'Let It Be' by The Beatles

This album review is based on the 2009 Stereo Remaster of Let It Be.


Track-by-track
1. 'Two of Us' - 2/5
2. 'Dig a Pony' - 3/5
3. 'Across the Universe' - 3/5
4. 'I Me Mine' - 4/5
5. 'Dig It' - 2/5
6. 'Let It Be' - 3/5
7. 'Maggie Mae' - 2/5
8. 'I've Got a Feeling' - 3/5
9. 'One After 909' - 4/5
10. 'The Long and Winding Road' - 5/5
11. 'For You Blue' - 4/5
12. 'Get Back' - 4/5

[3.25/5 for rating average]
[3/5 for listening experience]


Let It Be by The Beatles
Rating Given: 3/5 Stars


Initially conceived to be a return to the roots of The Beatles, the album Get Back eventually evolved into Let It Be, which would be the final album released by rock music's greatest-known band. Though most of the material for the album was recorded in January of 1969, which was before the recording and release of Abbey Road, the band was not satisfied with the result, and shelved the album to revisit at a later point.

Overall, Let It Be sees an experimental and original band performing a tightly-coordinated set of songs. Paul McCartney had noted that The Beatles seemed to be strained because they had been recording fragments of complicated songs separately and piecing them together at another time. He suggested that an album that was recorded and played together, and felt a bit more structured and natural, would awaken the camaraderie that the group had shared during its earlier years. While The Beatles would break up soon after the release of the album, the listener does feel a sense of connection from the band.

This album also fell victim to the 'Wall of Sound' process under the command of Phil Spector. This meant that orchestral and choral attachments were spliced with the original recordings the band made. The decision to do this was controversial, but showed that the group's talent was unhindered by anything that could be applied to it.

Songs such as 'I've Got a Feeling' show that The Beatles were just as focused and skilled as previously demonstrated, and 'One After 909' is the closest they get to replicating their early albums. However, most of the album feels safe and calculated. 'Two of Us' tells a story rather than showing the story, and 'Across the Universe' is an overly simplistic (though effect-enhanced) track. Another thing to note is that the short pieces 'Dig It' and 'Maggie Mae' were recorded during the Let It Be sessions, but were probably not intended for the album.

Only on the songs 'I Me Mine' and 'The Long and Winding Road' do The Beatles seem to venture into anything 'out of comfort.' The former song is an active and brilliantly tempo-changing piece dealing with the frustration one feels in the presence of a self-centered person, which may have been a reference to the dissolution of the group. The latter, a piano serenade that was the song most affected by Phil Spector's add-ons (a choir and strings), shows the devotion to love that made The Beatles a sensation at the height of Beatlemania.

Although music shows that the group has aged and matured, it also serves to prove that they had not abandoned that recognizably-Beatles sound. John Lennon and Paul McCartney still were proficient songwriters and vocalists, and George Harrison was still a contained virtuoso on his guitar. Unfortunately, Ringo Starr was not allowed to shine properly through his percussion contribution, which was efficient but basic, and was also not alloted any of the vocal roles.

The experience of listening to this album is pleasant, but unshaking. It's the type of music that could serve as the proper background for nearly any activity without being a distraction, but is also entertaining during a time when one is doing nothing but taking part in the music. Let It Be allowed the most impacting group in music history to pass into their new projects on an interesting, though predictable, level.