MUSIC REVIEW The Beatles; Let it Be, Naked – Released in Australia, January 2004.The Beatles; Let it Be, Naked is yet, another Beatles re-issue album containing recordings from
original Get Back/Let it Be sessions that took place in 1969. It is supposed to be a walk back in time, a listen to music created at Twickenham and Abbey Road studios when Beatles were recording and filming material for album and film, Let it Be(which was originally titled Get Back). There is also a 22-minute bonus disc, Fly on Wall, which contains, spliced snippets of rehearsals, banter, mild sniping and more of those tossed off musical asides. Let it Be, Naked attempts to depict a time when life was a creative work-in-progress and love was more than just a four-letter word. It also tries to recall and demonstrate a time when Beatles were all about music. Unfortunatley Let it Be, Naked fails to convey this picture to long time Beatle fans, as most of die-hard Beatle fans know real story behind making and creation of original album Let it Be and film of same name.
Early in 2003, lost tapes of Beatles’ Get Back/Let it Be recording sessions from Twickenham and Abbey Road studios were discovered somewhere in Holland. It was alleged that these tapes were stolen from Abbey Road studios in 1970(Fricke, Rolling Stone, 2003). Some of material on these tapes has been used to create Let it Be, Naked and second compact disc, Fly on Wall. The original album Let it Be was released in March 1970, Let it Be; movie was screened in cinemas in May 1970, in England. As final album Beatles released, it was a disappointing fullstop to a career that changed face of music forever. Having said that last album Beatles worked on together was, in-fact Abbey Road, as Let it Be project was shelved for a time. Beatles fans everywhere, would argue that Abbey Road is Beatles final album. Many critics and fans alike have described album Abbey Road as a masterpiece and best album released by Beatles and if this is so, then their career didn’t end as inadequately as one may infer. It is also qute ironic that release of Let it Be, Naked in Australia comes almost forty years after birth of Beatlemania, or is it, perhaps release of this album was meant to coincide with anniversary of Beatlemania.
When Beatles finally did resume work on Let it Be, they were rarely in studio. Phil Spector; king among pop music freaks was called in to salvage Let It Be. His solution, as always, was more of everything, more horns, strings, choirs and like. Rolling Stone magazine quoted George Harrison as saying that Get Back/Let it Be sessions were divorce of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s song writing partnership and break up of Beatles, things were so fraught that George Harrison temporarily quit band. It has also been inferred that Paul McCartney was never happy with album Let it Be after its release and that he delayed release of Let it Be, because he was releasing his own solo album at time. Whether these accusations are true or not are neither here nor there, most obvious feature about album Let it Be, Naked is that it contains everything that Paul McCartney liked about original Let it Be, and nothing that he didn’t..
Let it Be, Naked is a somewhat flawed album and no masterpiece has been revealed by peeling off layers of Phil Spector's studio lacquer. Paul McCartney was quoted as saying in defence double-vinyl White Album, which some criticised as too long, "It's Beatles for God's sake; shut up!" Paul Mccartey has long had reputation for being an egomaniac, when it comes to his work and Paul Mcartney is quite adept at getting his way. Now, however over 30 years later, Paul McCartney has got his way, Phil Spector (currently a murder suspect) is indisposed, and album has been remixed. The so called offending strings and girlie chorus have been wiped, studio banter dropped, and running order changed. Let it be, Naked is an interesting album, mix of tracks are better than original Let it Be, simply because this mix of tracks seem to flow and blend with each other a lot better than original Let it Be.
The main differences between original and Let it Be, Naked are: Harrison’s, For you Blue, Let it Be, Naked version of thiis song sounds much better than original version. The beautiful Lennon track; Don’t Let me Down is now included on album and tracks The Long and Winding Road, Across Universe and Let it Be have been stripped back. Maggie Mae and Dig It jam were left off album. The producers felt that these tracks did not belong on this album of 11 songs and neither did dialog. These days, however with extra space available on compact disc, one does wonder why they dropped those tracks as they really did add character to original album, Let it Be, reminding all fans of Beatles and educating new generation of Beatles fans, of genuine camaraderie that existed within this band..
George Harrison’s vocal on For you Blue, is much brighter and clearer and so is overall sound of this track. What is also interesting is unique sound Paul McCartney got out of his piano. It's a fuzzy, metallic sound, which he did by putting a piece of paper in piano strings, causing them to vibrate against paper when Paul McCartney struck keys. It is also interesting to note, that Paul McCartney does not play bass on this track, bass sound comes from piano.
Don’t Let me Down should have been included on original album, simply because it belongs there. The powerful sentiment and meaning attached to this song is one reason, as John Lennon is no longer with us and Don’t Let me Down was one of tracks recorded and played live in famous rooftop performance at Abbey Road studios. Don’t Let me Down, was B- side to single, Get Back, however it should be mentioned that Don’t Let me Down, is also on Hey Jude album, which is not an official album in Beatles’ catalogue; meaning Hey Jude is not an official Beatles album release. Extensive research was carried out, but this album was not found listed in any Beatle’s discographies, however it does exist.
Phil Spector performed a great job on original Let it Be, much of his input on that album worked. The female backing vocals and orchestral interludes on The Long and Winding Road are meant to be there, changes to this song do not necessarily work; it’s simply too well-known to survive this transition. Many Beatles’ fans will be imagine choir and orchestra in their heads and will expect to hear this overdubbing. That is not to say that track The Long and Winding Road, on Let it Be, Naked is not a good version of this famous Paul McCartney ballad. This version shows absolute brilliance and quality of Paul McCartney’s work and his muscial talent, with out assistance of overdubs, strings and choirs. For this reason alone Let it Be, Naked version of The Long and Winding Road works to a point. The Long and Winding Road was also not first Beatles song to contain female backing vocals. The White Album is full of female backing vocals, (mostly Patti Boyd-Harrison’s and Yoko Ono’s), and there are orchestral interludes all way through track, A Day in Life, off Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts’ Club Band album, not to mention All You Need is Love, Strawberry Fields Forever and tracks off awesome Abbey Road album.
