Between the recent McCartney documentary and the soon to be released Billy Preston documentary, it may seem we are in another round of the golden age of documentaries.
As the Preston documentary unfolds, the casual fan will be stunned at being reminded of how many great songs Billy Preston influenced. Even the most ardent fan will be jolted with the plethora of artists whose music was made better by Preston. Toward the end of the film, even Eric Clapton admits that he was just in Billy’s band.
Most famously, Preston was exactly the catalyst needed by The Beatles to complete their last two albums.
The Liverpudlians first met Preston while playing their relentless gigs in Germany. A fellow teenager, Preston came through Hamburg on tour with Little Richard. Each of the Beatles acknowledged Preston’s critical input, but it seems George was especially receptive. It was George who included Preston in the Bangladesh concerts and George’s subsequent solo tours. And it was George who signed the legal release when Allen Klein refused to let Preston leave Apple Records; it was sadly evident the label did not support Preston’s ambitions. The documentary (ably directed by Paris Barclay and written by Paris Barclay & Cheo Hodari Coker) goes on to describe how Preston played on five albums with the Rolling Stones, starting with their two very best Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street. A stunning achievement.
Preston’s girlfriend, actress/model Kathy Silva, left him for Preston’s colleague Sly Stone, with whom he recorded. It is uncertain about whom Preston wrote “You Are So Beautiful.” The film suggests Preston’s mother was the inspiration. Joe Cocker enjoyed huge success covering the ballad.
Preston appeared on the inaugural episode of Saturday Night Live, performing “Nothing From Nothing,” yet another #1 hit.
But the main strength of the film is the fantastic job in juxtaposing Preston’s insatiable and incredible musical talent with the contradiction thrust on him by the church that could never allow Preston to acknowledge overtly his sexuality. That conflict failed to give him the support he needed when addiction took its toll, causing him to spiral downward in a series of regrettable legal infractions.
The film includes an amazing array of interview clips, both recent era talking heads and interview sequences from across the decades. The insights from people who knew Preston from a very early age throughout his sprawling recording career paint an incredible picture of an incredible talent.
It is unlikely there will be any other book or film that will shed this much light on an ultimately enigmatic man.
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