The Beatles will revisit their final album, 1970’s Let It Be, with a massive box set reissue this year. The expanded version of The Fab Four’s final studio release arrives on October 15th in a multitude of formats via Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe.
Though The Beatles are easily the most mythologized band in rock history, none of their works are as fabled, or divisive, as Let It Be. With the expanded reissue—which arrives in super deluxe packages featuring five CDs or four LPs—listeners are taken inside Apple, EMI, and Twickenham Studios in London to hear what actually happened ahead of the group’s dissolution as we separate fact from fiction.
The reissue features new, stereo 5.1 surround DTS and Dolby Atmos mixes from Giles Martin (son of producer George Martin) and Sam Okell of the original album. Additionally, the expanded edition contains a trove of in-studio material that shows the true camaraderie of the band that goes against the prevailing historical impression of a group at each other’s throats—though those moments do exist.
Numerous gems abound throughout the sessions as band members craft songs that would later end up on their solo works, including an early draft of George Harrison‘s “All Things Must Pass” and John Lennon and Paul McCartney workshopping the former’s “Gimme Some Truth”. Full audio of The Beatles’ iconic rooftop concert from Apple headquarters is also included in the expanded release.
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The physical and digital Super Deluxe collection contains 27 previously unreleased session recordings, a four-track Let It Be EP, and the never before officially released Get Back stereo LP mix complied by engineer Glyn Johns in May 1969.
The Super Deluxe CD and vinyl collections’ beautiful book features Paul McCartney’s foreword; an introduction by Giles Martin; a remembrance by Glyn Johns; insightful chapters and detailed track notes by Beatles historian, author, and radio producer Kevin Howlett; and an essay by journalist and author John Harris exploring the sessions’ myths vs. their reality. The book is illustrated, scrapbook style, with rare and previously unpublished photos by Ethan A. Russell and Linda McCartney, as well as never before published images of handwritten lyrics, session notes, sketches, Beatles correspondence, tape boxes, film frames, and more.
This reissue comes as the latest effort for the surviving Beatles to reclaim the murky history of their final album. On November 25th, Peter Jackson will premiere his long-awaited documentary, Get Back, on Disney+ as a three-part, six-hour miniseries chronicling the at-times tense recording sessions. The project aims to correct the overwhelming sentiment fostered by Michael Lindsay-Hogg‘s 1970 film, Let It Be, which depicted a band crumbling apart with every petty squabble and snide remark.
“In many respects, Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s remarkable footage captured multiple storylines,” Jackson said of the film. “The story of friends and of individuals. It is the story of human frailties and of a divine partnership. It is a detailed account of the creative process, with the crafting of iconic songs under pressure, set amid the social climate of early 1969. But it’s not nostalgia — it’s raw, honest, and human. Over six hours, you’ll get to know The Beatles with an intimacy that you never thought possible.”
Along with the album announcement comes the release of three tracks, the 2021 mix of “Let It Be”, the rooftop performance recording of “Don’t Let Me Down”, and a 1969 Glyn Johns mix of “For You Blue”. Pre-orders for the reissue of The Beatles’ Let It Be are now open here. Scroll down to see the full tracklist.
The Beatles – “Let It Be” (2021 Mix) / “Don’t Let Me Down” (First Rooftop Performance) / “For You Blue” (1969 Glyn Johns Mix)
Let It Be Special Edition
Tracklists
SUPER DELUXE [5CD+1Blu-ray + 105-page hardbound book in slipcase | digital audio collection]
CD1: Let It Be (new stereo mix of original album)
1: Two Of Us
2: Dig A Pony
3: Across The Universe
4: I Me Mine
5: Dig It
6: Let It Be
7: Maggie Mae
8: I’ve Got A Feeling
9: One After 909
10: The Long And Winding Road
11: For You Blue
12: Get Back
CD2: Get Back – Apple Sessions
1: Morning Camera (Speech – mono) / Two Of Us (Take 4)
2: Maggie Mae / Fancy My Chances With You (Mono)
3: Can You Dig It?
