Most Beatles albums are sacrosanct—outside of a gentle remaster or remix, it would be sacrilege to mess around with Abbey Road or Revolver. But with Let It Be, dissatisfaction was baked in from the start. The project was envisioned as a back-to-basics rock album after years of psychedelic experimentation—but the rehearsals, famously captured as part of a documentary film, yielded a crop of solid tunes, if occasionally lackluster performances. There were disagreements about mixes, including a rejected version from engineer Glyn Johns and controversial overdubs led by producer Phil Spector. (Decades later, Paul McCartney spearheaded a scaled-back remix dubbed Let It Be… Naked.) But a new five-disc, 50th anniversary edition has a leg up in sprawl. Johns’ previously unreleased 1969 mix appears here, with all its heavy studio chatter, false starts and shaky playing. Only the most hardcore of the “return to roots” purists would ever pick this over the original record—but with The Beatles, every iteration carries historical value, so it’s satisfying to officially have it. The new remix is the essential presentation, with Giles Martin and Sam Okell subtly enhancing the sonics: Take “Two of Us,” with added punch to Ringo Starr’s kick drum and a more balanced stereo spread to the vocal harmonies. Equally fascinating are the scraps of between-song chatter and shit-kicking, like McCartney randomly breaking into the lyrics of “Please Please Me” during during take 10 of “Let It Be,” or George Harrison detailing a request of “cheese sauce for the cauliflower” before a run-through of “Polythene Pam.” With all its loaded backstory, it’s hard to imagine anyone, within or without of The Beatles, being 100 percent satisfied. But we’ve never been closer.
News
Archive- Watch Now: Brandon “Taz” Niederauer Joins The Revivalists on “Wish I Knew You” at The Peach Music Festival
- Disco Biscuits Perform Longest Set in Group’s History at High Sierra Music Festival
- Phil Lesh & Friends Welcome Members of Dawes for Jersey July 4th Celebration
- Eric Krasno Joins Dave Matthews Band at Alpine Valley Music Theatre
- James Casey Tests Positive for COVID-19
- ‘A Night of Georgia Music’ to Premiere on Georgia Public Broadcasting
- Alex Hargreaves Officially Joins Billy Strings’ Band
- Dead & Company Resume Concert After Severe Weather in Massachusetts
Most Popular
- Dead & Company Treat Fans to Tour Debut Heavy Set at Bethel Woods
- Altamont Free Concert Security and Hells Angels Motorcycle Club Oakland Chapter Founder, Sonny Barger, Dead at 83
- Dead & Company Resume Concert After Severe Weather in Massachusetts
- Trey Anastasio Joins Billy Strings at New York’s Pier 17
- Watch Now: Celisse Joins Trey Anastasio Band at The Peach Music Festival
- Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Welcome Stuart Bogie at The Peach Music Festival
- Pink Floyd Announce Release Date for Long-Awaited 2018 Remix of ‘Animals’
- Jon Fishman’s Pork Tornado Reunite at Joe Moore Cancer Benefit Music Festival
No Comments comments associated with this post