Ok, it's been a while since we had a Beatles thread, but I've just thought of a way that 1969 could have gone much better for them.
It depends on when the idea of a live "comeback" Beatles concert was first proposed.
If memory serves me right, the original plan was to showcase some White album shows in late 1968. Does anyone know for sure if that original plan was floated *before* the White Album was sequenced & sent for pressing?
If the idea came up during the White Album sessions, clearer heads (maybe a sober John, or if Paul was a bit more tired after the tension of 1968) could have taken stock of the situation before mixing/editing, and suggested a decent break before going into any live rehearsals.
To give them some breathing space, they decide to listen to George Martin's idea for a single album in late 1968 from those sessions - with a slight tweak.
They select the more complex, layered productions for the late 1968 album, and hold the rest of the tracks for another single album in, say, March 1969. That gets them a decent break. Then they can rehearse in March or April (no cameras present, thanks) for some shows drawn from the March 1969 album, with a few selected older tracks & some new tunes like Get Back.
I'm sure George Harrison would've gone for this plan if Not Guilty & Sour Milk Sea are in the lineup for those 2 albums or late 1968-early 1969 singles. Sour Milk Sea as an early 1969 Beatles A-Side, perhaps.
This is all assuming Ringo can be persuaded to turn down his role in the Magic Christian, mind you. Thoughts?