Drugs, Divorce & A Slipping Image
by Doug Sulpy

The Get Back sessions under a microscope

Doug Sulpy’s books on unreleased Beatles tracks are excellent resources for collectors or those just curious as to what’s out there, but in Drugs, Divorce & A Slipping Image he really outdid himself. It’s a blow-by-blow account of each day of The Beatles’ January 1969 sessions for the then-titled Get Back, from the moment the crew sets up their gear on 2 January to the last performance of Let It Be on 31 January.

First published in 1994 and last updated in 1997 (Sulpy’s 2001 The Complete Get Back Sessions only looked at the music from the sessions), this new edition integrates everything from before, plus the wealth of material that’s surfaced since. The original manuscript directly quoted dialogue, but threatened legal action from Apple has resulted in paraphrasing throughout, making for rather stilted reading. Nonetheless, a clear sense of drama remains, and one can readily pick up on the percolating tensions (though, sadly, the confrontation that led to George Harrison’s walking out on 9 January was not captured on tape). The wealth of detail is undeniably formidable, making you wonder if any Apple-endorsed product could possibly compare. Available from www.dougsulpy.com and essential for collectors and those who haven’t the patience for 126 CDs of outtakes.

4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars

ISBN 9780964386983

Reviewed by Gillian G Gaar
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