Hi Steve:

From what I've been hearing in London the Let it Be DVD could be delayed until 2007.

I've heard Apple's main project this year has been the new Circque du Soleil show with a Beatles theme that is starting at the Mirage Casino next year. This ties in with the fact that we've seen George Martin coming and going from Abbey Road quite frequently on my London Beatles Walks. Neil Aspinall has also been seen at the studio.

It was announced a while ago that Sir George was going to be supervising the music for the new show. I'm also sure George wouldn't have anything to do with Let It Be! Richard Porter
http://www.beatlesinlondon.com

Update (10/17/05)

As a long time abbeyrd web site visitor, I've been watching for info on the Let It Be DVD. I order from several companies in the UK, and just got an intersting mailing today. The company Key Mail Order in Surrey UK sent me an order form for upcoming Beatles releases. They are taking orders for the Let It BE DVD, with a release date (they say) of December 6th. No word in the mailing if it is PAL or an all region DVD. Could this be correct?

In the current issue of Mojo (Bob Dylan on cover) there's a blurb that Let it be will be released "next month", but the issue is dated Sept., and this is already October...

So what is true? According to Apple -- who would know, don't you think? -- none of it. For an upcoming article in ICE Magazine, http://www.icemagazine.com, Matt Hurwitz says he spoke with Apple's Jonathan Clyde, who noted an incredible amount of work still needs to be done on "Let it Be," and that it is still nowhere near completion.

Update (8/16/05)

Just wanted to mention that in the UK, both this month's Mojo and Record Collector have "Let it Be" listed as being released next month

Update (7/26/05)

Update (7/18/05)

Update (7/12/05)

Update (7/7/05)

A highly placed source who wishes to remain anonymous (this sounds like journalism, doesn't it?) says that Apple has been working hard on the Let it Be DVD for two years - "There is a lot to do but people will be happy with the results" - and target release date, at this point anyway, is fall 2005.

Update (9/19/04)

Hi,

Just picked up my current BEATLEFAN magazine at Tower records on September 12th, and theres a article there on the bottom left stating that APPLE has about finished up the LET IT BE movie for DVD release and it should be out by the end of the year. Again they didn't commit to a date as usual, but this sound preety good because it came from Apple. It mentions it going to be a DVD package and allot of out takes that did'nt make the final cut. Let's hope this time it's for sure! Rolling Stones DVD release of there ROCK &ROLL circus is scheduled for release on October 12th. Extra bonus features with extra songs from Taj Mahal that was'nt in the original and brand new interviews with Mick,Keith and Bill Wyman. Along with Yoko Ono. There's even a song thats called "Close,but no cigar". > The singers are John &Yoko & Mick!!

Enjoy your website and keep up the fantastic work you do.

Paul San Jose,California

Update (2/9/04)

Update (1/12/04)

Update (1/7/04)

Hi, there--

I've got a new article in the January 2004 issue of recording industry publication Mix Magazine on the making of "Let It Be. . . Naked." Includes interviews with producers Allan Rouse, Paul Hicks and Guy Massey. Please see: http://mixonline.com/ar/audio_naked_truth_beatles/index.htm. There are pictures in the print edition.

Hi:

This is what i figured out is the detailed list of what is on "Fly on the Wall" from listening all my cds from Get Back /Let It Be sessions (however you prefer to call'em). I know that the list might have mistakes and is not 100% accurate (the ones that im not sure have a question mark near to the tape roll number and the date) but is my best effort (I have to hear the cds again), but I hope someone else could help to fix it.

Best regards,
Javier Mendoza

---------------------------------------
Fly on the Wall

Conversation
Jan. 2 1969
From: Nagra Tape Roll 1 A 

(10 AM)
Twickenham Studios, London:
- Footsteps (Setting up the stage floor)
- Don't let me down (Slate 4 take 1)
- (the dialog included on Fly on the wall happens in here)
- All Things must pass
- Don't Let Me Down
- I Dig a Pony
- "Everybody's got a song"
- Don't let me down
Sun King
Don't Let me Down
Jan. 2 1969

From: Nagra Tape Roll 7 A 
Twickenham Studios, London:
- I've Got a Feelling
- (The segment on Fly on the wall happends at 10:30)
- Sun King
- Don't Let Me Down
One After 909
Conversation
Because I Know You Love Me So
Jan. 2 1969
From: Nagra Tape Roll 16 A 
Twickenham Studios, London:
- I've Got a Feeling (Sync 37)
- Going Up The Country
- On The Road Again (38 Take 1)

- (The segment on fly on the wall happens at 12:20)
- One After 909
- Because I Know You Love Me So
Don't pass me by
Taking a trip to Carolina
Jan. 3 1969
From: Nagra Tape Roll 12 A 
Twickenham Studios, Londres:
- Please Mr. Henry
- Ramblin' Woman
- "It is discovered?"

- (The segment on fly on the wall happens at 5:27 
             – "fly ... ", edits out "Picasso" and some dialog)
- (Improvisation - "Don’t pass me by on fly on the wall)
- Picasso
- Taking a Trip to Carolina
- Hey Jude
- All Things must Pass
- Don't Let Me Down
John's Piano Piece
Jan. 8 1969
From: Nagra Tape Roll 70 A 
Twickenham Studios, London:
- (Improvisation) - (John Piano Piece on fly on the wall)
- Child of Nature
Jan. 2 1969
From: Nagra Tape Roll 2 A 
Twickenham Studios, London:
- Let it Down
- (Improvisation)
- Brown Eyed Handsome Man
- I've Got a Feeling
- A Case Of The Blues
- (Improvisation)

- On The Road To Marrakesh (Child of nature on fly on the wall 
             - The segment at "Fly..." begins at 11:05)
- Revolution
- I Shall Be Released
- Sun King
Back in the U.S.S.R.
Every Little Thing
Jan. 3 1969
From: Nagra Tape Roll ??
Twickenham Studios, London
Don't Let Me Down
Jan. 2 1969
From: Nagra Tape Roll 8A
Twickenham Studios, London 
- Don't Let Me Down
- Sun King
- Don't Let Me Down
- (Improvisation)

- (The segment on fly on the wall happens at 9:40 with an 
               edition at 9:50 going back to the original tape at 13:40)
- (Unknown)
- Don't Let Me Down
All Things must pass
Jan. 3?? 1969
From: Nagra Tape Roll 23A?
Twickenham Studios, Londres
(I never being able to identify the dialog edited at the 
         edition of the "beginning" of the song)
She Came in Through The Bathroom Window
Jan. 7 1969?
From: Nagra Tape Roll 68A?
Twickenham Studios, Londres
Paul’s Piano Piece
Jan. 3 1969
From: Nagra Tape Roll 11A
Twickenham Studios, London:
- Adagio For Strings (Slate 29 Take 1 10:00 AM)
    (Paul’s Piano Piece on Fly on the wall)
- Improvisations
- Tea for Two - Cha cha
- Chopsticks
- (Unknown)
- Torchy the battery boy
- Whole lotta shakin' going on
- (Unknown)
- Let It Be
- (Unknown)
- Taking a Trip to Carolina
- (Unknown)
Get Back
Jan. 7 1969??
From: Nagra Tape Roll 114A??
Twickenham Studios, Londres
Two Of Us
Maggie Mae
"I Fancy Me Chances"
Jan. 24 1969
From: Nagra Tape Roll 443A- 444A
Apple Studios, London:
La cinta original incluye:
- Two of Us
- Maggie Mae
- "I Fancy Me Chances"
- Two of Us
- Maggie Mae
Can You Dig It
Jan. 24 1969
From: Nagra Tape Roll 449A
Apple Studios, London
Get Back
Jan. 7 1969?
From: Nagra Tape Roll 51A?
Twickenham Studios, London

Here`s a summary of how LIB...N did on various international charts so far (weekly chart runs):

Chile 1-2-3-5
World Chart 2-6-5-8
Japan 2-2-10-14-21
Sweden 2-8-8-11
US 5-17-16-20
Denmark 5-19-27-31
Euro Chart 6-8-12-15
Italy 6-12-14-22
Norway 6-19-25-31
Britain 7-23-31-41
Ireland 7-11-12-19-29
Canada 8-19-25-28
Austria 8-17-32
Argentina 9-17-18
Spain 10-30-39-36
Australia 11-16-17-27-35
Netherlands 12-8-11-15
Greece 12-12
Germany 13-14-19-23
France 14-27-45-52
South Korea 15
Belgium (Flanders) 17-13-50
Switzerland 21-39-71-92
New Zealand 23-50-off
Brazil 24-11
Belgium (Wallonia) 33-41
Finland 35

Note: the Japanese Chart is divided in two sections, one for foreign acts and one for all acts (regardless of nationality). LIB...N reached No. 1 in the foreign chart and No. 2 in the general chart. My info is of course referring to the general Japanese chart, not the foreign-acts-only chart.

Here are the weekly sales of LIB...N in Japan so far:

1st week: 201,261 copies
2nd wk: 123,585    "
3rd wk: 55,948    "
4th wk: 27,111    "
5th wk: 16,700    "
-----------------------------
Total: 424,605 copies 

Just read the Capitol press release you posted about LIBN. Capitol uses the Rolling Stone "Top 500 Albums of All Time" issue as the main crux of its argument that the Beatles are winning over younger fans...but Capitol obviously hasn't done its homework. Inside the Rolling Stone issue is the complete list of the 273 people who were polled for the issue, and though I'm not familiar with some of the names, the only person I can see who fits the "under-24" demographic Capitol is championing is Britney Spears. Other than that, the list consists mainly of record execs, CEOs, producers, critics, journalists and musicians...all well into their 20, 30s, 40s and beyond. Boy, Capitol will go to great lengths to try and push this "1 Generation" tagline.

As a funny side note, Britney included *not one* Beatles album in her top ten (which was printed on page 114).

Update (12/17/03)

In this recent interview from Rolling Stone, producer Rick Rubin talks a bit about "Let It Be...Naked" and also states that the "White Album" is his favorite album of all time. Interesting commentary about LIBN.

Update (12/16/03)

College Radio Tunes to New Hit Sound -- of The Beatles

Business Wire
12/15/03, 8:08a
(Copyright © 2003, Business Wire)

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Dec 15, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- There's a new sound turning on the kids at college campus radio this week -- The Beatles. "Let It Be...Naked" just entered the College Music Journal's Top 200 with the #1 debut of the week at 42 (beating out Daedus, Moonraker, Tori Amos, AFI, Paul Oakenfold, Coco B's, Slipstream, HolyGhost, The Flying Luttenbachers, and Neung Phak, among others).

Not, perhaps, the highest chart entry in the history of a band shortly to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their first Billboard #1 with "I Want To Hold Your Hand" but, significantly, the chart entry is yet another sign of the growing importance of The Beatles to the musical taste of teens.

