OH HELL YEAH!

Yesyesyesyes!

The Beatles' Apple Records is planning a new version of Let It Be, the 1970 album that was released as the group's swan song, for the fall. Though the album will feature the same track listing as the original, the music it contains has been stripped of the orchestration that was added by legendary producer Phil Spector -- thus restoring Paul McCartney's "back to basics" concept that originally underpinned the project.

"It's the de-Spectorized version," says Ringo Starr. "Same tracks, same people. I was listening to it recently, and it was really great. I've been away from it a long time too. It fills my heart with joy to hear that band that I was a member of. They were just great. And also, the quietness of the tracks: It's a beautiful CD."

You better believe I'm buying it again! There are some places where I like the Phil Spector-esque "wall of sound" concept. He did it to good ends with, say, "Be My Baby", prior to his work with the fab 4. I like the whole "now that Spector's passed on, we can bitch about him without worry" thing they all have going:

"Paul was always totally opposed to Phil," says Starr. "I told him on the phone [recently], 'You're bloody right again: It sounds great without Phil.' Which it does. Now we'll have to put up with him telling us over and over again, 'I told you.'"

(...)

Along with Starr and McCartney, another figure who will welcome the Let It Be reissue is veteran British producer Glyn Johns, who engineered the original sessions. "My version of [the song] 'Get Back' actually was released fairly quickly as a single," he says. "And my version of [the song] 'Let It Be' was also released, before Phil Spector puked all over it. And I hope you quote me on that. If you hear 'The Long and Winding Road' without all that schlock on it, it's fabulous just like it is."

Hehehe.

Anyway, in any incarnation, may I mention that Let It Be makes for great music for long car rides. :-)