::Let It Be...Naked

[sleepyhollowgirl]

I love it!

[theDingle]

(...just twiddlin' me thumbs...)

[Helter Skelter]

After having spent last night listening to the album I´m going to give my track by track review now (like anyone really gives a s**t [:p]) Now, (so i don´t have to say it with every song)the sound is excellent on every song. The remixing/remastering is superb overall.

Get back - Nothing very different here. But I really HATE that the tracks cuts of before the "your mama is waiting for you.." part. Why didn´t they inlude that? They could have cut of the track right after Maccas "woooo" at the very end before the "thanks Mo" bit. So why didn´t they?? The albums biggest disapointment IMO

Dig a pony - The electrik piano is a bit for prominent here I think.
They have also decided not to include the "All I want is you" beginning which I think is wrong although most people are more familiar with the song that way.Since the sound is better now I think this song i stronger that I´ve thought before, although nothing is changed. Figure that one out..

For you blue - Very clear sounding with all the instruments (especially Georges rythm guitar) sounding bright and good. A nice track made nicer.

The long and winding road - So here it is, the version Paul always wanted to release. Although one can argue about whether he got his whish already on A3 or not.
But the track surely benefits with less instrumets. And Macca delivers a very moving vocal. A very nice keyboard solo as well by Preston. The bass playing by John is better than on the original version but it´s still by no means good.

Two of us - A favourite track of mine which deserves to be a classic. The guitars is more spread across the channels in this remix and the bassdrum is clearer as well. A joy to listen to.

I´ve got a feeling - Another one of my favourite songs. This is the second version from the roof gig. And although different from the first and original version, I can´t say which one is the better one.
This take is a bit heavier with more gritty guitarplaying and a more prominent keyboard part. And MY GOD McCartney could sing songs like this so well!! I think this may be the better version though after having just listen to it again.

One after 909 - I´m not sure this is the same version as on the LIT album. I can be wrong though but I´ve never heard the line "yes I did" after they sing "I begged her on my bended knee". This may have been deleted on the original album though.
This song fades out a bit too quickly as well.

Don´t let me down - Really great to have the rooftop version/s of this on a officially released album. This was edited from both takes from the roofgig because (as we all know) John couldn´t remember the words to some lines on both takes. I still prefer the single version though. It´s smoother in sound and would have fitted quite well on Abbey road i must say. This version is heavier and more rugh and therefore fits in well here. One of Johns best songs that should have been on the album in the first place I think.

I me mine - A really great song!! That is much better without Spectors strings. I can understand why they used Spectors edited version though otherwise this beautiful song wouldn´t have lasted long. Very strange that no one decided to do this song on the tribute concert.

Across the universe - This is the original LIB version but without the strings, choirs, and sound effects. It´s really lovely I think, but in a way I miss the old version.. Spectors sound suited the "universe/space/psycedelic" feelings that the song has. But I have to say that Harrisons indian instruments really gives the song a great effect. An there is another instrument here that comes in about halfway in the song.. can´t figure that out, but it sounds really cool. maybe this is the better version after all [:p]And wait!!! The fade out has a reverb effect on Lennons voice that the original didn´t have. Superb!

Let it be - Naked as can be.. BUT! the harmony vocals.. hmm.. there is three voices there.. And If this a live take who sang that very high harmony? Hardly Ringo or Yoko, maybe Linda? This is not so "live" as one could think.. well well. I have to say that this version is the best I´ve heard. The harmonies are great, and the playing is superb. Does anyone know if this is the same take as the album/single?

So there is my review of the album.. but wait.. there is more??
Ahhh.. I almost forgot the "Fly On The Wall" disc.
Maybe that is because I don´t really like it and think they could have done a far better job with that one.
Instead of having 21 minutes of snippets of songs and dialouge, They should have made a 45-50 minute disc with complete songs and a bit less dialouge.
1.What about the electric version of Two of us?
2.The fast version of Get Back?
3.Some Rock n roll tracks?
4.Songs that ended up on Abbey Road?
5.The funny version of The long and winding road [:p]
6.And maybe some of the Paul/George arguing dialouge?
I don´t think it´s right NOT to include some of the tensions from the session since almost everybody knows that tension was evident.
7. Some of Georges solo/acoustic performances that he did on these sessions.
There is a track that I have on tape with him and a guitar from this sessions where he sings something like "Honey you´ve been on my mind". What is that? it´s a great track!

