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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 The last Beatle album Aug 11, 2008
Often reviewed as a sloppy album it nevertheless is historic for the fact that they split up after this album. I am a Beatle lover, so I like most of their songs, but "Let It Be", "The Long and Winding Road", and "I Me Mine" ( from George) are classics. It's a must have for Beatle fans.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Document of a divorce Aug 10, 2008
Having been informed that they still owed United Artists a third motion picture (the cartoon "Yellow Submarine" didn't count), the Beatles assembled on a cold Twickenham Studios soundstage on the day after New Years', 1969, to begin work on "Get Back", a documentary of recording sessions, to be directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. Paul McCartney had wanted the band to perform live again, something it hadn't done in two-and-a-half years, and these sessions were to be rehearsals. Magic was expected to be summoned up on cue; it didn't happen. The Fab Four had grown far apart, both personally and professionally. The film well illustrates this: George Harrison bristles at Paul McCartney's lectures on how to perform; Yoko Ono sits in on the sessions, her presence unwanted; and the list goes on. Musically, John and Paul reach deep into their songbag for sparks of inspiration; they perform "One After 909", one of the earliest songs they wrote together, and the old Liverpool singalong "Maggie Mae". Paul gets poignant on "The Long And Winding Road" (an interestingly different version is available on "Let It Be...Naked") and the hymnlike "Let It Be", which eventually became the title for the project. John and Paul team up for "Two Of Us", and trade leads on "I've Got A Feeling".
But all the forced camaraderie ultimately proved less than successful. To jump-start its creative engine, the group went up onto the roof of their Apple headquarters building in Savile Row, where they had moved the sessions, and started jamming in an impromptu lunchtime concert featuring "Get Back", which was promptly ended by the police.
Thoroughly disappointed with the results of "Let It Be", and having moved on to other things, the group, for the first time, deemed an entire project unworthy of release; the tapes were given to legendary producer Phil Spector to see if he could improve them. Spector, if his overdubbing is compared to the original material available on "Let It Be...Naked", actually did not alter the sessions radically, though Paul McCartney in particular expressed much dissatisfaction with what he had done (e.g., the female chorus on "The Long And Winding Road"). (Later in 1969 the Fab Four got back together to make a final proper album without the intrusion of motion-picture cameras--"Abbey Road".) "Let It Be" was finally released in the spring of 1970 in a lavish box set, heavily edited down from hours upon hours of studio time. (It was padded out, as well: a studio-altered version of John Lennon's previously-released "Across The Universe" was included, reflecting a lower level of concern with offering the public new material with every release.) By this time, the fatal litigation had begun; the Fab Four were no more.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
(Almost) Their Last Hurrah Jul 29, 2008
Technically their next to last album, "Let It Be" was released after "Abbey Road", one of those little marketing quirks that followed the Beatles throughout most of their career; most of the U.S. editions being quite different than the British editions. "Let It Be" was all about getting back to basics and away from the glorious studio experimentations that I'm most fond of. But the band had to keep growing and changing and I can't fault them for that. This disc is certainly unique in that there is arguably more 'filler' compared with their output from "Rubber Soul" to "Magical Mystery Tour" and to some degree "The Beatles" aka "The White Album". The songs that fail to move me in any way include the traditional "Maggie Mae", George's bland "For You Blue", the aimless "Dig It" and "One After 909", the last a composition from their very early years. That said, their harmonies on "One After 909" come off as carefree and charming.
There are quite a few gems here. Lyrically, much of the Beatles' latter output was concerned with the past, their childhoods, and other forms of nostalgic manifestations. This is certainly true of "Two Of Us" (intimate folksy pop) and both of Paul's majestic ballads "Let It Be" and "The Long And Winding Road", three of eight of the best songs to be found here. Speaking of majestic, John's "Across The Universe" is both lyrically and musically one of the most inventive songs to ever grace a Beatles record. I've heard artists as diverse as David Bowie, Alanis Morisette, and Rufus Wainwright do cover versions of "Universe" and each version is wonderful though none can truly compare to the original. The set is rounded out by "Dig A Pony", "Universe"'s lyrical sister, the soulful "I've Got A Feeling", George's witty take on egotism "I Me Mine" and of course, the rootsy "Get Back", the template and manifesto for this disc.
One more remark on "Let It Be"- if you find yourself cringing at the production of the songs with orchestration on them (courtesy of Phil Spector), you should check out the somewhat recently released "Let It Be...Naked" which does away with said arguably distracting production and reorders the songs in the manner in which they were originally intended to be listened to.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Very good for a disappointment Jul 10, 2008
The fact that LET IT BE is considered a fiasco, says rather a lot about what standards we're accustomed to by the Beatles. Many bands would have been proud of themselves presenting something like this. But I guess after SGT PEPPER and all the other albums this doesn't impress much.
The title track, "The long and winding road", "Across the universe" and "Get back" are all classics. And the other songs are not too bad either, even if some of the performances sound a bit like outtakes.
LET IT BE was the last album the Beatles finished recording and maybe it was wise to end while still being able to put together classic songs.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
it is a classic! Jul 04, 2008
This recording represents the Beatles highest point in their career. A must have from their collection
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