The Best Of The Best Of Let It Be

One of the decisions I made when starting this blogging odyssey (blogdyssey?!?) was to limit myself to official recordings release during the Beatles lifetime. That way I might have some chance of retaining my sanity, finishing during my natural lifetime and avoiding wading through a sea of substandard bootlegs and outtakes. But which version of Let It Be is the best? The Spectorised version which abandoned the original concept and which Paul so despised he cited it in his 1970 court case? Or the stripped down reissue - 'Naked' as God (or at least Paul) intended? You would expect the latter album to be simply be remixes, but many tracks are completely different versions. After a detailed survey (click on the titles for more info) here is my ideal Let It Be mix tape.


LIBN Two Of Us
LIBN Dig A Pony
LIB   Across The Universe               
LIBN I Me Mine
LIB   Dig It     
LIBN Let It Be                   (see also The Many Guitar Solos Of Let It Be)
LIB   Maggie Mae           
LIBN I've Got A Feeling     
LIBN Don't Let Me Down     
A1    The One After 909         
LIBN The Long And Winding Road 
A3    For You Blue                         
LIB   Get Back                  (see also Get Back To The Drawing Board)


LIBN wins hands down though LIB has two superior versions (not counting Dig It and Maggie Mae which don't appear on LIBN at all) and the Anthologies manage a couple. But a word of warning. LIBN wasn't a restoration job on a masterpiece obscured by years of neglect and audio grime. It merely made a bad album slightly nicer to listen too. Some of that grime was there for a reason. A pristine digital mix displays substandard writing and poor performances that you can't pin on Phil Spector. The album remains, as John Lennon famously said

the s**tiest load of badly recorded s**t
with a lousy feeling to it

Abbreviations

LIB – Let It Be
LIBN – Let It Be Naked
A1 – Anthology 1
A3 – Anthology 3

The Best Of Let It Be (pt.8) - Don't Let Me Down And I've Got A Feeling

Don't Let Me Down

PM - A studio version recorded Jan 28th 1969 which was released as the B-side to Get Back. Mixed by Glyn Johns. Lennon's guitar is panned left, Harrison's Hendrix/Mayfield style lead is right, and Preston's electric piano is centre.

Paul is really screaming his head off at points and John makes a cheeky self reference at 3:22 (“can you dig it”). It sounds like Lennon's vocals on the first verse are doubled tracked, though it could possibly be Paul syncing up perfectly with John. You can hear Lennon say something just after this section (at 1:43) which may support the 'punched-in overdub' theory. The vocals are really poorly recorded, with lots of noise (2:11, 2:25, 3:06) and the pitch of the whole track is slightly flat.

LIBN – An edit of the two rooftop versions recorded on Jan 30th 1969 (they recorded a second take because Lennon forgot the lyrics). The positioning of the piano and Lennon's guitar is reversed (piano L, guitar C). Slightly sharper than concert pitch and slightly faster than the studio version (16 seconds) and there are fewer vocal pops.

I've Got A Feeling

LIB – Studio recording. The rhythm guitar and piano are in the left speaker. Unusually the right speaker fades in, and the initial total silence making the guitar sound very small. There is Lennon-style slap back echo on McCartney's vocals. Most of the instruments sound ragged or out of tune, especially the bass. The vocals are centre till the final 'overlapping' section where McCartney moves left and Lennon, right. At the end of the song there is an edit piece taken from the rooftop gig consisting of a floor tom roll, bass noise, Lennon (singing) “Oh my soul... (speaking) so hard” and then applause.

LIBN - A composite of two takes from the rooftop concert on 30 Jan. The rhythm guitar is left, piano and bass are centre. Both vocals are without slap back echo and remain centre throughout. Lennon's comment and the applause are removed.

