Review of The Beatles The U.S. Albums - CD Box Set

 

The Beatles 2009 Stereo USB - More Than Just an Expensive Paperweight?

 

Beatles Minus One Project - 4CD RMW Collection

I had the pleasure of re-listening to the Beatles Minus One 4 CD bootleg collection. It was released in conjunction with the remastered Beatles 1 sets. This is an amazing collection of remixes and remasters from the Beatles outtakes library. You get to hear songs in a new light with side tracks brought to the front. And vocals stripped of extra backing tracks. Below is more information on this amazing set. Excellent work by the Beatles Remasters Workshop group. This has become one many fans' favorite bootleg sets. Highly recommended.

From the web:
It's a collection of single tracked vocal mixes of familiar tracks. Some of them are subtly different. On others the difference is dramatic and obvious. I hope you have fun spotting all the variations.

One of the reasons fans love the early BBC radio recordings so much is because there were rarely overdubs. The Beatles had marvellous untrained raw voices and I always felt that much of that power and subtlety was lost when they applied blanket double tracking to everything. Here you can hear just how good they were as singers. John's voice in particular on some of these tracks from 1965 onwards is just gorgeous. Listen to him on Nowhere Man, In My Life and Across The Universe to name but a few. Of course Paul was equally great in a different way, and I think the final 60 seconds or so of Back In The USSR is one of the most exciting things I have ever heard.

Also included is a bonus volume of other remixes. All the mixes were remixed by Lord Reith. He doesn't purport that these are "real" or "authentic" any more than anything else in this set. They are just a new way to enjoy familiar tracks, or to put right historical errors like the missing harmonica on From Me To You.

VOLUME 1

Don't Bother Me - after recording a live take The Beatles overdubbed some percussion including tambourine, claves and an Arabian drum. At the same time George double tracked his vocal, but here is the percussion version with a clean vocal.

I Want To Hold Your Hand - this is the raw take as performed live. After this they made an overdub onto the final track of the 4 track tape: John double tracked some of his vocals, George added some extra guitar riffs and presumably Paul and Ringo added the handclaps (see disc 3).

This Boy - this is another raw live take. The overdub consisted of John double tracking the middle section and George adding some extra guitar notes towards the end. According to Lewisohn there was also originally a guitar solo in the middle - probably after the line "till he's seen you cry".

A Hard Day's Night - this is the basic rhythm track with the live lead vocals muted. In their place is the overdub where John and Paul double tracked their voices; at the same time Ringo added bongos and cowbell and George a driving acoustic guitar part. A further overdub saw George add a 12-string electric guitar and George Martin piano.

I Should Have Known Better - presented without John's vocal double tracking.

If I Fell - presented without John and Paul's vocal double tracking. The second time around Paul stumbles over the lyric "was in vain" which, when combined with the subsequent vocal overdub, made it sound like his voice broke.

I'm Happy Just To Dance With You - this is the basic live take with George singing solo and John on guitar. For the overdub George double tracked his vocal while John and Paul added "ohhhh"s and Ringo percussion. George doesn't seem to have played any guitar on this song.

And I Love Her - presented without Paul's vocal double tracking.

Can't Buy Me Love - for the basic take the group played live but George's guitar work was erased and redone (the original solo can be heard faintly in the background). During an overdub Paul double tracked his voice and George double tracked his electric guitar solo. There was one further addition: 12 string electric guitar made after the return to England.

Anytime At All - a basic live take with George on 12 string once more and George Martin on piano. During an overdub John and Paul double tracked their vocals. Because of the way the lyrics crossed over, John left out different words on each vocal. Here he omits one word in the middle of every verse; in the other vocal he sings this word and then leaves a long pause before continuing in unison.

I'll Cry Instead - this is the basic live take. Onto this was overdubbed more guitar and vocals, plus tambourine.

Things We Said Today - the basic live take, after which Paul double tracked his voice adding harmonies and the others overdubbed piano, tambourine and some extra guitar.

I Feel Fine - presented without John, Paul and George's vocal double tracking.

Baby's In Black - this is the basic live take. Onto this John and Paul overdubbed two extra sets of vocals while George added a second lead guitar part including a solo.

Eight Days A Week - presented without John, Paul and George's vocal double tracking.

Leave My Kitten Alone - the group did a basic live take onto which they then overdubbed piano and tambourine and replaced George's lead guitar track (the old one can be heard in the background). This is how it sounded before John double-tracked his voice.

The Night Before - they seem to have recorded the rhythm track first with John on pianet and then added the vocals heard here. George played the solo twice, each time in a different octave. Paul then later added vocal double tracking.

I Need You - George not only double tracked his voice but also joined John and Paul to double track the background harmonies. Here there is only one set of vocals.

Ticket To Ride - during an overdub John double tracked his voice while Paul played a third electric guitar part and either George or Ringo rattled a tambourine. Here it is presented minus the overdub.