So overall I think the album LIBN is a major improvement over the original LIT, Although they could have included a bit of dialouge here and there and left some songs intact without doing a fade out.
My grade would be 8/10 (the FOTW disc gets 3/10)
Now.. EMI.. Remaster and remix the rest of the catalogue!!

[bianca_macca]

I'm very happy with my LIBN!! My favourites are: Two of Us and I've got a Feeling. I think the whole album sounds very fresh and great for that reason.

[Harry]

I'm listening to it right now. I love it, I think it's great but now I'm dying for more. I even like the title now which I thought was abit cheesy to begin with.

[Berkeleyan]

I just would like to say thank you to Helter for his comprehensive, laboured critique. The album has not hit the shops in Brazil yet. Perhaps today...[:)]

[theDingle]

Yes, good job Helters, I probably won't agree with you on some things once I get to hear it, but you've got me eager for it.

[Brains]

I like the album, but still there are some points of criticism to be made. The original intent in doing LIB..N, was to get rid of all Spectorisms. But what you then forget, is that not everything Spector did was that terrible. Yes, the strings on TLAWR and IMM... But the original version of LIB was much better imho, especially the solo. For me, it would have been enough if they'd polished up that version, cause the sound is spectacular on LIB..N.

Then the bits of talking in between songs ("I dig a pigmy" "and now we'd like to do 'Hark the Angels come'" "oh my soul (it's so hard)" "oh Danny Boy" "Thanks Mo"). Those bits really made the album for me. That was what made the original LBI stand out among the other albums. That was also part of the unfinished nature of the GB sessions. Good job there by Spector, to not let the bits of talking get in the way of the songs (as they do on the Fly on The Wall disc) but to make it quite natural.

Some versions are just not as good as the originals: Don't Let Me Down is much better on PM2, Billy's solo is better, John's vocals are better (that weird scream before the solo... [^]). All gone on LIB...N.
Get Back is the same as on the album, but without the 'your momma's waiting for you' coda. There already is a finished version of GB: the single version! Just polish that one up and you've got the same song, but with (great) coda...

I wish they had asked me for advice. Some things could have been done better so easily, it's really a pity.

But of course there are good points: the superb sound quality, really really good (FYB, TLAWR, LIB), the much better version of TLAWR (at last the one Paul intended, better also than on A3)

-edit- Gastro's gone, no need to tell him to sod off

[maccastheman]

I really like LIBN and I'm glad it was finally released in an arrangement closer to what the band had in mind. It feels much more down to earth. It's too soon for me to say whether I like it better than the original. It's hard to make a judgement on that when you've heard the originals for so many years. (In a sense these are the "originals," however) The timing of this is so ironic considering all that Mr. Phil is going through.

I did notice that Rolling Stone took this as an opportunity make jabs at Macca once again. I do have some respect for Anthony Decurtis, but he said the only reason Macca wanted to release it in this format was to clean up TLAWR. I know that was a major concern of Macca's, but it wasn't the ONLY reason. He also said something like John and George didn't get a chance to hear LIBN before it was released, therefore there's no way of knowing whether or not this is what the band had envisioned during the Get Back sessions. It's my understanding that George gave it his blessing before he passed, and he did say in the liner notes to ATMP that he was tempted to remix that entire album himself and strip it of Spector's Wall of Sound.

Decurtis went on to say that ATMP, JL/POB, and Imagine were probably the three best Beatle solo albums, and they were all produced by Spector. (And later stated that the most moving song on LIBN was Across the Universe)

I don't know why I read that magazine. It's not as if it's the be all and end all of rock journalism any more. (Although Wenner thinks it is) I just get sick of the personal jabs they make at Macca all the time.

'nuff said.[:I]

[maccastheman]

quote:Originally posted by 2 of 3


AND....when the heck at The Beatles going to remaster their whole cataloge? Jeesh! LIB...N and Yellow Submarine sound fantastic! Come on people..I'm not getting any younger![xx(][;)]


Amen to that!!!