LET IT BE

Rock's most poignant moment. For me the Beatles came to an end on a cold January day on the roof of a London building. The Beatles took some of the best material they ever recorded and walked to the roof of Apple, plugged in, and began jamming full volume to the streets below. It was an emotional and fitting end to the '60s greatest rock band. There was never any need for the "Abbey Road" album.

A portion of the "Let It Be" film may be "for fans" as it shows the lads discussing and rehearsing. Fascinating for me but for non-fans it could be boring. But the conclusion of the film makes this essential to all rock fans. First there are wonderful in-studio performances of the title track, "Long and Winding Road" and "Two us Us". Then there is the chance to see the boys perform live for the first time in years, and the last time in history. They nailed these songs and they had a blast doing it. That's right, contrary to the naysayers, The Beatles are clearly having a hoot jamming together and it shows to the camera. McCartney's vocal on "I've Got a Feeling" is viscerally powerful, it is literally one of rock and roll's greatest moments. Lennon is playful and fun as he blows a line intentionally (I think) in "Don't Let Me Down." Equally stunning is the version of "I Dig a Pony" with great harmonies and solos. Soon the mystified police would be coming up the stairs in their bid to end the public nuisance as the crowd of mostly delighted onlookers watched. The only downside is the lack of a proper spruced up DVD release. It was released on VHS/LD in the 80s but soon went out of print. Any DVD release currently is unofficial, boots of these original releases and pretty poor quality. Sadly, McCartney and Starr are blocking a proper DVD release of some of their finest work, reportedly believing that showing the darker side of the band could damage their image. What an absolutely tragic and stupid decision.

How surviving Beatles and some fans can be so down on the Let It Be project will always be the biggest musical mystery of my life. It gave us some of the band's finest material and gave us the precious, rare chance to see it performed live before the lights went out. It is a FANTASTIC historical visual document and contains essential versions of some of my favorite Beatles classics. Warts and all, Let It Be is real life and it is a masterpiece.

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