Phil Spector is a weird guy. It’s been reported that the man is obsessive compulsive, unbearable to work with, and has also been labeled as bi-polar. Hell, the man himself considers himself, as he put it, “relatively insane”. Oh, and let’s not forget the murder charge he was indicted for in 2003. So. It’s kind of odd that such a man would rise to prominence as a genius record producer and as the inventor of the “wall of sound” recording technique. What’s not surprising is that such a man would be entangled in one of the bitterest musical feuds ever reported. The story itself is well documented. In 1970, The Beatles were splitting up. The proposed
Get Back project, which was suggested by Paul McCartney as a “back to the basics” experiment for the band, failed dismally, and the songs that were birthed from the sessions were of poor quality. A producer was obviously needed. Against the wishes of McCartney, John Lennon brought in Phil Spector, who touched up the songs, while adding little pieces of his own here and there. The most famous instance of this is
The Long and Winding Road, in which Spector added a lush arrangement of strings, which undermines the song to the point of indecency. Nevertheless, the album was released with the Spector additions, and shortly after McCartney released his first solo album (
McCartney), seemingly assuring the imminent death of the group.
It is now 2006. Three years ago,
Let it Be…Naked was released for the general publics’ listening pleasure. The album, which was supervised by McCartney, loses all of the dramatic touch-ups, and shows the album how it was originally intended to be. While many die-hard Beatle fans were delighted, just as many were disappointed. The album had been re-mixed, re-mastered, and songs had been added/deleted. This was obviously going to be a fairly different album than the one the Beatles had left us with in 1970. My encounter with the album came about a year ago. I had, of course, heard all of the hype surrounding the original recordings and the now ‘de-spectorized’ prints, and one day threw caution to the wind and decided to purchase this notorious album. What did I think of it?
The first emotion the album conveyed to me was disappointment. While
Get Back was just as peppy and marvelous as it’d always been, for some reason Paul felt the need to cut the song shorter than found on multiple other albums. I was reluctant to purchase the album at first, and this “omen” did nothing to combat those feelings. My anguish was to be short-lived, like Ruben Studdards’ career. Songs like
Dig A Pony proved to be pure gems, and it’s been rumored that the lyrics were made up on the spot during recording. I haven’t yet answered the big question.
How does it sound? How is the production?.
The overall sound can be described in one word: gritty. This is absolutely nothing like their previous works such as the brass-filled
Sgt. Pepper and light-years away from their next effort, the polished and studio-savvy
Abbey Road. What you get with this album is just what McCartney said you would: The Beatles stripped down, and playing rock. That said, there are some minor dilemmas. The production for a few of the tracks( most notably
I Me Mine, a Harrison number about the selfishness that was consuming the individual Beatles and indeed, the group as a whole) is a little thin, and I attribute this to a severe lack of George Martin. While songs such as
For You Blue could be molested by the label of “filler”, it is noteworthy in it’s jaunty groove, and for being the one and only
true song George wrote for his then-wife Patti Harrison. For those of you who surely will disagree, it has been stated by Mr. Harrison that
Something was actually written with Ray Charles in mind.
And, most inevitably, we’ve stumbled across
The Long And Winding Road.
So how is it without all them thar strings and choir vocals? Honestly, a lot duller than before. While the original version is incredible sappy, it does hold your attention longer than a more bare version of the same track. The main upshot for the tune is that you can actually here McCartney’s piano, which was lost in the mix on the original album.
Every now and again, a song comes along that’s so poignant, and so soothing, it could probably stop a nuclear bomb with its’ awe-inspiring tranquility. Undoubtedly, one such song is
Two Of Us. The song is a very basic track, containing an acoustic guitar and exceptionally light drumming by Ringo as the base, and a constant George Harrison lead melody. The entire song is pretty much John and Paul harmonizing, clicking so well that you may very well be inclined to think the song is an ode to each other. What the album was apparently lacking, however, was a good rock number. Something that you could really groove to, so to speak. Quite simply, that’s where
I’ve Got A Feeling comes into play.
