"Going Underground - Paul McCartney, The Beatles And The UK Counter Culture" DVD

Beatles member dealing deeper underground

Another unauthorized documentary from the UK's venerable Pride Productions, this one centers on McCartney's inspirations from and within the sixties UK underground scene. As well as looking at the Beatles, a large part of this feature-length (153 minutes) film focuses on figures like Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, the Soft Machine, AMM, the famous UFO Club, and Dr. Timothy Leary.

As with most of Pride's excellent productions, this one doesn't skimp on photos or footage. And though there are no official Beatles members interviewed, there are a number of important folks who were around then, including Eddie Prevost (of AMM), John "Hoppy" Hopkins (founder of the International Times magazine), Joe Boyd (Pink Floyd producer and UFO Club founder), Robert Wyatt (of the Soft Machine), as well as journalists and biographers. 

I gleaned a lot of info here, and learned that McCartney was far more instrumental in the Beatles' movement from teen-pop act to experimental rock than I'd previously imagined. His immersion in the counterculture, drugs, and the arts scene led him down a path which became immensely influential to the world of music and our own modern culture. "Going Underground" is a fine look at a time and place long since past, but still remaining vital as we go forwards. Well-done!

Pride Productions

McCartney's site

"Strange Fruit - The Beatles Apple Records" DVD

In their sixties heyday, as the Beatles were riding a wave to the top of the charts, they (and their management) decided to begin their own "artist-centric" record label called Apple Records. As an unauthorized documentary of the legendary label, this 162-minute DVD is absolutely essential for fans. 

Detailing now-obscure releases by names like Elephant's Memory, The Iveys, and Paul McCartney protege Mary Hopkin, as well as better-known releases by Badfinger and James Taylor, "Strange Fruit" includes interviews with experts, journalists, and the musicians themselves (though actual Beatles member interviews are not featured). Individual albums are dissected, and the involvement from McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon, or Ringo Starr are noted. 

This is a fascinating and exhaustive look at the golden era of the Beatles and Apple  Records, and I applaud Chrome Dreams for this superlative release.

Sexy Intellectual

Beatles official site

"The Beatles - Their Golden Age" DVD

Not sure who this is aimed at, as there are few bands who've been as exhaustively researched, dissected, and documented, but here it is...a Beatles primer, sans any actual music. Narrator/writer Les Krantz states the obvious time and time again, though he does do so with enthusiasm.

Within the first 2 minutes of this presentation, we have repeat footage (and I saw the same clip repeat again within the first 20 minutes), so that's certainly not a good harbinger of things to come from this dodgy, shallow documentary. "The Golden Age" is a rehashed, recycled mash of old TV and newsreel footage of the band leaving airplanes, a few interviews, and mostly shots of screaming and fainting fans. Totally unessential, unnecessary, and only marginally interesting for even the hardest-core fans. (MVD VIsual)

Lennon And McCartney - "Composing Outside The Beatles" DVD

I confess...I didn't make it through this exhaustive 2.5 hour documentary. Covering the years 1973-1980, this examines, with the usual historians and collaborators (including former members of Wings), the period post-Beatles when John Lennon and Paul McCartney struck out on their own with solo projects.

As with others in this series, there are plenty of photos and video clips to illustrate the albums and singles. For Beatles fans, this could be considered an essential critical evaluation. For me? It's just too much. (Pride DVD via MVD Visual)