SOUNDTRACK: THE BEATLES-Let It Be (1970).
Of all the fascinating details about Beatles releases, I don’t think any are more fascinating than the details about Let It Be. I’m not even close to understanding everything that went on here. But in a nutshell, it seems that they went into the studio to record an album called Get Back. They were even going to film the whole things. It got scrapped. Some members quit the band then rejoined. And then they recorded Abbey Road.
And then the band did a concert on a rooftop (almost exactly 46 years ago!). And soon after they broke up. Then some producers decided to release Let It Be as a soundtrack to the documentary made about their recording. They used some of the material from Get Back and some from the rooftop concert and then Phil Spector got involved and put all kinds of strings on everything and then the album was released in the UK on my first birthday.
There’s lots of snippets of dialogue which seem designed to make it feel like a soundtrack (which it doesn’t). There’s really short snippets of songs, there’s raw live songs, there’s overproduced string laden songs. It’s kind of a mess. But in there are some good songs too.
“Two of Us” is a pretty folkie number that I like quite a lot although I first became familiar with it from a Guster cover (which is pretty fine. I never quite understood the title of “Dig a Pony,” but it’s a big weird sloppy song. It’s kind of fun to sing along to—especially the falsetto “Beeeecause.” This song was recorded from their rooftop concert and it feels rawer than some of the other songs.
“Across the Universe” is a lovely song. Evidently Lennon didn’t contribute much to Let It Be, so they threw this on to give him more content. I actually know this more from the Fiona Apple version (which I think is actually better than this processed version). I don’t really care for the strings and echoes feel on this version. “Dig It” is a short piece of nonsense. It was exerted from a lengthy jam but for some reason only this little snippet was included on the record–it sounds odd here.
“Let it Be” is quite a lovely song. I don’t really care for the Phil Spectorisms that were done to it—the strings and choruses seem a bit cheesy. At the same time, the guitar solo (which is quite good) sounds too raw and harsh for the song. “Maggie Mae” is a traditional song, another bit of fun nonsense. I like “I Me Mine,” it’s rather dark and the chorus just rocks out. “I’ve Got a Feeling”, was also recorded on the roof, so it feels raw. There’s some great guitars sounds on it. Evidently it was initially two songs, and Lennon’s part (the repeated “everybody” section) was added to it.
“One After 909” sounds so much like an early Beatles song–very traditional rock and roll (which means I don’t really like it). Although the version is raw sounding (it was also recorded from the rooftop) so that’s kind of cool. Huh, Wikipedia says “the song was written no later than spring 1960 and perhaps as early as 1957, and is one of the first Lennon–McCartney compositions.” “The Long and Winding Road” is where all the controversy comes from. McCartney hated what Phil Spector did to his song. He HATED it. And I have to agree. It sounds nothing like the Beatles–it sounds very treacly and almost muzaky. It feels endless. At the same time, I’m not even sure if the song is that good–it’s so hard to tell after all these years. I think it kind of rips off the transition in “Hey Jude” which was used to much better effect.
“For You Blue” is a simple blues. I like it better than most of the Beatles’ blues, perhaps because of John’s slide guitar (and the funny comments through the song–which makes it seem like the band actually liked each other). “Get Back” ends the disc as a fun rollicking romp. I really like this song, although I’m surprised at how short it seems–I thought there was a lengthy outro. The end of the song (and the disc) has John asking if they passed the audition–lots of fun going on in this contentious recording session.
So it’s not the best career ending disc, although I guess as a soundtrack it’s pretty good. I’ve never seen the film, and I’m kind of curious to after having walked through all of these Beatles albums.
[READ: January 19, 2015] Spoiled Brats
I probably read too much Simon Rich too close together, but it’s so hard to resist him. I’ve said before that I enjoy his shorter pieces the most, but there were some longer ones in this one which were really good as well.
This is the first book where I thought that Rich went a little too dark (although not as dark as Sarah thought he did). That’s sort of the point of the book, though, to look at people (especially people named Simon Rich) who are horrible human beings.
“Animals” [New Yorker, April 10, 2013] opens from the point of view of a class hamster. He is tormented by the children in the class and he knows that when Simon Rich is supposed to feed and give them water that their lives might just be over. The Simon character is hilarious, and it’s nice to see that revenge is sweet.
“Gifted” wonders what if a child isn’t so much gifted as Satanic–how many euphemisms will be used for this one child?
“Semester Abroad” is the diary of a girl who has gone abroad–to another planet. And how her insensitivity is handled during an intergalactic crisis. I enjoyed this one a lot.
“Sell Out” [New Yorker, serialized in four parts on January 28, 2013] was nearly 100 pages long. And it was well-paced and very very funny. In this story Simon Rich’s great, great grandfather, Hershel, was living in Brooklyn when he fell into a pickle vat and was perfectly preserved. So that when he woke up it was 100 or so years later in 2014. And he is immediately put in contact with his great great grandson, Simon Rich. It’s a hilarious look at what a 27-year-old from 1914 would think of the life of a 27-year-old in 2014 (with Simon rich obviously being a lazy unholy putz).
