It’s a story that all diehard Beatles fans know. But for the uninitiated or young, the tumultuous events around the Fab Four’s very last album may not be known. Let’s take a walk through music history and break down why The Beatles’ very last album, Let It Be, almost didn’t happen.
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The Band Was More Or Less Done Before The Album Was Recorded
The Beatles decided to call it quits in terms of touring back in 1966. And from that point on, there were a lot of things pushing the band members away from one another.
In 1967, The Beatles’ longtime manager Brian Epstein passed away. Epstein handled so much in terms of the band’s success that he was often referred to as “the fifth Beatle.” Without him, the band experienced a crisis of sorts. And with that crisis, Paul McCartney stepped in to push the band in the right direction. This sowed the seeds of resentment among the other band members, especially John Lennon.
On top of that, The Beatles were getting really sick of Lennon’s relationship with Yoko Ono, as well as his use of heroin. Just as well, George Harrison began to become a very talented songwriter, and he was itching to pen his own music. With all of these things happening at once, the end of The Beatles came a bit later than one would expect in 1970. It’s a wonder Let It Be ever got made.
The Recording And Release Of Let It Be Was Marred By Stress
Much of Let It Be was recorded between 1968 and 1970. The album was released about a month after the group announced that they were officially broken up.
The recording process and sessions for Let It Be were quite tumultuous. George Harrison temporarily left the band. Session keyboardist Billy Preston had to save the day a few times. Partway through the album’s sessions, the project ended up getting stuck in limbo. The band moved forward with Abbey Road instead.
Thankfully, the band managed to finish Let It Be. John Lennon left the band a few months prior to January 1970, so the remaining members completed recordings for “Let It Be” as well as “I Me Mine”. George Martin (another person often given the label “the fifth Beatle”) produced the album and it was eventually released in May.
Let It Be was a chart-topper upon its release, though it was eventually considered a critical failure. Today, it’s known as one of the greatest and also one of the most controversial pieces of work in rock music history. And we’re still surprised it managed to get a proper release, considering the drama going on with the band for years ahead of its recording.
Photo by Roy Cummings/THA/Shutterstock
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