The Beatles 'Get Back' to the Rock Hall in new exhibit

A new, immersive exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame aims to help visitors “Get Back” to a pivotal moment in rock history from more than five decades ago.

On the heels of the recent eight-hour “Get Back” documentary series, the Rock Hall has created the immersive experience about the January 1969 sessions that produced the final film and album by The Beatles, “Let it Be.”

Rock Hall CEO Greg Harris says the Rock Hall worked with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the estates of George Harrison and John Lennon to give a sense of what it was like being in the sessions and on the rooftop for what turned out to be the Fab Four’s final appearance.

“When you say ‘immersive’ today, everyone thinks of virtual reality goggles and video boards," Harris said. "We do it as a combination of the footage, which shows you exactly where they are, ambient sound and side conversations, the clothing they were wearing, and the instruments they were playing. They’re larger than life [on the screen].”

Harris adds there’s a reason those sessions are still being talked about 53 years later.

“I know it sounds like a cop out, but it’s The Beatles!" he said. "They’re still hyper relevant, still admired by musicians and fans. And then it’s generations upon generations, so there’s this incredible connective tissue that The Beatles bring.”

Originally filmed for a proposed TV special, the sessions were shelved for nearly a year before emerging as the 1970 theatrical film “Let it Be,” showing a band disintegrating before the cameras. Curator Craig Inciardi notes that the new “Get Back” documentary reveals a much more joyful, collaborative atmosphere surrounding The Beatles’ creative process.

He adds that the original raw film shot by Michael Lindsay-Hogg and his crew has been cleaned up to look even better than it did “the day it was developed.” And clips which were edited by Peter Jackson have been utilized throughout the exhibit. It culminates with a 12-minute short film by Jackson and the rest of the team that produced “Get Back.” And there’s also a surprising selfie station:

The Beatles' final public performance -- captured in 'Get Back' and 'Let it Be' -- took place on the rooftop of their Apple Corps headquarters at 3 Saville Row in London. A life-size image of the graffiti-covered door is part of the new Rock Hall exhibit. [Atlantic Records]

Some of the other pieces include handwritten lyrics as well as some of the clothing worn by The Beatles, which Inciardi notes was well preserved.

“I don’t have any favorite [artifacts] because there would be too many, but I would say Ringo’s raincoat visually stands out so much; it’s a beacon. It’s still in absolutely fantastic shape. It was a very, very cold day, and it was his wife, Maureen Starkey’s, raincoat. So, he borrowed it from her so he had something to wear that was going to keep him dry and relatively warm.”

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