Why disdain for "Let It Be... Naked?"

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Strat-Mangler, Jul 11, 2014.

  1. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    i've similar views to you in that regard, restore was was lost from the spector version aside from orchestrations, and don't forget I me mine which is basically the same save the orchestration, much better, restore the fun but stick as close as poss to the core principle of the project
     
  2. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toronto
    Nice redirect but no, I'm referring to the fact all 4 parties voluntarily signed off. Nobody held a gun to their head and none of them needed the money. And all of them held the power by being able to veto it but chose not to use it.
     
  3. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    Yes it is Paul's latter day revision to try and restore the spirit of the original Project and if you recall John was very vocal on support for that original project ( " we don't want any of your production crap " ). Of course the band were left with the clock ticking on getting something releasable out in time for the film ( and that didn't make John puke " ) so John - and George - gave it to spector, the band was no longer a functioning unit and Paul had decided to go for long periods off message and on the sauce.

    I do suspect that John may well have approved of Naked since he was so keen on the original project - but we will never know. Certainly as far as I know Yoko had no objection although i know that is not the same.
     
  4. Chuckee

    Chuckee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Upstate, NY, USA
    There's no less tinkering on LIBN than there is on Let It Be.
     
  5. Tristero

    Tristero In possession of the future tense

    Location:
    MI
    Your talking about a legal question. No one challenges Naked's legal right to exist.
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2018
  6. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    I don't know about how involved Ringo Starr was, but he says this about "...Naked" (from 2003 rediff article quoting RS interview; notice he says "tracks" (plural):

     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2018
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  7. beatleroadie

    beatleroadie Forum Resident

    I consistently go to LIBN for "Across the Universe", "I Me Mine" and "I've Got a Feeling" (hearing John's harmonies higher in the mix is always a good thing).... These are my favorite versions of these three songs. And the other mixes don't bother me, even if they aren't better than what Specter did in 1970....

    I do like "The Long and Winding Road" on LIBN as well, and I'm glad that alt version is there, but the even more stripped back version on Anthology 3 was already my favorite, and the LIBN version doesn't really improve on it, IMO.

    Props also for finally including "Don't Let Me Down" (in any version) on LET IT BE, where it belonged, and they could have just slapped the b-side version on this, but instead gave us the rooftop version, which I appreciate, even if the b-side version is the one I slightly prefer.

    But this was definitely a botched opportunity to present a new longer and better sounding mix/edit of "Dig It" which could have been an interesting "lost" Beatles track if it was edited well. And this is a knit-pick, but I think they should have used George's original 1969 vocal for "For You Blue" instead of the re-do he did in early 1970.

    Of course the "Fly on the Wall" disc was cool to hear, but somewhat impenetrable on further listens because it should been broken up into individual tracks. The last knock on it is the ugly cover. :thumbsdow

    As much talk/flack there is about what Specter did to "The Long and Winding Road," my question is this: How in the heck does Specter, or anyone, listen the 1968 tapes of "Across the Universe" and not put out a sparse acoustic mix of that song with only Beatles on it, which is perfectly great, as evidenced by the "Hums Wild" bootlegs and others. Slowing the tape down to a crawl and slathering on not only strings but a choir was way overkill, and it comes across like Specter just trying to put his stamp on things and justify his producer credit.

    That's why I'm so happy that LIBN finally put out a simpler edition of "Across the Universe." Worth the price of admission for me!
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2018
  8. A well respected man

    A well respected man Some Mother's Son

    Location:
    Madrid, Spain
    Or on any other Beatles album, true. But I think in Naked the tinkering is designed to conceal the seams, to offer a coherent album. In the original the tinkering is grossly obvious because it goes against the purpose of the album.
     
  9. Tristero

    Tristero In possession of the future tense

    Location:
    MI
    What about the version of Let It Be that NONE of the Beatles approved of?

     
  10. Hardy Melville

    Hardy Melville Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    To be clear I tend to think that Let It Be is one of their lesser albums in either/any form. But let me put this debate this way: The Beatles are definitely my favorite group/performer/act of all time. Definitely. And I have all their material released from their studio recordings in at least one version.

    But I disliked Let It Be so much that I never bought it. Until Naked was released, and I got it. Which is the only version I have.

    It's still one of their lesser albums. But Naked is better than the original. I understand some argue its more spare sound fits on some but not necessarily all. But I tend to not know what to make of that observation. For me what works on my favorite song on the album, Across the Universe, pretty much works on all the songs. On the Spectorized version Universe is layered to excess. Imo the Beatles should have done Universe with just John's vocal backed up by an acoustic guitar, so of course the Naked version comes much closer to that, and sounds much more compelling. Same for Long and Winding Road, of course with piano instead of guitar.
     
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  11. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    Many of the actual songs for Let it Be are as good as anything they did imho, the problem was the nature of the project, the performances " live " in the studio and the problems just snowballed from that, there is a great Beatles album in there somewhere and i've make my fantasy play for that album earlier.
     