Recent research by The Beatles' label, Capitol Records, showed a big swing in the popularity of the band among young record buyers following the release of the 25-million-seller "The Beatles 1." According to Nielsen SoundScan research, prior to the release of "1," record buyers aged under-24 represented 17.5% of their album market. However, on the release of "1" three years back, the under-24 share shot up to 32.7%.

The rise in popularity of The Beatles with "the 1 generation" -- as record company executives now call the new young market -- has been further evidenced by The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" album topping Rolling Stone magazine's poll of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time and, a few weeks back, The Beatles making it as the cover story of the "enfant terrible" of music journalism, The New Musical Express (NME).

Record executives further point out that The Beatles won 11 places in Rolling Stone's Top 500 -- and therefore won slots for virtually the entire Beatles album catalogue -- and report that 40 U.S. college stations added "Let It Be...Naked" before Capitol representatives even serviced the album.

"Let It Be...Naked" debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at #5, and has charted on the MTV BDS chart for two consecutive weeks.

SOURCE: Capitol Records

Update (12/14/03)

Update (12/11/03)

Update (12/9/03)

Hi Steve,

Christopher Chardi is absolutely correct about "Across The Universe" . I had forgotten that the "Wildlife" version had been speeded up. So, in this respect, its inclusion on LIBN is valid. However, I do feel that this bare new mix was not "the band's cut from the original sessions". I have serious doubts that "Across The Universe" should be on the album at all, since it was never recorded on multi-track tape at Apple in 1969. Like so many songs, it was jammed at the Twickenham rehearsals. Perhaps George's demo of "Isn't It A Pity" from 26th January 1969 might be a more appropriate inclusion. It certainly sounds like it was intended to be naked: "recorded solo with vocal and lightly strummed lead guitar" (Lewishon, 1988).

Q gave LIBN a two star rating out of five, but Maxim Blender, Record Collector and Mojo all give it top marks. Mojo gives it five out of five, and it also has article about the events that led to its release.

Hi Steve! I've been reading some complaining about the release and marketing of LIBN around the world, so just to add some info about the release here in Japan. It was announced for November 14th ( here releases are some days or even a week before than in the west, as it happened with Lennon's reissues). By mid or end of November I could heard already the new version of The Long and Winding Road on a late night radio programme. But I couldn't get my copy until the 17th in Tokyo, where most stores, even small ones, were promoting the album in specially decorated spaces with posters and TVs showing extracts from the film, around their main doors and in some of them outside the stores. There is available the vinil album, the imported CD( cheaper than a single), and the made in Japan CD which contain and additional booklet with lyrics and traslations to japanese as well as the transcriptions of the conversations in The Fly on the Wall CD (good for those like me, non-english speakers...). Also was announced already in the disc store Lennon's single "Happy Xmas" for Dec 4th. Here EMI is TOSHIBA-EMI so I suppose it makes things a little better when promoting new releases. Bye, and keep on the good work.

Steve, I live in Melbourne, and I did see a half page colour ad in the Herald-Sun prior to release of LIBN, but other than that, I concur with Robert Stormont's comments. All the major music stores have displays of Kylie Minogue et al in the windows and throughout. The average music fan wouldn't even know LIBN had been released. No promotion at all, zilch. Further to that I haven't even seen the "new" clips of Get Back and Don't Let Me Down !

Update (12/6/03)

Update (12/5/03)

Let It Be ...Naked at #17 in Billboard?? Where are all of the people who bought "1"??

Also, good news. The December issue (The Clash on the cover) of "Uncut" says all good things about LIBN -- 4 stars!! -- can't read the review online -- I read it in Tower Records this afternoon.

Steve,

This is information found on the Billboard.com website; in their second week on the chart, the Beatles CD "Let It Be...Naked" slips from 5 to 17. This is not nearly as disappointing as Michael Jackson's "Number Ones" CD. That tumbles from 13 to 29. At this pace I predict MJ's CD will be gone from the charts by the New Year. The good news is that the "Concert for George" 2 CD soundtrack enters the top 100 for the first time at 97. David Moore

Hi Steve- I like LIBN. Sure the packaging could have been better, but I think Beatles fans often complain too damn much - why, as a group, do we seem to be so ungrateful. I think they should have released it as a double album - the old version and the LIBN version and sell it for the price of one. That way they could have John's version and the one Paul, Ringo, George, and Yoko agreed too. What happened to Paul back then was underhanded - but he gets dumped on for making changes to John's stuff. As for the thought of John being sacred territory and the only Beatle of worth - crap! Where would he have gotten without Paul and George? Ringo too - they needed Ringo! Yoko goes on about Paul trying to hurt John's legend. I think she has done more to hurt it. Do you really think he would have wanted the Two Virgins picture used for a Vodka ad or Imagine for a jewelry line or his drawing for Sean marketed for baby toys? I'm betting Olivia Harrison won't do any of that crap-she is a classy women. I admire her greatly.

Dear Steve, I just want to express my wholehearted disgust at EMI Australia for their total lack of promotion of LIBN. Apart from from articles on the evening news two days prior to release, I have not seen or heard one ad, either newspaper, TV or radio, for the album. There are no big signs up in any stores (including HMV). Is it any wonder that the album only debuted at number 11 nationally and has Week 2 already slipped to No. 16. I suspect it will not even be in the charts next week. Given the success of "1" here (and worldwide) and the fact that the Beatles are the biggest selling group of the last decade (source NME), you think that they would want to capitalise on their ongoing popularity. Unfortunately it is my firm belief that EMI couldn't sell ice creams or cold drinks in a desert, so poor is their marketing strategy, at least where the Fab Four are concerned. It would be interesting to hear comments from other countries on marketing of LIBN.

I've seen a few people mention that "Across The Universe" has been "slowed down in the style of the Spector mix." That's not so. "Let It Be...Naked" marks the first official release of take 7 of "Across The Universe" at its *correct* speed (any fellow guitarist can back me up on this). The "Wildlife" version is faster and the Spector version is slower. The LIBN version features the song in its original key of D, while the "Wildlife" version is closer to D# and the Spector version closer to C#.

Update (12/4/03)

Hello Steve,

Am I really the only one who's got a clue as to why George's photo from the original LIB album was changed ? Just see how the poor guy's teeth look when you look at the negative of the original album photo ! All the best.

Steve,

Following the discussion about the 'new' photo of George used on the cover of LIBN, I took the original cover and transformed it to the negative style to see if there was a visual reason why the original image was not used. George does look rather scary on the negative version of the original (as attached) so perhaps that's why?

Keep up the great work!
Nina Douglas (Note: Nina is webmaster for a site that features a database for Beatles Tribute bands all over the world with 500 bands listed. The address is www.thewordislove.com.

Hi, I wasn't sure if you had received this bit of info yet so I'll pass it along. The Get Back video that was showed on VH1 a few weeks back was showed on MTV at about 5:45 CST Monday morning. It made my insomnia just a little bit better. Just thought I would let you know.

I think without a doubt you have the best site on the web, its the first thing I check everyday. Keep up the good work.

Update (12/1/03)

was looking at the "Let It Be Naked" cover art today and noticed something interesting. We've all noticed that the picture of George has been changed from the original "LIB" cover, while everybody else's is the same. If you look at the cover, you will notice that these "film strips" feature a duplicate of each Beatles' photo along side the visible photo. So, to the left of John and Ringo, you can see part of the same photos of each of them repeated. Same for Paul along the ride side. However, if you look at the barely-visible photo to the right of George's photo, you'll notice that it clearly is not a duplicate of the same George picture that is visible.

For a moment, I was curious what this photo might be. But quickly I realized upon comparing to the orignal "LIB" cover that what is seen is the edge of the original George photo from the "LIB" cover. This still doesn't explain why the main photo of George was changed. But, it may indicate that the original "LIBN" cover art was done up with the orignal "LIB" photo of George, and for some reason it was changed afterwards, but they didn't bother to change the photo to its right, on which the only thing that is visible is a bit of George's hair.

Well, I just would like to open a debate about a fact that no one pointed out. I've noticed that the CD has only been released in the standard CD format. No DSD mastering nor SACD format. I think this is a pity, expecially looking at the remastering of the back catalogue. Anyone at Apple/EMI is thinking about that?!?

Update (11/30/03)

Hi Steve,
 
I`ve collected the following information concerning the standing of "Let It Be ... Naked" in the international album charts. It debuted at the following positions:
 
Japan #2

US #5
Sweden #6

Norway #6
Britain #7
Ireland #7

Canada #8
Austria #8

Argentina #9

Spain #10
Australia #11
Netherlands #12

France #14

Switzerland #21

New Zealand #23
Finland #35

"Let It Be...Naked" will enter Billboard's Top 200 chart at #5, with sales of 280,000 copies in it's first week. So the album should give the Beatles another gold record in just a week or so. The "1" collection sold 595,000 copies in its first week of release in 2000.

In other news (he reported gleefully), Michael Jackson's collection of "Number Ones" (now where did he get that idea?) entered the charts at #13 with 121,000 copies. (Sorry for indulging in kicking the man when he's down.)

Just a quick note about the Rolling Stone Album Poll: Let It Be is #86. There's also a review of LIBN-3 stars out of 5.

OK, at least we're in the top 5 (#5). Still, not bad for songs that were orginally released 33 years ago and for a band that hasn't been seen together since the rooftop concert!!

My brother works in a record shop here in my small town of Halden, Norway. He received the first copies of LIBN from EMI Norway as late as YESTERDAY (25 Nov)!

According to what he told me, EMI Norway has messed up and imported far too few copies of the album - perhaps not expecting it to sell? In any case, they were seemingly unable to deliver as much as HALF of the amount of the ADVANCE orders in time for the release date!

If EMI want to prevent the album from doing well on the charts, this is certainly a good way to do it. Or maybe they have some hot new teen star they want to push as far up the charts as possible without competition from history's most successful band? Conspiracy theories, here we come. :-)

Nevertheless, it's actually doing fairly well and entered the national chart at number 6 last week.

The good news is that along with the CDs yesterday, my brother's shop also received the VINYL copy I'd ordered. It's a wonderful "little" package. Gatefold cover, seemingly good quality vinyl, the "Fly on the wall" disc on a separate 33 RPM 7" and of course the CD booklet (slightly redesigned - pictures moved about a bit and so) in full size.

I'm pretty broke these days, but I always regretted not picking up "Live At The BBC" on vinyl when it was first released (I was broke at that time as well). I have since bought both "Anthology" 1-3, YSS and "1" on vinyl, and fortunately LATBBC was re-released a couple of years ago. I wasn't going to take the chance with LIBN, and I'd recommend everyone who are still fond of vinyl to grab a copy while it's here.

