Let It Be Naked...What Do We Think?

Got it on again right now......I think my biggest complaint is the guitar intro on I've Got a Feeling is REALLY quiet.....should be louder.

 

I often find fault with stuff over there, but I think they nailed it with this one.

Of all the complaining here about the NR, I still prefer the *sound* of this to the Spector version -- the clarity, openness and dynamics are great, IMHO. (The only boot I've heard of the Johns version was horrid-sounding.)

As the AMG review says, though, they're taking chaos and trying to make it into an Abbey Roadesque slick production, which it just can't be. As a result, it's just another in a list of imperfect attempts to capture those sessions on an LP/CD.

Ryan

 

I didn't vote because no selection really sums up how I feel about it. I prefer the song sequence on this title to the original "LIB". That may be sacrilegious to some, but I like "Get Back" starting the album and "Two Of Us" closing out what would be the first side. "I've Got A Feeling" remains where it should be at the start of side 2 and I like closing it out w/ the title song. Before anyone takes me to task about, "It's a CD! It doesn't have sides!!!", let me say that I bought the album the year it was released. I might have flaws w/ my short-term memory at my age, but the long-term is intact.

I don't feel it replaces anything, but I like it as a different presentation. I just don't understand how things get blown out of proportion here sometimes. God, you'd think EMI were responsible for the holocaust!

 

What! You mean they weren't??

 

Ok, i'm starting to hear the no-noise artifacts. They are not pleasant. But, I can live with it. I can always put on the original if I want. I won't die!

 

Re: Re: Why? Whywhywhywhywhy? WHY?

You noticed that too, eh? Oh yeah, all for the youngsters...yeah, right.

 

I really like the stripped down versions of The Long and Winding Road and Across the Universe, but the new mixes of Get Back, Don't Let Me Down, and Let It Be are awful compared to the George Martin single mixes. EMI giveth, and EMI taketh away, I suppose.

And Across the Universe shouldn't be on this album at all - it should be on the Blue Album between Lady Madonna and The Inner Light.

I'll be burning an updated copy of the one single album that the Beatles should have released in 1969, combining the best songs from Let It Be and Abbey Road, minus the godawful medley on Side Two of Abbey Road.

 

I'd like to see a poll on that one!

 

I'am thinking my definition, and John Hunter's definition, of "God-awful" are NOT the same!!!

 

From this other thread:
http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24672 someone from the CD's production team says this about Get Back:

"And, again to just keep the album feel of it and because it is what was on the original, we haven't got the ending, the reprise, that you'd heard before."

Sound like kind of inconsistent and arbitrary reasoning... wanting to maintain the feel of the original album version in the case of this particular song, when clearly that was not important to them in the case of several of the other songs. I would guess the real reason is simply that they think it sounds better without the coda.

 

the booklet in LIB . .N says that the Glyn Johns version chose earlier, less developed/finished takes but in several places the Glyn Johns choices of performances were livelier. Sure, they were earlier performances.

I like the sound on the Anthology cd's better than this set, despite the " '90's eq" on the Anthology. "Let It Be" sounds nice on this set.

By duplicating the original lp's edits on "I Me Mine" (the repeat) and "I Dig A Pony" (removal of "All I Want Is . . ." from the verses) they actually duplicated Spector's original edits! Paul still does not get his way!!

 

No one mention this, but in Bruce Spizer's Beatles on Apple book, he found production notes for the Get Back sessions and Macca had mentioned to George Martin about adding horns and strings to LAWR (no choir of course). In fact, on Wings over america, horns were added to that so-called "live" version.

 

I think Spector did do a good job as far as the takes he picked. I also like the way he edited DIG IT and extended LET IT BE & I ME MINE. My only gripe with the song selection would have been to replace MAGGIE MAE with DON'T LET ME DOWN. The main problem for me with Phil's version is the strings & choir. It just goes against every thing the album was supposed to be about. A choir? WTF But when you get down to it, it is only apparent on 4 songs. I actually like what Spector did to the song LIB. It may be my favorite version of the song. I do have to say that (even though it looks like it was fuddled with a bit) the version of LIB on LIBN is outstanding. I love Paul's vocal on it. I don't think I have heard him sing that tune more soulfully. I love the new version of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE as well, athough it seems to fade a bit earlier (maybe because it's faster?) that the original album version...as all of the LIBN tracks much to my chagrin. I don't like the way I Me Mine fades on LIBN. I miss the haunting organ at the end, but I don't like the choir on the album version either.... The definitive version is probably on A3 but again I like the way Phil extended it.

In the end though is LIBN worth it? Well, if you are looking for those 4 tunes minus Phil's fluff they are already out there in one version or another. I would say TL&WR & ATU probably are the only 2 tracks that could arguably one up their album counterparts. I also didn't like the fact that they mixed out Paul's humming on the solo in ROAD? Why? It's in the movie. I think Phil's mixes on the "live" stuff is stronger than LIBN as well. I don't think any of the LIBN mixes top his. I do applaud LIBN for putting down the stripped down material on one album in a solid running order. It does give you a sense of what the Beatles were going for, but a lot of the spontineity is stripped away with quick fades and modern mixing. The album doesn't really breath like it probably should. I miss the ad libs & applause for the most part. It kind of defeats it self by trying to turn the album into more of a polished product which is in some ways as misguided as Spector's over-the-top overdubbing. If you have the original LIB album and A2 (for a great stripped ATU) & A3 you probably won't find many revelations here. It's nice to listen to, but it's more like the Yellow Submarine soundtrack than the definitive LET IT BE album IMO.