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  12. beatleroadie

    beatleroadie Forum Resident

    What is tantalizing is the ultimate Let it Be tracklists we will all be able to make for our own personal favorite edition once the 50th Anniversary Box Set is released :agree: Drawing from the original LP, Anthology, LIBN and the 50th Edition :edthumbs:
     
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  13. anth67

    anth67 Purveyor of Hogwash

    Location:
    PNW USA
    Again, we'll have to agree to disagree, and I respect your view. But I don't believe we're saying the same thing, because I believe the 33 years ("the only difference") makes all the difference. The original album was only barely posthumous, and was not planned to be ~ it was released in their original trajectory, simply the group had disbanded by the time it got to shelves. McCartney's solo album came out just three weeks earlier, and his infamous q&a press release for that was the first time the world at large heard the group was over. Let It Be was already in the can.
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2018
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  14. Tristero

    Tristero In possession of the future tense

    Location:
    MI
    In my opinion, only McCartney was bring his A game songwriting-wise. After delivering some of the best work of his career on the White Album, Lennon was really struggling, which is one of the main reasons why I view this as a lesser effort. Of course, George had a lot of great material that he was working on, but for various reasons, most of it didn't materialize here.
     
  15. anth67

    anth67 Purveyor of Hogwash

    Location:
    PNW USA
    My biggest beef with Naked ~ well, one of them ~ is that given its very name, it goes against the purpose of the album, as well. It's not naked as advertised. But the tinkering being "designed to conceal the seams" is a good way to put it.

    My other main beef ~ the conversation inspired me to listen to it this morning ~ is that there's no space between songs. The impact of each song has no chance to sink in before the next one begins. That's just not a pleasant listening experience for me. This is mastering 101 stuff.

    Final and initial beef I stated way earlier in this thread: no All Things Must Pass. With glorious three-part harmony. Talk about a wasted opportunity...twice.
     
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  16. A well respected man

    A well respected man Some Mother's Son

    Location:
    Madrid, Spain
    Actually, The Beatles ceased to function as a band much earlier, around September 69, when John announced to the others he was leaving the band. They just agreed not to tell anything. They were not involved in Spector's work, Let It Be was a posthumous album to all effects. To me, the only difference with Naked is time. I understand it makes all the difference to you. To me, not so much.
     
  17. A well respected man

    A well respected man Some Mother's Son

    Location:
    Madrid, Spain
    It depends on what you understand by Naked. I think the purpose of Naked was not going back to the original concept: "live" tracks, no overdubbing or editing tricks. No, that boat shipped even before Spector put his hands on the project.
    Naked means just stripping the extra arrangement, extraneous to the Beatles original sessions. It has editing and processing, yes. Like many Beatles albums, starting with Please Please Me. But at least it's cohesive, and it sounds like The Beatles (despite some mastering decisions I don't like).


    Never noticed that, to tell you the truth. It wouldn't be the first time they did that anyway.


    Well, I understand it this time around, since the song now is a George Harrison classic with its own place in a classic album. I think it's OK to include the Beatles version in a special project like Anthology or as a bonus, but not as part of the Let It Be album.
     
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  18. anth67

    anth67 Purveyor of Hogwash

    Location:
    PNW USA
    That's a grey area. "I Me Mine" was actually recorded in 1970 specifically for the album, though indeed sans John. So there was band involvement, even by Paul, even that late in the day. Abbey Road came out in Sept '69, too. Had John quit on August 31, would you have called that a posthumous album? I hear what you're saying about level of direct involvement, but the main reason they weren't much involved with Let It Be was less that they were broken up and more that they just didn't want to deal with that mess of a project anymore. Hence, the tapes sitting for a year and them letting someone else take a shot. Let It Be was the direct attempt at belatedly ~ only incidentally posthumously ~ releasing Get Back.

    Alright, I've exhausted my breath on this. Doesn't sound like we're changing each other's minds...which is perfectly okay.
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2018
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  19. A well respected man

    A well respected man Some Mother's Son

    Location:
    Madrid, Spain
    But they were all involved in Abbey Road, from the first recording to the last mixing session.

    Spector created his version of LIB long after The Beatles had ceased to function as a band, without their involvement, and even without one of them's consent.
     
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  20. Sax-son

    Sax-son Forum Resident

    Location:
    Three Rivers, CA
    I never really liked "Let It Be", it always sounded to me like leftovers. However, if I had to listen to it, I prefer "Naked" over the original.
     
  21. Helter Skelter

    Helter Skelter Forum Resident

    It has the best version of Across The Universe.
    Though I sill feel that song was never recorded correctly.
     
  22. anth67

    anth67 Purveyor of Hogwash

    Location:
    PNW USA
    Wow, is there any point you won't counterpoint? Actually, it is the first time, beyond deliberately artistic segues.
     
  23. DaleClark

    DaleClark Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    Well said. Wasn't this the time The Beatles were kind of in a funk....the Magic Alex mess, Apple Store failure (my dates could be off),etc?
     
  24. StateOfTheArt

    StateOfTheArt Beatle Know-it-all

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    I kind of feel the same way about this song - had it had the same treatment as Julia, it could have been similar in quality.
     
  25. blutiga

    blutiga Forum Resident

    Well Lennon said when he heard it he 'didn't puke'. That's a kind of consent :)
     

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