"Dig It" (on Let it Be)

Crappy version of "Don't Let Me Down" though, IMO.

 

That could be, I know when making a comp Let It Be, I use a mixture of Let it be-Naked-Anthology & others, but offhand don't remember the specifics.

 

... a fun little piece adding to Let It Be album's charm, the edit is fine as it is.

 

I, Me, Mine.

 

I always loved this snippet. Thing is growing up when I was first hearing this I thought there was a Phase 2.... That's just how John Lennon has a way of getting under your skin.

Personally I'd love a Let It Be Naked with the snippets in and the songs in original order.

 

This. IMO, it's a throwaway jam that doesn't really rise to the level worthy of a Beatles album. As for the editing, my guess is that it is chopped down to the short clip that it is precisely because most listeners could only endure it at this length. Secondly, it was probably also done to avoid copyright/royalty issues with the Dylan song at its core. Fading in with Lennon singing "like a rolling stone" is probably generic enough to sidestep any legal claims. As for the song credits, they should have added Billy Preston's name to Lennon/McCartney/Harrison/Starkey since his organ playing is probably the best thing about it.

Yeah, Heather McCartney. Unbearably annoying, but probably some poetic justice there in response to Yoko's studio presence.

 

There was only so much Phil Spector could do to polish this turd (orchestra, chorus overdubs, etc.). So yeah, he probably peppered the thing with little bits of dialog and goofy jams to try and add some life and spirit to the otherwise dreary affair.

 

Michael Jackson was a big fan of this little track.

"It's a short piece, like a transitional thing, he's just screaming out...A lot of magic is created out of the moment like that..." - Michael Jackson on "Dig It."

 

Yes, as Let it Be Naked showed, the rooftop version of "Don't Let Me Down" is perfectly suitable alongside these other tracks, and it's different from the b-side version. So Specter could have used that version on LIB, even though the b-side version was already out on "Hey Jude."

 

For some reason I like the other versions of Dig It they did during the sessions like the one John leads with slide guitar and the fast version with John saying the song titles of the sessions. They're not masterpieces but its just the guys repeating a catchy riff and title.

 

I don't buy that any album with; let it be, long winding road, ive got a feeling, get back.... could be a turd. has some weak songs 'dig a pony' should've been thought out a bit more, rough sounding... but I don't see it dreary at all, I think that's the backstory just bleeding thru into what we hear (imo)

 

"Drugs, Divorce, and a Slipping Image" It is an essential book of the "Let It Be Disaster"
Books For Sale
"You're welcome Doug and Ray" ;-)

 

I like it. And I like the 4 minute version. Maybe just because of the mystique of only hearing the short version first.

It would have made a great B side (the long version) to The Long and Winding Road (or even Let it Be) and all 4 Beatles would have gotten songwriting royalties on sales of the single.

 

The Nude Let It Be track is a Frankenstein version.

 

It occured to me reading this thread; I don't think I've listened to this album in twenty years. It just wasn't special like Beatles albums tended to be. Some great tracks, but quite a few lacking as well.

 

Yes a combination of both rooftop performances. But a similar edit could have been made with tape back in 1970, or they could have just stuck with the one shown in the film which is perfectly fine except for John forgetting a line and cheekily ad-libbing which just adds to the charm.

My only point being that there was an alternate version of the song that could have been placed on the Let it Be album if they were really concerned about repeating the same recording from the Hey Jude compilation or the previous b-side. It is a soundtrack after all, and "Don't Let Me Down" was a highlight of the end of the film.

 

As much as I like it, my feeling is that it was included, at least partially, as a "look at what we had to slog through to assemble this album" statement. Ha ha.


Dan

 

Har! I genuinely thought that was Yoko!

 

That was Heather doing her Yoko impersonation.

 

A longer (full?) version of Dig It was played on a BBC Radio special on the Let It Be album when it was released in 1970. I remember hearing it and thinking that we were missing nothing by just having the snippet on the LP. I understood it was there just to give the atmosphere and context of the original concept of the record, but now, knowing what else was on tape from those sessions, I think there were better things that could have been used - and may yet be used, if we are to get a 50th anniversary release.

 

Always loved it since the album came out. Was psyched to hear the full version, but it was a bit disappointing. Still has about 2-3 minutes of good stuff that isn't goofy

 

A local DJ had played the early Get Back album and I loved the four minute Dig It. Big disappointment when the snippet was released on LIB. . Even bigger disappointment when it was left off Naked.
This was a great song back in the day, with its loose, experimental, jamming vibe. Fit in perfectly with the times, a good antidote to the 3 minute highly structured song. If right this minute I had the choice of listening to the long version of Dig It, or to Hey Jude, I would pick Dig It.
Hey Bulldog is another undervalued masterpiece.

 

I'm not a big Beatles fan. I like some of their stuff and much more of it doesn't do anything for me, but "Dig It" and much of "Let It Be" I do like quite a lot. I like this for the exact reason I've read so many others comment on - that it's sloppy, or a throwaway, or not serious, etc.

For me, this is what makes "Dig It" such a good song of theirs. It's not pretentious. Yes, many of their songs are pretentious and they shouldn't be blamed for it as the entire pop world had basically elevated them to god-like status while they were in the peak of their career as a group. Adoration, critical acclaim, drugs, all lead to some really self-indulgent treacle. But "Dig It"? That's a real song, a look through a window into the raw talent and unvarnished joy of making a racket that we rarely see from such a self-aware and egotistic group of musicians.

I'll take "Dig It" over most of their more "polished" stuff anyday.

 

It's a big part of the Let It Be album and I enjoy it. Funny transition, then followed by the album's title track.

 

Needs choir and orchestral overdubs.