We were just at Disney World with my brother and his family. I do not do spinning rides and neither does my bro, so it was a girls only adventure on the Tea Cups. At some point Julianna and Lila were going a little crazy with the steering wheel, I guess, when Ava said “Let it be… just let it be.” Great quote… Another gem from the mouths of babes!
The Beatles – Let It Be
So this was the last officially released Beatles album, but it was NOT the last one recorded… Thus, I am putting this one before Abbey Road! There is a film Let It Be, a 1970 documentary of the band that “has not been officially available since the 1980s.” I have seen bootleg DVD copies for sale on eBay, but I am always too nervous to buy one for fear that they will not play on a US machine. I may have to break down as plans for releasing a remastered version are continually scrapped and the film is supposed to be amazing. It features the famous and now iconic, unannounced rooftop concert that would sadly be their last public performance.
“The film was originally planned as a television documentary which would accompany a concert broadcast. When plans for a broadcast were dropped, the project became a feature film. Although the film does not dwell on the dissension within the group at the time, it provides some glimpses into the dynamics that would lead to The Beatles’ break-up.” Thus the delays in re-releasing it!
Fascinating stories with the album, too… McCartney wanted to get back to basics and record “live” without all the complexities and effects the band had been using in the studio. He thought this would bring back the passion and cohesiveness. He also thought that not playing out live was causing the band to act like individuals instead of a group. But there was a lot of confusion as to who was in charge… George Martin or Glyn Johns… and the rest of the boys were not quite on board. While they wall wanted to make great, unadulterated music, there was a lot of baggage from the White Album sessions, arguments, tensions… and yes, Yoko Ono. All of this added to the mess.
The album was originally going to be called Get Back. Harrison quit… and then came back with Billy Preston… part of his deal to return. They changed recoding venues… The first version was scrapped… After the second version they brought in Phil Spector and released the album as Let it Be, but most critics felt his mix was overblown. They also left off the great “Don’t Let Me Down.” In 2003, Let It Be… Naked was released, which stripped off a lot of Phil Spector’s work.
Initially Rolling Stone did NOT like the album… but it still shows up in their 2003, 500 greatest albums of all time.
To borrow from Yogi Berra… The Beatles are like pizza… When they’re good, they’re really good… and when they’re bad, they’re still pretty good.
“Two of Us,” “Let It Be,” “The Long and Winding Road” and “Get Back” make this one for me. They are classic Beatles songs. Yet sadly, it is especially clear from this album, and the documentary that was supposed to show us an inside look at the recording and creative process, that the end was near… Let it Be should have been a simple, back to basics, recorded live, rocker… instead it was a fragmented and confused endeavor that would serve as the penultimate Beatles album… technically speaking.
I wish Mother Mary had come to them.