The other half of the story concerns the way that Herschel is completely appreciated by the hipsters in Brooklyn. Between his look (homemade from rags), his ability to scrounge from the garbage, and his artisanal pickling techniques, he fits right in. And begins making a fortune. What is a jealous relative to do? The end is quite a surprise (sort of, I mean it all makes scene after all) and is quite funny.
“Guy Walks into a Bar” I had read in the New Yorker. [November 11, 2013] I loved that he simply twists the 12 inch pianist joke into a full story
“Family Business” [New Yorker, August 12, 2013] This story was a dark look at chimpanzees and what they might get up to if they learned sign language. I liked that the premise if that the father disapproves of this new line of work, even though their old line of work is much more disgusting.
“The Tribal Rote of the Strombergs” I had also read in the New Yorker. [August 19, 2013] It was a dark look at children surpassing parents (this time with Scrabble).
“Distractions” Sometimes the distractions that keep us from doing something are there for a good reason.
“Played Out” What happens when the only cool place left to live is in a sewer? This one was a little obvious, I thought. The premise was pretty good but it was not that funny.
“Rip” this is a play on the Rip van Winkle story in which a guy wakes up three years later to find that his bandmates have all moved on.
“Elf on the Shelf” is a very dark and twisted look at what a poor elf might go through if he gets a very bad kid. This went beyond Rich’s usual level of taste and I know Sarah hated it.
“Upper East Side Ghosts” is about what older people do when they die–before they pass on to heaven.
“Big Break” When the angel of death comes just to kill your dreams–not you–perhaps it’s a blessing. I liked the premise of this one and the call back to the band from an earlier story.
Overall this book didn’t make me laugh out loud as much a some of his others (I really hope he gets back to some really short pieces again). But I always enjoy Rich’s perspective on things. I may only have been disappointed because I have such high expectations of Rich.
I Just Read About That... 
Hey dude. Love the Beatles series, but haven’t had the chance to reply to any of your posts. Got annoyed you didn’t love the White album, but you can be wrong some of the time–that’s allowed.
The first thing I thought was to ask whether you’d read Revolution in the Head. It’s a book which goes through the recording sessions, stories and apocrypha, song by song. The author, Ian MacDonald, died tragically a few years after the second edition came out; it’s pretty definitive among Beatles people.
Regarding Let It Be, the interesting fact I didn’t know for years was that the tape of it I had (my first Beatles album, given to me by my uncle who had, I understand, been given it at a retreat) was the rooftop set, and the ‘real album’ was a polished version. I loved the banter (despite my hatred of the word banter) and, as a child, was able to recite it all, knowing my Elmore James from my Charles Hawtrey and the Deafaids. Hawtrey, by the way, was a famous comedic actor from the successful Carry On series of films.
But Paul hated it. I couldn’t believe that your criticism of Long and Winding Road is exactly mine–it seems to go on forbloodyever. Paul bided his time and, some years later, got Ringo to agree to the release of a remix of the album, titled Let It Be… Naked. It came out in 2003, after George’s death, and I can only imagine Paul schmoozed Ringo with the promise of more drums–they’re WAY up in the mix. It wasn’t a success (it was a transgression in a similar vein to Paul’s attempt to change some writing credits to McCartney/Lennon, and Paul was just getting himself out of the Heather Mills thing, which cost him a sizeable chunk of his reputation as the Nicest Bloke Ever); when the box sets came out in 2009 we’d returned to the classic mix.
I’m hoping that somewhere in your labyrinthine network of shelves and boxes, you have the three Anthology collections, released at the end of the century. The phase of their career from Pepper onward is hugely interesting as they move through the available tech into developing tech of their own. It would be nice to see your thoughts on that collection–the first vol is okay, but the montage through takes of Strawberry Fields Forever is breathtaking.
I think the Anthologies have been deleted and maybe next week I might get you a Dropbox treat. Let me know.
Love to your wonderful family, and to your wonderful self. I really must see y’all in person one of ces jours.
I think my lack of love for the White album is mostly unfamiliarity. My parents never did the Beatles, so I never really heard that one. I do prefer their trippier stuff anyway.
I have not read revolution in the head–all of my Beatles lore in these posts comes from the mighty WIkipedia which probably quotes that book extensively.
I like the banter too it makes them seem like they were having fun even if they hated each other. Very curious about that bootleg tape (which explains so much about your collecting habits now).
You’ll see by the end of today that I look at Let it Be Naked, which seems like it was just a way for Paul to erase Phil Spector (which isn;t necessarily a bad thing).
I have never heard the Anthology discs. I remember when they came out but I didn’t really care at the time. But now my interest is piqued–and I haven’t even gotten to Past Masters yet, but I’m taking a bit of a Fab Four respite.
I’ve enjoyed watching your wee ones blossom, and despite the lack of sleep this age is a ton of fun. Love to all on your side of the waters, and we really are looking in to a visit your way perhaps in the Leap Year.