Talking about Let It Be (the album) for a bit
The Beatles: a band that needs no introduction. Let It Be: the last album they released. After fifty years, there is probably not much that has been left unsaid about it—but this is my blog. I don’t have to “add anything new” to the discussion. I can talk about it just because it’s fun to do so!
I got into The Beatles as a teenager. For many years, I passed on giving Let It Be a listen because of two reasons: one, I noticed it wasn’t as generally beloved by critics as most of their other late-era albums were, and two, I didn’t like the song “The Long and Winding Road.”
Let It Be released a month after The Beatles’ breakup—and you know, the critics did not see it as a fitting swan song. Some seemed to find the album downright insulting.
Now honestly, while some of the harshness seems excessive, I get where they’re coming from. But I also wish I had given the album a chance sooner, because there is some great stuff on it.
One aspect of the album that has always been controversial is the production work of Phil Spector. Paul McCartney in particular was very unhappy with it, which eventually led to the release of Let It Be… Naked which takes out all the orchestra and choir stuff and is supposed to have that pure live performance feel he intended in the beginning. Did that lead to the ultimate version of the album? Well… no, I don’t think so. Overall, I think the “original” version is more enjoyable, for some reasons I will talk about. But I am still glad Naked was released.
Anyway, let me just talk about each track individually now.
Two of Us: Good song. Fun, solid. Don’t have much to say about it. The goofy chatter you hear before the song is pretty iconic.
Dig a Pony: This one is fantastic. I love the slow feel, and the guitar part is excellent. And it was recorded on the rooftop performance! It’s one of the greatest results of the project, a perfect example of how good the band could be when simply playing together.
Across the Universe: I like the part where he says “Nothing’s gonna change my world.” But honestly this isn’t too great of a song. After listening to the Naked version, I have to say that this is a case where Spector’s grand wall of sound actually benefits the track, because I find the choir to be one of the most memorable aspects of the song. It creates a particular mood that maybe doesn’t even totally fit the song at its core, but I mean it’s definitely memorable!
I Me Mine: Well, it’s not my favorite work of George’s. The guitar is really good, the singing is really good. Me personally, I find the chorus and its switch to the hard rock style a little cheesy, but I don’t dislike it. I think the orchestra and choir work for this song, perhaps because they make it feel a little tongue-in-cheek—like it’s going for such a dramatic sound that it becomes humorous, you know? I prefer it to the Naked version.
Dig It: At first I wondered, what the heck is this? But I have since come to find this little bit of fooling around indispensable, especially after watching the Get Back documentary. Still, you can’t really call it a complete song.
Let It Be: Obviously it’s a famous classic, and I like it. I prefer the single version to this one, however. I can’t say whether one guitar solo is better than the other. The real problem is that Spector added more orchestra stuff that didn’t need to be there to this one, and I just have to ask why. But did you know there’s yet another version of the guitar solo in the Naked version?
Maggie Mae: This is a random performance of a traditional Liverpool song, and again you might be asking: why did they include this? I think “Dig It” is funny, but I don’t feel too much fondness for this track. I enjoy how abruptly it ends, though.
I’ve Got a Feeling: The second of three tracks that comes directly from the rooftop performance, this one is a masterpiece. Paul’s singing is just insane. There is a magical energy and a super good feeling to this track.
One After 909: The third track recorded on the rooftop. This is an interesting one because it was written way back in 1960, or possibly earlier. So it sounds like some of that real old-school rock and roll. But you’re getting the singing of The Beatles of 1969—and with the energy of a live performance. So it’s really an incredible recording and one of the highlights of the album.
The Long and Winding Road: Ah yes, the song that I didn’t like. When I was sixteen I got the album called 1, which is a compilation of all the Beatles’ singles that charted at number one. This song was the last on that compilation, and it always rubbed me the wrong way, though I didn’t have an exact reason why. When I later found out that Paul McCartney also didn’t like this version of the song, it was like everything clicked. In my mind, the orchestra and choir do incredible damage to the song here. Spector is trying to turn it into an epic show tune, when that’s not how Paul is performing it at all. He was sitting at the piano just singing a ballad, and that’s all the song ever should’ve been. So the Naked version of this song is the way to go, and I actually like it quite a lot. But hey, I can tolerate this version.
For You Blue: Not a bad little tune. It doesn’t really stand out. It’s kind of in an awkward position as the second-to-last song on the final album The Beatles released, honestly.
Get Back: You gotta love “Get Back.” It’s just a fun, kind of silly song. What’s most unique about it is that you have Billy Preston in there masterfully laying down some keyboard solos. Now, the single version is longer, but I think the ending of this version works too. Some audio from the rooftop performance was added to the end, which makes for a memorable and more or less satisfying end to the album. Oh, and the chatter at the beginning where Lennon is goofing around is great too, especially because, let’s face it, you probably already know “Get Back,” so him doing a funny version of it before it even starts here is—well, it’s funny.
So, that’s pretty much Let It Be. The live stuff on the rooftop rules. The other songs are good, though in a couple cases, Spector made them worse by adding too much to them. But in other cases, I think his additions helped. Plus, there’s a good amount of studio chatter and goofing around on this album, which can be quite funny.
And honestly, my biggest complaint about Naked is that the studio chatter is all gone! It was a mistake to remove all that stuff!
But anyway. Overall, Let It Be may be an unevenly assembled record consisting of work the band wasn’t even particularly proud of. Abbey Road, the final album the band recorded, feels much more like a proper goodbye, so I can’t blame critics for perceiving Let It Be as a low-effort, careless release, knowing that the band had broken up. But in spite of all that—it’s still pretty dang good, and by no means should you overlook it.