In December 1968 Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who next month filmed The Beatles for the Let It Be/Get Back sessions, shot this circus-themed showcase for the post-psychedelic rock movement, starring John Lennon and Yoko Ono fronting supergroup The Dirty Mac, which also featured Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Mitch Mitchell. Between performances the Rolling Stones introduced acts like The Who and Taj Mahal, and there were pieces to camera from John and Yoko with Mick Jagger.
We ask: Beatles or Stones: is it a stupid question? Why was the film, like so much of the Get Back footage, shelved for so long, only seeing a release in 1996? Why didn't The Beatles perform here as a group? And was Yoko Ono subverting the gendered norms of the rock 'n' roll vocal performance by wailing a lot?
Links
You can pick up the DVD cheaply to watch the whole film, or watch most of the Rock and Roll Circus on YouTube, on a Stones official playlist
Watch Britpop Now, the programme we mention from 1995 presented by Damon Albarn
The documentary Matt mentions is Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg, available to rent online
The Netflix documentary about his 1968 comeback special is Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley