LET IT BE - NAKED

This is the remastered, remixed version of the 1970 album 'Let It Be', which was released in 2003. This album simulates what the original album would have (and should have) sounded like if Phil Spector hadn't tampered with the recordings and had simply, well, let it be. This version also eschews a lot of the crap (if you'll pardon my French) that is heard on the original edition. By crap, I mean oddities like Dig It, Maggie Mae and all of the annoying banter in-between tracks. Of course, removing the banter makes these classic songs easier to listen to because, for example, I don't want to hear John shouting 'I DIG A PYGMY' every time I put on Two Of Us. On the other hand, if you found the banter interesting, then there is a second disc in this set with a 22 minute audio track of behind-the-scenes Beatles, which is far more insightful than the fragmented banter ever was, and of course, well-removed from the actual music (as it should be). Sonically, each track is better than the original, making this a far more enjoyable endeavour.

Now for the actual music itself. This album is absolutely chock full of classics songs, now presented in the original format without the pretentious orchestra. Some of the better known songs off this album are Get Back, The Long And Winding Road, Across The Universe and the timeless Let It Be. While I absolutely adore Let It Be, I think the others are just good songs, with the exception of Across The Universe, which I've never been a fan of. I guess I just don't like the pretentious lyrics (unusual for a prog fan!)

However, there are some other wonderful gems here too. For You Blue is a great blues track by Harrison. His other work on this album I Me Mine is phenomenal, and is the hardest rocking piece on the album. One of my particular favourites was the brilliant, yet slightly rough I've Got A Feeling. The guitar on that song grabs you instantly. Replacing Dig It and Maggie Mae is the brilliant non-album track Don't Let Me Down which is far more welcome here than the former songs. The only song I really don't like listening to is One After 909, which was actually a song from The Beatles' early days that they never recorded until these sessions. This was meant to be a chance for them to pretend they were the old Beatles, but it fails really, as this is quite a bad song with poor lyrics and an annoying riffs. Maybe if they'd written something along the lines of From Me To You, this would have worked.

This is the better way to hear 'Let It Be'. The use of the word 'Naked' in the title makes this album seem naughty and attractive. I feel priveleged to have heard this version before the original, and in fact, I actually view 'Let It Be... Naked' as the proper 'Let It Be' album, and the original as an inferior version. The music on here doesn't quite make it a masterpiece, but there are many tunes on here worth checking out! Without a doubt, a brilliant reissue, and just what every Beatles fan should have.

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