Let It Be - Beatles (The) (CD 1987)

In 1969, the Beatles began work on a new project, tentatively titled Get Back. The plan was to both film and record the Beatles in the studio as they worked on a new album and finally performed in concert, which would show them "getting back" to their origins. Unfortunately, by this time, the group was falling apart, with the four members all wanting to do their own thing. There was a lot of fighting amongst the members, and finally the Get Back idea was scrapped. Instead, the movie was renamed Let It Be and closed with an impromptu performance on the rooftop of the Beatles' Apple Studios....

Let It Be, released on May 8, 1970, is somewhat of a Beatles anomaly. The project had an original working title of Get Back, and was planned as a sort of film and record documentary of their work in the studio, and musically they hoped to capture the essence of their early musical influences. During the period of time that the group was recording for this album, the legal and personality problems between the members were beginning to surface, so it's not surprising that the original idea got a little sidetracked. Somehow, Phil Spector was brought in to produce the album. I've never made any...

People are cruel to Let It Be. I don't really understand it, to be honest with you. I have heard Let It Be called the worst album of the Beatles career, and even once that it was the worst album of the era. Needless to say, it doesn't have much of a reputation. People who are hard on Let It Be obviously don't understand what this album actually is. Phil Spector and Paul McCartney both grabbed an udder on the cash cow, to put it simply. This wasn't even intended to ever actually exist. But it does. Here's the story, for those who don't know. In 1969, the Beatles (mostly Paul) got this...

As I was composing my entry for the Music Mayhem write-off earlier I found myself reflecting that it's a sad thing seeing good bands flame out. Examples of this are too numerous to name, yet one that will doubtlessly be remembered until the end of time is the falling out that killed The Beatles as a recording unit. That falling out is captured on the Let It Be album, which was their last album released although not their final album, that honor belongs to Abbey Road. The original intent of the Let It Be album was to serve as a soundtrack to a documentary film showcasing The Beatles live in...