A3 – Rehearsal take recorded at Apple Studios on 24 Jan 1969. The piano part seems to be a work in-progress (you can hear Lennon telling Billy Preston to play E at 1:13) and the ascending guitar riff after the chorus is missing (it possibly it hadn't been created yet). The whole performance is more laid back, Lennon's vocals are clearer but full of ad-libs and mistakes

I've got a feeling (yes you have!)
That keeps me on my toes (on your what?)


Everybody had a hard year
Everybody got their feet up
Everybody let their hair down
Everybody put their socks up

The track breaks down before the final doubled vocal section with Lennon saying “I cocked it up trying to get loud...not bad though”.



The LIBN version of Don't Let Me Down is much clearer than the PM version, and pushing the piano out on the left is a big part of that. It's hard to believe Glyn Johns thought the quality of the vocal recording on the PM version was worth releasing. At least LIBN has the excuse of being a genuine live recording on a roof.


I've Got A Feeling's rehearsal take is OK by Anthology standards, which isn't saying much. As with most of LIBN, the production is sonically clearer than LIB but the standout here is the band, the performance is far better and McCartney absolutely on FIRE as a vocalist.

Best versions

Don't Let Me Down - LIBN
I've Got A Feeling – LIBN

  

The Best Of Let It Be pt.7 (Get Back)

Get Back

PM - Single version. 27 January 1969*, plus a coda edit (starting at 2:34) from a later take (recorded 28th Jan). Produced by Glyn Johns with little or no involvement from George Martin. Mixed by Johns (though possibly remixed by McCartney and Johns), there was also a rejected mix by Jeff Jarratt. The vocals and lead guitar are distant and reverb laden and the rest of the band sound small and squashed.

LIB - 27 January 1969 plus extra studio chatter (from 27th) and the final dialogue from the rooftop concert (30th) but without the single's coda. Produced by Spector. Cleverly using dialogue to create the illusion that this is the live on the roof version, Spector opts for a dryer mix than some of his other LIB tracks.

LIBN - 27 January 1969 without the single coda and album's framing dialogue. Produced by Paul Hicks. Harrison's rhythm track and Ringo's toms are very slightly clearer.

A3 – 30 January 1969 Rooftop Concert on the Apple Building. The genuine final take (there were 3 versions recorded) which was interrupted by the police. The structure resembles the single with the coda ending. The band play faster and more aggressively (for obvious reasons) Lennon doing some terrible guitar fills in the first verse before the guitars and vocals cut out all together as the amps are switched off, then back on. Ringo, for one of the few times in his career, goes completely out of time on the final two choruses before righting himself just before the end. Paul ad-libs over the final chorus


“you been out too long Loretta, you've been playing on the roofs again, and that's no good, 'cos you know your mammy doesn't like, oh she gets angry, she's gonna have you arrested! Get back!”.

The song ends with Paul's “thanks Mo!” but cuts John's announcement.

The live take is fun, and could have been a contender but for the total breakdowns. If Spector had had protools I'm sure this would have made the final cut. The single mix is awful, Spector at his most muddy and reverb drenched – except it isn't Spector, it's Andy Johns. Spector's actual album mix is Martin-like, clear, dry and punchy, with everything cleanly separated. No wonder the Naked team (ew!) struggled to improve on it. Having the bookend edits gives Spector's mix the advantage.

Verdict

LIB

*The main take could have been recorded on 28th Jan. If you have any interest at all in that read this.

  

The Best Of Let It Be pt.6 (Two Of Us, Dig A Pony)

Two of Us 

LIB – A studio recording made the day after the famous rooftop gig.

LIBN - A light remix of the original version. The vocals are clearer and vocals sit better together.

A3 - A really rough rehearsal recorded on 24 January 1969 at Apple Studios, notable only for McCartney saying "take it Phil!" a reference to Phil Everly whose vocal harmony style Lennon and McCartney are emulating.


Not much in it – but better vocal sound means another win for the remixers.

