Backbeat, The Beatles and an Alt-Rock Supergroup
- jamesgeraghty
- Apr 2
- 5 min read
Backbeat is a movie about the Beatles in their 'before they were famous' phase, trawling the dingy clubs of Liverpool and Hamburg in the early 1960's, honing their craft and preparing themselves for rock n roll stardom. But it is also a film about relationships, and especially those between John Lennon, Stuart Sutcliffe and Astrid Kirchherr.
For me though, there is an interesting sub-plot to all this - the soundtrack. Because it wasn't created by the actors, or put together by a bunch of talented, but faceless, session musicians. It was the result of a pretty much one time only alternative supergroup. I have mixed in some recordings of both this supergroup and the Beatles in that Hamburg era.
The Film:
Backbeat has all sorts of issues around it. Some of it doesn't appear to be historically all that accurate, the script needed a massive re-write (by Stephen Ward) to get the funding it needed, and it wasn't endorsed by any of the key surviving Beatle members. But it became something of a cult classic despite that, because of the performance of several of the actors, and the interest it provided by focusing on the side story - that of Stuart Sutcliffe's position in the band, not to mention the soundtrack (but more of that later).
The Beatles: Twist & Shout (At the Star Club, Dec 1962 - after Stu had died)
The movie delves into Sutcliffe's place in the band, the fact that he was only really there because he was John Lennon's best mate, but that he had that effortless rock n roll cool (often compared to looking like James Dean) and the kind of look they needed to start their brand. The problem was, he was an artist and a photographer, and couldn't really care less about being a rock star. Also, he had very little musical talent, something that would often frustrate his bandmates, especially it seems, Paul McCartney.
Backbeat Band: Please Mr Postman (Audio only)
On arriving in Hamburg, the introspective Stu is swept along in a torrid relationship with local photographer Astrid Kirchherr. This leads to further tension between them and Lennon - and the film circles around whether the jealousy Lennon clearly felt was directed at Kirchherr because he fancied her too, or because she was taking his closest friend away from him (it has often been speculated that he and Sutcliffe were more than just friends).
And although the circumstances around the fight and the head injury that Sutcliffe suffered at the hands of Lennon one drunken Hamburg evening, are apparently largely wrong in the film - the fact is that Lennon did hit him, and carried with him the guilt that it may well have been this incident that led to Sutcliffe dying of a brain haemorrhage some eighteen months later, for the rest of his life.
Backbeat Band: Rock & Roll Music (Audio only)
McCartney was fairly dismissive of the end result; "They've actually taken my rock n rollness off me." Although at least one bit of acting caught his eye, "I was quite taken, however, with Stephen Dorff' astonishing performance as Stu." Kirchherr though, thought the film got the details of her relationship with Sutcliffe about right. Julian Lennon, Pete Best and Pauline (Sutcliffe's sister) also liked it - she said, "I still think the director did a fabulous job."
The Soundtrack:
The quirky by-product of one of the issues surrounding the film, that the film didn't have the blessing of the remaining Beatles and so couldn't licence their music - meant that they had to be somewhat creative with the soundtrack.
The Beatles: Long Tall Sally (Star Club, Dec 1962 - Ringo is on drums by now)
Director Iain Softley recalls, "producer Nik Powell was sitting on the toilet reading a music magazine when he saw the right name for the job. He ran out yelling, 'we need to get Don Was!" And so it was that the perhaps slightly odd choice of 6-time Grammy winner Don Was came onboard to pull together the soundtrack. Softley then instructed Was, "Don't let them listen to the Beatles' versions. Just let them kick the crap out of the songs."
With the licensing issues, Was focused instead on the rock n roll covers that made up the bulk of The Beatle's set in Hamburg. And because their stage act at that time was a bit like "the punk of its day", he got in some contemporary rock musicians to work on the soundtrack.
They weren't just any old musicians he gathered together though, they were some of the cream of the alternative music scene that was dominating the early 90's landscape. The fusion of punk and rock n roll that the 'grunge' scene encapsulated was ideal, since the Beatles "were a wild teenage band that compensated for their lack of finesse with a tremendous amount of energy."
The line up was stellar: Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum) covering McCartney's vocals, Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs) did Lennon's singing (and some guitar), Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) on guitar, Don Fleming (Gumball) on guitar, Mike Mills (R.E.M.) on bass, and Dave Grohl (still just about in Nirvana) on drums.
Backbeat Band: Twenty Flight Rock (Audio only)
The band was whipped into shape, recording fifteen songs in just three days, often nailing it on the first take. It was a deliberate ploy by Was, to keep the feel of the music raw and spontaneous. The recording was done at Ocean Way studio in Hollywood, except for Pirner's vocals, which he recorded separately. Henry Rollins (Black Flag) also showed up, as he was brought in to sing the Elvis song that Sutcliffe sings at one point (Love Me Tender).
The Songs:
Money (That's What I Want) had been the Motown labels first big hit, and was a regular live staple in the Beatles set. It also became the closing track on their second album, With The Beatles. As CoverMe noted, the song "channels the rawness and energy that characterised [their Hamburg] performances." Greg Dulli "delivers all of the youthful bravado and sneer that John Lennon did when singing rock n roll in his early years."
Mike Mills takes the lead on Roadrunner, originally a hit for Bo Diddley, while Dave Pirner sings three songs as Paul McCartney, including Twenty Flight Rock, the Eddie Cochran classic, which has "no-nonsense instrumentation, snarling vocals and an unhinged guitar solo."
Backbeat Band: Roadrunner (Audio only)
There is also an early run out for Twist & Shout (Isley Brothers), and versions of Little Richard's Long Tall Sally and Good Golly Miss Molly, the Marvelettes Please Mr Postman and Chuck Berry's Rock & Roll Music.
The Guardian reported that the soundtrack "bristles and stomps", while Rolling Stone enthused; "The early Beatle sound isn't reproduced; it's re-imagined. What hits the ear is joyously ragged, alive with punk-grunge edginess that nails a stake in the heart of greatest hits nostalgia. The mood is defiant, raucous, erotic and experimental."
The Beatles: Kansas City / Hey Hey Hey Hey (At the Star Club, 1962)
There was to be one live run out (that we know of) for this supergroup - at the 1994 MTV Awards giving a run out to Money, Long Tall Sally and a bonus of Helter Skelter.
Was would also win a BAFTA for the soundtrack.
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