Update (11/26/03)

Love your site. Just thought you might like to know that LIB...N has entered Australian charts at N# 11. The cds are not available everywhere, some stores have been very slow to get them. The prices vary from $31 AUD at some places, to just $20 AUD in others. Also Concert for George cd will be released on the 30th of November and the dvd on the 7th of December.

Also I'd like to add to Ole Olsen's remarks. Apart from "I Me Mine" which was recorded in 1970 (without John Lennon's participation), "Across The Universe" was also recorder layer by layer in 1968. And thought the new version sounds very nice, I could not understand why it was remixed without Beatles overdubs, for that IS the way the song was recorded. And just to add more fuel to the fire, I personally prefer the single version of "Let It Be", with echo on the drums and a different solo, for I think it has a lot more bite and rock feel to it. But, the new version of "Long and Winding Road" is a real gem and is worth the price of the CD alone.

Keep up the great work!!! Kostia

Hi Steve; To echo Patti Murawski's Best Buy experience, I made it to the store on Nov.18th about 2 &1/2 hrs. before closing time. Asked the clerk at the door if they still had copies of LIBN. "Uuuuuuh, I dunno, we sold a lot today." Cashier standing next to him: "Want me to take him back?" "Uuuuuh, yeah." I follow her and tell her what I'm looking for. We end up in the 'L' section. I should mention here that before asking any clerks, I'd checked the new releases & Beatle section without success. Their was a display with most Beatles' CDs, but the LIBN spot was empty. Ok, back in 'L' section: "Oh, that was by the Beatles, right? We need to check there." "I already did & couldn't find any, maybe you can." In Beatles' section, clerk looks without success, then I chance to look down & see a box full of LIBN under the racks. "Oh, here's a whole box" I say; the clerk is happy & disappears. Since she didn't see fit to fill the empty space with more LIBN from the box, I do it.

Since my clerk has gone, I need to find another. I find one who refers me to some one else. "The Concert for George Harrison" says I; "DVD or CD?" "Both". We get the CD first, then I get their last copy of the CFG on DVD. "And 'Lennon Legend' on DVD too." In the 10 seconds or so we take to get to the next aisle, he has to ask me again what we're looking for, and I get LL; they have about two more copies left.

On my way to the checkout I spot two copies of LIBN in the Pink Floyd section! I grab 'em and put them in the empty slot in the front Beatles' display, pay for my items and leave.

Would the other copies of LIBN in the under-rack box find their way to the regular & special Beatles section any time soon? Since I had the last CFG DVD, were their more somewhere to be put on display or had they severely under-ordered? Will LIBN climb the UK charts or peak at its' first-week #7 spot? Would casual or more timid shoppers have left Best Buy assuming LIBN was sold out? Uuuuuuuuh, I dunno.

Update (11/25/03)

It's worth noting in light of Rip Rense's interview with Yoko & his note that George attended all of the Spector LIB mixing sessions, that George commented on the reissue of ATMP that he would have liked to have gone back and stripped out all of the reverb and "overproduction" from those recordings. However, this was not possible due to the fact that the tapes had been subject to "bounce downs" (tracks being combined) and such and were therefore pretty set in stone. But if you listen to the bonus track "I Live For You" it's not really far from what's been done with LIBN. Perhaps George was on board with this project - at least in principal - after all...

Just to say that anybody out there who still hasn't bought LIBN would do well to consider the vinyl package containing the LP and 'Fly On The Wall' 7 inch. It really is something special; fantastic photos, great packaging and a beautiful collector's item. I have a feeling that it may not be around for long, so get it while you can, folks! Highly recommended. Oh yeah, the music's not bad as well!

Update (11/24/03)

Hi Steve,

I had an interesting experience scoping out the prices at Best Buy for LIBN.

Apparently they were all sold out of the CD, and in the rack, which had the sale sign for LIBN attached to it, they had stuck the old Spectorized CD! The staff seemed unconcerned about this deception.

Now, the readers of this site would know the difference, but people buying for gifts who aren't Beatle fans and haven't seen a picture of the cover would not. Buyers beware!

Hi, I'm not sure if anyone else has confirmed this or not but the US LIBN doesn't apperar to be copy protected.Just made a CDR copy on my RCA CD recorder and a minidisc copy on my Sony MD recorder and both work fine. I read the pages daily. Keep up the great work! Carl Anderson

Steve,

There's been some discussion about the "please don't copy" message on the inside of the back cover of LIBN.

I'd just like to mention that there's a message with the exact same wording in my copy of Iggy Pop's latest CD (also EMI). So I don't think anyone can blame APPLE for it... ;-) Nor can it be something targeted for "the '1' Generation" - not a lot of teenagers buy Iggy Pop albums these days, unfortunately. Nor LIBN, I suspect.

Oh, and while I'm at it, two cents regarding some people's expectations about a "live" version of "I Me Mine": Come on! No matter what you think about the way LIBN was put together, this particular song was recorded a year after the rest, and in the normal studio manner: layer by layer. Apart from the rehearsals at Twickenham, "I Me Mine" was NOT played/recorded live.

Update (11/23/03)

Paul Johnstone from Australia asked for a list of dates and takes for "Let It Be...Naked." Using Lewisohn's "The Beatles: Recording Sessions" and "The Complete Beatles Chronicle," you can actually compile a near-complete list of the track details for "Let It Be...Naked":

GET BACK - Take number unknown. [NOTE: Takes were not numbered.] Recorded Tuesday, January 28, 1969.

DIG A PONY - Rooftop version. [NOTE: Only one was recorded.] Recorded Thursday, January 30, 1969.

FOR YOU BLUE - Take 6. Recorded Saturday, January 25, 1969. George Harrison lead vocal overdub recorded on January 8, 1970. [NOTE: Some, but not all, of this vocal overdub appears on "Let It Be...Naked." Also, Hey Jude claims the guitar intro is different, but this evening, I recorded both the "Let It Be" and "Naked" intros on my computer, put them into two separate channels of a stereo wav file and played them simultaneously. Other than some drastically different EQ-ing and a very slight tape speed difference, they are *exactly* alike.]

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD - Take 19. Recorded Friday, January 31, 1969.

TWO OF US - Take 12. Recorded Friday, January 31, 1969.

I'VE GOT A FEELING - Composite of rooftop versions 1 and 2. [NOTE: The bulk of this is version 2.] Recorded Thursday, January 30, 1969.

ONE AFTER 909 - Rooftop version. [NOTE: Only one was recorded.] Recorded Thursday, January 30, 1969.

DON'T LET ME DOWN - Composite of rooftop versions 1 and 2. [NOTE: The bulk of this is version 1.] Recorded Thursday, January 30, 1969.

I ME MINE - Take 16. Recorded Saturday, January 3, 1970. Electric piano, electric guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals, organ and second acoustic guitar overdubs recorded later that day.

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE - Take 7. Recorded Sunday, February 4, 1968. John Lennon lead vocal overdub recorded later that day.

LET IT BE - Composite of Takes 27 A and B. [NOTE: The bulk of this is Take 27A.] Recorded Friday, January 31, 1969. Backing vocal overdubs recorded on January 4, 1970. Bass guitar overdub recording date unknown. [NOTE: We know the bass was recorded as an overdub because the original Glyn Johns "Get Back" mix features the exact same take, but with a completely different bassline, played live by John Lennon.]

Don't know what the big hoo-hah is about LIBN... It's all good. I myself am not looking at it as something new and fantastic - I prefer to look at it from a "remastering" point of view. I appreciate the sonic upgrades, and still I like the original. If you don't like what they've done, well, you've still got the original, and you've got bootlegs out the ying-yang that should satisfy whatever you're looking for!

Regarding copy code, YES, Back in The US IS copy coded. How do I know this? Well, I used my Phillps audio CD recorder to make a copy for use in a discman, and IT DIDN'T WORK. It would only play in the "burner" side of the audio cd recorder. It will not play anywhere else. I've wanted to burn LIBN with the original running order (or as close as it can be, just because that's the track sequence I've grown accustomed to over the past 33.5 years!), but figured it would be for naught.

If you buy LIBN with the mindset of a sonic upgrade, you'll be perfectly satisfied, IMHO! And I just picked up the latest issue of ICE, with OFFSPRING on the cover - it has a breakdown of the track editing for LIBN.

Hi Steve, To add to your list of reviews, I just wanted to throw in my two cents. While I agree that LIBN is not that much different from the original, and therefore some may quibble over its merits, I think it does have several things going for it. First is the excellent sound production. The songs haven't sounded this good in years. For those who complain about the lack of coda on "Get Back," I'd like to mention that one of the early bootlegs, "Kum Back," has a version of "Get Back" without a coda. The song on the bootleg stops just after Paul's long "Ooo-oo" at the end of the track. I personally don't think the ending is as jarring as some claim. I think the most difficult song for me to adjust to was the new "I've Got A Feeling," which I like very much, but I kept expecting the old version.

I love the cleaned-up "Let It Be," "The Long and Winding Road," "I Me Mine," "Across the Universe," and "Don't Let Me Down." The other songs are pretty much the same. I also like the new packaging, much of it culled from the now out-of-print "Let It Be" book.

And the "Fly On The Wall" disc, while it could have had more music, is probably the closest thing to the movie that we will get until Apple decides to release the film again. I saw the original "Let It Be" film many times before it disappeared, and my feeling is that people have forgotten how much inconsequential talk is in the film. In fact, apart from the rooftop concert, Paul's infamous fight with George, and the occasions when they are actually playing music, the film is *filled* with talk.

So my overall feeling is that while the CD won't replace the original Spector version, it does deserve a place in history as another take on those times. Let's hope that Apple will finally get around to re-releasing the film so everyone can see what all the fuss is about.

LIBN has now been the no.1 album on Amazon.com for 7 straight days as of November 22. LIBN first went no. 1 on November 15. It has beaten back IN THE ZONE by Britney Spears, THE BLACK ALBUM by Jay-Z, G-Unit, the new Bruce Springsteen greatest hits collection, and the Michael Jackson NUMBER ONES album. This is a small achievement in itself. It looks like LIBN will debut at no.1 on the Internet Sales Chart on Billboard. It will most likely debut in the top 5 of the Top 200 Album Chart.

With regard to Michael Jackson, it looks like LIBN is outselling his new CD by a two to one margin. CNN reported that Jackson may have to sell off his Beatles publishing rights because of his $250 million debt and the criminal indictment against him. Jackson reportedly makes about $34 million a year off of Lennon/McCartney songwriting royalties.