 

Okay, I listened to the CD tonight. Me not like it. The heavy use of NR seriusly gave me a headache. My brain (I guess) couldn't accept the drain of hiss. For me, the worst offender was Paul's (poor) voice on 'Long and Winding Road.' The work the did to "clean" it up makes it sound like he was singing in a space capsule. The integrity of his voice is seriously "Can you hear me now"-a-fied. It was fun hearing these songs in a different manner but all the life and goosh was robbed. Oh, well....

 

I've only got through half of it (albeit in the car too) and I'm kind of mixed on the NR. I don't find it as a claustrophobic as "1," but there are certain bits that make me cringe (One After 909 comes to mind).

I don't like the shortened "Get Back." I would have preferred the complete reprise.

Never really cared for "Dig A Pony" & "I've Got A Feeling."

"For You Blue" & "Two of Us" sounded a little too bright for me, but hardly far from enjoyable.

Again, taking into consideration my listening conditions, is it just me or is there hardly any bass on the first five tracks? The first time I actually heard the bass kick in was in "I've Got a Feeling." I'm not looking to blow out the car next to me at the stop light, but it did seem kind of light in the bass aspect.

Looking forward to giving it a good listen at home this weekend. Overall, I guess I'd fall into the "not bad, not great" category, but I'll probably vote after I absorb it all.

 

Room Ambience and More Air Flow

I like the CD obviously but when sitting at my computer I decided to play this using WinAmp and using DFX plug in for which there is an Ambience control slider adding a bit more reverb or hall to the mix and needless to say I feel this type of setting does make it breath a bit more.

In saying this, for those of you with your use of some more added reverb using Cool Edit Pro 2.1 or the Adobe version, put in your desired reverb for each track you feel needs it and record it and burn yourself a new copy of Let It Be...Not So Naked.
Try it, really...it's good for what ail's ya!!

 

That's probably because thier not HIS songs and he either didn't care about the edits on them or got out voted.

I ended up voting Not bad, Not Great. It fine for what it is but having many boots I know how great it COULD have been. Some one asked earlier if anyone misses Dig It and Maggie Mae and I gonna say I do but I think I probably know why they were omitted. Since all the ad libs where edited out, and both these tracks were ad libs in a sense, they were cut.
As for the Bonus disc I wish they would have left some of the songs play completely... It's not like there wasn't any room. The only track that almost play entirely is Maggie Mae/ Fancy Me Chances, but believe it or notfor no real reason, they were edited, making both songs MUCH shorter, especially FMC.

 

From Prince?

 

You mean that godawful high point of all 4's recording careers???

 

I think Two Of Us sounds great. I never have liked LAWR. Sappy and overdone. Bleh. The bonus disc was worth listening to twice, but that's it. They could have provided us with some cool bonuses but that would have been too easy. The sound overall is much clearer but it almost sounds too clean. I like it enough to listen to and put it in with my other Beatles CDs. It is the Beatles, so it cant reall be bad, but it could have been better. Does anyone know where I can find a list of all the changes that were made? Which songs use different versions, which ones have different edits etc? How are they different? I will spend a little time comparing it to LIB and Past Masters vol. 2. The original is still better than this revisionist thing. I hope it makes Paul happy. Now he can start on his version of Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper without all that silly Come Together and crazy rooster sounds.

 

Fell in love with the Let it Be LP all over again.
I love the sonics and mixing on the new release.
Only thing I don't like about it is that damn NAKED title.

I own both Glyn John's mixes, the Phil mix and now this one.

They're all great and worth owning if you're a Beatle fan.

IMO, this is the best sounding Beatle CD out there.

Joe L.

 

I don't what's up with this but I've been in both a Super Wal-Mart and Target and neither of them had Let It Be...Naked. Strange. But I've called Best Buy and they do have it so I'll pick it up on the way home and post my thoughts later.

 

Hopefully that means it's selling.

Hopefully that means Britney's album is just sitting there...

 

I kind of like the shortened "Get Back." Despite the short segues between songs, I like how it just goes right into "Dig A Pony."

That said, I'm liking Spector's version better the more I hear this one.

 

Yeah, I agree. I just played a UK vinyl of the original LP (Blue Box, early '80's) and I was shocked at how great it sounds! I then played "Naked" right after, and the music notes were the same, but somehow the party left the room.

BTW, I voted "Why? Whywhywhywhywhy? WHY?"

A couple of folks remarked at how good the drums sound; I disagree. The cymbals just don't shimmer like a real cymbal, or like on the original LP. The toms don't "ring" like the original either. I'd say the same thing about the acoustic instruments as well. They are clear as a bell, but they just don't breathe... Too bad.

That said, they certainly could have done worse and I'm so pleased they didn't do a Yoko and remove the original cd from the catalog.