Originally Published in print December 2021
In January 1969, just ten weeks after the release of the vast, maximalist explosion of creativity that was the White Album, the Beatles returned to the studio. There was a definite change in the wind in pop music that year with the psychedelic movement drawing to a close and the folk-rock and singer-songwriter genres growing approaching the 70s. Paul McCartney certainly sensed this, with the concept for the Beatles’ next album being a stripped back return to their roots.
These recordings were originally mixed by engineer Glyn Johns. However, they were rejected by the band and the project was ultimately abandoned while they moved on to Abbey Road. Finally in 1970, after John Lennon had left the band, producer Phil Spector created a new mix, adding his typical choral and orchestral flourishes to a number of tracks — his ‘wall of sound’.
This mix was famously disliked by McCartney since it went completely against his original rootsy vision. This led to him leading another version of the album, Let It Be… Naked, which removed the Spector overdubs and restored the stripped-back feel.
2021’s re-release of Let it Be is the latest in a series of reissued Beatles albums, re-mixed by Giles Martin, the son of the Beatles’ legendary producer George Martin. Sgt. Pepper’s, The White Album, Abbey Road, and now, Let it Be have all undergone a similar treatment: an updated mix and a littering of outtakes, isolated tracks, studio chatter and jams.
The new mix gives the songs an expected clarity and sheen. Let’s take the opening track, ‘Two of Us’ as an example: the opening guitar line has an immediacy and a crystalline brightness perhaps at the expense of the warmth of the original. The bass drum is much punchier as well. The production creates an interesting issue with the vocals. There’s a much clearer separation between Lennon and McCartney’s parts when singing in harmony which does, in my opinion, take away from the Everly Brothers-esque unity they achieved on the original mix of this track.
There are a number of other issues with the mix. One of Lennon’s greatest songs, ‘Across The Universe’, is impaired by an overbearing close mic effect on the vocals, while Martin elects for the Spector overdubs in ‘The Long and Winding Road’. The two orchestra hits in the opening bars are a moment I’m sure will have certain sects of fans groaning.
There are a number of interesting outtakes in the album and some early versions of songs that would later appear fully fledged on Abbey Road, including ‘Octopus’s Garden’ and ‘She Came in Through The Bathroom Window’. Finally, the full original Glyn Johns mix is included.
When it comes to evaluating these “Super Deluxe” reissues, I’m left asking, “What is the point of them?” Fascinating as they are, I doubt anyone listens through the bonus tracks more than once, and the new mix is hardly revelatory. Why do we need a third release of Let it Be? And then it comes to me. The 4LP ‘Special Edition Super Deluxe’ set costs €160. And that’s all it really is, an indulgent birthday present for the Beatle maniac in your life.