Just thought I'd send you my views about "Let It Be.Naked". I decided to wait to hear the released album before commenting, but overall I feel quite disappointed. Everyone has their own ideas of what a revised "Let It Be" should include. Personally, my view is that the album should consist of the most finished alternate takes recorded by the Beatles and Billy Preston in January 1969, i.e. during the rooftop concert and the "Apple Studio Performance" of 31st January. I believe that any later editing or overdubbing should be excluded. My opinion of the released album:

GET BACK - Far too similar to the original version and annoyingly the coda has been cut off. I would have chosen one of the two rooftop takes at the start of the Beatles' performance.

DIG A PONY - Very similar to the first version, and amazingly retaining the Phil Spector edits of the "All I want is" opening/ending. How about an alternate take from 28th January instead?

FOR YOU BLUE - Again, this is far too similar to the original. And if this is supposed to be the "naked" LP, why retain the vocal overdub from almost a year later (8th January 1970)?

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD - This is excellent. A real stripped-down version, and at last Billy's lovely organ solo gets an official release. A fantastic recording.

TWO OF US - In my opinion, far too similar to the original. What about an alternate take from 31st January instead (they recorded seven)?

I'VE GOT A FEELING - A new mix of two rooftop takes. Why not just give us the complete rooftop alternate take instead (George plays some intricate, different guitar picking)?

ONE AFTER 909 - Very similar to the original, but inferior because George's lead guitar playing is mixed too low. How about a take from 28th January?

DON'T LET ME DOWN - I love this. It's great that the song's finally on the album and it's a very good edit of the two rooftop takes (although I personally don't mind John's vocal fluff). A triumph.

I ME MINE - If this LP is supposed to be de-Spectorised, why on Earth do a similar edit to extend the length of this recording? I know the version on "Anthology 3" is what should really be here, but how about a 3rd January 1970 basic track with guide vocal? ACROSS THE UNIVERSE - What is going on here? Again, the original tape has been slowed down in the style of the Spector mix. Why not produce a stripped-down mix at normal speed? Why all the echo over the coda to create an artificial alternate ending? John Lennon deserves better.

LET IT BE - This is interesting, but I prefer the version in the film/Anthology DVD. I don't think the later backing vocals (4th January 1970) should be included.

FLY ON THE WALL - interesting, but too short and the clips often fade as they are becoming fascinating. It sounds like a trailer for a bootleg.

I was disappointed with the cover design. I remember reading that Paul McCartney was annoyed about the blurb on the back of the original album. There's a sticker on the new CD, full of similar hype: "As it was meant to be.the band's cut". I don't think so. And despite a lavish booklet, nowhere does it tell us which takes/edits are used and from which dates. This isn't "Let It Be.naked", it's "Let It Be.partly undressed". A frustrating experience.

Of course, this is just my opinion. Actually, I was much more excited by the new videos for "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down", featuring lots of new footage from the sessions, and shown on TOTP2 this week. I hope that the "Let It Be" DVD will prove to be the real treat for Beatles fans.

Update (11/22/03)

I'm an avid 28-year old Beatles fan and I check your site religiously for updates on the greatest band of all time. I picked up my copy of Let it Be Naked very early Tuesday morning at a Wal-Mart. The cd's hadn't been displayed yet and there were a bunch of cd's in a box lumped with the other Tuesday releases (Britney Spears, Whitney Houston and other artists I could care less about). Anyway, I shrewdly grabbed the Let it Be CD from the box and literally couldn't wait to get home. This release has been much hyped and on first listen, I was obviously impressed with the much improved sound quality (hey guys at Apple/Capitol, get on the ball and clean up the sound on all the Beatles releases).

A few of the songs, The Long and Winding Road, Don't Let Me Down, I Me Mine, Across the Universe and Let it Be were markedly different. I love the new version of "Long and Winding Road", sounds fantastic without all the cheesy orchestration put in by Phil Spector, which sounded quite different than the orchestrations used by George Martin on classics like Eleanor Rigby or Yesterday. The bare feel of this take with the keyboard part in the middle and some slightly different lyrics was great to hear. Also, unlike a lot of people who posted, enjoyed the new version of Don't Let Me Down. Just kind of wish they kept the verbal flub by John in the middle, always chuckled at that one while watching the rooftop performance clips from Let it Be.

Across the Universe is lovely, stripped to its bare essentials and the new version of Let it Be is obviously a combination of different takes. They use a lot of the movie version, including the guitar solo by George, but should have left the "there will be no sorrow" lyrics at the end just like the movie..small criticisms indeed.

Overall, I'd give the record 10 out of 10 (as Paul once said, its the bloody beatles, shut up!) for its improved sound quality and improved flow. It now feels like a Beatles album where Let It Be (which is still great) felt more like a hodgepodge with the filler and the chatter. My only suggestion would have been to put the extended Dig It into the mix (for some reason, although it obviously isn't the best Beatles track by any stretch, I've enjoyed it as a fun jam and would love to see it released someday).

As for the Fly on the Wall disc, I enjoyed this too, just wish it was a bit longer and had more music in it. The snippets of the songs almost feel like a tease to me. All in all, I love the album....hope to see more from the Fabs in the future. Its quite amazing to see a band release an album of 34-year old songs and still get this much attention, years and years after their breakup!

In response to Christopher Chardi's comments, I was incorrect about "Don't Let Me Down". (That's what I get for having my reference books from Lewisohn, Sulpy, etc. packed away!). I had confused myself because Lennon's flubbed line on the second rooftop take includes some of the words from the last verse. It sounds indeed like they could have flown-in the vocals from that second rooftop performance. Makes much more sense that way.

As far as "For You Blue", again there's my memory slipping. George did overdub a new lead vocal that appeared on Spector's LIB. However, the acoustic guitar intro heard on LIBN is also definitely different from the take Spector used. It isn't just mixed differently (it's the only thing heard in the song in the intro!). At least the very beginning of the acoustic guitar track is a completely different take. Without my reference books, I honestly can't remember if George overdubbed a new acoustic guitar track at the same time he overdubbed the lead vocal, or if that acoustic guitar track was flown-in from another take. Also, in comparing the "LIBN" version to the version on Glyn Johns' first "Get Back" compilation from May of 1969, the acoustic guitar intro is the same as what is heard on Spector's version, but not what is heard on LIBN. In short, at the very least, what we are hearing on LIBN includes an acoustic guitar track, or at least an intro, not previously heard on any released variation.

As for "Dig A Pony", on the original take John did flub the guitar riff going into the outro. This is heard on the version seen in the film (which is the same take, just completey unedited). However, Spector's version of the album also mixed this flub out, so the "LIBN" version repeats this instance of Spector mixing this tiny flub out.

Onto the copy protection issue. Have any US consumers found copy protection on US copies? There certainly is no mention of it on the packaging. I have an old CD-Rom drive on one of my old computers that can't play copy protected CD's, and it plays "LIBN" just fine. I'm not sure about it, but either due to laws or just policy from the record labels, I don't think the copy protection on CD's is used much if at all in the US. For instance, my US copy of Paul McCartney's "Back in the US" plays just fine. But my European CD copy of "Back in the World" has a copy protection sticker on the cover and will not play on my old CD-Rom drive unless I install some sort of program to allow the computer to play it.

As for the "notice" underneath the discs on the inside of the back cover, it is indeed rather tacky. However, I've heard some saying that this sounds like something Apple put on the CD. I don't know for sure, and it does indeed sound a bit like what Apple would try to pull off, but it appears as if this was put on the CD by EMI, not Apple, especially since it points consumers to one of EMI's websites, and that website for music downloads of course does not include any Beatles material. Thus, I doubt Apple's involvement in that little notice.

Regarding the sales figures for "LIBN" versus something like Britney Spears' album, I think it all comes down to who buys these CD's on the internet versus who buys them in stores. I am by no means an expert on the industry. But as I understand it, the reason we might see "LIBN" #1 on Amazon's charts and Britney Spears much lower, yet see the reverse on the Billboard charts is the theory that it is older fans, smaller in number apparently to the mass of younger fans/consumers, who are more likely to have a credit card and more regularly order this type of thing on the internet. Whereas, the majority of young Britney Spears fans are more likely to buy the CD at a store as opposed to ordering it with a credit card over the internet. I have seen a number of items perform very well on Amazon's charts, yet not do nearly as well on the overall Billboard charts. For instance, wasn't "Brainwashed" in the Top 5 or Top 10 on Amazon's charts, yet peaked much lower on the Billboard charts?

Another reason Britney Spears may debut better than the Beatles on the charts is that at most of the retailers I've seen (Target, Best Buy, etc.), they have "LIBN" on sale for $11.99 and Britney Spears at $9.99.

This has been mentioned before somewhere on this site but the reason that the photo of George is different on the cover is that his smile on the original LP was very "toothy" and it didnt look very good when transformed into the negative state, just looked like a mass of darkness in his mouth because his teeth were so white on the original, it didnt look right.

The more I listen to LIBN the more I like it but I still think they should have used the original record of "Don't Let Me Down" and the complete LIB take of I've Got A Feeling just remixed....that is the best one ever, their exuberance is evident and the take on the new CD just does not compare.........although it sounds like in some parts that take is evident (parts were flown in).

Still miss the Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah coda on Long and Winding Road, that would have sounded so cool without all of the strings, still dont know why they left that off...........

Something folks need to consider is that, contrary to the press releases, "Let It Be...Naked" is *not* live and *does indeed* contain many overdubs. These include (1) some vocal parts on "For You Blue" (2) electric guitar, electric piano, lead and backing voacals, organ and a second acoustic guitar on "I Me Mine" and (3) bass and backing vocal overdubs on "Let It Be." Check Lewisohn's "The Beatles: Recording Sessions" for details.

Brian O'Marra was right on. If you compare "Let It Be...Naked" with its original 1970 counterpart, you will find that Spector's mixes on the original are much more "raw and rocking." The arguable exception is the alternate take of "I've Got A Feeling" on "Let It Be...Naked," but even there, the guitars are mixed fairly low.

Steve,

The Beatles website has changed again. It now has a new entry page with links to the old pages to "1" and "Anthology" and now "Let It Be...Naked."

Hello Steve,

Long-time reader, first-time contributor; I wanted to chime in my two-cents worth regarding 'Naked', and make a few observations I haven't seen mentioned yet.

First off, four of the tracks were officially released by The Beatles, as produced by George Martin, prior to the breakup (Universe, Get Back, Don't Let Me Down, and Let it Be), and as such ARE the "Band's Cut", as opposed to what appears on 'Naked'.

Second, as mentioned in another review, 'Road' and 'I Me Mine' have already appeared unadorned on 'Anthology 3'.

Of the remaining five tracks, four (Two of Us, 909, Pony, and Blue) are basically the same as the Spector versions, but with inferior, unsatisfying ending edits, and the fifth (I've Got A Feeling) is a hodge podge.

