If we analyze this off the expectations of a typical live concert, there's little doubt in my mind that this is a bizarre set of tracks - only five full songs with a jam on "God Save the Queen", and three of the songs are done more than once across this 38-minute set. Still, this is no conventional concert - it was done very suddenly and somewhat sporadically, with the public none the wiser about The Beatles' upcoming live performance, so it does excuse a bit of this element. The other excusing part is, of course, the fact that this set is every bit as good as one would expect from The Beatles, and considering the turnaround it's more than impressive - only 30 days to rehearse and learn these 5 songs, and for "Get Back" it was even less considering the song was written within those 30 days. In many ways, The Rooftop Performance shows the resilience of the group with the speed at which they learned the material, and how effectively the rock with them; the quality of the performance speaks for itself, with more than a few of the song takes on this album being used for studio albums.
But of course The Beatles played their asses off, especially when they were cutting some of their best straight rock and roll in years. "Get Back" is performed more than solid all three times on this album, although the second time around is probably the most sharp. "One After 909" from this performance has been used on every version of Let It Be that I can think of, and considering how tight this performance is, it's not at all surprising to me that that's the case - "Dig a Pony" on this album has also become the standard for most studio renditions, and it's largely a similar case as "One After 909" in my book, especially because both kick a lot of ass. "Don't Let Me Down" is gifted with some great renditions, especially the 2nd take towards the end of the album (by this point, police had arrived on the rooftop to confront The Beatles, as they had been disrupting traffic from the amount of people stopped to watch The Fab Four play). "I've Got a Feeling" remains one of my favorite Beatles rock numbers, and whether you're grabbing the first or second take, you're gonna be getting a fantastic version of the song (the second take is probably my absolute favorite version of the song).
This was the final time The Beatles would ever play live - by September of 1969, John would privately announce his departure from the group. While The Rooftop Performance isn't a traditional live performance in the way that At the Hollywood Bowl is, it still stands as a remarkable capture of the group's ability - three years gone from touring, and they're as sharp as ever as they rock as hard as they can manage with all their new tunes. In many ways, it feels like a grand finale for the timeless group; a curtain call for The Fab Four, as they sing, play, and smile through it all one more time.
RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Listen to The Rooftop Performance.
Comments
Post a Comment