|   LET IT BE.................Naked | MasterCylinder
Nov 13, 2003 1:02 PM | | Due out next week:
Let It Be is going to be released the way the Beatles had originally intended.........that is........without all the added orchestration, etc.
Should be interesting...........30+ years later. |
| Heard it tonight | DLD
Nov 13, 2003 8:43 PM | | Yer local Infinity station should have broadcast it, commercial free, uninterupted at 9:00CST. Pretty decent, especially Across The Universe, I Me Me (or is it I Me Mine?), whatever. Long and Winding Road had the most dramatic revision, seemed like it was just Paul and his Piano. Interesting, but in retrospect, the stringed version holds up pretty well. Never close to my favorite Beatles song and still isn't. No John Lennon send up at the end of Get Back (I think we passed the audition folks...) .
I'll leave work promptly at 10:00AM Monday morning and snap it up. Evidently the sound has been remastered as the "experts" on afterwards, Cheryl Crow, Fred Durst, Geraldo Rivera, Chris Carter ( A Lennon friend who was, uh, unhappy with the project on a philosophical level), David Frisk (sp?), Billy Joel, & some el lame-o from N Sync, all praised the sound quality. Presumably they were blessed with a pre release copy cause I couldn't tell shitferdifference on my FM run thru my HT set up. |
| Thanks for the Review | MasterCylinder
Nov 14, 2003 5:53 AM | | Can't wait to hear it. |
| re: LET IT BE.................Naked | wik
Nov 14, 2003 7:05 AM | | I heard it last night too. I've always liked this album and for the most part what I heard was an improvement.
Across The Universe and The Long and Winding Road(not my favorite Beatle track) benefit the most from the stripped down treatment. Other improvements...For You Blue - you could hear the acoustic guitar work much better and it made the song sound, well, blusier I guess. I me Mine sounded more beefed up and in your face, which I liked. Two of Us also sounded better to my ears. The addition of Don't Let Me Down is also a plus.
Things I didn't like on first listen(this may change after more exposure)...
Let It Be... I like the guitar solo on the original album better. It just sounds much more emotional to me. The new version is too polished for me.
I've Got A Feeling...same thing. The new version sounds too polished and cleaned up.
I also missed the bantor at the opening and ending of some songs. I liked the chatter at the beginning of Two of Us and the audition comment after Get Back. I don't miss Maggie Mae but I know there is an extended version of Dig It that I would have liked to see included. Overall I think it's worth buying for the improved sound quality and the redone versions of Long and Winding Road and Across the Universe and the inclusion of Don't Let Me Down. |
| re: LET IT BE.................The McCartney Mix | JazzHead
Nov 14, 2003 1:29 PM | | Interesting article about it in the NY Times a week or so back. Gist of it was that, while it's not the Spector Mix, it's not what the boys had in mind either. The original concept of the album was to go back to the basics - four guys in a room, bashin' it out. Of course, the four guys ended up bashin' each other. Glyn Johns (I believe) constructed four versions of the album from the session tapes, but the group and the label couldn't agree on them. Spector was recruited (at Lennon's suggestion) to salvage what was left after the group disintegrated.
According to the Times, the tracks on "Naked" are not the unadorned studio perfs, either - some are cobbled togehter from different takes, there are still overdubs, etc. - in other words, it's a modern-day mix, not the audio-verite statement originally intended.
It smells faintly to me of another case of Sir Paul attempting to rewrite history now that only Ringo is around to dispute him (McCartney/Lennon, anyone?) He's never hidden his distaste for the Spectorization of "Let It Be."
Still, I'll be at the wreckit stow on 11/18...
peace,
jh. |
| No McCartney mix here... | BillB
Nov 18, 2003 10:01 AM | | Paul, Ringo and even George Martin had no input whatsoever on the new version of Let It Be. The near 30 hours of tapes were handed to Paul Hicks, Guy Massey and Allen Rouse. Only until AFTER they'd finished their job did Paul and Ringo receive a CD-R for an ok. They both gave it immediately, they were even fine with the tracklisting.
BillB |
| Also... | BillB
Nov 18, 2003 10:34 AM | | ...if you've ever heard the majority of the what was recorded during that time, there's no way you could get a "live" album out of any of it. There weren't even official "takes" at the Twickenham sessions so splicing together of different run-throughs was mandatory. Not to mention even their most "live" album, "Please Please Me" has overdubs on it.
