Where the premise behind both Abbey Road and Let It Be was reducing the friction between The Beatles, the inverse occurred. Paul McCartney and the band went in with earnest attempts at fixing their working relationship. They came out the other side with two albums, no group, and four very different attitudes towards recording. It is for the best, despite the ugliness of the break-up. Let It Be, the final Beatles album, is not their best, but it certainly feels like a worthy full stop for the band. Even with the controversial Phil Spector production, there is plenty to love about an album shedding light on songs which, in the wake of The Beatles’ implosion, could have rotted in the archives. The camaraderie heard on the opening song Two of Us feels earnest, yet ironic also. The Beatles sing of heading home, of their Liverpudlian roots and intimate working relationship, yet all this disintegrated, in part because of Let It Be.
At least the music the band were writing with or without one another works well. The Beatles were becoming a far more independent selection. The overlap of their world views, their themes and experiences, were too far apart during Let it Be. It, like Abbey Road and the White Album, are isolated moments, rather than songs which feed into one another. Dig a Pony and Across the Universe is a delightful double-bill of John Lennon-led tracks, but even then, the connection is through the vocalist rather than the theme. Independent of one another is how Let It Be’s songs work best, though. Across the Universe and Dig a Pony are outstanding moments, truly beautiful, late-stage works from the band. It’s about as perfect an A-Side as you could want from a band which had, at the time of release, already broken up. You can hear the solid musicianship from each member, but you cannot get a feel for the love which was once prevalent in the group. Let it Be stands as one of the very best in McCartney’s repertoire, but not in The Beatles’.
Despite that severed feel throughout Let it Be, it remains an extraordinary album. For all the Spector production stylings and sense of the band treating one another as session musicians, there is an incredible quality running through. I’ve Got a Feeling, The Long and Winding Road, and Get Back are a trio of masterful songs which are the very peak of The Beatles’ work as songwriters. The medley for Abbey Road and the genre-switching charms of the White Album may cast a shadow over Let It Be, but The Beatles’ final album relies on being a straightforward album. There is no concept at play beyond the death of the band. A short album, too, at thirty-five minutes, which feels closer to what The Beach Boys would offer. What The Beatles manage to cram into this half hour is extraordinary.
Let It Be is a quality album because it shows how The Beatles would perform independently of one another. As suitable an end to the band as Abbey Road was. Whether Let it Be… Naked is the superior version is irrelevant to the legacy of Let it Be, an album which serves as the final moments of the band. That musical quality is inevitable, but there are still hidden gems like For You Blue to be rediscovered. Stripped-back features which toy with the Bob Dylan style of countrified songwriting. George Harrison, as was often the case, has the understated yet best moments on the album. McCartney dominates with the hits, and Ringo Starr is frozen out. A strange end to The Beatles, which highlights the group’s diminishing relationship, but also underscores how their independence from one another was a strong tool in the recording studio.
Many good observations here, but I don’t agree with you that For You Blue is a hidden gem. In my view it’s quite ordinary, like a filler, and nothing to write home about. I much more prefer Harrisons’ I Me Mine, and think that’s a real gem.
Actually, Abbey Rd was the final album, but the Let it Be release was delayed so it came after. Let it Be is a masterpiece & would have amazed everyone if done by another band, but coming after Abbey Rd, the album feels muted. Two of Us is my favourite , but the title song , for me is dreary.
Beatles seemed to have little interest in the recording process of the film Let it Be which shows in many parts of it. Why is everyone so hung up on it being their last album? Of course it was released more than a year after it was recorded and 6 months after they did Abbey Road – the last album they worked on (that included a Ringo song too). They seemed to work well together making one of their best loved albums by many fans. Probably because they knew it was the last album. So George bought in his Moog synthesizer and they all had a wonderful time together; on their last album.