The Earliest Bird: The Top New Recorded Release 8-27-21 – 9-2-21, The Beatles’ “Let It Be (2021 Mix)” Reviewed
There isn’t a Beatles album that isn’t among my favorites of all time but there are a number of songs I’m not crazy about and “Let It Be” is high on the list, another Mccartney came in a dream track calling out to his late mother, the Mary in question, and while when I was eleven buying the box set with the wonderful book of pictures where the binder came apart and the pictures floated about BHS, I loved it then, but I got sick of it decades ago and every time Paulie performs it on stage I squirm in my seat.
The 2021 mix cleans it up better than on Naked, stripped down and souped out there is earnestness that defuses one of Macca’s rare occasions of pretension (blame Phil Spector, no wonder he was furious) and I don’t hate it anymore and might have to pick on “Yesterday” till further notice.
The George Harrison track “For You Blue” is the famous Glynis Johns mix, which I figure we will be getting the entire album on the Box Set dropping October 15th is better than Spector with that awesome slide guitar break a highlight and the simple, almost parodic, lyric.
Best of all is the John Lennon song for Yoko Ono, “Don’t Let Me Down,” the first rooftop performance, with Lennon forgetting the lyric and singing a beautiful bit of gibberish where words are not needed at all to convey the power of early love. Plus, Billy Preston is a little forgotten today, but his piano break is glorious.
Grade: A