Dig a Pony

LIB – The version from the rooftop concert on 30 January 1969 featuring Billy Preston. There's a false start, Lennon Ringo blows his nose and the song concludes with light applause and Lennon complaining about his hands being cold. The song's intro and outro was removed by Spector because “The tuning [presumably Lennon's vocals] is particularly bad in the beginning.”

LIBN - A light remix of the original version. The false start and closing dialogue are cut and the intro/outro are not replaced. The piano is a little more audible.

A3 - Another lackluster run through recorded on 22 January 1969 at Apple Studios. It seem like Ringo hasn't settled on a part, the tempo is slower, the bass is too loud and there's no organ. The original intro removed from both LIB albums is heard here.

The two LIB version are hardly distinguishable – but I'll take Billy Preston playing piano over John Lennon Ringo Starr unpacking his trunk.

Best Version

Two Of Us - LIBN
Dig A Pony - LIBN

  

The Best Of Let It Be (pt.5) - Dig It For You, Blue Maggie Mae!

For You Blue

LIB - Recorded on 25 January 1969 (except for Lennon's “Queen says 'no' to pot smoking FBI movement” comment). The lap steel is panned hard left and the 'prepared' piano hard right. Harrison's acoustic guitar is almost non existent except for the intro.

LIBN - A remix of the original version – piano and steel panning is reversed - lap steel right, piano on left with the piano a lot louder and the lap steel quieter. The Lennon quote is removed. According to engineer Hicks a lead vocal which was overdubbed in the original session was used and an incomplete guide vocal was removed, but it isn't clear whether the guide was used alongside the overdub on LIB on instead of it. I can't hear any difference. I almost wonder if he meant guitar track, as the acoustic guitar is much louder and clearer especially during the solos.

A3 - A different take recorded same day as LIB. Harrison's meandering (but cool) acoustic intro is replaced with a piano intro. The piano (right) is not 'prepared', the acoustic guitar is left and the steel centre. The song a much more laid-back feel overall and Lennon's vibrato is much more restrained. The piano solo and Harrison's humorous asides (“Elmore James got nothing on this baby”) are missing. Oh, and the drumming on the intro sounds like a typewriter.

Dig It and Maggie Mae

These songs only appear on the original Let It Be as does Lennon's “and now we'd like to do 'Ark The Angels Come” comment which was perceived as a sly dig at the hymn-like Let It Be which followed Dig It on the original album.

The mix of For You Blue on LIBN is far superior to LIB. However since both mixes feature the worst sounding instrument the Beatles ever committed to tape (McCartney's prepared piano) and one of the worst played (Lennon's lap steel) I'd take the less energetic but far more listenable Anthology version. I would have loved a complete take of Maggie Mae but there isn't one and I'd happily lose Dig It completely.

Best Versions

For You Blue – Anthology 3
Dig It – LIB
Maggie Mae – LIB

The Many Guitar Solos Of Let It Be

Still confused about the four different guitar solos in Let It Be? So was I. So in the name of musical science I edited them all together. Then I thought I'd do a little video and share it with you. But hurry. I'm sure people who have no respect for fair use in musical education will want to spoil the party.. Which solo is YOUR favourite...

 

The Best Of Let It Be (pt.4) - Let It Be

Just like I Me Mine, Let It Be contains extensive overdubbing done by George Martin rather than Phil Spector.

Past Masters

This is the single version recorded and mixed by George Martin. The master take (take 27-A) was recorded on 31 January 1969 at Apple Studios. McCartney played grand piano, Billy Preston played organ (switching between organ and electric piano sound – compare 1:45 with 1:52), Lennon on six-string electric bass, and Harrison on electric guitar. On 30 April, Harrison overdubbed a new guitar solo using a leslie effect. On 4 January 1970 He overdubbed another more distorted solo and Martin added brass and nearly inaudible cellos (last verse, panned right). Ringo and Paul added extra drums and maracas to verse 3 and Harrison, Paul AND Linda McCartney added BVs. This version uses the first solo (panned right) though the second faintly audible (centre). There is almost no trace of the original guitar track. Just after Paul sings Though they may be parted (1:06) you can hear someone (George Martin?) saying “stop it!” in the right speaker.

