Let It Be - Beatles (The) (CD 1987)

In 1969, the Beatles began work on a new project, tentatively titled Get Back. The plan was to both film and record the Beatles in the studio as they worked on a new album and finally performed in concert, which would show them "getting back" to their origins. Unfortunately, by this time, the group was falling apart, with the four members all wanting to do their own thing. There was a lot of fighting amongst the members, and finally the Get Back idea was scrapped. Instead, the movie was renamed Let It Be and closed with an impromptu performance on the rooftop of the Beatles' Apple Studios.

The Get Back sessions were a disaster, so the group abandoned this project to begin work on Abbey Road. But after their breakup in 1970, producer Phil Spector took the tapes and overproduced a bunch of songs for release as the Let It Be album. Sadly, this album was the last Beatles album to be released, and it is certainly not one of their best.

Over the years, much has been made about Spector's "butchering" of some of the songs, most notably "The Long And Winding Road." In 2003, a new version of the album was released, Let It Be... Naked, which presented the songs as they were originally intended, sans Spector's "wall of sound" production. Most of the songs were recorded live, and therefore, they have a raw sound to them, which is what the Beatles were going for. Of course, Phil had to slow down vocals and throw an orchestra in here and there, so the effect is lost on some of the songs. Even though I wholeheartedly agree that Spector went overboard on many of the songs and Let It Be is not an album I often listen to, it's not horrible. After all, it is still The Beatles.

The album gets off to a very strong start with Paul McCartney's Two Of Us. This is an upbeat acoustic track with Paul singing lead and John providing the harmony. The two sound wonderful together, and it is amazing that they could record such a happy-sounding song in the midst of all their fighting. Like most of Paul's songs, this one is a love song about him and his wife Linda, but the lyrics could also be about Paul and John in the eyes of crazed hopeful fans like myself. The only downside to this song is the weird chatter at the beginning, with John screaming, "I dig a pygmy... Phase one, in which Doris gets her oats!"

Track two is a Lennon number, Dig A Pony. The lyrics are nonsensical, involving things like picking moondogs, doing roadhogs, and syndicating boats. But the music is good, with an excellent bassline from Paul dominating the track. This is a raw rocker with a catchy chorus that you might just shout along with.

Another of Lennon's songs follows, this time the gorgeous ballad Across The Universe. The song featured just John and his acoustic guitar, and it was poignant and beautiful. Of course, Spector added a bunch of strings and a choir to try to ruin it. Luckily, this masterpiece still works, thanks to Lennon's emotional performance. The chorus is simple but inspiring: "Nothing's gonna change my world." I like the versions on Naked and Past Masters Volume Two better, though.

George Harrison's I Me Mine was too short to be released on the album, so Phil just played one of the verses twice. He also overproduced the song so that you can barely hear Harrison until the loud rocking chorus ("I me me mine, I me me mine"). The lyrics are about people who are only concerned with themselves, and this is probably a reflection of how Harrison felt about his bandmates at the time. It's repetitive and overproduced, but I like it anyway.

I do not however like Dig It. This track is clearly filler, and I wonder why it was even included. It isn't even an entire song; it is just a 50-second excerpt with John shouting some random stuff. "Like the FBI! And the CIA! And the BBC! B.B. King! And Doris Day!" It ends with John introducing "Hark the Angels Come" in a mocking falsetto.

The title track, Let It Be, is widely regarded as one of McCartney's best works. Paul's vocals and piano-playing are perfect, and the song also features a superb guitar solo from George. Some say the lyrics are about Paul's late mother, while others say it's about religion. Either way, the lyrics and the song itself are very beautiful, despite Spector's overdubbed orchestra. "When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be."

"Let It Be" is stuck right between the two worst songs on the album, the aforementioned "Dig It" and track seven, Maggie Mae. It's only 41 seconds, but I can't listen to it that long and always skip it. I've Got A Feeling is the last ever Lennon-McCartney collaboration. John and Paul had been working on two separate songs, and they combined them for this one. Paul's section has more of a loud blues feel, while John's is softer and ballad-like. Paul's vocals sound kind of weird, but John sounds fine, and there is a cool guitar riff.

One After 909 was originally written by John and recorded by the Beatles in 1963, but they gave up on it after some false starts. It finally appeared on this album after the Beatles performed it during their rooftop concert. The song is just good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll, and it is one of the more fun-sounding songs. I actually prefer the 1963 version of this song, which can be found on Anthology 1.

Another McCartney ballad, The Long And Winding Road, was the song most affected by Spector and his orchestra. I never liked this song, but when I heard the Naked version I enjoyed it and wondered why I had once hated the song so much. Then I listened to this version again. Good ol' Phil added a choir and orchestra, which give the song an overly schmaltzy feel and threaten to drown Paul's singing out. Skip this "clothed" version and listen to the Naked one instead.

For You Blue is a lesser-known Harrison composition. George's acoustic guitar and John's slide guitar sound excellent, but George's vocals aren't as clear as they are on the Naked version. This is still a charming little blues number, with cute lyrics and some humourous interjections from George ("Elmore James got nothin' on this baby!").

The album ends strongly with Paul's Get Back. The lyrics don't make much sense, but this is still a great song and one of the Beatles' most popular. Billy Preston's keyboard work is a real highlight, as is John's lead guitar. In the rooftop concert version of this song, you can see how determinedly Paul is singing and playing his bass guitar. The song ends with John quipping, "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group, and I hope we passed the audition."

Let It Be is not one of my favorite Beatles albums, and I prefer the Naked version, which replaces "Dig It" and "Maggie Mae" with "Don't Let Me Down" (an actual song!). But even though Spector managed to ruin one track ("The Long And Winding Road") and there are two pieces of trash ("Dig It" and "Maggie Mae"), the album is still worthwhile for songs like the title track, "Across The Universe," "Get Back," "Two Of Us," and "For You Blue." However, if you are just becoming interested in the Beatles and want a good album to start with, this is not it.

Other Beatles CDs
With the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night, Beatles For Sale, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles (The White Album), Yellow Submarine (Songtrack), Abbey Road, Past Masters Volume One, The Beatles Anthology 1, The Beatles Anthology 2, The Beatles Anthology 3, Free As A Bird (Single), Real Love (Single)