In the studio with The Beatles by Dennis Dekker

For over three years, Dennis Dekker almost literally spent his time in the studio with The Beatles. Every month he listened to a part of the (Nagra) rehearsal sessions, which have been integrally filmed by documentary and moviemaker Michael Lindsay-Hogg in 1969. Dekker wrote a captivating personal transcript that defeats the myth the Get Back-sessions only show the falling apart of the Beatles. The Beatles-fan club in The Netherlands eagerly put these texts on their website. The texts have now been joined together in a unique volume: In the studio with the Beatles.

"Londen, 27 januari 1969 / Hoofdstuk 16 / Roll 515A
Still Get Back. These versions are not good enough yet for this perfectionist band. After having played part of a song, the band stops and John wants to say something. His story is not well audible, because the microphone stands to far away. Someone (John? Is that why he stopped the session?) tunes his guitar and the band starts with Oh! Darling. 'I just heard that Yoko's divorce has just gone through. Free at last!', John screams when the song is over. It is celebrated by playing another part of Oh! Darling. They take a short break and then Get Back is started again. And again. And again. The band seems to be greedy: 'Do you wanna do it once more then? Yes. Yes, yes!' Just before the tape ends the song is started again..."

Ernie Sutton brings us this review:

This hardback book is for the die hard fan and any fan of the infamous "Let It Be" recording sessions, and published in Holland.

The book documents in a diary form the events of January 1969, and focuses on what is contained on each roll of film used during the sessions that eventually became the Let It Be movie.

It is in effect a written version of the various bootlegs that have appeared over the years of these sessions.

The songs recorded during these sessions most of us know as what eventually emerged as the Let It Be album, but the dialogue during these sessions is also documented and shows the tensions that were within the group at the time.

It also shows there were some lighter moments as well during these sessions, so the tensions weren't always there. The fabs are also documented talking about their other projects, such as Paul talking about the new album Postcard that he produced for Mary Hopkin.

However, the book itself will have a limited market and there isn't anything new here that the average Beatle fan doesn't know already.

For more information and to buy the book go to gelderlandvakbladen.nl.

—Ernie Sutton

© 2010 British Beatles Fan Club