brendan2's Full Review: Let It Be... Naked by The Beatles
In 1969, the Beatles began work on Get Back, a project which included a new album and a film showing them in the studio working on the project and culminating in the group's first concert since 1966. Due to infighting and tensions among the band members, the project was eventually abandoned. The Beatles then managed to create Abbey Road, which ended up being the last album the group would record together. It was not, however, the last they'd release, as Phil Spector got his hands on the tapes from the Get Back sessions and added his overbearing, saccharine "wall of sound" to many of the tracks which would be released as the Let It Be album.
Paul McCartney was very vocal about his ill feelings toward Let It Be, and finally, in 2003, a stripped version of the album, entitled Let It Be... Naked, was released to the masses. This version of the album not only removes the orchestra and the overproduction, but includes different versions of some songs and changes the tracklist, removing two filler tracks, adding a B-side, and rearranging the order of the remaining songs. The snippets of studio chatter, such as John introducing "Let It Be" as "Hark the Herald Angels Come," are also removed.
Get Back isn't all that different from its prior incarnation, aside from the better production, which makes it (and all the songs on the disc, actually) sound more clear. John takes over on lead guitar, Billy Preston shows up to perform some keyboard wizardry, and Paul sings some nonsense about Jojo, getting back to where you once belonged, and "sweet Loretta Martin, thought she was a woman, but she was another man." One quibble: this version deletes John's remark, "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group, and I hope we passed the audition." I suppose it worked better when Get Back was closing out the album, as it did on the original tracklist, but still.
Dig A Pony was dismissed by John as "a nonsense song" and "another piece of garbage." While this isn't one of the Beatles' best, those comments seem unnecessarily harsh, as the song is still a decent enough raw rocker with some not-so-nonsensical lyrics. "I roll a stoney/Well you can imitate everyone you know" is a jab at the Rolling Stones, while "I pick a moondog" references Johnny and the Moondogs, the name John, Paul, and George used to enter a talent show in 1958.
For You Blue is an absolutely adorable song from George. Over a shuffling guitar beat, George sings some simple, to-the-point lyrics: "Because you're sweet and lovely, girl, I love you/ Because you're sweet and lovely, girl, it's true/ I love you more than ever, girl, I do." He also interjects phrases like, "Walk, cat, walk," and "Go, Johnny, go," right before John's slide guitar solo. It might sound cheesy if it weren't so fun and lovable.
Even casual Beatles fans will be able to recognize the changes made to Paul's The Long and Winding Road. The orchestra and choir are removed, leaving behind just piano, drums, and keyboards again played by Billy Preston, who has a neat little solo during the formerly-orchestral interlude.
Two of Us worked wonderfully when it opened the original release of Let It Be, and even though sandwiching it in the middle of this album may not have been the best idea, the clearer production works in its favor. Despite what was going on in the studio, John and Paul managed to pull it together and create some wonderful vocal harmony.
I've Got a Feeling was the last Lennon-McCartney collaboration, as John and Paul took songs they were working on separately and combined them. Of the two sections, John's is the more mellow and low-key, while Paul's contribution is a bluesy rocker, where he screams and unleashes a bit, proving he could do more than sing syrupy love songs. The other two Beatles get a chance to shine, too, with George contributing an awesomely raw guitar riff and Ringo pounding away on his drums.
One After 909 is perhaps the most fun track on either Let It Be. If it sounds like it could've appeared on one of the group's first albums, that's because it was worked on back in the early '60s, but never officially released (this early version can be found on the Anthology 1 disc). You can actually hear the laughter in John's and Paul's voices as they breeze through this fast-paced slice of good old rock 'n' roll.
Don't Let Me Down never made it onto the original Let It Be, but that mistake is rectified here. Billy Preston makes yet another appearance on this anguished, bluesy rocker. This version is not the B-side of "Get Back;" instead, it's pieced together from the two rooftop performances the Beatles did.
I Me Mine finds George railing against those self-important fools who are only concerned with themselves. It may have been how George was feeling about his fellow Beatles at the time, and, sadly but perhaps fittingly enough, this ended up being the last song the Beatles recorded together in January 1970. Showcasing the fractured nature of the band, John did not show up for the recording.
On the original Let It Be, Across the Universe succeeded in spite of, not because of, the sappy strings and angelic backing choir. Here, John's vocals and acoustic guitar are no longer lost in the background, resulting in a simpler, stripped-down, but still poignant ballad.
Let It Be is an emotional piano ballad from Paul which has appeared in various incarnations. This one may be the best, no longer bogged down by a schmaltzy orchestra, instead allowing Paul's vocals and George's awesome guitar solo to shine.
The second disc, called Fly On the Wall, allows the listener to, as its name suggests, become a fly on the wall during the Beatles' recording of this album. Those who miss the chatter from the original release should be more than satisfied with the material here, as the disc is 21 minutes of conversation and rehearsals. The song snippets are very short, rarely over a minute, but some of the material is interesting; we get to hear the group play a bit of "All Things Must Pass," which would later appear on George's solo album of the same name.
Let It Be... Naked doesn't get everything right. I miss the between-songs studio chatter, and think "Two of Us" and "Get Back" were better as opening and closing numbers respectively. However, the clearer, sparser production allows the music and vocal harmonies of the Beatles to be heard, whereas before they were almost lost on their own album. Even the songs that aren't markedly "de-Spectorized" sound crisper and fresher than before. The Fly On the Wall disc is also a real treat for die-hard fans. Let It Be... Naked still isn't a perfect album, but fortunately, Abbey Road allowed the Beatles to go out on top.
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I have been a member of Epinions off and on for almost nine years now, and, though I've taken breaks from the site, I always come back. Part of this is because I genuinely love writing on things I'm passionate about, whether it's the Beatles or really bad horror movies. The feeling I get when I know people out there are actually interested in reading what I have to say is wonderful. In addition to writing, I've discovered so many talented writers through this site, people whose reviews I look forward to reading, people I feel like I actually know (and not just the ones I've had the pleasure of meeting in real life). Yes, the money's nice, but an extra 5 bucks a month isn't what keeps me writing here. It's the people. I hope, with all the changes ahead for the site, we don't lose focus of what's important: the community. That's what really makes this site special to me.
This has been an entry in sleeper54's write-off celebrating ten years of Epinions. Do check it out.
Includes a 20-minute fly-on-the-wall bonus disc that features extracts from tapes of The Beatles at the time of first making the Let It Be album and m...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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