4: I Don’t Know Why I’m Moaning (Speech – mono)
5: For You Blue (Take 4)
6: Let It Be / Please Please Me / Let It Be (Take 10)
7: I’ve Got A Feeling (Take 10)
8: Dig A Pony (Take 14)
9: Get Back (Take 19)
10: Like Making An Album? (Speech)
11: One After 909 (Take 3)
12: Don’t Let Me Down (First rooftop performance)
13: The Long And Winding Road (Take 19)
14: Wake Up Little Susie / I Me Mine (Take 11)
CD3: Get Back – Rehearsals and Apple Jams
1: On The Day Shift Now (Speech – mono) / All Things Must Pass (Rehearsals – mono)
2: Concentrate On The Sound (mono)
3: Gimme Some Truth (Rehearsal – mono)
4: I Me Mine (Rehearsal – mono)
5: She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (Rehearsal)
6: Polythene Pam (Rehearsal – mono)
7: Octopus’s Garden (Rehearsal – mono)
8: Oh! Darling (Jam)
9: Get Back (Take 8)
10: The Walk (Jam)
11: Without A Song (Jam) – Billy Preston with John and Ringo
12: Something (Rehearsal – mono)
13: Let It Be (Take 28)
CD4: Get Back LP – 1969 Glyn Johns Mix
1: One After 909
2: I’m Ready (aka Rocker) / Save The Last Dance For Me / Don’t Let Me Down
3: Don’t Let Me Down
4: Dig A Pony
5: I’ve Got A Feeling
6: Get Back
7: For You Blue
8: Teddy Boy
9: Two Of Us
10: Maggie Mae
11: Dig It
12: Let It Be
13: The Long And Winding Road
14: Get Back (Reprise)
CD5: Let It Be EP
1: Across The Universe (unreleased Glyn Johns 1970 mix)
2: I Me Mine (unreleased Glyn Johns 1970 mix)
3: Don’t Let Me Down (new mix of original single version)
4: Let It Be (new mix of original single version)
Blu-ray: Let It Be Special Edition audio mixes
Dolby Atmos
96kHz/24-bit DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
96kHz/24-bit High Res Stereo (2019 Stereo Mix)
SUPER DELUXE VINYL [limited edition 4LP+12-inch EP + 105-page hardbound book in slipcase]
LP One: Let It Be (new stereo mix of original album)
Side 1
1: Two Of Us
2: Dig A Pony
3: Across The Universe
4: I Me Mine
5: Dig It
6: Let It Be
7: Maggie Mae
Side 2
1: I’ve Got A Feeling
2: One After 909
3: The Long And Winding Road
4: For You Blue
5: Get Back
LP Two: Get Back – Apple Sessions
Side 1
1: Morning Camera (Speech – mono) / Two Of Us (Take 4)
2: Maggie Mae / Fancy My Chances With You (Mono)
3: Can You Dig It?
4: Don’t Know Why I’m Moaning (Speech – mono)
5: For You Blue (Take 4)
6: Let It Be / Please Please Me / Let It Be (Take 10)
7: I’ve Got A Feeling (Take 10)
Side 2
1: Dig A Pony (Take 14)
2: Get Back (Take 19)
3: Like Making An Album? (Speech)
4: One After 909 (Take 3)
5: Don’t Let Me Down (First rooftop performance)
6: The Long And Winding Road (Take 19)
7: Wake Up Little Susie / I Me Mine (Take 11)
LP Three: Get Back – Rehearsals and Apple Jams
Side 1
1: On The Day Shift Now (Speech – mono) / All Things Must Pass (Rehearsals – mono)
2: Concentrate On The Sound (mono)
3: Gimme Some Truth (Rehearsal – mono)
4: I Me Mine (Rehearsal – mono)
5: She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (Rehearsal)
6: Polythene Pam (Rehearsal – mono)
7: Octopus’s Garden (Rehearsal – mono)
Side 2
1: Oh! Darling (Jam)
2: Get Back (Take 8)
3: The Walk (Jam)
4: Without A Song (Jam) – Billy Preston with John and Ringo
5: Something (Rehearsal – mono)
6: Let It Be (Take 28)
LP Four: Get Back LP – 1969 Glyn Johns Mix
Side 1
1: One After 909
2: I’m Ready (aka Rocker) / Save The Last Dance For Me / Don’t Let Me Down
3: Don’t Let Me Down
4: Dig A Pony
5: I’ve Got A Feeling
6: Get Back
Side 2
1: For You Blue
2: Teddy Boy
3: Two Of Us
4: Maggie Mae
5: Dig It
6: Let It Be
7: The Long And Winding Road
8: Get Back (Reprise)
12-Inch Let It Be EP
Side 1
1: Across The Universe (unreleased Glyn Johns 1970 mix)
2: I Me Mine (unreleased Glyn Johns 1970 mix)
Side 2
1: Don’t Let Me Down (new mix of original single version)
2: Let It Be (new mix of original single version)
DELUXE [2CD in digipak with 40-page booklet]
CD 1: Let It Be (new stereo mix of original album)
CD 2: Outtake Highlights
1: Morning Camera (Speech – mono) / Two Of Us (Take 4)
2: Maggie Mae / Fancy My Chances With You (Mono)
3: For You Blue (Take 4)
4: Let It Be / Please Please Me / Let It Be (Take 10)
5: The Walk (Jam)
6: I’ve Got A Feeling (Take 10)
7: Dig A Pony (Take 14)
8: Get Back (Take 8)
9: Like Making An Album? (Speech)
10: One After 909 (Take 3)
11: Don’t Let Me Down (First rooftop performance)
12: The Long And Winding Road (Take 19)
13: Wake Up Little Susie / I Me Mine (Take 11)
14: Across The Universe (unreleased Glyn Johns 1970 mix)
STANDARD [1CD | digital | 1LP vinyl | limited edition 1LP picture disc vinyl]
Let It Be (new stereo mix of original album)
View Tracklist
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Source: L4LM.com