This was the version used on the 1967–1970 'Blue' album, 20 Greatest Hits and the 1 album.

Let It Be

Phil Spector's remix. He used the second more distorted and aggressive solo (with the first overdubbed solo still faintly audible – both are panned centre), cut the BVs except for the first verse, added delay to the hi-hat in the second verse and brought the bass and brass up in the mix. Just as in I Me Mine Spector 'copied and pasted' to increase length, this time extending the final chorus from twice to three times.

Let It Be Naked

Spector's reverb and extra chorus, and Martin's overdubs are all removed (except the backing vocals?). This is the same basic track as LIB/PM but with numerous edits flown in from other takes, most obviously notably the guitar solo, and there is even evidence of auto tune (listen to the first WORDS of wisdom – 0:21). The solo (from take 27-B) appears to have been lifted with the entire section not just the lead guitar track (compare the piano and drums). The guitar tone is similar to the PM version but the track is much cleaner as there is no 'shadowing' from other takes. Because much of the 'original' guitar tracks are removed there is no real 'build' in the last verse or penultimate chorus.

The whole track is much clearer sonically and seems tighter rhythmically (listen to the cool way Ringo swings the rhythm in the second chorus).

Anthology 3

A completely different version. Take 1 of the song (recorded 25 Jan) is bookended by studio chatter from Jan 31st (take 23) -

John: Are we supposed to giggle in the solo?
Paul: Yeah.
John: OK.
Paul: This'll...this is gonna knock you out, boy.

followed by more chatter from take 25 -

John: I think that was rather grand. I'd take one home with me. OK let's track it. (Gasps) You bounder, you cheat! (a reference to abandoning the no-overdubs/double tracking position that Lennon himself had advocated for Let It Be).

This is simpler and rougher version. No organ at all, and a repeat of verse one replaces the (as yet unwritten) final verse. Harrison is strumming chords on the last verse with a fairly clean leslie'd guitar tone and the drums drop out completely in the last verse. Lennon/Harrison contribute BVs.

The opening is hesitant, the tempo wobbles and there are mic pops throughout. Lennon phones it in on an out of tune bass, playing his trademark bored staccato bass parts. John may have joked about Ringo not being the best drummer in the Beatles, but Lennon's performances on Let It Be and Long & Winding Road definitely earn him 'worst bass player in the Beatles' award.

Film Version

Take 27-B, like 27-A, was recorded at Apple Studios the day after the roof top concert, along with Two Of Us and The Long and Winding Road. Though the audio to this version has never been officially released (apart from the guitar solo), this is the version used in the Let It Be film. The chorus lyrics end “there will be no sorrow, let it be” instead of “there will be an answer, let it be”.

Though there's nothing wrong with the overdubs they're not up to Martin's usual standard and LIBN really benefits from their removal and all the other cleaning up. LIB's solo gives the latter half of the track energy that the LIBN lacks, the brass sounds like a collection of individual instruments rather than single entity and the organ and BVs blend angelically (all of which I like). Anthology is yet another horrible rehearsal tape of historic, rather than artistic, value. And every version has that horrible bass slide at the end!

Verdict

There's really not much to chose between PM, LIB and LIBN but because of the sonic fixing I'd go for LIBN.


abbreviations

LIB - Let It Be
LIBN - Let It Be Naked
A3 - Anthology 3
PM - Past Masters

You have no idea how long this post took to research. I think I would have gone mad without What Goes On - The Beatles Anomalies List and Mix Online. I also would have gone mad without Wikipedia, but Wikipedia was also part of the reason I was going mad in the first place!

Still not got your head around the many solos? There's a special treat for you tomorrow - for a limited time only!!!!!

