Please see my introduction and explanation about this project here.
Beatles Week 2016 continues with what is probably my least favorite album in the Beatles catalog – Let it Be. It’s not that the songs are bad, it’s that I just don’t enjoy this record as much as any of the others. And that includes the White Album. Making it tougher is the fact that many of the songs here don’t seem finished. And I love listening to unfinished recordings and demos. You should see my collection of… nevermind.
For this entry I have not only included the original Let It Be album, but also the release Let It Be… Naked. There is a difference in the track listing with “Don’t Let Me Down” added and “Maggie May” and “Dig It” omitted. In general I do prefer the stripped down original mixes of the songs and am beginning to like the album more because of it. That being said, The basic songs themselves remain the same regardless of which version of the album you listen to, so the rankings of each songs are the same.
Generally.
Presented in order from least to most favorite, in a highly subjective (and subject to change) manner:
“Dig It”
An idea for a song that isn’t finished
“Don’t Let Me Down”
This seems like a demo, not a finished song
“I’ve Got a Feeling”
This one is building up to something but it isn’t finished so it ultimately goes nowhere
“I Me Mine”
Some days I like this song, and I want to like it more, but right now I don’t
“Dig a Pony”
Kind of a weird lyrical bit that tends to annoy me
“For You Blue”
A decent song that almost feels finished
“Maggie Mae”
The band seems to be having fun here
“The Long and Winding Road”
Both versions of this song are great
“Across The Universe”
A really beautiful song, and one that often moves up on this list
“Two of Us”
I really like the sentiment here
“One After 909”
The band are having fun again, which is nice
“Get Back”
Just a good, solid number
“Let It Be”
One of the best songs the band has done