"Let It Be"
The Beatles
Apple 2764

he project that came to be known as Let It Be began at a Beatle rehearsal in the fall of 1968. The boys were looking for new ways to package their material, perhaps as a live show, television date, or some kind of special event. Finally, Paul McCartney suggested making a documentary movie -- a diary of the next Beatle album in progress. Camera crews could follow the boys through every phase of production, and, in the end, there'd be an intimate record of just how musical magic was made.

John, George, and Ringo agreed to this idea, and in January 1969, filming began at Apple headquarters on Saville Row. Among the tunes performed was the title theme, which Paul had written as a quiet tribute to his mother. One of the Beatles' old pals from Hamburg, Billy Preston, happened to be around at the time and was invited to sit in as organist. John was on bass guitar, while Paul played the piano and sang. This particular number -- just for fun -- was recorded on the roof of the building, where giant speakers echoed the sound for miles across London. Complaining neighbors summoned policemen, and in fact, you can see the bobbies in the picture, trying to break up the session and restore the peace.

Over the weeks that Let It Be was in production, the Beatles were constantly tripping over cameras, lights, and moviemaking people. Paul McCartney kept his composure, but he turned out to be the only one who did. Tempers grew thin, and as days rolled into months, there were wrangles -- even punch-ups -- in the studio.

John, by that time, appeared to be perpetually stoned and, to the others' great annoyance, was inseparable from Yoko Ono. He also argued continually with producer George Martin over content, musical style, and even the recording technique. John insisted that Let It Be should be an "honest" album, without overdubs, mixing, or even editing. "I want them to hear us, warts and all," he said. Thirty hours of music were put on tape before everyone agreed that that approach was simply not going to work. At that point, George Martin left and was replaced by Phil Spector. Phil offered to "salvage" the tapes, and the boys -- sick of the whole thing -- gave him their blessing. He immediately went to work, adding strings, horns, celestial choirs -- in short, the whole Phil Spector "Wall of Sound." The result was the most heavily produced of all the Beatles albums -- the complete reversal of what John Lennon had argued for.

The release of Let It Be was held up until the album, single, and movie could all be ready at the same time. In the interim, three more 45s were issued: "Get Back," "The Ballad of John and Yoko," and a two-sided hit, "Come Together," backed with "Something." There were also two other albums: Hey Jude, a patchwork compilation; and Abbey Road, the Beatles' last collaborative effort.

On March 16, 1970, the single version of "Let It Be" was finally released, a year and two months after being recorded. A week later, it was on the charts, and by early the next month, it was the number-one song in America. The timing was perfect, because on April 11, Paul McCartney shocked the world by announcing that he was ready to "let it be." He was leaving the Beatles -- or, in his words, the Beatles left him: "No one wants to be the one to say the party's over." Within a few days, John, Paul, and Ringo confirmed that the group had broken up. "We just got sick of being side men for Paul," said John. "We had fun doin' it, but it's ended, mate."

On May 13, the movie Let It Be opened in New York. Not one Beatle attended the premiere. The album came out soon afterward and, of course, shot to the top of the charts. It spawned a final hit single, "The Long and Winding Road." That too, was number one.