"Dig It" (on Let it Be)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Dave Gilmour's Cat, Oct 6, 2016.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    Question about Across the Universe:

    Who had the idea to even include this song in the Let It Be album? The song was originally recorded in February 1968. John was unhappy with the result, but he still decided to give it to the World Wildlife benefit album---which after many delays came out in late 1969. Now, I know that John briefly tried it out at Twickenham (I don't think that the band tracked it during the sessions at Apple Studio). But was the decision SOLELY because Michael Lindsay-Hogg included that brief snippet of film with the song, or did John suddenly decide that he wanted that song included on the album? I mean, there were a bunch of songs, like Suzy Parker and Maxwell Silver's Hammer, included in the film that were NOT on the LP---so who said "let's include Across The Universe on the LP"?
    [/QUOTE]

    Arnie my suspicion is that John sanctioned it as he was unhappy with the version in the can that eventually appeared of the WWF album. Spector and LIB gave him a chance to better showcase this song and to be honest the LIB version is a vast improvement ( although i personally prefer the Naked version which combines the improvement on the treatment vs the WWF version with the removal of the orchestrations which to me are inconsistent with the whole LIB/Get Back project) .
     
  2. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Also I expect that inclusion of ATU, Dig It and Maggie Mae were in part because John contributed so little otherwise to the album (though of course DLMD also would have addressed that).

    His only new real tune on the album was Dig a Pony.
     
    Culpa likes this.
  3. Mickey2

    Mickey2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bronx, NY, USA
    Heather McCartney broke up the Beatles.
     
    AlienRendel likes this.
  4. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Yes, I do think John had to have to been the person to suggest it. BUT I can't find a quote or source stating that, so maybe it was someone else.
     
  5. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    agreed unless you can find a source it remains a best guess, Spector may have just done it off his own back.
     
  6. Culpa

    Culpa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    Spector gets a lot of flack, but he didn't just hijack the tapes though did he? When he was hired for the job did they really think he wouldn't overdub anything? Had he ever "produced" a record featuring merely a 5-piece band?

    I find it hard to believe that they would have expected him to "remain true to the original intent of the project" and deliver anything like Glyn Johns' attempts. And if they were all so concerned about the original intent, "warts and all", etc, then maybe they wouldn't have practically disowned the finished film all these years, 'cause that's where we did get to see the warts.

    I'm sure they had a pretty good idea of what he was up to, even if McCartney wasn't particularly pleased with one of the final results. Wasn't Ringo there recording with the orchestra at one point?

    Anyway, it may be a bit of an oddball, but it's still a great album full of great songs, Spector did a fine job, and I love it, including Dig It!
     
    applejam101 likes this.
  7. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Fun stuff. Isn't Linda's daughter Heather wailing on a large portion of the full Dig It the album version was edited from? Seemingly inspired by Yoko...
     
    Rfreeman likes this.
  8. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Glyn Johns was told to include "Across The Universe" in his final version of the Get Back/Let It Be album compiled in early January 1970. And this was about 3 months BEFORE Spector entered the picture. So someone had to have insisted on including the song on the LP before Spector was involved.

    We may not know the exact story until Lewisohn discusses this song in Volume 3 of his Beatles book series.
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2016
    AlienRendel likes this.
  9. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    lets hope we live long enough to find out, in the meantime and in ruling out Spector our suspicions that John was the prime mover must remain strong.
     
    AlienRendel and Arnold Grove like this.
  10. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Sounds good. Let's meet back here in the year 2028 to discuss it again... ;)
     
    AlienRendel likes this.
  11. mooseman

    mooseman Forum Resident

    I have the Let It Be bootleg, I much prefer the long take of Dig it, it's much better then that little edit version. :righton:
     
    Fullbug and applejam101 like this.
  12. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Yep. I thought it was Yoko the first time I heard it.
     
    DTK likes this.
  13. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Well now you inspired me to make such a compilation...digging out the bo*tlegs :).
     
    applejam101 and Rfreeman like this.
  14. grandegi

    grandegi Blind test maniac

    Location:
    Rome, Italy
    This has become a great thread on the full LIB album (and film), in my opinion (going beyond the original topic).
    So please allow me a question that has been tormented me for a long time. Why didn't McCartney replace that horrible bass guitar track by Lennon in "Long and Winding Road"? If he did, maybe the need for a massive orchestra overdub would have been reduced at least (of course the bass part had to be an isolated track to do so and I don't know if that is the case). I agree that orchestra and choir are excessive on the spectorised version, but the naked version is unlistenable to me because of those out of tune bass notes.
     
  15. feinstei9415

    feinstei9415 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Bend, IN
    Both Spector and Johns selected a rehearsal take of "Long and Winding Road" to include on their albums. This rehearsal take lacked Billy Preston and thus it was pretty "empty" in terms of orchestration. The version on Let It Be Naked was recorded at the same session as "Two Of Us" and "Let It Be" and was the "finished" take. Thus, you can't really compare the versions of "Long and Winding Road" on "Let It Be" and "Let It Be Naked"....
     
    AlienRendel likes this.
  16. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I think Billy Preston was on the Spector version, although Phil might have mixed his organ work very low (or it was overwhelmed by the orchestral overdubs)
     
    Onder and slane like this.
  17. grandegi

    grandegi Blind test maniac

    Location:
    Rome, Italy
    Ok I probably have in mind the Glyn Johns version, I need to re-listen to the naked version.
     
  18. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    My guess: Paul thought that he'd be able to do it at a later time. The Threetles recorded "I Me Mine" and overdubs for "Let It Be" in early January 1970 with George Martin. I think (and it is only a personal opinion) that Paul figured he'd touch up any other things --- like a new bass for "The Long and Winding Road" --- at some later date, once George Martin had finished off compiling a Let It Be soundtrack album. Of course, George Martin NEVER compiled a Let It Be album, the band officially broke up, and Spector was brought in. And Paul never got a chance to do anything else.

    Possible? Maybe...
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2016
    muffmasterh likes this.
  19. feinstei9415

    feinstei9415 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Bend, IN
    No... Spector and Johns both used the 26-January rehearsal take.
     
  20. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Billy is clearly on the Anthology version
     
    slane likes this.
  21. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    And Billy was not there on the 26th also? The sources (like Ray S's book) that I just looked at say he was on the session from the 26th of January.
     
  22. feinstei9415

    feinstei9415 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Bend, IN
    From what I gather from the Sulpy books, Billy didn't play on "The Long And Winding Road" take on the 26th -- in any event, his solo, played so magnificently on the 31st, was not present probably prompting Spector to put the strings in there to fill up the emptiness where Paul speaks his monologue.
     
  23. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Lets see if @RayS chimes in.

    Calling Ray: Did Billy play on "The Long and Winding Road" on the version from the 26th?
     
  24. ShockControl

    ShockControl Bon Vivant and Raconteur!

    Location:
    Lotus Land
    I've wondered how the album would play if the five rooftop songs and a longer edit of "Dig It" comprised one side of the LP - barebones, with no excessive monkeying - and the remainder comprised the other side, with orchestra, choir, and whatever else Spector wanted to throw on.
     
  25. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    and i'll be drawing my pension by then too :goodie:
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine