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Jul 08
2010
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At the beginning of 1969, the Beatles were looking for ways to regain their sense of being a performing unit, to recapture the immediacy and the exhilaration of their early days. The band had been adrift since the death of their manager, Brian Epstein, in 1967, with all of the Beatles were finding other pursuits outside of the band. In Brian's absence Paul assumed a greater leadership role in the group, though this met with some resistance from the other Beatles. Paul felt that the Beatles had to continue challenging themselves but the other Beatles were more content to enjoy the rewards of their success. The White Album sessions in 1968 had been contentious and each of the Beatles had approached those sessions as though they were solo artists with the Beatles as their backing band. Intent on restoring a sense of purpose for the group as a whole, Paul came up with the idea to film the band rehearsing new material. After the rehearsals that band would stage a concert and the result would be a live album of all new material to be released along with a film showing the band's creative process. The Beatles agreed to record the new material live without overdubs, a departure from the days of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, where the Beatles explored the limits of studio technology.
In order for the film crews to record the Beatles' rehearsals, the Beatles set up on a large soundstage at Twickenham studios. Because of the film crews, the Beatles had to work during the day—something they were not at all accustomed to. Tensions within the band were already evident and the conditions of the project only heightened them. Things got so bad that George quit the band less than two weeks into rehearsals. He returned a few days later under the condition that the band move to Apple studios and abandon the live concert. George also took it upon himself to bring in keyboardist Billy Preston, which proved to be a productive move. Because in the presence of an outsider, the Beatles were on their best behavior.
George Martin was only marginally involved in the Get Back/Let It Be project, so Glyn Johns did most of the production for the album. Paul had approached Glyn Johns, who was an independent "balance engineer" and a member of the filmmakers union. After the recording was over, Glyn Johns produced an album of material and presented it to the Beatles in the Spring of 1969. Glyn Johns took the "warts and all" approach in assembling Get Back, as it was then called, but the results were not particularly good. Several years later, however, Paul was quoted as saying that he loved Glyn Johns' Get Back mix. Johns tried a second time several months later with a somewhat altered playlist, but the Beatles rejected his efforts again. John Lennon then approached Phil Spector to assemble an album from the tapes of January, 1969. Phil Spector delivered the Let It Be LP, which included orchestral and choir overdubs, much to Paul McCartney's displeasure.
Because Paul McCartney was so dissatisfied with Phil Spector's production, on November 18, 2003, a new version of Let It Be, called Let It Be... Naked was released. The liner notes for this release explain that "the Let It Be project retained an air of unfinished business." Paul McCartney initiated the creation of a new version of the album, which features polished performances of all of the songs. Gone are the choral and string accompaniment. Also gone are is the jam tune "Dig It" and the impromptu performance of the Liverpool folk tune "Maggie Mae." Let It Be... Naked adds "Don't Let Me Down," which was the B side of the "Get Back" single, released in the Spring of 1969. Let It Be... Naked did not ultimately "replace" Phil Spector's Let It Be in the Beatles' catalog, though. When the Beatles' albums were remastered for release on September 9, 2009, it was Phil Spector's version of Let It Be that was remastered along with the rest of the Beatles' original albums.
There are three basic takes on the Get Back/Let It Be project that differ in the following ways:
The Glyn Johns Get Back mixes [never released]
- one performance from the rooftop concert ("One After 909")
- a "warts and all" approach with rehearsal versions of songs with a lot of studio chatter
Let It Be, Produced by Phil Spector [1970]
- three performances from the rooftop concert ("One After 909", "Dig a Pony" and "I've Got a Feeling")
- studio performances with overdubs and orchestration
- one jam ("Dig It") and one impromptu oldie ("Maggie Mae") and a few instances of studio chatter
Let It Be... Naked [2003]
- studio and rooftop performances without overdubs (for the most part) but the sound has been improved by using digital technology
- no studio chatter with the tracks, but a second "Fly on the Wall" disc included with studio conversations and rehearsal versions of several songs
Glyn Johns's First Get Back Mix
May 28, 1969
Side A
1. One After 909 (3:03)
Recorded live on the rooftop of Apple studios on January 30, 1969
2. Rocker (0:45)
Recorded January 22, 1969
3. Save the Last Dance for Me (1:38)
Recorded January 22, 1969
4. Don't Let Me Down (4:09)
Recorded January 22, 1969
5. Dig a Pony (3:48)
Recorded January 24, 1969
6. I've Got a Feeling (3:00)
Recorded January 24, 1969
7. Get Back (3:14)
Recorded January 28, 1969
Side B
1. For You Blue (2:45)
Recorded January 25, 1969
2. Teddy Boy (3:43)
Recorded January 24, 1969. "Teddy Boy" was omitted from Glyn Johns's second version of Get Back. Paul re-recorded this song for his first solo album McCartney.
