I am not much of a Beatles fan and this album lacked spark and life. It did not cause me to become less of a Beatles fan, though.
It's a tough conversation to have since it really is their weakest album. I agree with Lennon's quotes on how Spector managed to make a product out of it. I don't dislike LIBN, I think it's very listenable. But despite its flaws, or maybe BECAUSE of them, I gravitate to the original to hear that looseness between tracks. Naked, no pun intended, by trying to be a "normal" album, exposes the overall lack of depth in most of the tracks.
^^ This. And they cut out all the intros/outros making it much more sterile. And they took off the coda from Get Back. And they autotuned John's voice [one time]. And the version of Don't Let Me Down sounds remarkably ramshackle, like the wheels are about to fall off the bus... And there is no Maggie Mae. These are the reasons why I like it less than the original. Things I like about it better than the original: No overblown orchestra on The Long And Winding Road and Across The Universe. Including George's guitar on For You Blue.
Well, it's a product, no doubt. But as I explained, a very incoherent one. And very un-Beatle, those arrangements. I don't think Spector's production gives more depth to any song. It's not a lyrical problem, it's a musical problem: Spector's approach doesn't fit musically.
I hear you, but to use a Joe Strummer quote, the original is the document. It all fits because it is what it is. LIBN is a great addendum to that, basically the Paul vision of the album. But it's not canon. Anything that grabs more Beatle fans is ok by me, so if folks prefer it that's great.
Let it Be is one big glorious mess. But so was the breakup of the Beatles and this is the documentary of that.
It fits because "it is what it is"? Sorry, I can't agree with that. What makes the original more canon? The Beatles were already disbanded when it came out, they were not involved in the mixing (I think Ringo attended one or two sessions?), and Paul didn't approve it. So we can say the original is John's cut, and Naked Paul's cut of the same sessions.
Yeah, LIBN to me is like George Lucas adding s**t to the original star wars films for each subsequent DVD/Blu release in order to produce something closer to his "original vision". But I think artists have a way of confusing their regrets and fickleness with "original vision". I'm skeptical that LIBN is what Paul had in mind circa 1970.
I don't think that's a good analogy. Paul didn't approve Spector's verison. Of course he would have made things different in 1970 (he says he liked Glyn Johns' final version from January 1970), but he never said Naked is that. The fact is The Beatles couldn't agree on what to do with the project, and they were breaking up so there was never the will to solve it. So John took matters in his own hands and gave Spector the job, so he did whatever he pleased.
Not at all. My point is that there was never a version approved by all four. The original is John's version (altough I suspect he just let Spector do whatever he wanted without much indication) and Naked is Paul's version. In any case, a very different matter to Star Wars, where there is a sole author.
I didn't know that about the Spirit album... I'll have to look into that sometime, have all the original vintage LPs up to Sardonicus, except just a CD for Model Shop. Thanks for the info!
See, I don't think Lucas was the sole author of the original trilogy, despite whatever he may say to the contrary. He certainly had help writing the first screenplay, the two sequels were co-written with other people and directed by different people. He was probably least involved in Empire. To say nothing of the actors' interpretations, editors' work, etc. So I think it's a fair analogy.
Because Hey Bulldog/Only a Northern Song/All Together Now/It's All Too Much are better than Two of Us/Across the Universe/The Long and Winding Road/Let it Be. Right. OK.
He supervised everything, and he had complete control over the final product. Of course he hired writers and directors, but he had the final word over everything. Then he started changing the movies many years later. On the other hand, Paul said from the beginning he didn't like Spector's production, he didn't approve it and he didn't approve of it.
I agree. Last time I attempted to play that LP, I lifted the arm halfway through track 3. It actually inspired me to make my own non-Spector version, which now lives on my music server (and iPhone): comprised of: 1. Two Of Us (LIBN) 2. Dig A Pony (LIBN) 3. Across The Universe (LIBN) 4. I Me Mine (personal edit of Anthology 3 version) 5. Dig It (clip from Fly On The Wall disc) 6. Let It Be (LIBN) 7. You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) (1970 single) 8. I've Got A Feeling (LIBN) 9. One After 909 (LIBN) 10. The Long And Winding Road (LIBN) 11. For You Blue (LIBN) 12. Don't Let Me Down (1969 single) 13. Get Back (1969 single) This hybrid resolves the few issues I do have with Let It Be... Naked - specifically the distracting track sequence, the clumsy edit of I Me Mine, the inferior take of Don't Let Me Down, and the non-edit of Get Back. I've also discovered that I love the bluesy, slide guitar clip of Dig It featured on the LIBN bonus disc. It's fun, and actually segues nicely into the title track.
Actually, that seems about right. Come to think of it, It's All Too Much pretty much beats everything behind door#2.
Obviously, it was the original release that all four members approved of, not a posthumous archival project overseen just by McCartney and later collaborators. I don't really have a problem with Naked personally, though I miss the chatter and don't like the noise reduction, but it isn't viewed as part of the original canon.
Can you add I've Got a Feeling and I Dig a Pony to door #2 and still say that? Two of the most gloriously raw Beatles tracks ever, IMO, and Pony is one of John's most soulful vocals. Of course, I also think Hey Bulldog is one of their more underrated tracks : )
Can't say that adding those two tracks sweetens the deal in any way, but that's just my own warped taste in Beatles music. You could offer me Let It Be and Abbey Road in their entirety, and I still wouldn't give up Yellow Submarine in a trade. And yes, Hey Bulldog is a major reason.