Did Paul, Ringo, Yoko & Olivia REALLY sign off on Let it Be...Naked?

Going off memory here, but I recall Naked getting the green light around the same time as Cirque du Soleil collab.
I wonder if there was a bargain made that allowed this.
Also, one project that was deep sixed was the Beatles Anthology Genesis book that was to be signed by all three plus Yoko.
Purely a guess, but I think George backed out of that, at about the time he backed out of the third reunion track.
There was also the Anthology Threetles news conference that was supposed to happen, but never did.
The Let It Be DVD is a great example of a project that was voted down.
I think that's all we know about. Would love to be a fly on the wall at Apple during some of those meetings.

 

If you pay close attention to what was on the Anthology tracks, and what wasn't included on them, and if we assume that all four camps signed off on all of those tracks, with each party or "camp" paying careful special attention to their own main Beatle, then my speculation on the topic is this....

I think Yoko seems to favor the stripped down, un-overdubbed, early versions of songs, especially takes of all four Beatles "live" in the room, without overdubs, just playing the songs -- for example, the raw take of the four of them playing "I Am The Walrus" on organ/drums/guitar with Paul on tambourine, is one of my all-time favorite Beatles recordings, even including all the mistakes and Lennon's vocal flubs and everything. Because it's just the magic of the four of them playing together.

And Yoko also especially seems to like those takes that feature an alternate or unheard John Lennon lead vocal. His voice on tape is very important to her -- in a way, it's all she has left of him. A third priority for her seems to be any opportunity to remix a well-known famous Lennon lead vocal, and make it a little more "full" and forward in the mix, or to give it more of a "3D" or "in the room with him" type feel. This is consistent across all remixes, both his solo and Beatles work.

I'm sure that over the years she privately got an earful of all the classic Lennon themes and gripes, expressing his private feelings about the Beatles '60s recordings, such as: John's criticisms of George Martin, of Paul's overbearing manner at times, of Paul getting on the piano and not getting off it, which songs he hated and which songs he wished they'd done differently, etc etc. And I'm sure she heard Lennon's comments about what he liked about his own work, which were always consistent - - that when they were good, the Beatles were a great little live band, his passion for the early rock 'n' roll greats ("This one's for Gene, and Eddie, and Elvis ... and Buddy,"), which of his own songs he considered his best or most important, etc. etc. And those themes are actually pretty consistent, across all the Anthologies and all the remixes and unreleased bonus tracks.

Same is very true for Olivia.... She lived with the guy for so long, and she was right there with him for the Anthology selection process, which I'm sure was quite an intense emotional experience for every one of the original Beatles.... so after all those years it'd be virtually impossible for her NOT to know George's private non-public feelings about the actual recordings, and about his experiences of being a Beatle, plus the intimate details of what he liked and didn't like musically about the particular recordings and sessions. Like Yoko, Olivia and Dhani both have certain "rules" or "tendencies" guiding them, about how George is presented in the posthumous Beatles -- whether it's a remix or signing off on an unreleased track, there are things they like to emphasize about George, and there are surely limits or boundaries on what she lets get through, and what she presumably blocks from release. And you can kind of suss out or feel what they are, what stuff George liked and what.

For example, George's famous Leslie guitar solo on "Let It Be" has got to be on there -- Billy's solo was nice and all, but for Let It Be Naked, guess which one gets flown in. The trick of extending "I Me Mine" onto itself to make it longer, gets re-done even more seamlessly, sounding even better, with the overdubs dressed up in Pro Tools, to disguise it even better.

And Ringo, well he's Ringo. Based on his personality, and on the story of him sitting down and listening to the brand new Sgt. Pepper remix with a friend in his media room, ("I haven't listened to this in years"), I get the feeling he's a big Beatles fan at heart and he digs hearing the stuff, but we all know he doesn't sit around and listen to the Beatles a lot, or agonize over every second of the music. Not to belittle him in any way, but when it comes to new Beatles music, Ringo's the guy who listens to the track and asks, "is it any good or not? Does it make me feel good when I hear it?" and so forth.

So really, without going though the entire album painstakingly track by track by track, it seems like all three of those personalities or "camps" -- and all the tendencies or things that they usually like or don't like to approve -- are actually ALL present and very recognizable in Let It Be Naked.

 

Yeah, I don't think McCartney hates any form of accompaniment for "LAWR" - he used horns with Wings. I think he just hated the goopy, over the top elements Spector added...

 

Clearly, Paul has been hankering for it since the first time he heard the strings on "Long and Winding Road." He even went so far as to send EMI (and I think Spector, as well) an angry letter about it immediately afterwards.