It's Only Love - this is how the basic performance would have sounded, with John on 12 string electric guitar similiar to the anthology take. On a subsequent overdub a vibrato electric guitar was added, and then a third guitar (Paul again?) along with tambourine and John's vocal double tracking. When George Martin remixed this song in the 1980s he did not fade down the second overdub towards the end as originally done, leading to some extra guitar and tambourine being heard.

I've Just Seen A Face - this performance harks back to the sound of their skiffle days with either Paul or John (or both) on acoustic guitar, George on 12 string acoustic and Ringo on brushes. An overdub added Paul's double tracking, marraccas and a second acoustic 12 string.

If You've Got Trouble - the basic take used the regular line up onto which Ringo added a vocal. During a different overdub Ringo double tracked his vocal, Paul and George chimed in with some "ohhh"s and George added a third guitar part for the solo. This mix uses some of the elements of that overdub but not Ringo's extra vocals. Rock on, anybody!

We Can Work It Out - the basic track consisted of drums, bass, acoustic guitar and tambourine. Paul and John added their vocals to this, and then a harmonium part was added (the one heard in this mix). The final overdub would have been the vocal double tracking by Paul with John simultaneously adding a second harmonium part (not heard here).

Day Tripper - as was common in this period the rhythm track was recorded first with the usual line up. The vocals heard here were then probably added and a subsequent overdub saw double tracked vocals, tambourine and (as was also common in this period) a third electric guitar added.

Nowhere Man - presented without John, Paul and George's vocal double tracking.

Think For Yourself - the basic track seems to have been drums, electric guitar and Paul on regular bass, to which Paul added "fuzz bass" (bass notes played on an electric guitar fed through a fuzz box) while the others played tambourine and maracca. John, Paul and George double tracked all of the vocals - only one batch is heard here.

The Word - one of the first times Paul was given a separate track for his bass. Presented here without John, Paul and George's vocal overdubbing.

Michelle - Paul seems to have played the guitar on this song in the same style as Yesterday and as he would later do on Blackbird and other songs. John's organ part is on the same track as the bass guitar. Paul did not double track his voice, but in the silent spaces in the track used for background harmonies he double tracked some of his guitar work. That final track is mixed out here. The ending seems to be authentic.


VOLUME 2

What Goes On - presented as a solo from Ringo without John and Paul's harmonies.

In My Life - presented without John, Paul and George's vocal double tracking.

Run For Your Life - presented without John and Paul's vocal double tracking.

Paperback Writer - a single tracked vocal from Paul. Also mixed out is the overdub where John and George added extra harmonies including "Frere Jacques". Paul played the aggressive electric guitar on this song, striving (if George is to be believed) to emulate Jeff Beck.

Eleanor Rigby - Paul seems to have been the only Beatle on this song. Only one of his vocal parts is heard here. Two more were overdubbed before the song was finished.

I'm Only Sleeping - John double tracked some of his vocals on this song while adding harmonies with Paul. The ADT effect was also later applied but is absent here.

Here There And Everywhere - presented without Paul's vocal double tracking. The harmonies by Paul, George and John are also single tracked.

And Your Bird Can Sing - presented without ADT on John's voice.

Dr Robert - presented without ADT on John's voice.

Penny Lane - Paul's voice is single tracked on the verses.

Strawberry Fields Forever - the first remake of this song (take 7), presented without John's vocal double tracking, but with the guitar and mellotron overdub not present on take 6.

Strawberry Fields Forever - the second remake (take 25), presented without John's vocal double tracking.

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - presented without John, Paul and George's vocal double tracking, and with the full "Billy Shears" ending.

All You Need Is Love - presented without John, Paul and George's vocal double tracking.

The Fool On The Hill - presented without Paul's vocal double tracking.

Your Mother Should Know - presented without Paul's vocal double tracking.

Across The Universe - presented without ADT on John's voice and guitar.

Back In The USSR - presented without John, Paul and George's vocal double tracking.

Come Together - presented without John's extra vocal parts.

Because - presented with single tracked vocals. On the record they were triple tracked.

Something - presented without George's vocal double tracking. However his own harmony parts are included.



Volume 3

From Me To You - a stereo equivalent of the mono single mix.

Thank You Girl - a stereo equivalent of the mono single mix.

The One After 909 - a stereo equivalent of the mono Anthology mix.

I Want To Hold Your Hand - the overdub during which they added various voices and instruments.

Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand - includes vocalisations on the right channel at the start not heard on Past Masters. When they recorded this song they took the basic rhythm track from I Want To Hold Your Hand and (because some elements were on a different track along with handclaps and vocals) George overdubbed some extra guitar and new handclaps were added. But the quality was poor for some reason. Here the left channel has been rebuilt in better sound.

Can't Buy Me Love - the other vocal and guitar solo (the first is heard on disc 1).

I Feel Fine - the other vocal overdub (the first is heard on disc 1). The guitar solo here is single tracked too rather than double tracked (George played it once on each vocal overdub).

