Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 19, 1995 TAG: 9511170110
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Of course it is. After all, this is the Fab Four we're talking about here, the Beatles, arguably the most influential musical and cultural icons of the last 35 years. Of course it's worth watching.
If you've never been properly indoctrinated to them, this is as good a place to start as any. And if you're already a fan, then this new retrospective has plenty to offer - from familiar old film clips to new interviews, even a new so-called Beatles song.
But is it the complete Beatles story?
Is it the definitive history?
Of course not. After all, at least one important voice is missing, the voice of John Lennon, who was killed in 1980. It's true that his take on the Beatles' rise and demise is painstakingly represented through old interviews, but most of those insights are 20 years old or more. They carry the baggage of then-fresh wounds and bitterness.
You wonder what he would think of the Beatles legacy now, as a man in his 50s. It's sad that his mature perspective is missing. And despite extensive interviews with the surviving Beatles, his absence still makes for an incomplete picture.
That's not the only problem, however.
Also absent from the three-part anthology is any kind of narration or outside observation to put the Beatles story into the proper context. Why were they so popular? Why were they influential? How did they change the world?
This approach was a deliberate decision by the remaining Beatles, to tell their story in their own words, from only their perspective. But was that the best decision, the best way to tell the story?
Maybe not.
Viewers who aren't already indoctrinated on Beatles lore might get lost. For others, there are still questions that go unanswered. Even Paul McCartney said recently: ``The surprising fact is, we thought we'd absolutely have the definitive lockout version. No one could ever say anything after this. It's still up for grabs.''
Oddly, there also is little about the group's creative process, about how they wrote and recorded their songs. The group's record producer, George Martin, is one of the few non-Beatles interviewed in the anthology, but he offers few details and disappears completely from the series during the foursome's musical evolution from ``She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah,'' to ``I read the news today, oh boy.''
Their personal lives also are almost completely ignored. Wives, family members, girlfriends and friends are not interviewed. John's marriage to Yoko Ono is discussed by the other Beatles, but it doesn't settle the question of whether she helped break up the group.
``I used to just ask John, `What's this about?''' Ringo Starr recalls in the series. ``I said, `What's happening here, Yoko's at all the sessions?' And he told me when you go home to Maureen and you tell her how your day was, it takes like two lines. `Oh well, we had a good day in the studio.' And he said, `Well, we know exactly what's going on.' That's how they started to live, every moment together.''
It's Ringo who comes across as the most likeable. Often, he offers up the most poignant and honest recollections among the group. Paul comes across as the mop-topped ham he's always been, who clearly revels in reminiscing. George Harrison seems the most reluctant to revel too much in the whole thing.
Still, the series has its insightful moments. John's perspective on Beatlemania, for example: ``We always called it the eye of the hurricane. It was calmer in the middle.''
Or Paul's testy response to people who say the White Album was too long: ``What do you mean? It was great. It sold. It's the bloody Beatles White Album. Shut up.''
Or George's astute comparison of the Beatles to Elvis: ``That was the good thing about being four together, not like Elvis. I always felt sorry later for Elvis because he was on his own. He had his guys with him, but there was only one Elvis. Nobody else knew what he felt like. But for us, we all felt the experience.''
And finally, Ringo's solemn memory of it all: ``It was magical. There were some really loving, caring moments between four people. The hotel room here and there, a really amazing closeness. Just four guys who really loved each other was pretty sensational.''
``The Beatles Anthology'': 9-11 p.m. tonight, Wednesday and Thursday on ABC (WSET, Channel 13).
by CNB