Let It Be

Images

• CD Cover: from The Beatles CDography
  [75K, 354x348 GIF]

Sleeve Notes

• Original Sleeve Notes in English (M.Markowski)

"Anthology Zero" would be an appropriate designation for this album today. Like the Anthology series, this album joins some studio rehearsals and outtakes, initially not intended for release.
This was all that remained of the Get Back project, developed by The Beatles in the beginning of 1969. They intended to film several rehearsals to make a documentary (later issued as Let It Be, in Brazil, Deixe Estar.), and later record definitive versions of the songs, or release them in a concert. But these "definitive versions" were never recorded.

In early 1970 Phil Spector took some of these rehearsals, remixed and edited them, sometimes including some studio talk and orchestral overdubs.
This was the only Beatles album not produced by George Martin.

This album also includes Across The Universe, a song recorded in 1968 and unreleased until then, and I Me Mine, the last song recorded by The Beatles, in 1970. Both had orchestral overdubs added. I Me Mine was also extended by editing. It appears in its original form (without edits and overdubs) on Anthology 3.

Let It Be and Get Back, released on singles produced by George Martin, here appear in "alternate versions": Let It Be is extended, has a different solo and some horns and cymbals not on the single version; Get Back has some studio talk edited in at the beginning, and some sounds from the famous Rooftop session at the end.

The other songs are from the Get Back rehearsals. Almost all of them sound "stripped bare" (like the recent Anthology outtakes). Some of them include false starts and studio talk. The exception is The Long And Winding Road, that had orchestral overdubs added and some original instrumentation removed. Its original version is on Anthology 3.

Dig It is a 0:49 snippet of a 12-minute take. (a longer, but still incomplete version appears on the film Let It Be)

Remastered Differences

The original version was issued under the label Apple, but the remastered reissue received the Parlophone label. The "Apple Records" logo remained on the remastered LP cover, though.

International Differences

Unlike in the US and UK, where the LP had special versions (gatefold cover in the US, a box set with book in the UK), in Brazil this album had only a "standard" sleeve, without inserts.

This is the only original Beatles album whose sleeve notes were never translated into Portuguese.

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