3. Two of Us (3:31)
Recorded January 24, 1969
4. Maggie Mae (0:41)
Recorded January 24, 1969
5. Dig It (4:26)
Recorded January 26, 1969
6. Let It Be (3:58)
Recorded January 31, 1969 with overdubs recorded April 30, 1969
7. The Long and Winding Road (3:42)
Recorded January 31, 1969
8. Get Back (reprise) (0:40)
Recorded January 28, 1969
None of the Beatles wanted to face the job of mixing an album from the Get Back sessions recordings. Glyn Johns presented his first version of Get Back to the Beatles on May 28, 1969. Johns made an effort to present the Beatles returning to their roots and playing without overdubs or studio effects. No doubt this was a compelling idea, the results of his efforts were mixed.
Glyn Johns opened both of his mixes with "One After 909," one of the first songs John and Paul wrote. This song was the only rooftop performance that Johns included on Get Back. Rather than start the track at the opening note, Glyn Johns wanted to capture the feel of the rooftop concert. Before the Beatles begin to play "One After 909," one of the crew yells "all cameras [take] four!" At the end of the track, Glyn Johns added two bits of rooftop concert banter. After John's brief rendition of "Danny Boy," Glyn Johns edited in John and Paul's concluding remarks at the end of the rooftop concert. Paul thanks Ringo's wife Maureen John quips, "I'd like to thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we passed the audition." It's interesting to note that Phil Spector also used both of these segments on Let It Be. Glyn Johns then moves to a long segment recorded on the first day of recording at Apple studios. A brief jam entitled "Rocker" ends abruptly, followed by studio chatter indicating that the band were uncertain what song they would do next, and Paul calls out that they should play "Save the Last Dance for Me." The ensuing performance is brief and Paul doesn't know all the words. They conclude the track by segueing into a brief moment of "Don't Let Me Down." The Beatles finally perform "Don't Let Me Down" in its entirety after more studio chatter. John says, "This time it's serious. I remember your waltz--your 3/4, my 5/6." Paul urges John, "Do your thing, man" and John replies "I'm doing it all the time I can't keep off it." After a false start John asks Ringo to give him some cymbal crashes "to give me the courage to come screaming in." In another session John then suggests that the band perform "Dig a Pony" straight into "I've Got a Fever," John's joke title for "I've Got a Feeling." Glyn Johns is clearly playing a major role in this session. Prior to "Dig a Pony," John says, "alright Glynnis, we're off again" and at the end of "I've Got a Feeling," Ringo hits his drums and asks "Glyn, what does that sound like?" Side 1 concludes with the single version of "Get Back."
All of the studio performances on side A, with the exception of "Get Back," are very loose, full of silly chatter, improvised comic vocals and a number of mistakes. Side 2 opens similarly, a clinking glass, a brief practice run on the guitar, and one of the crew yelling "quiet, please!" before the Beatles play George's "For You Blue." As Mark Hertsgaard
Glyn Johns's Second Get Back Mix
January 5, 1970
Side A
1. One After 909 (3:03)
Recorded live on the rooftop of Apple studios on January 30, 1969
2. Rocker (0:34)
Recorded January 22, 1969
3. Save the Last Dance for Me (0:20)
Recorded January 22, 1969
4. Don't Let Me Down (4:40)
Recorded January 22, 1969
5. Dig a Pony (4:04)
Recorded January 24, 1969
6. I've Got a Feeling (2:45)
Recorded January 24, 1969
7. Get Back (3:14)
Recorded January 28, 1969 - The single release version
8. Let It Be (4:02)
Recorded January 31, 1969 with overdubs recorded April 30, 1969
Side B
1. For You Blue (2:45)
Recorded January 25, 1969
2. Two of Us (3:26)
Recorded January 24, 1969
3. Maggie Mae (0:37)
Recorded January 24, 1969
4. Dig It (4:06)
Recorded January 26, 1969
5. The Long and Winding Road (3:39)
Recorded January 31, 1969
6. I Me Mine (1:45)
Recorded January 3, 1970 by George, Paul and Ringo. John was on vacation at that time.
7. Across the Universe (3:27)
Recorded February 4 and 8, 1968
8. Get Back (reprise) (0:40)
Recorded January 28, 1969
Glyn Johns changed a few things for his second Get Back mix. He left off "Teddy Boy" and added "Across the Universe" and "I Me Mine". Paul would later include "Teddy Boy" on his first solo album McCartney. Mark Lewisohn suggests that the reason Glyn Johns removed "Teddy Boy" was because Paul had informed him that he would include a re-recorded version for his first solo album, which would be released in the spring of 1970. "Across the Universe" had been included on a World Wildlife Fund album and Glyn Johns remixed the recording. Glyn Johns added "I Me Mine" to this version of Get Back because it was included in the movie. In one of the early Twickenham sessions, George sings the song to Ringo and starts to work out the parts. The version included in Glyn Johns's second mix was recorded several months later, though, on January 3, 1970. Only George, Paul and Ringo appear on this recording because John was vacationing in Denmark at the time.
Glyn Johns kept most of the studio tom foolery, but he edited out most of the Beatles' sloppy performance of "Save the Last Dance for Me." All that was left of this track from the first Get Back mix was the refrain and the segue into "Don't Let Me Down." Glyn Johns was true to Paul's initial concept for Get Back. Both of the versions of this album that Johns produced presented the Beatles as they were in the studio, "warts and all." Listening to these mixes, though, it's clear why the Beatles were not enthusiastic about them. Rather than creating a sense of immediacy and spontaneity, the Glyn Johns mixes are often annoying.