  

The Best Of Let It Be (pt.3) - The Long And Winding Road

LIB - built on a demo recorded on Jan 26 there's a nice ascending string 'solo' brass, female choir ahhing and oohing. Harrison plays acoustic and Lennon plays some awful bass and McCartney's vocal are a little out of tune in places. This may have been covered by vocal double tracking but we'll never know. Spector wiped one of McCartney's vocal tracks to have room for orchestral overdubs.

A3 - The same take as LIB minus all the overdubs. We find that the strings solo was covering a short spoken interlude and we can clearly hear how out of tune some of the vocals are (eg 1:20 - 24 and 1:34). There's a little piano reprise that fades out.

LIBN - A different take recorded on 31 January 69, with Harrison on electric guitar and Billy Preston on electric piano. There are no orchestral or choir overdubs. The line "anyway you'll never know the many ways I've tried," is "anyway you've always known the many ways I've tried" on this version. The solo is now a tasteful organ like one from Preston. There is more straight playing on the hi hat rather than swing on the ride cymbal and a lot less drums overall. The sound is generally much bigger and less compressed.


We have to bear in mind the the LIB track was built on a demo that was never intended for release (as far as McCartney was concerned). The vocals are some of McCartney's worst and Spector did a good job of covering them. He replaced the terrible spoken section with a beautiful string section. Anthology reveals how bad the original track was. Everyone's performance on the LIBN version is far superior, so much so that it's hard to understand why Spector did not use this track. I suspect that in the remixing that every modern digital fix available was used to make this track sound as good as it does.

Verdict: LIBN by a million miles.

LIB - Let It Be
LIBN - Let It Be Naked
A3 - Anthology 3

  

The Best Of Let It Be (pt.2) - One After 909

One After 909 occupies a pretty unique place in rock history.

It was a song that was recorded just after their first album (during the From Me To You sessions) but appeared on their final release (Let It Be) instead – a full 7 years later. The first version was released (on Anthology 1) about 20 years after the second, meaning in almost everyone's perception the 'cover version' is the original. I can't think of another song by any band that has the same convoluted history.

LIB – A raucous version from the famous rooftop concert featuring Billy Preston. The band swing the rhythm, McCartney plays a root/fifth bass line pretty much throughout. The lead guitar (Harrison) is panned right. The track ends with applause from the handful of people on the roof and Lennon sings a line of Danny Boy. There are no Spector overdubs.

LIBN – A light remix of the LIB version. Very slightly louder overall, drums louder but Harrison's guitar is panned more center making it harder to distinguish between the guitars. The track fades quickly in order to cut the applause and Lennon's comment. McCartney's BVs are lower but Lennon's off mic “ad libs” are much louder.

A1 - A composite of takes 4 and 5 recorded on 5 March 1963. The song is played in straight time, the intro is F# E B instead of B, Lennon is playing acoustic. McCartney plays constant 8th notes on bass (or tries to! - see below). Ringo adds 8th notes on the bass drum in the 'move over once' breaks.

A1 - A composite of outtakes. Take 3 breaks down when McCartney is unable to keep up playing fingerstyle. An argument ensues about suitcase between John, Ringo & Neil Aspinall. Take 4 breaks down when Lennon comes back in 4 bars early after the solo. More arguing. Take 5 is the solo till the end (but fades out early).

There's hardly anything to pick between LIB & LIBN but LIB just edges it because the lead guitar is clearer and it doesn't have that awkward fade on the end. The outtakes on A1 are hilarious and well worth a listen. The complete version on A1 is the best in my opinion, even though it clearly has more in common with I Saw Her Standing There than Get Back. The take has an energy that LIB never achieves and though the playing is equally as ropey, it's because they're inexperienced youths rather than jaded rock stars playing in sub zero winds.

