The Beatles Band • Page 25

Most underrated Beatles song of all time

 

I’d say it’s second behind “It’s All Too Much” and for the exact same reason…being buried on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack

 

new mix of All Things Must Pass is absolutely incredible imo. didn't think I could love that album any more but I do

 

The Beatles announce massive 'Let It Be' reissue with 27 previously unreleased recordings

 

Was REALLY hoping they’d do Revolver next. Maybe one day.

 

Cam I just get a pressing of Let It Be...Naked already?

 

awesome, was hoping we'd be getting the deluxe Let It Be along with the upcoming tv series

 

so excited for this and the series

 

Trailer is here!

 

at this point I'm just waitng for the whole thing!

 

Was hoping it would be sooner, can't wait

 

the Let It Be super deluxe album is out tomorrow, lots of demos and outtakes to dig into, very exciting

 

I stayed up waaaay too late last night digging into the super deluxe box set. A lot of really cool stuff in there.

My scorching hot take is that I think the whole Get Back / Let It Be project/idea was flawed right from the beginning, despite the songs themselves actually being very good, and also that they really needed the strong guiding hand of George Martin to direct them in the studio, keep them all moving in the same direction, and sorta act as an arbitrator with the personal grievances and distractions. I cannot wait to watch the entire Peter Jackson documentary.

 

Man, I am sure Glyn Johns is a nice guy and all... but his 1969 mix of the album is pretty horrid. I completely understand why this was rejected and shelved. I guess maybe the point was that it is supposed to sound like you are listening in on recording sessions.... but it really just comes off like a bunch of demos/outtakes. That being said, it's a really cool listen from a historical standpoint

 

I'm curious which of all the different versions of the album kicking around at this point is your favorite...???

I think I feel like the 'Let It Be...Naked' album is the strongest version as an overall album, even though I do think it whiffs in a few big areas and some of the songs are not at their best in that version, but I feel like that is a frowned upon opinion to have.

I understand the desire Phil Spector had to do *something* to the songs because they were clearly lacking something, but I don't think what he did was the answer. Not even close.

I guess I don't think the naked version absolutely ruined any of the songs, where I kinda feel like Spector did that a couple times on the original album.

 

Honestly, it's hard to say. I am nowhere near as hard on the Spector final release as a lot of people are and that would probably be my pick. It just feels the most complete and ready for an actual release. There's a lot of good things about Naked, but I think it also loses a lot (like you mention) so while it's a good experiment in getting there... it doesn't quite get there.

There's a part of me that is always the "version released is the version" which I think I would be in this case also. Sure there are quips to be had, but this is the version that was decided as being final in 1970 by whoever wanted to have a say at that point and I think it shows the album's history the best, good and bad.

I don't think a "perfect" version really exists though since they abandoned it and made the near perfect Abbey Road. If the band gave Let It Be the same kind of attention as Abbey Road, that would be the best version, but they didn't so here we are.

I will say, my favorite part of the Johns mix is that it's seamless, that aspect is really cool. But yeah, it's a fucking mess hah

 

I agree with pretty much everything you say here, I suppose I just don't have as much of an attachment to the original album as you do. I didn't even listen to The Beatles at all really until I was an adult, so it's not like I grew up listening to any version of these songs or anything like that.

The worst offender on the original album to me is 'Across The Universe' - I really feel like Spector absolutely butchered that song. I find the original album version completely unlistenable. I always thought I just hated that song, for years and years, until I heard some of the other mixes and versions of it. 'Long and Winding Road' is pretty effing bad too. That was the biggest revelation of the Glyn Johns mix for me. I really feel like the best and only people who could truly elevate a song like that were the other 3 guys in the band, not someone after the fact trying to just layer more things on top of it.

Also, I have always LOVED George's guitar solo on the album version of the song 'Let It Be', even though it is pretty jarring and doesn't really objectively fit the song that great. It is so awesome haha.

 

Wasn't "Across The Universe" just taken from a previous release and added to the album by Spectre? I didn't think he did anything to it

 

I was under the impression that he slowed the entire song down, added the ghostly singing voices and other effects, but I don't know for sure. I'm not an expert.

 

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As neither of the Glyn Johns Get Back albums were officially released, the version most are familiar with came from Phil Spector, who in late March and early April 1970 remixed the February 1968 recording yet again and added orchestral and choral overdubs. Spector also slowed the track to 3:47, close to its original duration. According to Lennon, "Spector took the tape and did a damn good job with it".

 

Ah ok. I knew he used an old recording but thought it was untouched on the album for some reason

 

The Spector version is perfect. Left sloppy and casual where that suits it. Given a little boost where it was needed. He knew exactly what he was doing.

 

It's wild that we probably have more behind the scenes stuff with the Beatles than any other artist in history and yet somehow they're still completely magical and unknowable

 

Gave a good listen to this Glyn Johns mix today and after imagining it for years (and never seeking out a boot) I was surprised at how mediocre it is. Has a nice sound but the takes of the songs are largely bad. One After 909 legitimately italics rocks and then near every other song sounds like the band stuck in the mud they’re so slow and lumbering.

Let it Be Naked is probably my favorite version, but I’m also pretty positive on the Spector one. Except the long and winding road, which is bottom tier Beatles for me in every form but especially bad with the overdubs.

Gonna dig into the Giles remix tomorrow or Monday and wouldn’t be shocked if it becomes my go to.

 

Listening to all of these different versions has really made me come to appreciate this album - in any and all forms - all the more. I've really warmed up to the Spector version a lot recently, and am more sympathetic towards what he was given and what he was actually trying to do, although I still think that the versions of 'Across The Universe' & 'The Long and Winding Road' are very, very, very bad on that version of the album.

I think the entire idea of what they were trying to do with the Get Back / Let It Be project was an extremely bad one and that they basically set for themselves an impossible task, and certainly set themselves up to fail miserably and very publicly. The fact that songs and an album came out of that crazy situation at all - nevermind ones that have endured for decades - to me is really a testament to the talent of these four musicians.

Also - and I realize that this is a crazy statement for me to make given that some of the most world renowned producers and music engineers of the last century have tackled this project numerous times now - I think that almost everyone who has tried to make a version of this album, along with the rest of the world, has discounted how fucking amazing Ringo is. The guy is absolutely incredible and he has such a unique style. Any time one of these songs was lacking something they should have just cranked up or pushed forward Ringo in the mix. Problem solved.