Paul McCartney's Get Back

Get Back (1991)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

As a smaller fan, I was really letdown by this film not only in the actual film-making aspect but I also felt the concert itself was really disappointing especially after loving the Back in the U.S. disc. Right from the start it appeared McCartney's voice wasn't in the greatest shape but this here didn't sound too bad. Again, it was just disappointing compared to that 2002 tour. The biggest problem I had with McCartney was the performance itself. I'm not sure how this tour was looked at but this film really leads to a boring performance and it appears through the track that the singer really isn't into the thing.

Band on the Run is a personal favorite of mine and it would seem like a good opener but the lack of energy really set a slow pace for the rest of the show. Another favorite from that 2002 tour was The Long and Winding Road, which was full of wonderful emotion yet here it appears McCartney is simply singing by the numbers and it appears he's tired of singing the thing, which is strange since this was his first tour in thirteen years. Other Beatles favorites like Back in the USSR and I Saw Her Standing There don't fare any better.

The concert (and Paul) picks up a bit of steam with Let it Be and Hey Jude but I think these are two songs that not even a drunk could mess up. Throughout the twenty-one tracks these two were the only once that got me moving in the slightest bit. Outside the rather shaky performance, director Richard Lester really doesn't do anyone any favors by cutting up the concert with some of the dumbest footage I've seen in a concert film. The Beatles footage is certainly nice to see but other stuff like the astronauts on the moon is just pointless and really doesn't add anything to the song. For some strange reason Lester seems to think people want to see clips over McCartney.

I was really looking forward to this film but sadly I was left disappointed at each and every turn. I really loved McCartney in concert but this here really left a bad taste in my mouth. Again, I'm not an expert on The Beatles or their solo tours but this was one of the most disappointing concerts I've seen. Perhaps it was just the timeframe this thing was recorded because even my favorite Bob Dylan was going through a bad period during this time. Get Back will certainly be getting back in its case and won't get another play from me.

This concert video is actually a compilation of several dates in a worldwide tour. It is quite well-done despite the odd sensation of suddenly seeing several of the band members (the drummer and keyboard players, for example) in different clothing or hairstyles. The fan reactions are at times a little odd but in large part quite amusing and endearing. My wife and I rented this film following the ABC network's broadcast of "WingSpan" last Friday (May 11, 2001)which was itself a tribute to the band Wings. Although the group was a 1970's heir of much of what was the rock 'n roll classic tradition of the British sensation, the Beatles, Paul McCartney and WINGS for an entire decade brought a lot of fun and joy to music lovers of my generation. The Richard Lester rockumentary wasn't quite the A-ticket ride that his comedic project titled "Hard Day's Night" was several decades before. Still, it is well worth viewing because the music of "Lennon and McCartney" was exceeded by the creative work of McCartney himself! The musical genius that Paul has shared with the pop music world is far greater than just some follow-ups to the Beatles. He has been a great example of a human being, admitting to mistakes but taking musical chances that other 60's "survivors" haven't done as successfully. He is a person well worth watching and a brave widower. All of us who remember the Beatles fondly can appreciate what his music still has to communicate!

This is a very good rock video with solid presentations by Paul McCartney and his band. Footage is off several stops along the way on his big World Tour around 1990.

Paul and his group perform many of the old Beatles songs, along with his solo efforts after the famous band had broken up. The lighting in here was outstanding. I couldn't help wondering how much Paul paid just to put on these concerts. He even added fireworks to one of the numbers!

Like all good performers, McCartney has an excellent band backing him up, particularly a guitarist whose name I don't know but the guy looked like actor James Caan. Paul's wife Linda also was in the band. I didn't see her do much but it's sad to see her now knowing she died at such a young age.

For me, the finale was the best on the tape with the title song "Get Back," along with songs off the "Abbey Road," album, all of which were some of my favorite Beatles tunes.

Earlier in the concert, you see old film clips of the Beatles accompanying some of the songs, and that was nice to see. As with most concert tapes of any length, you'll get a few numbers you can skip but whatever your tastes, you'll get more than enough good rock 'n roll here.

Paul McCartney for the 90's!

Directed by Richard Lester (of 'A Hard Day's Night' and 'Help' fame back in the sixties with McCartney's "other" band), Get Back sees McCartney and a band featuring his wife, Linda, and Paul 'Wix' Wickens (who is still on keys for McCartney today, in 2023) crisscrossing the world, on a tour thirteen years in the making.

Wings and Beatles songs make up the bulk of the program (around 90 minutes' of run time) and the obligatory backstage stuff + some Beatles footage inserted during those Lennon-McCartney songs that are performed by an excellent band.

That band - also featuring Hamish Stuart, Robbie McIntosh and Chris Whitten - looks like they're having the time of their lives, and why wouldn't they be, playing THOSE songs with THAT guy. The Abbey Road medley is a heck of a way to close proceedings.

Great stuff.

Early seventies:during his first concerts in Europa Paul did not play any Beatles song.

Mid-seventies:the world tour featured five Beatles songs all signed MCCartney-Lennon (sic)

Late eighties/early nineties:the Beatles songs became the main course;more,with a few exceptions ("put it there" "band on the run" " live and let die"), the non-Beatles songs became a bore:who would have hoped for a "coming up " or "rough ride" live version?

At a time when U2 was covering his "helter skelter" (check the movie "rattle and hum") ,Paul was playing safe.But it's absolutely impossible not to be overwhelmed with joy when one is treated to the delights of "Hey Jude" "Back in The USSR" or the final medley of Abbey road Golden slumbers/Carry that weight/the end.

And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.