Anyone else seen it yet? I found the second half very interesting, but the early years/Beatles period a bit of a shambles. Without any commentary, it relied on the footage, and that seemed all over the place, with no real narrative coherence.

I've seen it and really I'll take anything on the Beatles ....there were a lot of great older stills in the first half that I'd never seen. Loved the Clapton interviews and Paul's chirps on some songs and I hope it will help to inform many that George was the best musician of the lot. Without him the Beatles would have been a completely different beast.

I think you can learn a lot about each Beatles' character if you find out something about where in Liverpool they grew up, because the areas are very different. George came from Wavertree (which is evident, for example, in the peculiar way he'd pronounce 'book' as 'buck' - quite different to places like, say, Paul's Allerton, and the areas have different styles of humour and attitude), and there was nothing on this because there wasn't any footage and his two surviving brothers (bizarrely) weren't asked any questions (unless everything was cut out apart from one minor anecdote). I thought that section of the film was frustratingly weak as a consequence. The material on The Beatles was interesting, but at times it seemed to forget it was about George and became mesmerised by John (quite understandable, but not right editorially). So that's why I was disappointed in the first half. My only quibble with the second half was that there wasn't quite enough insight into why his US tour was such a shambles - the experience put him off live shows for life, and left a good deal of bitterness, but we didn't get much of a sense of the causes and effects (and, strangely, nothing at all on Eric Clapton's coaxing him into a nervous return to performing in their Japanese gigs in the 1990s).

The interviews with Astrid and Klaus were eye opening for me, as these people were just like characters in a great book before. To see them today was great. If I had never seen Astrid I would have been able to tell how stunning she was at age 18 or 20.

I would say your thoughtful critique is quite accurate ans interesting as well Prunella.

Thanks GG. I agree about the Astrid and Klaus clips. Klaus in particular seemed almost Zelig-like during the 60s and 70s, working with Lennon and Harrison etc but never in the spotlight. I wonder why he hasn't been interviewed more often, he must have some fascinating stories to tell.

Paddy, Klaus and Gibson... am I the only person old enough to remember?

Tommy was over for dinner last night and was amazed to think that Jimi Hendrix was sitting in this very room when he first heard Hey Joe (by The Leaves - I played it to him and told him he should cover it).

Proving beyond doubt that Harrison was the greatest Beatle...I give you...

Oh yes FC; I play the Wilburys in my car all summer long; hey; Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison - talk about the ultimate supergroup!

Does anyone recall the intruder incident? Michael Abrams became obsessed with first the Beatles then concentrated on George Harrison. Abrams broke into 'Fort Knox' (the Harrisons had hight security) and George wrestled with him after Olivia was attacked. George was stabbed repeatedly, once in the chest. It was a 'terrifying and long ordeal', a member of the Harrison's staff frantically calling the police.

Abrams was from Liverpool and believed he was on a 'mission from God'. An extremely nasty incident for George and not long before his life was cruelly taken by cancer.

The Traveling Wilburys prove that musicians with talent can still sound good even when they sound bad.

More Astrid & Klaus in this docu about Stuart Sutcliffe.






And some words (letters written home from Hamburg)by Stu. The docuu starts slow (the story has been told too many times), but the second half is worth watching.