Reliving the good times - and the rivalries Given they included Something and All Things Must Pass, they weren't duds - but they didn't get the attention of John or Paul. Included are a number of songs written by George. If you can snag a copy of the original film, Let It Be, you'll notice the group is already trying out a batch of songs that will form part of Abbey Road. George, who had already decided he wasn't being appreciated, began the process on guard. Paul, who quite rightly felt he'd been carrying the band for some time was, depending how you look at it, either overly enthusiastic or overbearing. To make matters worse, John, already battling heroin addiction, arrived for the project armed with partner Yoko Ono, whose mere presence was a source of conflict. The whole process would be filmed and become a television special. Fully rehearsed, they'd play a live concert.

His plan was to create songs they could sing on stage without overdubs or studio trickery. So, ever the ideas man, Paul suggested they needed to become a real group again. The White album may have sold millions of copies but it was a record made by four individuals rather than a band. In late 1968 the Beatles were a group in name only.

Which brings us back to the 'road to hell' and for that we need some background. It's in everyone's interest to recast Let It Be. Really? If they were all having such a ball back in 1969, why were the album and film shelved, and why did the band effectively split nine months later? And why are we now suddenly being prepared for a very different take on it all? Peter Jackson was even more effusive: 'You look like friends and you look like you're having a ball'. I'm not bullshitting! You see this kind of thing, this relationship between me and John, and me and George. Paul McCartney said that when he saw the unreleased footage, his feeling was, 'It's great. Simply called Get Back, the project is set to be released later this year and, surprise, surprise, there's already a major attempt to recast Let It Be focusing on the positive. So was it really that bad? For much of the past two years film director Peter Jackson has been tasked with sifting through the 50-plus hours of film and 140 hours of audio recorded during January 1969 in an attempt to remake the documentary. Released 50 years ago this week, the album was accompanied by a documentary of the same title that only emphasised the dark mood inside the group. Let It Be was released 50 years ago in 1970.

Let it be the beatles live in studio