Also, the silence between each track is too short, giving it an almost Pepper-like feel, but the sequencing is much more jarring than on that album.

It would have been better, and much easier, to have simply remastered the original 'Let It Be' album, and include six bonus tracks: Get Back, Don't Let Me Down, Let It Be (the single versions of each), and the Anthology versions of Universe, I Me Mine, and Road.

As for the 'Fly On the Wall' disc, it should be on the Zapple label, because as John said, Zapple Records were meant to be listened to once and thrown away. A far superior twenty-two minute bonus disc should have been comprised of the best unused songs, including Suzy Parker, Besame Mucho, Can You Dig It, and Maggie Mae (etc).

Thank you Steve, for your wonderful site. It is my favorite source for Beatles information.

Sincerely,
Fred Ascherl, Jr.

Update (11/21/03)

Hi Steve. I agree with your review in the Mercury, but to someone who's VERY familiar with the official releases, just about ANY variations are a revelation! The improved sonic clarity of the new release on good equipment alone is amazing, for a start, but there is merit in every track. We should be grateful; there is too much negativity around! Good sales will surely mean EMI bringing forward future remix/re-releases, as well.

Can you provide (or direct me to) a list, track by track, of what takes/dates the non-rooftop songs are taken from (so I can cross-reference in Mark Lewisohn's book)?

I have just returned from my first trip to Liverpool - a lifelong dream - from here in Australia. To visit the interior of Forthlin Road and Mendips was very moving, as was everything else on The Magical Mystery Tour.

Keep up the work on your great site!

Dear Steve,

Thanks a lot for putting out my last message to you. The European CD's are copy controlled, but nobody I know has had any problems on any device.

Here is my review of LIBN:

Turn off your mind relax and float downstream.

We have all been anticipating LIBN for such a long time that even holding the CD in our hands finally was kind of a shock, let alone listening to it for the very first time. If some of us are disappointed now it’s because we‘ve expected I don’t know what and have listened to good old LIB a million times and to good new LIBN maybe twice or three times.

So it’s basically a matter of getting used to it. And – I think this new version has its charm! The sound is great, straight forward, punchy, if admittedly very dry. It’s a great little record, a consistent package, not a Glyn Johns replica, but a record they might have put out, if all of them had been more enthusiastic about the whole thing in the first place. I also think we shouldn’t forget that the Spector version of LIB or the single Get Back – as all the original Beatles recordings - had a really good sound even then. The whole idea behind LIBN was probably not primarily to remix it because the old version was bad sound wise, but to make the album Let It Be a tight, rocky album of a quality of Abbey Road or the White Album, in other words to give it a place and a reputation in the Beatles catalogue that it deserves.

The "as nature intended" hype (obviously not quite as Glyn Johns or the Beatles at some dark, bizarre point in 1969 intended) is legitimate, in so far as the songs really contain no overdubs. It’s them playing them live. Editing, like it happened with I’ve Got A Feeling, is ok, in my opinion. Raw and live doesn’t mean no production at all. I also think that no one has tampered with history. That would have been the case if stuff had been added, but not if stuff has been taken away.

If you take the White Album, although it was a rawer album compared to its predecessors, it was still very much produced in Beatles quality. There is a stark edit in Yer Blues (!) for example. The Glyn Johns‘ versions, let’s face it, could never seriously have been offered to the public. Obviously all of them thought so, also John, or him and George wouldn’t have given it to Spector. If John said in the Rolling Stone Interview, he wished they’d put out one of Glyn Johns’ versions, he was being cynical and bitter about the whole Beatles bit, which he had the right to be considering that he used to be one of them and considering the way they’d split up. And from what I "know" of John’s approaches towards his own productions, I feel, he would have approved of LIBN. He’d definitely liked the title and would have loved the new version of Across The Universe. And, I think, George would have been happy with the sweet new For Your Blue.

I suggest giving it a few listens at home, on discman, alone, with friends. Let’s judge it again after a while, when we’re over the paralysed stage. As said above, we know the old LIB inside out, but can anyone remember what it was like listening to it the very first time 20 or 30 years ago? All I remember is, that I never really liked The Long An Winding Road on LIB. Now, I do. The good news is, that the old one is still there. No need to chuck it out now.

I wish us all very pleasant and happy weeks with LIBN and thanks again Steve!

Steve, you asked for tips about how to deal with playing "copy protected" discs.

"Copy protection" is basically just a nuisance, and at best stalls copying for about three minutes or so. It often prevents playing the discs in some DVD players and car stereos, and in some cases - as with LIBN - screws up the CD player's digital out-signal so we can't even legally record the CDs on e.g. minidiscs for our own enjoyment.

In fact, record it onto minidisc is exactly what I wanted to do with LIBN. So, ironically, I had to first rip and copy the CD before I could do it. And THAT is hardly as difficult as EMI would have liked - it's just a matter of having a CD/DVD-ROM/writer which is able to "see past" the copy protection (as many of them can, at least with the "copy protection" mechanism I've run into so far). Three of four devices I tried it with had no problems ripping the CD (the fourth being a few years old).

But I'm quite sad to see the idiocy of "copy protection" now also applied to Beatles CDs. Beatles and music fans everywhere: Stop wasting time complaining about Paul McCartney's ego (be it real or not), have another look at the multi-national record companies' greed instead.

Dig A Pony - On the original version, John went into the guitar riff too early in the outro. This has been edited out.

For You Blue - Nothing was "flown in." This take was the basis for the original "Let It Be" version. George overdubbed a different lead vocal that day (January 25th, 1969) which appeared on "Let It Be." LIBN includes the original lead vocal, but elements of the overdub also appear ("Elmore James got nothin' on this, baby!", for instance). The guitar has merely been mixed louder.

Don't Let Me Down - Lennon actually flubbed completely different lyrics in both rooftop versions: the beginning of the last verse in the first version, and the beginning of the *first* verse in the second version.

I Me Mine - The organ part is also mixed in and out. It's much louder in the second bridge.

Across The Universe - This is also missing Gayleen Pease and Lizzie Bravo's backing vocal overdubs, as well as the Beatles' own vocal and maraca overdubs.

Steve -

I don't get it. The following story says that LIBN is expected to sell over 200,000 during this first week and Britney is expected to sell over 500,000. Do these numbers include pre-sales at Amazon.com where LIBN beat out Britney masterfully?? At least, we'll make the top 5 during the first week.

"Let it Be..Naked" is wonderful on it's own merits. Personally if it was me, I would have called it "Get Back" and used the parody cover on the staircase as originally intended. I'm not a prude but using the word "naked" is just a little obnoxious and beneath the class and elegance of The Beatles. I would have also left "Dig it" in, it's just so Lennonesque and indicative of what the sessions were like for him at Twickenham. Great site, keep up the great work!

Steve, I think the album sounds fantastic. Very polished, compact and an excellent listen. It's wonderful to hear what is actually on those multi-tracks when you apply 2003 technology.

Unlike some of the purists out there, I'm all in favour of a complete remixing and remastering of the entire Beatles catalogue. Let it Be..Naked is not a replacement for Let it Be, it's a different version of the album entirely, but I do like the results of going to the original multi-tracks to get the best sound possible. I also thought the results of the Yellow Submarine Songtrack were fabulous for the same reason - going to the source multi-tracks brings you as close as possible to what was captured during those magical recording sessions. Those who argue that the original mixes are canon and should be considered a piece of art not to be messed with should consider that the mixes are nothing more than a generation away from the original sources of the recordings. The multi-tracks are where the art was captured. The mix is nothing more than a way of packaging it for the consumer based on the format of the times, be it mono or stereo LP, 8 track, cassette, CD or 5.1 SACD/DVD-Audio.

Given that the Beatles were actively involved in the mixing process for the original releases (and my respect for George Martin's work on the same), the original mixes should be used as a guideline when remixing the catalogue, but I think that EMI should pull out all the stops and remix the entire catalogue so that we may hear the Beatles with more clarity than ever before. The sound of Let it Be...Naked only demonstrates how well those recordings hold up over time when technology allows them to be revealed in their full capacity. Even it Please Please Me was remixed to mono (my preference for the twin-track albums), imagine how clear those recordings would sound if the original twin-tracks were remixed using modern remixing and mastering technology, instead of relying on the technology that was available in the early 60s when those first mixes were done.

I do have one complaint about the Let it Be...Naked release. My CD (purchased in Canada) contains some sort of copy protection (it is clearly labelled as such). The disk isn't recognized in my computer CD-ROM drive and probably will not work in my car CD player, either (haven't tried yet). Unfortunately, this means I cannot rip it for backup (which I am legally entitle to do under fair use laws - I don't share copyrighted music via P2P or any other means) not can I transfer it to an iPod or other portable player. I certainly hope EMI doesn't plan to do this for all future releases.

As far as this new deSpectorized version of Let It Be goes....It's okay, but the original CD is superior to these ears. This new CD has been No-noised and sounds too sterile. It lacks the warmth of the original album and CD. It sounds like 21st century technology applied to 1960's recordings.

By using multiple edits in a number of the songs and flying in parts from other takes (isn't that the same result as an overdub?) it defeats the original premise of the Get Back project. To present the songs live, with all the flubs and bad notes. It is almost doing a Phil Spector by editing the songs and dubbing parts to make the songs polished. In fact Dig a Pony still retains the Phil Spector edit. I thought they were removing all of Phil's influence.

I bought but on a letter grade scale...it's a C.

Great LIBN coverage! Like you need another comment on it?!?! Right! I'll be brief...and it's actually about the chat on the Fly on the Wall disc, not LIBN proper. It's really a fascinating jumble for this Beatle person. Most illuminating is the suggestion by John that they do their much discussed performance on the Apple roof. He suggests that it could be" like in India." (when the Fabs would acoustically jam on the roof of their little dorm building. Or was it the canteen?). Anyway, the manner in which he makes this suggestion is quite sincere and innocent, in his tone of voice anyway. His tone isn't the typical "hard Lennon" pleading, but more an asking of a helpful suggestion, as a family member might do. He ends the comment by asking them to consider it seriously. I always was curious as to who specifically had the brilliant idea to do the roof bit, now we know. Good ol' Johnny. And the police even arrived and shut'em down, just like Paul wanted. This disc is a pleasure, and a great teaser for the "upcoming??" DVD release. LOL

Hi, Steve---

One of your readers wrote in questioning why there would be a different photo of George used on the cover of "Let It Be...Naked" versus the original "Let It Be." I certainly can't speak for Apple's motivations, but here's my guess: The original cover showed John and Paul at microphones and George and Ringo off-mike, which always made it look to me as if the latter two were being implicitly relegated to "backup/sideman" status. The new cover now features a photo of George at the mike as well, which could be viewed as retroactively (and posthumously) elevating his status within the band. Just a thought.