I would guess the other three parties went along with it just to get him to shut about it already...while not complaining about the extra royalties, either.

 

I don't have a Spotify account.

Try this one?

The Beatles – Let It Be... Naked, a playlist by Kristopher Bridges on Spotify

I saw a post on Reddit about it last year. Maybe it's just not included in streaming deals Apple negotiated. Who knows?

Let me know if that other one can be played. Curious to know if it'd work.

 

Money, money, money, money,...money.

 

Doesn't work. It looks like it's not on Spotify.

But I don't care, I have the CD at home.

 

It took you five seconds to be wrong? This is what I mean, it's not available anymore. It WAS, once, but, alas....

Take me at my word next time, everyone deserves benefit of the doubt

 

Isn't Ringo the only one who actually worked with Spector during his re-production? He came in to overdub some drum parts, and if I understand correctly pulled Phil aside at one point to tell him he needed to stop driving all of the musicians crazy with his demands.

 

If I had an account, I would've tested it. No big deal. It's a cheap CD to buy anyway.

 

Uh huh. Looks like I am gonna go CD shopping!

 

Paul, Ringo, Olivia, Yoyo... I wish someone would stick a mic in their face and find out why they have not signed off on a new high quality version of the Let It Be movie.

 

It was mastered for iTunes not long ago -I thought that would mean it would show up in Apple Music, but it is not there either.

 

He was there, I think he added some minimal drumming.

 

Pretty cheap indeed.

Buy The Beatles - Let It Be... Naked (Vinyl, CD) at Discogs Marketplace

 

i like em both as well... though... The Long and Winding Road on the original... a tad overdone in me book...

 

From rediff news Sept. 19, 2003

"The project, which had the approval of fellow Beatle George Harrison, who died of cancer in 2001, led to the recovery of the missing studio tapes in the Netherlands in January."

and further down:

"Lennon fans, including his wife Yoko Ono, have been ruffled by McCartney's venture, but she did not dispute the release of the new recording. "

and further down:

"
'When I first heard it, it was really uplifting,' Ringo Starr, the other surviving Beatle, recently told Rolling Stone magazine, adding that he was taken in by the 'quietness of the tracks. It took you back again to the times when we were this band, the Beatle band.'

'Paul was always totally opposed to Phil,' he added. 'I told him on the phone recently, 'You're bloody right again. It sounds great without Phil'. Which it does.'

 

All of them have an interest in the Beatles' legacy continuing. Releasing "new" albums has always been key: R&R Music, Hollywood Bowl, Love Songs, Rarities, Hamburg whatever, Anthology, LIBN, Hollywood Bowl II, etc.

Compilations, outtakes, live material.

Then came LIBN and now yet another Sgt Pepper. Eventually Apple will corral them together in a new boxed set titled, "The Beatles Second-Guess Themselves."

 

Yeah it's so odd. The rights must be more complicated or something. Not just Beatles music but maybe it's Paul's too?

Ooh I'd better start saving! Thanks, I think it really is my only option. Was really curious WHY, but it's a Macca mystery!

 

Yeah, they signed off on Let It Be Nekid, but I can't say I like it more than the original. It's almost cliché but I think this was a wasted opportunity.

 

Paul, in that letter addressed to Allen Klein, but also sent to Phil Spector and John Eastman,, demanded that the extra instrumentation on "The Long And Winding Road" be reduced, the vocals and Beatles instrumentation to be made louder, the harp part eliminated, and "Don't ever do it again.":

 

^^^And upon receipt, Allen Klein threw the letter in the garbage...

 

Perhaps some negotiations took place. For example, perhaps Yoko would only agree to release Let It Be... Naked if Paul would agreed NOT to push for release of the Let It Be film. I'm just speculating, but I could see something like that taking place. Paul gets his chance to erase Spector and Yoko gets her chance to bury the Let It Be film. Both might consider that a win-win situation.

 

Comments should be viewed in their historical perspective. Lennon made that comment at a time when he and Spector, close friends, had just worked together on Lennon/POB, one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the rock era.

I suspect the answer would have been quite different if he had been asked after the disastrous Rock n Roll sessions in LA.

 

Just to keep the record straight, The Beatles did not have veto power over the 70's compilations: Rock And Roll Music, Love Songs, Rarities, Reel Music, nor the original Hollywood Bowl lp. That came after the lawsuits with Capitol/EMI were settled and Apple Corps was reformed...

They did fully approve BBC 1 & 2, Anthologies 1-3, LIBN, YSS, Love, Hollywood Bowl redo and Sgt Pepper 50th.