I’ve Got A Feeling is a rather difficult song to describe. One could almost label it schizophrenic in its’ personality. This is understandable, as the songs primary crafters, John and Paul, were in totally different places musically. While musically it is essentially a melodic rock song with great vocal shredding by Mr. McCartney, lyrically it’s a bit tough to pin down. For example, take this lyrical passage, sang simultaneously.
Paul: I’ve got a feeling, a feeling deep inside, oh no.
John: Everybody had a hard year.
Paul: I’ve got a feeling, a feeling I can’t hide, oh no.
John: Everybody had a good time
Paul: I’ve got a feeling, a feeling deep inside, oh yeah.
John: Everybody had a wet dream
Paul: I’ve got a feeling, a feeling I can’t hide, no more
John: Everybody saw the sun shine.
Make of that what you will.
Songs like
One After 909 prove that despite all the hype, the Beatles were human. Upon first listen, there wasn’t much I could say about the tune except for some sort of questionable expletive. That said, it does contain some sort of charm, and if you allow it, the positively skiffle-esque tune will grasp you and become a parasite to your musical blood bank. Still, it’s lack of quality is understandable, as it was one of the very first compositions Lennon ever wrote. Indeed, takes of the very same song can be found on
The Beatles Anthology 1, recorded some seven years before the album
Let It Be was even imagined.
One of the harshest criticisms
Let It Be…Naked has garnered is the fact that much of the dialogue between songs was cut out, thus giving it a less “humble” appearance. While this makes very little difference, some other changes made from the original album could very well determine whether or not you will enjoy the album. An example of this is the absence of the tracks
Maggie May and
Dig It. In their place, the immortal
Don’t Let Me Down. In my own opinion, this is a masterful move, as the mood of the song coincides perfectly with that of the album, far better than either of its’ predecessors had, anyway. And now, we approach the magnum opus(s).
Across the Universe was a song written by John Lennon for a charity event, much like
Come Together was written for Timothy Leary (the acid guru of the 60’s)’s campaign trail. And much like
Come Together, it ended up being used on a Beatles album, instead and/or also. The stripped down version featured on
Naked contains only John and his acoustic, and the occasional ethereal instrumental accompaniment found on the original. The song also boasts perhaps some of Lennons’ most introspective and thought-provoking lyrics, and phrases such as
”Pools of sorrow, wasves of joy are drifting through my opened mind” are to this day subjected to intense scrutiny.
The title track of
Let It Be sums up the Beatles in many ways. It can refer to their rise to prominence, but most often it is paired with the break-up of the legendary quartet. Perhaps this is because it was the last British single released, perhaps it can be attributed to the film of the same name, in which the Beatles are seen as rabid towards each other half the time, and indifferent for the rest. My personal theory entails all of the above, combined with the glorious, epic, somber feel the ballad has. So. How does the version on
Naked hold? Surprisingly, not too well. Many of the backing vocals which gave it urgency and depth are absent, and the during the guitar solo, the rhythm is oddly lacking. While Paul delivers a subtly different yet tasteful vocal take, the guitar solo is completely different, and far worse than the original. A disappointing way to end the album, all in all.
So. Is this album worth my time and money? That depends. If you have the original version of the album, there’s really not much need for this, unless you want to hear what Paul and the band originally had in mind. That said, the album
is fantastic, and far better than Phil Spectors’ over-done piece of work. If you have to seriously contemplate purchasing this album, it probably isn’t for you. But should you choose to partake in the joys the album does have to offer, it’s a pretty safe bet you’ll be satisfied. Besides, Phil Spector’s kind of annoying anyway. Him and his “Wall of Sound”.
Pros
Great songs
Raw sound
”Don’t Let Me Down”
Cons
Some songs sound vaguely dated
Occasionally tinny production
Odd feeling of emptiness in certain places
4/5