I happen to love "Let It Be...Naked." Yes---and contrary to the hype---it may not be what the Beatles originally intended. But it really does create the feeling of four guys (plus Billy Preston) sitting down and making music together, even if it is an illusion enabled by modern studio technology. It also feels in style like a more natural bridge between the White Album and Abbey Road. One of my biggest fears as a Beatles fan is that I'll never live to see a beautifully remixed/remastered complete Beatles catalog, so I will gladly take pleasure in the "Yellow Submarine Songtrack," "Let It Be...Naked," the remastered "Beatles 1," and any other worthy projects they send our way in the meantime.

Thank you so much for maintaining such a great web site.

Update (11/20/03)

I just finished listening to LIBN for the third time today. I must admit I LOVE IT!! I feel LIBN fits perfectly in between The White Album and Abbey Road now. The original Let It Be never really seemed to fit well between those two albums, mainly because of the lavish orchestrations or, "Spectorization." Lets say some evening you decided to listen to The White Album, Let It Be Naked and Abbey Road sequentially, it now flows so much better and you have a true sense of where the band was heading. I did this today and it seemed to flow to each album so much better.

Tried to buy "Let It Be...Naked" at Virgin in Burbank today...but all copies were gone by noon. The story I heard was that the store then called its Sunset Strip store, only to find that Hugh Hefner and cronies entered the store and bought all 90 copies...perhaps assistants hit the other stores too? My guess, if this is actually true, is that Hef is going to give them away for Xmas or for some bizarre party. If it's not true...well, the Beatles are really big sellers yet again...

I'm sure you're getting plenty of comments on "LIBN", but there are a few points that I'd like to make that are worth noting, and I also have a few other general comments:

A lot of people have been making reference to the fact that the album is not terribly dissimilar to the original LIB album in terms of the takes used. But there is a problem with even calling the tracks on "LIBN" "takes", because they have been edited a great deal, although a lot of the editing is quite subtle.

First of all, the "edits" on the album are not all simple edits where at a certain point in the song it switches from one take to another. There are several instances on the album where various elements have been "flown in" from other takes. So there are certain points where you are hearing, say, the drums and lead vocal from one take, but the guitar is flown in from another take. I have a pretty good ear for LIB material, and there is a great deal of this type of editing going on in several songs. There are even certain points where the elemtents from two takes have been combined, and/or are being edited back and forth over and over so quickly, that elements from two different takes seem to be present at the same time. On "I've Got A Feeling" for instance, the main noticeable edits are that most of the song is from the other rooftop take not heard on the original "LIB", but the bridge part reverts back to the original take. But I can also hear guitar bits througout the song from both takes, and it sounds as though there are certain times where guitar bits from both takes are heard simultaneously. They seem to have this type of editing fine-tuned, because it sounds like they have even flown-in elements from the in-studio take of "Don't Let Me Down" on top of the rooftop take. (This is harder to do because most of the other "flown-in" bits on the album are taken from various recordings made on the same day or even within hours or minutes of each other, so the takes are more likely to be similar in tempo, etc.)

"Let It Be" is not simply the album/single take with the "movie take" guitar solo flown in, I can count at least three or four times that it edits back and forth between the two takes. The "wrong" chord on the album/single version has been edited out, replaced with the "movie" take, but for the next line it edits back to the album/single version (the "movie" take version features the alternate lyrics "there will be no sorrow").

As for the edit of "I Me Mine", it's worth noting that on "LIBN" they have done a better job of attempting to make the last and second to last verse (which are the same, just repeated) sound different from each other by mixing out one of the guitar overdubs the first time around, and then bringing in back in for the final time around.

Doing sort of "flown in" edits or overdubs or whatever you want to call it is not a new concept, it was being done back in the 60's. However, the skill with which these edits are done (quite possibly with the help of Pro-Tools or other newer editing technology) is probably of the caliber that couldn't have been done back in 1969 or 1970.

This style of editing may be one of many reasons why detailed recording data on the songs is not included in the booklet. The "Naked" idea probably wouldn't fly when most of the songs stated "Edit of Take X, Y, and Z." With these new mixes, the sound quality is indeed improved over the original LIB album. Some of this is simply the "they say it sounds better, so it must" effect, I'm sure. Also, CD's are mastered at a louder volume level than they used to, so that also contributes to the sound quality sounding improved. However, the simple fact is that all of those issues aside, the sound quality still is markedly better. I love it. I don't get too worked up over the album not being true to the original "Get Back" concept, because the second I found out they weren't just issuing one of Glyn Johns' mixes, I knew the resulting product would be something like what we ended up with on "LIBN". For what this CD really is, I think it's quite good. Is it true to the original "as nature intended" idea? Not really, because although there are few overdubs present, there is a great deal of editing done. However, which album is more entertaining and enjoyable to listen to? Either version of "LIB" is better in that regard than any of Glyn Johns' versions of the "Get Back" album. I'd rather have a pristine-sounding remix of "Two of Us" than something like "Rocker" from Glyn Johns' "Get Back" album.

Without actually doing a detailed A-B listening session between the original "LIB" and "LIBN" naked, here is briefly what I can hear on "LIBN" versus the original:

"Get Back" - remix of the LIB version

"Dig a Pony" - remix of the LIB version, including Spector's excising of the "all I want is you" intro and outro

"For You Blue" - pretty much a remix of the LIB version, although bits and pieces are flown-in from a different take, as some different acoustic guitar and lead vocal bits from George are heard throughout the song

"The Long and Winding Road" - a new mix of the "movie take", with Paul's vocalizing over Billy Preston's keyboards mixed out

"Two of Us" - remix of the LIB version, although at least one bit has been "fixed", there is a very subtle sour note hit on John's acoustic guitar near the end of the song as they go into the whistling bit, and on LIBN that has been replaced with a good sounding version of that tiny riff from elsewhere in the song. As I said, some very subtle "fixes" are found on this album.

"I've Got A Feeling" - as mentioned above, this features numerous edits between the two rooftop takes, although the majority of it comes from the second rooftop take, as opposed to the first take that was used on the original LIB. Personally, I think the original LIB take is a superior take in every way, although the second take is almost as good. The bridge on this alternate take was a bit of a mess, which is probably why they edited back to the first "LIB" take for that part of the song.

"One After 909" - remix of the LIB version

"Don't Let Me Down" - this seems to be a new mix of the rooftop version heard and seen in the film, but with some elements (most noticeably covering up John's flubbed line from the film version) flown in from what sounds like the studio take released as the b-side of the "Get Back" single. They did perform this song twice on the rooftop, but they couldn't fly in the vocal from the other rooftop take, because John flubbed the line on both takes!

"I Me Mine" - a remix of the LIB version, repeating Spector's editing, but with the edit point at at different spot. This is detailed in another person's write up from a few days ago. Also, as I mentioned above, the guitar overdubs are mixed in and out to make the repeated verse sound different.

"Across the Universe" - remix of the LIB version without the orchestral overdubs, of course. A lot of people have commented on how bare this sounds, but that's pretty much how the take was originally done.

"Let It Be" - a remix of the LIB album/single version, but with bits (including the guitar solo and some other elements) mixed in from the "movie take" of the song, recorded on the same day.

I think what some have said about this album sounding more like what the album would have sounded like had the Beatles and George Martin finished/compiled it back in 1970 is pretty accurate. Apart from the skilled editing on "LIBN" that has benefitted from improved studio technology, this album does sound like what George Martin would have done with it. Polished-sounding (ie no pre-song or post-song dialogue or quips), finished-sounding takes arranged in a good order, and without massive overdubs.

Hi Steve -- great site. The last few months, I've greatly enjoyed reading your site, esp. the "Let it Be Reissue News Briefs" -- yours is, without a doubt, the most up-to-date and informative Beatles site on the web. You're on top of things like few other Beatles sites are.

I Love Let it Be... Naked. Removing "Dig It" and "Maggie Mae" and adding "Don't Let Me Down" means that there's not a bad song on the album -- though as a whole, of course, it still doesn't have the same power and majesty of Abbey Road, The White Album, Revolver, or Sgt. Pepper. Nonetheless, five of the songs are among the best songs the Beatles ever did: "Let it Be," "Get Back," "Across the Universe," "The Long and Winding Road," and "Don't Let Me Down." I love the remixes, and I particularly love "Across the Universe" -- it was one of my favorite Beatles tracks and I never felt like it had been mixed right -- until now. "The Long and Winding Road" is a good song. It's still mawkish and saccharine, but without the strings it's very listenable and enjoyable in a sweet way -- not overbearing like Spector's mix. "I Me Mine" sounds find both ways. I never liked the album version of "Let it Be" but I did always like the single version and I'm glad that they used a previously unreleased guitar solo on this album -- I find the take on LIBN of this song to be as good as the single.

I do have a few complaints about the album. While removing most of the background dialogue wasn't such a big deal to me, it would've been so easy to have at least included Lennon's "I hope we passed the audition" quip -- it could have been programmed as Track 12, cutting in once "Let it Be" faded out. I also am disappointed with "Get Back" -- certainly, a great song, but it's unimaginative that they simply took the same take as the single and original album and omitted either ending. It would've been so easy for them to have included, instead, an unreleased rooftop take as they did for "Don't Let Me Down." I also find the bonus disk quite useless. It would've been better to have included full takes of the songs and programmed separate tracks, or have included one of Glyn Johns' mixes of the Get Back album.

The reaction to this album seems quite mixed. In general, it's positive, but those positives are usually qualified by other statements, and many of the reviews, while most of them find the music good, tend to rank the album low on "principle" -- they believe it's revisionist history and that it's Paul's diabolical ego. This insane Paul-bashing has not only emerged in die-hard fans but in the mainstream press -- witness the Q Magazine and Chicago Sun-Times reviews. This is moronic, in my opinion. I'm a person who'll take John over Paul any day, but this is unfair. YES, it was Paul's idea, but the idea that he went and mischieviously remixed the whole album is ridiculous. He came up with the idea, but it wasn't made by him -- it was mixed and remastered entirely by Guy Massey, Allan Rouse, and Paul Hicks. Plus, it was approved by BOTH Ringo AND George (before his death). Indeed, Ringo's reaction seemed more enthusiastic than Paul's. Unfortunately, George is not with us to share his praise, but I'm sure he was enthusiastic about it. It was clear that he soured on Spector's big production early on. Remember that he abandoned Spector's big production on LITMW and on the reissue of All Things Must Pass he noted in the liner notes that he'd wanted to remix and "de-Spectorize" it. Whether John would've approved we'll never know. Certainly, we shouldn't desecrate his legacy, but very little has been done to hissongs, exc. for "Across the Universe" (which is stunning in its new form) and the addition of "Don't Let Me Down." We'll never know what he would've approved, so Yoko speaks for him, and she approved and has praised the new work (from the Sunday Herald's story about "...Road"): "Ringo’s performance is incredible. Many drummers are sort of copying him now – I don’t think they can ever be Ringo. He was somehow holding them up and making sure that Let It Be is alright. Now this record is showing how it was . The Beatles were incredible; they didn’t need any help and I think this version especially shows that."

