Photo: Courtesy of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Over the last six months,Beatlesfans have been treated to a bumper crop of projects culled from the January 1969 sessions for what becameLet It Be,the group’smisunderstood swan song. Whether intentional or incidental, the multimedia rollout from the most documented period in the Beatles' history had the peculiar effect of not only humanizing the most famous rock band on the planet, but making them seem eerily present, almost as if the Fab Four themselves were slowly materializing via one sensory input at a time.
Where else can you peer through John Lennon’s granny glasses and quite literally see what the world looked like through his eyes? Or examine “I’ve Got a Feeling” or “I Me Mine” as works in progress, scrawled semi-complete on lyric sheets? The band’s instruments are arranged as if they’re at rehearsal and stepped out for a quick tea break. A quartet of distinctive outfits — Beatles without bodies — greet you soon after entering. For Beatlemaniacs and fans of Jackson’s film, they’re instantly recognizable. Everyone else can take a hint from the plentiful videos and photos. The chance to stand before a familiar cherry red Lurex raincoat, while simultaneously seeing it draped around Ringo Starr in footage from the famous rooftop concert, is — to borrow a phrase — certainly a thrill.
Courtesy of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Apple Corps Ltd.
Though they lack the same audio-visual pyrotechnics, the artifacts are equally evocative. Their presence is thanks in large part to the efforts of Craig Inciardi, the Rock Hall’s Director of Acquisitions, who’s been in talks with band representatives and Apple Corps CEO Jeff Jones for the better part of a decade. “We don’t have any collectors involved,” says Onwusa. “This is strictly from the Beatles' themselves and the estates [of Lennon and Harrison]. The chance to put this story together with the assistance of the principles was very unique for the Rock Hall and such an honor. These artifacts are the crème de la crème, and this is the one place to see them all together like this, along with the film and the music. This is the trifecta.”
To be sure, the footage activates the items, charging them with historical significance. The effect is amusing and at times touching. To see the shock of recognition flash across a visitor’s face as they approach what initially appears to be a humble jean jacket (to pick just one example) is to witness the transformation of an object from the everyday to the extraordinary. In this instance,the Wrangler jacket in questionwas a favorite of Lennon’s, and worn while theyrecorded the final version of the Beatles' modern hymnal, “Let It Be.“The surprisingly slim cut provides a human scale to the rock giant. Some of the patches — a must for any countercultural denim apparel at the dawn of the ’70s — are remnants of his political activities. (Appropriately, he wore the jacket duringa march on Aug. 11, 1971, later featured inthe music video for his egalitarian anthem “Power to the People.") But another patch, with a nod to the Beatles' landmarkSgt. Pepper, hints at his sentimental side and sense of humor.
The shirt, as the placard notes, would remain a favorite of McCartney’s, donned during his Wings Over America tour in 1976. These dates marked the first time he’d played the States since his trek with the Beatles a decade earlier. It’s fitting that the garment worn as he nervously contemplated a post-Beatles future also featured in his coronation as a solo force.
Harrison’s graduation from the band’s lead guitarist to full-fledged creative partner is arguably the chief subplot of Jackson’s eight-hour opus, and his representative Rock Hall outfit reflects this metamorphosis. It’s the pink pinstriped suit purchased from Dandie Fashions, a Swinging London staple off King’s Road. Prior to its appearance at theGet Backsessions, worn the day the band recorded the song of the same name, Harrison wore the ultra-’60s suit to thepremiere of the filmWonderwallat the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 1968. He’d recorded the soundtrack for the otherwise unremarkable freak-out film, thus becoming the first Beatle to release a solo disc. Months before the growing pains manifested before Lindsay-Hogg’s cameras, the youngest Beatle already has his eyes on outside projects — and he already knew how to stand out among his fellow Fabs. (The pink suit garnered much attention in the spate of fashion articles published followingGet Back’s release last November.Vultureranked it number one in their list of"The 24 BestGet BackFits.")
And, finally, there’s the aforementioned red raincoat, which Starr borrowed from his wife Maureen to ward off the January chill as they played 10 songs on the roof of 3 Savile Row. Less iconic, but no less interesting, are the embroidered Gedal pants he wore underneath.
But that’s just the clothes. Each object tells a story if you know how to listen. Pride of place is Lennon’s Epiphone Casino, his guitar of choice for nearly every recording and concert after 1966, sanded down to its natural finish at the behest of the Beatles friend, the mononymed folk-rocker Donovan. Also of note is Starr’s maple Ludwig drum kit, obtained in late 1968 and used for the remainder of the Beatles' all-too-short existence. And then there’s the treasure trove ofitems from producer-engineer Glyn Johns, including his daily diaries and an early acetate pressing of the record-in-process.
source: people.com