BillB |
| re: LET IT BE.................Naked | BillB
Nov 18, 2003 9:52 AM | | Just picked it up at lunch, can't wait to get it home for a spin! I've sat threw about 15 hours of the 19+ hours of Let It Be outtakes I've got over the past few weeks so I'm anxious to hear just how "raw" they kept it.
XPN's comparing/contrasting the new with the original right now. Some differences are quite clear, like on the Long And Winding Road that's on right now but I can only tell so much at low volume on my mono Tivoli Model One.
BillB
P.S. Anyone know why the hell I can't post on the new message boards? I tried re-registering, they say emails will be sent, I've seen nothing and I still can't post. ARRGGHH!! |
| They have an email problem | Davey
Nov 18, 2003 10:08 AM | | You have to post on the old General board and ask Chris to set up your account so you can post |
| First proper listen | BillB
Nov 18, 2003 6:37 PM | | Let me start by saying, it's been a very long day waiting to get home and play this one. It's been a long three + months digesting nearly 20 hours of outtakes from these sessions. Lastly, it's been 8 pints of Beamish and four spins so far of the new version (but alas all notes were taken on the first run through!)
My first listen was a direct comparison to the original CD version. All notes are made off of that first listen (only 2 pints were consumed during that time). The second listen was a straight run-through of the new version to hear how it flowed (more pints were consumed since I didn't have to take notes!) Anyway, here goes:
First let me get a few of things out of the way on MY overall impression of the new version. Everything sounds much cleaner; vocal, drums, guitars, bass, etc. That's not necessarily to say it's "polished". It sounds better but still maintains it's "rawness". It stays true to the sound of everything I've heard in all of those outtakes. I personally feel the album flows better with the reorganization of the tracks. Remember, I'm not one that was even around until nearly 7 years AFTER this album's release but I have been a diehard Beatles fan for 10 years.
As has been mentioned, all of the intro and outro chatter and talk has been eliminated. That is one of it's downfalls IMO. I feel that added to the "live" aspect that the sessions had throughout.
It's also my observation that different vocal tracks have been used in certain places (as you'll see mentioned) as well as slight speed differences. Again, this is all just my first impression. I'm hear to discuss with other Beatle nuts.
GET BACK: Not a MAJOR difference from the original, everything's clearer, I can "see/hear" Paul's facial expressions as he sings.
I DIG A PONY: The false start and nose blowing is gone. Can sense Lennon moving closer/further from the mic, the organ is much more prominent in the mix. Again, no MAJOR differences but still better.
FOR YOU BLUE: Acoustic in the beginning sounds GREAT!!! Slide guitar moves from left in original to right in new version, picking swaps as well. Drums sound "right" on the new one.
THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD: BIG difference! The strings are gone and thank God! They sound EXTREMELY tacky after hearing so many takes without them. This is the first time in a long time that I've listened to the original album version and many songs just don't sound "right". Paul's in my basement, his piano's stuck in my TV! I'm guessing that different vocal bits have been used. Either that or Spector's "wall of shiite" just drowned out the magnificent vocals. Plus Paul sings "You've ALWAYS known" rather than "You'll never know" and swaps the "Waiting" and "Standing" as he did throughout the outtakes.
TWO OF US: Everything sounds better to me. Vocals more distinguished. Might be sped up slightly?? The whistling at the end is cut short. Not a major difference but an improvement.
I'VE GOT A FEELING: Vocals more distiguished and without echo effect. New guitar tracks used or mixed different? Definitely different vocal bits if not entirely different tracks. Vocals stay centered throughout and drums sound 100 times better. Sound slightly slowed down??
ONE AFTER 909: Bass is fatter, vocals are separated, definite different vocal tracks, ex: Lennon "Yes I did" They sound like they're having a blast!!! Bass prominent around 1:35 in orig, more even with guitar on new version.
DON'T LET ME DOWN: Vocals up in the mix. Sped up slightly?? Lennon's vocal more breathy than before and his mumble around 1:40 is GONE in the new version. Drums spread across soundstage in orig., centered in new version.
I ME MINE: Acoustic guitar and vocals MUCH better, hell everything's better! Backing vocal track to both speakers in new version, sounds like it's on a boombox behind George in the original. George's vocal sounds very deicate. |
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