Let It Be
Released May 8, 1970
Side A
1. Two of Us (3:36)
Recorded January 31, 1969. Opens with John's studio banter, where he introduces "I Dig a Pygmy," his joke title for "Dig a Pony." John also gives a joke name for the band, Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf-Aids.
2. Dig a Pony (3:54)
Recorded live on the rooftop of Apple studios on January 30, 1969
3. Across the Universe (3:48)
Recorded February 4, 1968, with overdubs added February 8, 1969. Phil Spector removed some of the sounds, slowed down the tempo, and added orchestra and choir overdubs.
4. I Me Mine (2:25)
Recorded January 3, 1970. Phil Spector added orchestra and choir on April 1, 1970.
5. Dig It (0:50)
Recorded January 26, 1969. A brief segment of the extended jam that Glyn Johns had included in both of his mixes. Phil Spector added John's falsetto studio banter, "That was 'Can You Dig It' by Georgie Wood. Now we'd like to do 'All [Hark?] the Angels Come'" as a segue into "Let It Be."
6. Let It Be (4:03)
Recorded January 31, 1969 with overdubs recorded April 30, 1969. More overdubs were added on January 4, 1970. George Martin produced the track and scored the brass and saxophone parts.
7. Maggie Mae (0:40)
Recorded January 24, 1969.
Side B
1. I've Got a Feeling (3:30)
Recorded live on the rooftop of Apple studios on January 30, 1969
2. One After 909 (2:55)
Recorded live on the rooftop of Apple studios on January 30, 1969.
3. The Long and Winding Road (3:37)
Recorded January 31, 1969. Phil Spector added orchestra and choir overdubs on April 1, 1970.
4. For You Blue (2:32)
Recorded January 25, 1969.
5. Get Back (3:07)
Recorded January 27, 1969. The single version of the song, which Glyn Johns had used in his Get Back mixes, had been recorded the previous day. Phil Spector concluded this track with John's farewell from the rooftop concert, "I'd like to thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we passed the audition."
Let It Be... Naked
Released November 18, 2003
1. Get Back
According to Paul Hicks, the version of "Get Back" that Phil Spector used was a studio version. They used the same version but omitted the ending.
2. Dig a Pony
"Dig a Pony" is the rooftop concert version.
3. For You Blue
"For You Blue" is the same version that Phil Spector used.
4. The Long and Winding Road
"The Long and Winding Road" used on Let It Be... Naked is the final take that the Beatles performed. This version has slightly different lyrics than the Phil Spector version.
5. Two of Us
"Two of Us" is a remixed version of the Phil Spector version with little editing.
6. I've Got a Feeling
The Beatles performed two versions of "I've Got a Feeling" in the rooftop concert. The producers of Let It Be... Naked used parts of each version.
7. One After 909
"One After 909" is taken from the rooftop concert without much editing.
8. Don't Let Me Down
"Don't Let Me Down" was also taken from the rooftop concert but with some editing to replace the verse in which John forgot the lyrics.
9. I Me Mine
"I Me Mine" used the same take from the Phil Spector version, apparently with the overdubs.
10. Across the Universe
The producers used the same version of "Across the Universe" that Phil Spector had, introducing stereo for the tamboura and John's vocals, and faded out at the end.
11. Let It Be
"Let It Be" is apparently also the same version Phil Spector used.
Because of the rancorous relations between the Beatles, Let It Be has acquired the reputation of being a substandard effort by the group—-a document of the forces that precipitated their breakup. Each of the Beatles made disparaging remarks about the atmosphere of the Get Back sessions and these were widely quoted. Listening to the music on Let It Be... Naked, however, does not bear this out. Let It Be... Naked makes it clear that the songs included on the original album were a consistently good and that Let It Be is on a par with any Beatles album.
The name Let It Be... Naked refers to the fact that the tracks are not "dressed up" with Phil Spector's elaborate orchestration. Let It Be... Naked includes several performances from the rooftop concert but all of the ambient noise has been removed. The studio recordings have been cleaned up as well and while this highlights the strength of the material, it reduces the spontaneity of those performances. Glyn Johns chose to focus on the liveliness of the Beatles in the studio, including a considerable amount of studio banter in both of his Get Back mixes. Perhaps too much, as the chatter often detracts from the listener's enjoyment of the material. Phil Spector included a only a limited amount of the Beatles' studio banter—-it's interesting to note, however, that Spector included almost exclusively John's quips on his version of Let It Be. Where Glyn Johns used studio banter, improptu performances and rough rehearsal versions of songs excessively, Let It Be... Naked leaves out this material entirely--or rather, relegates it all to a more polished "Fly on the Wall" bonus disc. While I can live without "Maggie Mae," I miss "Dig It", particularly the brief edit that Phil Spector included on Let It Be. It's a wonderful example of John's free association. I'm glad both versions are available.