As for was this necessary? In a word, yes. For longtime fans, it's nothing particularly new and won't sound that different from Let it Be. Plus, for the long-time fans, Let it Be has sentimental value that LIBN does not. The album's very sloppiness can be appreciated as a poignant look at the band as it was breaking up. However, for today's younger fans, and to fans, casual and serious, who are not familiar with the original Let it Be, the original seems sloppy and unprofessional, especially compared with the other albums. LIBN is simply the complete album, made to sound like the Beatles didn't abandon it and George Martin had produced it. If you play both LIB and LIBN to someone unfamiliar with the album, I'm sure that 95% of them will prefer this version. That's why from now on if I'm introducing people to the Beatles (I almost always start with The White Album and Abbey Road as they sound the most contemporary) I'll recommend LIBN to them, NOT LIB. Simply releasing Get Back wouldn't have appealed to these people either, b/c frankly, from all I've read and heard, it wasn't a spectacular album either -- it was a simple, sloppy album that the fans would love but the mainstream would reject. This release isn't aimed at die-hards and old fans familiar with LIB. It's aimed at people who aren't die-hards but are Beatles' fans nonetheless and to whom LIB would seem sloppy.

The only case in which I really would complain about LIB being short-thrifted is if the rest of the catalog is remastered to match the sound quality of LIBN and the original album is not. In that case, berate Paul all you want, but frankly, all we have right now is a slick, polished alternative to a more rough-and-tumble album and fans can choose which one they prefer. It really isn't something to get so passionate about. It's simply good music that can be universally enjoyed.

Hi Steve, I hope you are well. Love the site more and more everyday. I'm sure you already know this, but LIBN is already #1 in sales at Amazon.

Serious" newspaper Dagsavisen gave it 6 out of 6, with a quite informed and intelligent review text. The reviewer explained how he'd been a bit cynical and sceptical before a listening session for the press some time ago, but the scepticism melted away "in favour of pleased smiles as the songs rolled by." - http://www.dagsavisen.no/nyetakter/2003/11/764885.shtml?string=beatles

Another serious paper, Aftenposten, ALSO gave it 6 out of 6. "One might have listed all the songs as highlights. But I will mention one: when the title track finishes the album, it is so intense, strong and good that it almost hurts". - http://oslopuls.no/cityguides/nav/review.jhtml?context=music&id=671495

Norway's biggest tabloid VG gave it 4 out of 6. The reviewer thinks that this particular collection of songs are hardly the greatest in the history of the Beatles, but seems quite pleased with the the execution of the actual album. - http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=202063

Another tabloid, Dagbladet, which often when reviewing music seem to hear something completely different from most others, gave it 2 out of 6 and presented an almost insanely cruel and totally uncalled for review, with among other things the opinion that "this is the sound of Paul McCartney p****** on the grave of John Lennon" (I've censored a word there - for the benefit of the most sensitive among your American audience - but this was actually on the FRONT page of the paper...). In other words: the usual and familiar uninformed "Macca bashing" from start to finish. - http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2003/11/18/383790.html

The Get Back sessions have for years been my favourite Beatles period of them all - this short month of January 1969. Not because I think this particular collection of songs is the greatest they have (they're not), but because of everything that happened during this month (really the beginning of the band's break-up), the whole history of the album(s) and not least because all of this is so well documented because of the extensive filming (most the sound tracks having long ago leaked out on bootlegs).

In my opinion there are pretty much three ways to make an album out of this:

1) Attempting to make sort of a soundtrack of the sessions, showing the band jamming and developing the songs. This is the feeling I get from Glyn's "Get Back" albums.

2) Disregard the original "as nature intended" idea completely and try to make an album as "posh" sounding as possible - like Phil Spector's "Let It Be".

3) Make a finished Beatles album of SONGS, cutting out all the jamming and chats and just concentrate on getting the actual songs - and the album as a whole - to sound as good as possible. This finally became "Let It Be... Naked".

Although I originally wished they would finally release Glyn's "Get Back" album, I'm very very pleased with this take on alternative 3. Sure, there are things _I_ would have done differently if I was in charge - keep the coda of "Get Back," use the superior single take of "Don't Let Me Down," try not to fade some tracks so quickly - but as your site shows every day, there are as many opinions on how to do things as there are Beatles fans. And it definitely SOUNDS absolutely fantastic! I don't really mind that they've pieced parts of different takes together and used a bit of overdubs - the Beatles did that since their very first album anyway. And as someone said on your site some time ago - the Beatles' last album is now a finished product, just like the rest of them. Even with any criticism I might have about it, I really and honestly can't give it anything less than a 5 out of 6 mark.

And the "Fly on the wall" disc? Well, it sounds like a teaser for the catalogue of "Get Back" sessions bootlegs... ;-) But seriously, I find it an entertaining little piece of plastic, and even the information contained in these short pieces of dialogue should give anyone the chance to see exactly WHY this period is so fascinating.

Now PLEASE get the DVD out!

I wrote in on October 9 to state my opinion that I didn't think LIBN was really necessary, and that it was yet another attempt by Paul to revise Beatle history. I spent a good chunk of yesterday afternoon and evening listening to LIBN, after spending much of the past month immersed in Spector's and both Glyn Johns mixes. Call me pathetic, but I listened to the album as tracked twice through, programmed it to coincide with Spector's tracking (substituting "Don't Let Me Down" for "Dig It"), and then shuffled the tracks.

Guess what? I owe poor Paulie an apology. Apart from abbreviated "Get Back", and the new solo in "Let It Be" I have no real complaints with the music. It sounds great. The packaging is definitely aimed at a younger crowd, but I'm all for that. Having loved the Beatles' music for over 30 years nothing makes me happier than knowing kids in their teens appreciate it, too. The booklet was okay, and it was nice of ! them to reprint pieces of the original book, but I would agree with Chris Chardi that the inner rear tray's warning was pretty silly. A nice rooftop or band photo would have been better, with the warning enclosed as a small card.

Regarding the FOTW disc, I was right way back in October when I said it would be a one-track montage. It was good for one listen. It would be nice if it was a teaser for things to come, but I won't hold my breath.

LIBN won't replace the original, or either of Glyn Johns' versions. Just like those albums it has its own merits and faults. On that basis, it makes a nice companion to those albums.

After listening to the album, I was stunned by the quality of the alternate versions and the new remixes and remasters. The radio versions of the album do not do justice to the quality of the remixes. ....

Overall, this is a great release. It is all in how you look at it. These are alternate takes, remixes, and remasters. There are not meant to be definitive versions. In fact, I would say that they are not even the best versions. Spector chose the best takes in 1970. But these offer a remarkable insight into those sessions. LIBN must be seen as an album of alternate takes like the ANTHOLOGY series. It is not the definitive album meant to supercede LIB. This is a great release and is highly recommended. It throws a whole new light on the LET IT BE/GET BACK sessions. It is a great new addition to The Beatles discography. It looks like we have another hit!

I am currently holidaying in England from Australia- I had the pleasure of purchasing a Beatles CD on the day of release in their home country- it was fantastic. Woolworths (a small department store chain) had a two for one offer on various CD's so I got two copies, effectively paying £6 for it!

LIB...N is quite hard to find in England- well Cornwall at least. There is very little point of sale advertising, the only posters I have seen were in a second hand record store actually. I got a cover slick advert featuring a vinyl size picture of the cover.

I had a look at the vinyl version- it is a gatefold. The CD booklet has been reproduced vinyl size- it is very impressive. The Fly-On-The-Wall disc is the size of a 45 rpm disc and is packaged in a seperate sleeve.

Last night on Top Of The Pops 2 (the oldies version of TOTP) they had new promo's for Get Back and Don't Let Me Down.

Get Back was entirely new footage- it was Get Back played in the Twickenham and Apple Studio's- there was NO rooftop footage from what I can remember. Lots of great shots of Paul playing the Hofner, Ringo pulling faces for the camera, George looking really happy and John singing harmony- very little footage of Yoko.

Don't Let Me Down was rooftop footage- but different from that shown in the Let It Be film. There was vision of John singing the middle 8 for example- the Let It Be film pans down to the street outside 3 Saville Row (I went there last week!). It was good to see actually as John is really singing his heart out.

Finally I got to fulfill a lifetime dream last week when I walked barefoot across the Abbey Road zebra crossing- it was a wet day but it had to be done. I also got a photo of me standing on the front steps of the studio's.

For people who do not realise, Abbey Road studio's are on the left of the photo on the "Abbey Road" LP sleeve. There is a low white wall some 10 - 15 meters behind the crossing- THAT is where the studios are located. So to take the cover photo the Beatles literally had to just pop outside.

I picked up my copy of LIBN and I really can't add to what EVERYONE has been saying, both good and bad, about this CD. I WILL say that while it is very nice to have a "new" Beatles release for the holidays, I really don't think it is an essential release, even for the most incredible Beatles fan.

And about the "new" Get Back video on VH-1, I loved it! But I have a problem with it. Why would Apple only show it for 1 day only????? They should have VH-1 put it into heavy rotation for promotion. Also, since the Fly On The Wall disc is a one listen deal, why not make it an enhanced CD (which a ton of other artists do) and include the exclusive (to the website) Two Of Us video and the new Get Back videos? Sure would make THAT disc be played a lot more than it will be now!!!! Or how about a CD single for Get Back enhanced with the video. Wouldn't THAT CD single shoot up the charts as all fans would run and buy it for the video only.

In listening to this CD I had mixed feelings. Yes I know that its cool that there is a new release and all but what I dont understand mainly about this new CD is who decided which takes go on the album? The biggest disappointment for me was Don[t Let Me Down and I've Got a Feeling. DLMD sounds like a rehearsal compared to the released version, that's why they released the version that was released, you know? .. Thank God they left in the "Go Johnny Go" stuff from For You Blue, that sounds great, Get Back sounds great, I wasn[t as affected by the early fade as I thought I would be when reading about it, it sounds pretty cool. Had to get used to Across the Universe, It sounds a little brittle but I like the mix, and the sparseness of it.

So, I had to put this out there, I think this release is fairly good but could have been better, as usual.

