# The Beatles: Let it Be vs. Let it Be...Naked **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 20, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-let-it-be-vs-let-it-be-naked/568275 "2011-01-20T02:36:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-let-it-be-vs-let-it-be-naked/568275/1 "2011-01-20T02:36:41Z")
Which version do you prefer? Feel free to elaborate on your choice if you like. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-let-it-be-vs-let-it-be-naked/568275/2 "2011-01-20T02:55:46Z")
Stripping off the production overkill for _Naked_ was a nice idea–I’ve always favored the bootlegged non-orchestrated version of “Long and Winding Road”–and including “Don’t Let Me Down” was a big plus, but if the point was to bring the album back in line with its original audio-verité/“the Beatles as nature intended” concept, then _Naked_ falls down by eliminating the between-track studio/rooftop chatter and the impromptu bits like “Dig It” and “Maggie Mae.” (Hell, I’ve always wanted them to release the full, unedited “Dig It” jam!) I’ll go with the original album. It’s flawed, but it has more character. The stingy 12-minute “Fly on the Wall” bonus disc was a missed opportunity, too. ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-let-it-be-vs-let-it-be-naked/568275/3 "2011-01-20T08:31:24Z")
Is the DVD only 12 minutes?! Beatles albums are pretty much always maximum price so I’m slooowly working my way through collecting their non-studio-canon output (the _Anthology_ albums, _Love_, any album that wasn’t included in the 2009 box set, etc.) and _Let It Be… Naked_ seems like the least important to get, but I imagine I’ll be buying it soon because I’ve almost got everything else. Anyway the point is even though it is annoyingly expensive I always thought “well, at least it comes with a bonus DVD” - but 12 minutes! That sounds almost as crap as the “mini-documentaries” (i.e. weird boring moving picture things) from the remasters. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Conqueror\_Worm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@The\_Conqueror\_Worm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Conqueror_Worm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-let-it-be-vs-let-it-be-naked/568275/4 "2011-01-20T09:11:20Z")
I used to own a copy of J. Lennon and Y. Ono’s Two Virgins. All I can say is Please John and O, put on some clothes. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-let-it-be-vs-let-it-be-naked/568275/5 "2011-01-20T12:53:58Z")
> [@multimediac17](#): > > Is the DVD only 12 minutes?! It’s not a DVD, just a CD. I was wrong about the time, though–it’s 22 minutes, not 12. ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-let-it-be-vs-let-it-be-naked/568275/6 "2011-01-20T14:48:02Z")
No question in my mind - “Naked” wins, hands down. The songs were written with a stripped-down production aesthetic in mind, and work far better in that context. Phil Spector took what could have been one of the Beatles’ best albums and turned it into a turd; the producers of “Let It Be… Naked” were just returning the songs to their intended glory. Plus, George’s solo in the “Naked” version of “Let It Be” is the single best piece of guitar playing he ever did. It is the epitome of a good solo - one that elevates the emotional tone of the song at exactly the moment it needs to. I can take or leave the between-song chatter (although I do miss John’s “Sweet Loretta Fart” bit). The important thing is the songs themselves, and the “Naked” versions are vastly superior. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-let-it-be-vs-let-it-be-naked/568275/7 "2011-01-21T01:47:30Z")
I don’t own _Let It Be_… always considered it too “schmaltzy”. So I bought the _Naked_ version, and it’s … a little less schmaltzy. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-let-it-be-vs-let-it-be-naked/568275/8 "2011-01-21T02:07:27Z")
I prefer _Naked_ sonically, plus it doesn’t make me think of murder as much. ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-let-it-be-vs-let-it-be-naked/568275/9 "2011-01-21T04:43:23Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > It’s not a DVD, just a CD. I was wrong about the time, though–it’s 22 minutes, not 12. Well how about that, I always thought it was a DVD! A CD actually makes the purchase more attractive to me now, I’ll always prefer bonus audio over bonus video. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-let-it-be-vs-let-it-be-naked/568275/10 "2011-01-21T06:08:18Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Stripping off the production overkill for _Naked_ was a nice idea–I’ve always favored the bootlegged non-orchestrated version of “Long and Winding Road”–and including “Don’t Let Me Down” was a big plus, but if the point was to bring the album back in line with its original audio-verité/“the Beatles as nature intended” concept, then _Naked_ falls down by eliminating the between-track studio/rooftop chatter and the impromptu bits like “Dig It” and “Maggie Mae.” (Hell, I’ve always wanted them to release the full, unedited “Dig It” jam!) I’ll go with the original album. It’s flawed, but it has more character. Definitely agree with this. I’ve had the bootleg for ages, and it was nice to be able to buy an official copy of most of it, but the long version of “Dig It” would have been nice to include. My bootleg also has a version of “Teddy Boy” with John chiming in. I was forced to listen to “Long and Winding Road” over and over again the summer it was being played by Top 40 stations, and despise the Spector travesty. This one isn’t great, but at least it isn’t a crime against nature.