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Meet the Beatles (Again) - Let It Be

Posted at 2:05 AM on September 9, 2009 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: Meet the Beatles (Again)

Let It Be
Originally released 1970
By Bill DeVille

When I was young, I bought the 45rpm Let it Be, and the final single released in the U.S., "The Long and Winding Road," at a neighborhood drugstore. Many of the album's songs were also featured on the Beatles collection, 1967-1970, which was standard issue in that era. At eighth-grade graduation parties, the Beatles and the black light set the mood. In a nutshell, these are the Beatles songs I grew up with.

Let It Be was the Beatles' final studio album and probably their most flawed album of all. Paul seemed to be running the show and was alone in wanting the band to tour again, which they hadn't done for several years. When most of these songs were recorded, the Beatles were barely a band. Yoko was in the picture (yes, it's true, she did set up a bed in the studio to give John guidance), and there was a lot of infighting. The quiet Beatle, George Harrison, even quit for a few days during the sessions. The tapes were eventually simply turned over to formerly well-respected producer, Phil Spector, to make something out of the mess, and on May 8, 1970, Let It Be was released.

In 2003, to make the already flawed album even more confusing, the surviving Beatles and Beatles' wives decided to call a "mulligan" on the original album, releasing Let It Be ... NAKED. To make a long story short ... Paul hated that Phil Spector had added orchestral arrangements to his classics "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road." NAKED erased the Spector production in favor of more "stripped down" versions. The album is actually quite good, and it's interesting to hear what McCartney originally had in mind. But the problem here lies with the huge changes made in song sequencing. The original album leads with the gorgeous McCartney ballad, "Two of Us," and it's fifth on NAKED. And "Maggie Mae," the Irish drinking song, and "Dig It" don't even appear.

Ultimately, what I love most about Let It Be, as with most everything the Beatles did, are the songs, and this album is loaded. NAKED or otherwise, the Beatles sound like a real rock'n'roll band. They came out of their experimental phase simply wanting to rock. Dysfunctional as the band was, they still liked making music together. McCartney's "Get Back" is as rock'n'roll as Chuck Berry, with a rollicking organ solo from the almost 5th Beatle, Billy Preston. "One After 909" sounds more rockin' than the 1963 Beatles, where they've figured out its little nuances, and Preston adds some nifty electric piano. A personal highlight is George's "For You Blue," where he calls out to his pal, "Go, Johnny, go," and it sounds like a loose jam session. "Elmore James has got nothin' on this, baby," rants George.

But besides the rock, strings or otherwise, the album's title song is a top five Beatles (or even overall) song on almost anyone's list, and John Lennon's "Across the Universe" is one his most beautiful songs ever. I still close my eyes when this one plays. Maybe the album's most moving moments are in the powerful, "I've Got a Feeling." When Paul sings, "I've got a feeling, a feeling deep inside/Yeah oh yeah," you believe him. Later, John chimes in and speaks to the people: "Everybody had a hard year/Everybody had a good time/Everybody had a wet dream/Everybody saw the sunshine," like a reminiscence about all that happened in 1969. Everything was always cool when the Beatles were making music. It's when they weren't that things got complicated.

The newly released Let it Be is almost like listening to the original album on brand new vinyl, on a "kick-ass" turntable and soundsystem. I'm not an audiophile, but it sounds pretty great to me. The first thing I heard were Ringo's drums, which sound real, warts and all. For the most part, it sounds like they headed into the studio, bashed out the tunes live, and had a lot of fun doing it. Flawed as it is, there are plenty of great songs on the last album issued by those four lads from Liverpool. Welcome to the 21st Century John, Paul George and Ringo. These guys are gonna be big someday!

Bill DeVille hosts weekends on The Current 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and Mon.-Wed. 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Bill is speaking words of wisdom most days.

Comments (1)

I LISTENED TO THIS ALBUM RECENTLY, I HAD NOT HEARD IT IN ITS ENTIRETY FOR MANY YEARS. IT WAS ALOT BETTER THAN I USED TO THINK IT WAS. ALL I CAN SAY NOW THAT I HAVE REVISITED ALL THOSE OLD ALBUMS IN MY COLLECTION,IS THANK YOU JOHN,PAUL,GEORGE AND RINGO. YOU ARE STILL MY FAVORITE BAND.

Posted by CINDY | September 17, 2009 9:10 PM

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