The original album always has been one of my faves, it reminds me of a certain youth in an uncertain period of life. So it was actual tears of joy that flowed from me over LIBN. The voices reached out from 33 years ago, reanimated the soul of the college boy 24 years ago and made the 43 year old man feel that particular Beatles joy again.

Kudos to Apple and the team at Abbey Road for not being shy about their own product. And big props to Macca and Ringo (and presumably George before his passing) for having the guts to go forward despite critical sniping. This is NOT just a McCartney reworking, but a further exploration into a rock and social experiment that can never be again, adding a modern technological boost that results in thrilling resonance.

Then again I might be biased. Steve, you've been a tremendous font of information regarding the whole process to the endgame of LIBN and the community really appreciates it.

Now on to the rest of the remastering!

Contrary to the comment from several writers that LIBN will be mainly enjoyed by the hard-core fan, I think it is the more casual or young fans who will be most satisfied with it. Taken on its own terms, it's an excellent piece of work. It's the hard-core fans who will be most disappointed, because we better understand what it could have been.

Just a word on Let it Be Naked here in New Zealand,there has been no promotion so far which is typical for all Beatles releases in this country also when i was in one of our major music retailers yesterday they only had about 10 copies and not what i would call prominently displayed, also the copies we have here are imported from the UK and they are copy protected. Are the U.S discs also copy protected? I have heard of one case where the disc won't play in a dvd player has anyone else had this problem.

Don't analyse it,
don't give opinions about it,
don't get complicated,
don't compare it,
don't be lose your time on "philosophying" on this CD..........
just listen to it,
I wasn't so much interested in this cd, because of all the philosphy , comparisons, and opinions from journalists and so on ......Don't read all this bullshit written BUT
just listen to it
it just gives me rillings, hey it's the Beatles man !
It's f*** good. !!!!
I feel like that kid I was in 1964 when I was 14 years old.-
Thanks J.P.G. & R. I love you.
Raph, Belgium

Update (11/19/03)

Hi Steve,

Great work, as always. I just wanted to make an observation/prediction about LIBN's British sales. I was out and about in London's West End on Monday, trying to find a good price on the new album (£11.99 if you interested!). Anyway, given Apple's very successful PR offensive ie. The Beatles are on the front cover of nearly every music magazine and it has been an item on the news, I was surprised to see that LIBN was barely in stock at WHSmith (3 copies, number 50 in their album chart!!), far from prominently displayed in HMV, and not stocked at all by supermarkets like Tesco. This was THE big pre-Christmas release day - new albums from Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears, Busted, greatest hits from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Michael Jackson etc etc - with lots of discounting and special offers attached to these CDs. This was not the case with LIBN. I would guess that Apple/EMI are playing hardball with retailers, figuring that the public will seek out "new" Beatles product regardless of price, so there is no need to fund discounting.

I found a promotional video for the 'Let It Be... Naked' album. It's about 6 minutes and contains a lot of unreleased footage from the recording sessions. It's really great and makes you daydream about the extra's on the future DVD-release of the movie... High: http://mcms-delivery.virtuebroadcasting.com/deliverMedia.asp?id=FA87FFD7-30D8-44D0-B46D-B5E37EB2FB5D

Low: http://mcms-delivery.virtuebroadcasting.com/deliverMedia.asp?id=A5969AAC-EA2 C-4FBF-8B61-1E78016CC843

am amazed at the amount of second guessing, complaining, etc. going on around this release. For years fans have been asking for the Beatles CD catalogue to be remastered. Here we have a new take, on a good album – completely remastered. Sound quality is amazing. The songs are fantastic. Yes, it’s a re-hash of existing material – but it has to be, since John and George are both dead.

Do I feel ripped off because I have the chance to buy a different version of Let it Be - hell no. I am elated that I have a chance to buy a great sounding CD. Would John have approved? We will never know, and it doesn’t really matter. (for those of you who believe Lennon was some sort of artistic purist you should remember his early 1970s comment that the Beatles were the most commercial band ever). In producing “Let it Be . . . Naked” Paul and Ringo are not rewriting history or committing a sacrilege or exploiting their fans. They are offering us a chance to hear the Let it Be sessions in a different light using state-of-the-art production. I for one am thankful.

My name's Javier Mendoza from Mexico, I always read your page, it's a very interesting one, I love it.

I would like to make some comments on this new Beatles Release, I've been reading the opinions of lots of people here, I personally never like very much the original LIB (indeed maybe just "Across the Universe"), but i think "Let It Be ... Naked" has its flaws as it has great things also, Just hearing "I'Ve got a feeling" worth the price of admission. .... One last thing, i don't know if any of you have the opportunity to hear this CD in a Home Theater system or a DTS or dolby surround stereo, YOU MIGHT DIE OF EMOTION ;)

Steve,

It's been interesting reading the reviews of the LIBN album because all of them sound exactly the same. Nearly every one of them criticizes the "revisionist history" of the new album. In reality, the album ushers in the beginning of a new phase for the Beatles catalogue. Except for the Yellow Submarine Songtrack, this is the first time Beatles songs have been remixed with upgraded sound since the catalogue was first transferred to CD by George Martin in the 80s.

It is important to listen to the album in this light as it is expected the entire catalogue has been remixed and will be re-issued in 2004 or 2005. This should be exciting news for all Beatle fans and it's long overdue. Hearing all those songs using today's sound technology should be a thrill for all of us. It is expected the original Let it be album will be remixed and upgraded as well. I'm amazed none of the reviewers took this angle, instead writing reviews that sound like they were all taken from the same book. We should expect much better writing and bigger picture thinking....after all, it's the Beatles.

I really can't believe anyone is complaining about the LIBN release. Hey, it is new Beatles stuff! Just pay your $11.99 and enjoy. If you don't think the sound is improved I would suggest seeing a doctor as soon as possible and have your hearing checked. Sure I miss the coda for "Get Back" but hearing the acoustic version of "The Long and Winding Road" and Across the Universe" is worth the price alone.

Just had a listen to this for the first time. Who compiled it? It would have been nice to hear more music (such as it was) - it's almost all chat, and I can't imagine ever listening to it strictly for pleasure. Cool to hear John plunking around on 'Sun King' and 'Imagine,' and the 10 seconds or whatever of 'All Things Must Pass' is the one that makes you wonder what might have been ... the fidelity is great, but all in all it's no more thrilling than hearing 'Sweet Apple Trax' for the first time. All I can think right now is that I just bought another pair of booties for McCartney's new baby. Thanks, Paul.

Overall, it's very similar to the old release. Most of these mixes aren't that different than the Spector mixes, although it seems like they strived to mix every song on this album in a pretty consistent manner (placement of George's guitar, for instance, is pretty much always in the right channel).

This does improve on the old version in *some* ways, but Rolling Stone writer David Fricke--who was part of the round table discussion afterwards--put it best when he said that some of the old albums' best elements are missing here. For instance, Lennon's "Hope we passed the audition." ... There are small nuances of the old version of the album that I miss, and some of the songs also fade out a little too soon for my liking. (For instance, I always liked the spooky ending of "I Me Mine"...it's now gone). On the other hand, one mix--"Across The Universe"--might be the definitive mix of that song.

... There's a message in the rear tray of "Let It Be...Naked" which I found slightly pathetic. It reads: "Thank you for buying this music and for supporting the artists, songwriters, musicians and others who've created it and make it possible. Please remember that that this recording and artwork are protected by copyright law. Since you don't own the copyright, it's not yours to distribute. Please don't use Internet services that promote the illegal distribution of copyrighted music, give away illegal copies of discs or lend discs to others for copying. It's hurting the artists who created the music. It has the same effect as stealing a disc from a store without paying for it."

I guess the line about Apple targeting this release (and "1") towards the younger generation is right...I feel like I've been scolded by a school marm...and I'm 26!

the thing i wonder most about the 'let it be--naked' release that no one else has seemed to mention yet is why is the cover picture of george changed? if you look closely, you'll see that it is a totally different foto to the cover of the original 'let it be' album, while the same shots of john, paul and ringo are used. get someone to explain that one, please!

There is an interview with Billy Preston at TV Guide Online. http://www.tvguide.com/tv/coverstory/031117c.asp Nice interview and there is apparently more on LIBN in the current issue of TV Guide on stands now.

Having read the reviews so far, I just had to say that beatles fans are way too obsessive and will never be happy. There never will be a release that they can just enjoy. you name it, its been picked on, like a Thanksgiving day turkey.

Dear Steve,

Last night my family, friends and I had a launch party. (I guess, we were not alone). It was so weird listening to it for the first time. We gave it three goes - and we liked it! What do you think?

During the exciting last few months it’s been a pleasure to visit your fantastic website, receiving your updates, reading other peoples private and professional thoughts about LIBN and sharing my thoughts with you all. I'm looking forward to future releases, the stirr they will cause in the Beatle world and your articles on them.

Thanks again for your brilliant and exciting work!

Update (11/18/03)

I'll try to make this my final word about LIBN. First, a point of information. The extended edit on "I Me Mine" for LIBN is NOT the same as the Phil Spector edit on LIB. Spector let the song play through the line "flowing more freely than wine", then rewound the tape to the end of the first verse ("All through the day, I Me Mine") and then let the song play out to the end. On LIBN, the song plays all the way through to where it would have ended originally ("All through your life, I Me Mine"--note the different lyric), and then the final chorus and verse are tacked onto it. Personally, I prefer the Spector edit as being somewhat more subtly done, but it's much of a muchness, as the Brits say.

As far as the album goes: I could write a whole essay on LIBN, but I'll try to keep it short. Most of the mixes are pretty similar to LIB, without the ad-libs at the beginnings & ends of songs. Sure, you can sometimes hear an instrument more prominently in the LIBN mixes, but usually at the expense of another (the drums in "Let It Be" are a lot softer, for example). I personally don't hear a huge improvement in the sound quality, although to be fair, I'm working from a tape I made from the radio. I think claims of clearer sound are often due to what I call The Greening Effect. Remember when everyone was marking up their CDs with a green marker around the edge to "improve" the sound? They sounded better because people were listening more intently to them. I think that may be a factor here.

... My biggest beef with "LET IT BE...NAKED" is that the record is a complete contradiction of the title and the statement on the sticker, "The way The Beatles wanted it released originally." GET BACK is the way the Beatles wanted this album released originally: each song "live", complete with mistakes and in-between chatter. LIBN discards the chatter and edits the songs six ways from Sunday to make them sound as polished as possible. This was NOT what John Lennon wanted. He stated in the Rolling Stone interview that he wanted it put out just the way Johns had assembled it: "'This is what we are like with no trousers on, so could you please end the game now,'" or words roughly to that effect.

If Paul and Ringo really wanted the "naked" version of LET IT BE, they should have released GET BACK, or some version thereof. What LIBN is is a vanity release, fixi