The Beatles, Album by Album--Let It Be

I said long ago that Let It Be was probably the most troublesome of all Beatles albums, and today I stand by that opinion. That is not to say that it's a bad album. It is just not what you'd expect from a Beatles album, and has a hard place fitting into the mythological voyage of the Beatles' career. For starters, though it was recorded chronologically before Abbey Road, it was released after that album, in 1970. Most of the recording sessions for this album were at the beginning of 1969. Going off the back-to-basics approach of much of the White Album (and as part of a trend in popular music spearheaded by Dylan's John Wesley Harding album), the Beatles wanted to record Let It Be (at this point, the LP was titled Get Back) as close as possible to being a live performance. Their rule was no overdubs or studio effects, to try to reproduce the way they used to make albums at the Abbey Road studios during the early days. As a result, much of the album is unpolished, full of studio chatter and sloppiness. I can see their desire to do this, and indeed much of the album is charming in its rustic simplicity, but coming after the majesty of Abbey Road, Let It Be feels like idyllic pastoral poetry compared to Shakespearean sonnets. While the White Album's songs rose above their simple soundscapes, much of Let It Be's tunes feel like they are unrehearsed jam sessions instead of being great songs.

Let It Be reminds me almost of the solo careers of the Beatles. George, Paul, and John all went the lo-fi route after the Panavision perfection of their Beatles' records. There is a ramshackle charm to many of their solo releases, and that is reflected in songs on here like "Two of Us" and "I've Got a Feeling." "One After 909" is their attempt to recreate classic rock & roll in the style of Chuck Berry or their own early days, and it succeeds admirably. "For You Blue" is even better. Featuring the slide guitar of John, it is George's attempt to ape the Chicago blues, and while it doesn't sound convincing at all, it's a lot of fun. "Get Back" perfectly represents throwaway fun with its pointless lyrics and jaunty keyboard solo (courtesy of Billy Preston, who was the first artist to be listed as a guest on a Beatles single).

But charming songs a great Beatles album do not make. Paul rises to the occasion amidst the squabbling of the band to deliver the one stone classic on here: "Let It Be." The album version is even better than the single, and George's solo fits in a lot more melodically with the tune and has a sense of progression that really nails you. "Let It Be" is simply gorgeous.

One of the biggest reasons for the Let It Be controversy among fans is that it is the only Beatles album to not have George Martin credited as a producer. To me, George Martin is a member of the Beatles. More than anyone else, he deserves the title of the Fifth Beatle. Anyone who disagrees is a fool. His contributions to the sound of the Beatles were just as important as the members of the band. Because the band was going for a lo-fi approach when they recorded the album, they did not use him. Unsatisfied with Glyn Johns's two mixes, the group went to Phil Spector to produce the master cut. He drenched several songs, among them "Across the Universe" and "The Long and Winding Road," in choruses and strings, breaking the no-overdubs rule. This gives the album an inconsistent sound. The studio chatter and general looseness of "For You Blue" comes right after the syrupy "The Long and Winding Road." I feel that this inconsistency in tone robs the album of any sense of unity. Although I do feel that "Across the Universe"'s Phil Spector cut is superior to the naked one that was released as a single, both it and especially "The Long and Winding Road" verge on the brink of being too sugary with the string arrangements, occasionally crossing over, but the quality of both songs manages to shine through regardless. Phil Spector is one of the greatest producers of all time, but his jarring productions were simply not suited for the Beatles.

I think this album is a unique look at the Beatles having fun and working in the studio, doing what they did best--making music. But it lacks the polish and the precision of their finest records. It serves as the soundtrack to the documentary of the same title, which was a behind-the-scenes look at how they made music in the studio. But I think ultimately we don't want to see the process, warts and all. We want to listen to their music. Not half-assed jams, but real fucking Beatles songs. Ultimately I don't need to know anything about the artist other than their art. This isn't to say that I dislike the album--I don't. But it has always been somewhat of a let-down that this was their final released album. As I said earlier, because Abbey Road was recorded afterward, I think it helps to look at that as the Beatles last LP. In any case, this is an album worth checking out, because it has its own unique charm among the Beatles records, and because there are some great moments tucked away amongst the mess (John and Paul singing two different melodies on top of each other in "I've Got a Feeling," George proclaiming that John can play the blues better than Elmore James on "For You Blue," etc.).

--Edward