Beatles' Let It Be (33 1/3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

be chosen for the “Get Back” project. There is one theory that he was chosen by George Martin to look after things. Another theory is that he was in the unique position of being a recording engineer who was also a member of the filmmakers union, allowing him to work on a film. Still another theory is that the Beatles were itching to work with Johns after hearing recordings he produced. The members of the group, especially Paul, were particularly taken by the bass sound that Johns had been achieving while working at Olympic, one of London’s premier independent studios at the time. The most likely scenariois that Paul simply asked Johns to work with them on the project. No doubt Johns was responsible for listening to the live sound feed with Evans, while the actual Nagra sound recordings were made by the three sound technicians: sound mixer Peter Sutton, boom operator Ken Reynolds, and Roy Mingaye.
    The film was later edited by Tony Lenny and Graham Gilding and blown up to 35mm for the final film print. Other crew members included assistant director Ray Freeborn and gaffer Jim Powell.
    The Nagra sound recordings, which were virtually unused for any of the final recordings, as we shall see later, played a central role in the entire “Get Back”/“Let It Be” saga.
    Precisely what the Beatles were to do at Twickenham, as stated before, was largely unknown. The only plan was for the group to be filmed rehearsing songs that it would play at the subsequent, loosely formulated, “concert.” The selection of songs was apparently not previously discussed.
    Cameraman Les Parrott was given the impression that the film had a sizeable budget and was not made aware of the length of the shoot. However, since Ringo was due to begin working on
The Magic Christian
at the beginning of February, there was a very definite time period to the shoot. Additionally, Glyn Johns was scheduled to return to the U.S. to work with Steve Miller.
    Other than a few camera tests, there was no preproduction. The film crew was scheduled to arrive at Stage 1 at 8:30 a.m., and the Beatles were to arrive at 10 a.m. Tea breaks were to be prepared for 24 people and lunch was scheduled for between 1 and 2 p.m. The schedule was much more rigid than what the Beatles were used to. For some time, the group had abandoned the tight time scheduling of Abbey Road recording blocks, which consisted of 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., in order to be able to record at any time they wanted, which more often than not meant beginning sometime in the evening and going until dawn.
    Stage 1 was the largest of the sound stages at Twickenham at that time. It also included a viewing theater and was adjacent to a sound recording theatre. A table and six chairs were to be on the set, and the Beatles would have two dressing rooms at their disposal. The camera crew used two complete 16mm B. L. outfits and the sound crew had two Nagra tape recorders, two neck microphones, and one rifle microphone. The Beatles’ instruments and gear were set up around Ringo’s drum riser.
    For the first time, Ringo played a modified 1968 Ludwig five-piece drum kit. He had been playing Ludwig drums since 1963. As was standard procedure for recording at that time, Ringo’s bass drum head wasremoved and his snare drum was covered with a towel to dampen its sound.
    John, Paul, and George all used new Fender amplifiers manufactured in 1968. John and George both used Twin Reverb amps and Paul used a Fender Bassman amp. John primarily played his Epiphone Casino guitar and George played a Gibson “Lucy” Les Paul. Paul had a Rickenbacker 400IS bass available but never used it; he primarily used his 1963 Hofner Bass. Paul’s 1961 Hofner Bass was at Twickenham, but was likely not used. It was, in fact, stolen after the Twickenham sessions.
    Paul primarily played a Bluthner grand piano. Though hardly a household name, Bluthner pianos have been around for over 150 years and are