Gunslinger
Mildly Dipped
As some of you Beatlemaniacs know, the last Beatle album to be released in America, Let It Be (which strangely followed after Abbey Road, the real final Beatle album), will be rereleased minus the orchestrations of Phil Spector's wall of sound. Thus, it is aptly named "Let It Be Naked."
I've got Let It Be on CD and I've just heard a few of the Let It Be Naked tracks on the radio. The major change, of course, is the lack of the choir background. Some feel that this inclusion livened the otherwise drap tracks but the music seems to be much crisper without it. For instance, "Across The Universe" can still be appreciated without the background drum backbeat or the choir voices rising at the refrain. Rather, in the Naked version, the acoustics in "Across The Universe" are the main focus and Lennon's vocals sound purely genuine.
It seems like a step backwards for the Beatles, working on such complex songs heard in Sgt. Pepper's but, strangely, it's for the better. Lacking any other description, I'd say it's simplistic but rather decent in its simplicity. Sort of like in "The Ballad of John and Yoko": you can tell that it's John on lead guitar and Paul on the drums and, while they may not be in their element, you can still appreciate the effort. It may be the closest thing that second generation Beatles fans will come to hearing the Fab Four live.
Paul goes on about how the album is completely different without the wall of sound and Ringo concurs just about the same. But really, the release of Let It Be...Naked could be influenced politically. After all, why associate yourself with Phil Spector, who's facing charges on murder?
But other than that, Let It Be...Naked does little to change the flavor of the original album. It's still a must for Beatles fan (hearing Paul actually sounding tame in "I've Got A Feeling" is quite dramatic compared to the original's hollaring) but I'd recommend that folks new to the Beatles' work should get the original Let It Be first. Personally, I like the choir in "Across The Universe".
I've got Let It Be on CD and I've just heard a few of the Let It Be Naked tracks on the radio. The major change, of course, is the lack of the choir background. Some feel that this inclusion livened the otherwise drap tracks but the music seems to be much crisper without it. For instance, "Across The Universe" can still be appreciated without the background drum backbeat or the choir voices rising at the refrain. Rather, in the Naked version, the acoustics in "Across The Universe" are the main focus and Lennon's vocals sound purely genuine.
It seems like a step backwards for the Beatles, working on such complex songs heard in Sgt. Pepper's but, strangely, it's for the better. Lacking any other description, I'd say it's simplistic but rather decent in its simplicity. Sort of like in "The Ballad of John and Yoko": you can tell that it's John on lead guitar and Paul on the drums and, while they may not be in their element, you can still appreciate the effort. It may be the closest thing that second generation Beatles fans will come to hearing the Fab Four live.
Paul goes on about how the album is completely different without the wall of sound and Ringo concurs just about the same. But really, the release of Let It Be...Naked could be influenced politically. After all, why associate yourself with Phil Spector, who's facing charges on murder?
But other than that, Let It Be...Naked does little to change the flavor of the original album. It's still a must for Beatles fan (hearing Paul actually sounding tame in "I've Got A Feeling" is quite dramatic compared to the original's hollaring) but I'd recommend that folks new to the Beatles' work should get the original Let It Be first. Personally, I like the choir in "Across The Universe".
