The Long and Winding Road
The Beatles regrouped in January of 1969 at the cold and impersonal Twickenham studio complex (appropriately not the more familiar Abbey Road Studios), and later at Saville Row (Apple Corps headquarters). Originally slated to be titled Get Back, the work they did would eventually be known as Let It Be after it was pieced together a year later by Phil Spector. Of course, a film was also made.
It is common knowledge that "the boys" knew the game was nearly up at this point. They had grown up, and apart. The "all for one and one for all" spirit of their early days was a distant memory. It wasn't fun anymore, and they couldn't hide this fact from the movie cameras or microphones. Even the generally upbeat Paul McCartney brought his most morose, melancholy tunes of the entire Beatles catalogue to the sessions. One was the song based on a dream he had of his deceased mum, "Let It Be," and the other was "The Long and Winding Road."
Way before the conception of The Beatles Anthlogy, a documentary about the band was planned, and the title was always going to be The Long and Winding Road. It was such a fitting title for The Beatles story, and the generation that grew up with them.
The performance in the video is the way McCartney preferred the song--without the lush orchestration and heavenly choir Phil Spector later added. Paul was able to release Let It Be the way he envisioned with 2003's Let It Be...Naked. I prefer the Spector version. The version on Let It Be...Naked just sounds wrong to me. It seems smaller, tinnier, and yes, naked (but not in a good way). The orchestration literally underscores the turmoil swirling around the Fabs as their world was falling apart.
It must be the Muzak-like quality that bothered McCartney so much. But I think it adds majesty. It gives it an epic quality. They'd done it before, and after, Let It Be. Can you imagine "A Day in the Life" (1967) without this moment or "Carry That Weight" (1970) without this beautiful section?? No, of course you can't. Phil Spector was right.
Labels: Beatles
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