The Beatles | Let It Be Special Edition – Boxset Review

Let it be, the last studio album to be released (if not recorded) by the Beatles, it is one of the most maligned albums in history. Yet it retains an aura, an enigmatic curiosity due to the circumstances under which it was created. To everyone who saw this let it be Film, it was the sad ending of one of the greatest success stories of modern times. The 80-minute film offered a distorted view of the Beatles and the way they worked; it has been questioned and reinterpreted for years because it doesn’t tell the full story. That will change when the three-part documentary series directed by Peter Jackson The Beatles: come back is finally coming to Disney +. Meanwhile we have let it be Special edition, which includes a variety of extras and embellishments for Beatles fans to enjoy before heading to the subway for six hours to see what else happened.

come back / let it be Bootlegs have been around for decades, though a good chunk of the material is fragmented pieces of freeform jamming, oldies, and multiple versions of new songs, unreleased songs – and more. In contrast, let it be Special edition contains six discs, including the original album, in a much more structured format. Based on the example of the extended anniversary editions of Sgt. PepperLonely Hearts Club Band (2017), The Beatles (also known) The white album) (2018), and Abteistrasse (2019) the set contains several versions of “Let It Be”, “Don’t Let Me Down”, “Get Back” and all other songs from the original let it be. The 15-minute “Dig It” jam didn’t make it, but there is a four-minute version. There are also rough runs of “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window”, “Polythene Pam”, “Oh! Liebling ”,“ Octopus’s Garden ”and“ Something ”that everyone landed on Abteistrasse, as well as songs that were later recorded for solo albums such as “All Things Must Pass,” “Gimme Some Truth,” and “Teddy Boy” (complete with John Lennon’s incessant “do-si-do” cries). Even Billy Preston can perform vocally and on the piano on the 1929 standard “Without A Song”.

The real attraction, however, is the mixes – a new stereo mix in high-resolution 96 kHz / 24-bit, plus new 5.1 surround DTS and Dolby Atmos mixes, as well as the elusive 1969 Glyn Johns mix. Hardcore collectors claim they have it all – which may be true – but the boots’ sound quality is usually inferior. For this reason alone, they should want his set. The same goes for everyone else. The remixed let it beStripped naked in 2003, she is back to her old self, flush with Phil Spector’s overproduction, albeit pumped and filtered with sonic steroids. The guitars bark more on “I Dig A Pony”, “I’ve Got A Feeling” and “One After 909”. The strings, the choir and the harp come to the fore in “Across The Universe”. Paul McCartney’s “Tack” piano has more snap on “For You Blue”. The surround and Atmos mixes from producer Giles Martin and sound engineer Sam Okell are simply a plus for those looking for a deeper, more immersive experience. The crème de la crème may very well be the 14 track come back Mixture by engineer Glyn Johns in May 1969.

Persecution by the come back mix, you really get a feel for how close the Beatles were for a band. “One After 909,” an early Lennon and McCartney song, really cooks – George Harrison’s crackling little guitar fills slide in and out of the verses while Preston plays the electric piano to the rhythm of Lennon’s guitar, McCartney’s bass, and Ringo Starrs Drums chug. On “Don’t Let Me Down” Lennon’s vocals are rougher and Preston’s solo is much looser. It’s all easy enough to understand and appreciate, though it’s understandable that its rough edges didn’t match the sheen of published Beatles music. Which is pretty much the case with some of the other numbers from the sessions – a more blatant “I Dig A Pony”, a more relaxed “I’ve Got A Feeling” and an ominous take on “The Long And Winding Road”. ”Without strings – similar to McCartney’s Let it be … naked. Still, the Beatles refused come back and turned their attention to making the more accessible let it be.

Seasoned Beatles aficionados claim that much of the Glyn Johns mix likely came from a series of bootleg recordings (apparently this was common practice with previous expanded titles). And they’re not happy with the lack of full Apple Corps rooftop performance – which may or may not be intended as a future separate release. You can take a break from the EP with four songs, the 1970s Glyn Johns mixes of “Across The Universe” and “I Me Mine” as well as new mixes for the single releases of “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Let . ”Contains Es sein.“ After a dozen playbacks, you won’t want to be without it. Seriously, if the packaging and blends aren’t enough to convince you, well … the books surely will.

Yes, there are actually two Beatle books. The 105-page edition that is part of. is let it be Special edition is packed with comments by Paul McCartney, Giles Martin and Glyn Johns, essays, a track-by-track analysis and lots of photos. The 204 pages The Beatles: Back The book that accompanies the documentary series contains a detailed introduction by the British playwright and novelist Hanif Kureishi, followed by a detailed, picture-by-picture narration of the 21 days the band worked together come back and let it be. The curious can start the documentary series and learn how the band planned and planned a live concert in various locations around the world while rehearsing new songs, jamming on old ones leaving Twickenham Film Studios for the warmth of Apple Studios, and decided to play an impromptu (and final) 42-minute gig on the roof of their Savile Row facility in London’s West End.

The numerous photos of Ethan Russell and Linda McCartney combined with insightful dialogues from Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Starr, let it be Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg and various staff members and everyone else who managed to be in the same room will faint all Beatles fans and historians for more. And who knows, once The Beatles: come back celebrating its long-awaited premiere, followed by the inevitable DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases, we got to see a soundtrack of more previously unreleased music, additional books from those who were there, maybe even this full rooftop show. let it be Special edition – available as a single CD or vinyl LP, as a double CD set and, as discussed here, as a six CD and five LP set – and the The Beatles: Back book are just the beginning of another banner year for the Beatles. Fifty years later they are still “the toppermost of the poppermost”!

~ Shawn Perry