Best version: Anthology 1

abbreviations

LIB - Let It Be
LIBN - Let It Be Naked
A1 - Anthology 1

Thanks to The Beatles Bible for background info

The Best Of Let It Be (pt.1) - I Me Mine and Across The Universe

Though there are officially released alternative versions of every Beatles album floating about (mono vs stereo, UK vs US, remastered vs erm … mastered) Let It Be is in a class of it's own. Versions of these songs crop up on Let It Be, Let It Be Naked, Anthology 1, 2 & 3, Past Masters and '1'. As well as the obvious 'Spectorizing' (massive overdubbing by session musicians) some versions of the same songs are built on completely different takes. Though I'm going to be analysing the songs in true Beatles Songwriting Academy fashion, I thought it might be helpful to give you a rough guide to the various versions.

As I've already analysed I Me Mine and won't get to Across The Universe till 'Magical Mystery Submarine' (which is where it belongs chronologically) let's get those two over with now.

I Me Mine

LIB – Spector's version is a little dull sonically, especially the bass. The wall of sound is pretty low in the mix so it doesn't add much, good or bad. Spector lengthened the track by 50 seconds by literally copying a section and repeating it.

LIBN – Sharper sonically. All the Spector overdubs are removed. However, the Beatles had already added their own multiple overdubs (McCartney's organ & electric piano, Harrison's twin acoustic/electric lead fills) and these are retained as are the extra 50 seconds.

A3 – As LIBN but without the extra 50 seconds (so the structure is literally intro-verse-chorus-verse). It also adds George's humorous spoken intro, referring to Lennon as 'Dave Dee'.

If 'Naked' is a euphemism for 'deSpectorized', then Anthology is the true version. But it's so short!

Best Version: Let It Be Naked

Working with the Beatles took it's toll on George Martin...

Across The Universe

PM – The first released version appeared on a WWF fundraising album (to benefit animals, not wrestlers - hence the added animal sound FX) and is often referred to as the 'wildlife version'. It features a couple of female fans (who had been dragged in from their studio gate vigil) doubling Lennon's vocals on the chorus, BVs by the Beatles (answering ahhs on the chorus) some quite loud maracas and wah wah chords. The fastest version (sped up almost a semitone to D#) but also the longest, due to 20 seconds of FX on intro. Effects on vocals, guitar and tambura.

LIB – Spector slowed the track down, lowering the pitch a semitone to C#, added strings (18 violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos), 14 voice choir, (“Disney strings & lullaby voices” McDonald p.227) harp, brass & drum overdubs. There were also 2 guitarists booked for this session! Glyn Johns had already removed all the original sound FX and BVs (both the fans and The Beatles). Heavy phasing on Lennon's vocals and a noticeable edit just before the outro.

LIBN – Much clearer sonically and in the original key of D. No Spector overdubs, BVs, or maracas and the tambura comes in later. There is no noticeable phasing on the track itself till much later. Fades out without the little piano riff.

A2 – Much faster but still in original key (no varispeed). A completely different take. With the possible exception of bass, this sound like an entirely unplugged version. Phasing on the rhythm guitar from halfway through the first verse. Weird chiming instrument, Indian sounding slide guitar. No BV's.

The guest vocals on PM aren't great and it's just sounds too fast. The tempo particularly gives a manic edge to the wah wah and tambura. And on LIBN the track becomes a tambura solo with a Beatles accompaniment. The unplugged version on A2 is a really cool bonus track, but the Richard Hewson arrangement on LIB actually lifts quite a plodding dronefest and Johns/Spector rein in the worst parts of the PM version – frantic tempo, bad BVs, and that darn tambura!

Best Version: Let It Be

...but he got off lightly compared to Phil Spector !

abbreviations

LIB - Let It Be
LIBN - Let It Be Naked
A1 - Anthology 1
A2 - Anthology 2
A3 - Anthology 3
PM - Past Masters
B1 '1' aka Beatles Number Ones