressed! So here’s what I would have done.

Big screen shot of Paul, Safeco Field, July 2013

First: I would manage the Beatles. Yes me, Lynn Graciano, a nobody from Spanaway Washington, I would manage the Beatles. Of course I was only 8 years old in 1969 so this is obviously fictional and totally hypothetical. But seriously! Had I been an adult in 69 I could have saved the Beatles! I would manage with integrity, and transparency, (especially in the financial arena) and always have my clients best interest in mind. No fine print in contracts, which eventually sent Klein to prison. (Different story. He was also manager of the Rolling Stones)

Second: Camping on the transparency in financial matters point, I would make sure we hired a third party accounting firm to oversee all business ventures. In other words, checks an balances needed to be built in to keep everyone above board financially, and provide regular communication so at any moment, anyone could see the books, and see where things stood. No hidden agendas or hidden business deals.

Third: Final say on any venture would be by unanimous vote consisting of only the four Beatles. If anyone had reservations on a project it was up to the group to convince each other of its merits and either move forward or table the project until everyone could get behind it.

Fourth and very important: With the agreement of the previous resolution of always acting unanimously. the Beatles would all have to agree as to how much work and time are they willing to put into Beatles projects. In light of them all wanting to do their own solo projects etc. I would suggest to them, and they would all have to agree, to produce one album a year minimum. And if they wanted to do more, or add some live shows or anything else that was totally up to them. And commit at least a month for said album. Thus allowing the 11 remaining months of the year to pursue their own careers outside of the Beatles, and take breaks, and vacations and spend time with family etc. If they agreed to that then . . .

Fifth: When they did work on an album they would have to all agree on this creative process. If only I had been there it wouldn’t had been so much Helter Skelter!

A) Whoever brings a song suggestion in for possible inclusion on their album it must be in semi finished form. The writing process can be completed at home with whomever you wish to collaborate with but we should not waste precious rehearsal time/recording time with figuring out chords and lyrics and lead lines etc. The song needs to be presented in a somewhat finished version to be entered into consideration.

B) Whoever is the main writer of the song will take the lead for rehearsing, recording, instrumentation, arranging, and final decision making for that song. All suggestions will be welcomed and encouraged but the writer makes the final decision and all egos must be put aside. If ones suggestions is not used, no worries. When its your song, and your turn, then you will have the final say. Just this alone, if nothing else, if the Beatles could have agreed to this process they probably would be around today!

C) After songs are recorded and final, then each song would be reviewed to see which ones will be chosen for inclusion onto the album. In the situation that time restraints demand a decision has to be made and the group cannot be unanimous, then the majority will be what makes the decision. In case of a tie, then they would all have to agree that George Martin would be their tie breaker. Songs not included would be tabled or saved for the next album making their next years album that much easier as they already have a start! With that said, each Beatle would be encouraged to continue to write throughout the year and come with lots of material ahead of time to each years album adventure.

There you have it! Although I boast that I could have saved the Beatles I really can’t take credit for what to me seems to be just common sense! Who knows? Maybe, just maybe I could have convinced them to stop smoking and maybe we’d still have George? Or maybe John would have been in London or Lagos Nigeria working on the next Beatle album instead of being in New York on that fateful night. Who knows? I sure don’t, but it’s fun to Imagine.

The one album I got from my brother : )