Help! - the soundtrack to the "dart-less" clip with noticeably different vocals. This is taken from a 1966 German tv broadcast.

The Night Before - the other vocal overdub (the first is heard on disc 1).

That Means A Lot - a clearer and better balanced stereo mix than what has been heard before. On Sessions it is in faux stereo with copious reverb.

If You've Got Trouble - a different vocal from Ringo to that on disc 1.

Nowhere Man - the other vocal overdub (the first is heard on disc 1).

In My Life - the other vocal overdub (the first is heard on disc 2).

Yellow Submarine - a longer mix with the opening chant added (partially only), full sound effects, and the ending.

And Your Bird Can Sing - the original version (take 2) without the giggling. Remixed for better balance and stereo placement.

For No One - backing track.

Tomorrow Never Knows - with the guitar solo forwards rather than backwards.

Penny Lane - highlighting the myriad of small overdubs to this song.

Strawberry Fields Forever - a complete edit of take 25. The first verse is taken from an early mono mix. After this was made John apparently re-recorded his vocals, but never got around to finishing them, leaving the first verse blank.

Volume 4

Penny Lane - the stereo mix augmented with the trumpet flourish originally heard only on the advance promo.

Sgt Peppers - the complete track sans audience applause and with the original ending.

A Day In The Life - sans orchestra and with the unused "Ommmmmm" ending.

I Am The Walrus - complete stereo mix.

Obladi Oblada - the original version in a clear stereo mix. On Sessions it is in faux stereo with heavy reverb, ADT and limiting, giving the false impression of extra overdubs.

Revolution 1 - reconstruction of the version Lewisohn seems to describe in "Recording Sessions".

Old Brown Shoe - remixed to boost the very faint vocals. These were recorded (as was done with Not Guilty) by placing a microphone in the same room as a speaker through which George sang. As can be heard here, the results were slightly distorted, which is possibly why they were mixed so far down in volume.

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Beatles Minus One 4CD Box Set Track Listing

1-1 Don’t Bother Me (Percussion Version With A Clean Vocal)
1-2 I Want To Hold Your Hand (No Overdub-Raw Take)
1-3 This Boy (No Overdub-Raw Take)
1-4 A Hard Day’s Night (Basic Track Without Overdub)
1-5 I Should Have Known Better (Without Vocal Overdub)
1-6 If I Fell (Without Vocal Overdub)
1-7 I’m Happy Just To Dance With You (Without Vocal Overdub)
1-8 And I Love Her (Without Vocal Overdub)
1-9 Can’t Buy Me Love (Basic Track Without Vocal Overdub)
1-10 Any Time At All (Basic Track Without Overdub)
1-11 I’ll Cry Instead (Basic Track Without Overdub)
1-12 Things We Said Today (Basic Track Without Overdub)
1-13 I Feel Fine (Without Vocal Overdub)
1-14 Baby’s In Black (Basic Track Without Vocal Overdub)
1-15 Eight Days A Week (Without Vocal Overdub)
1-16 Leave My Kitten Alone (Basic Track Without Overdub)
1-17 The Night Before (Basic Track Without Overdub)
1-18 I Need You (Without Vocal Overdub)
1-19 Ticket To Ride (Without Overdub)
1-20 It’s Only Love (Basic Track Without Overdub)
1-21 I’ve Just Seen A Face (Basic Track Without Overdub)
1-22 If You’ve Got Trouble (Basic Track Without Overdub)
1-23 We Can Work It Out (Basic Track Without Overdub)
1-24 Day Tripper (Basic Track Without Overdub)
1-25 Nowhere Man (Without Overdub)
1-26 Think For Yourself (Basic Track Without Overdub)
1-27 The Word (Without Vocal Overdub)
1-28 Michelle (Basic Track Without Overdub)
2-1 What Goes On (Without Vocal Overdub)
2-2 In My Life (Without Vocal Overdub)
2-3 Run For Your Life (Without Vocal Overdub)
2-4 Paperback Writer (Without Vocal Overdub)
2-5 Eleanor Rigby (Without Vocal Overdub)
2-6 I’m Only Sleeping (Without Vocal Overdub)
2-7 Here, There And Everywhere (Without Vocal Overdub)
2-8 And Your Bird Can Sing (Without ADT Overdub)
2-9 Dr. Robert (Without ADT Overdub)
2-10 Penny Lane (Without Vocal Overdub)
2-11 Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 7 – First Remake)
2-12 Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 25 – Second Remake)
2-13 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Without Overdub / Full Billy Shears Ending)
2-14 All You Need Is Love (Without Vocal Overdub)
2-15 Foot On The Hill (Without Vocal Overdub)
2-16 Your Mother Should Know (Without Vocal Overdub)
2-17 Across The Universe (Without ADT Overdub)
2-18 Back In The USSR (Without Vocal Overdub)
2-19 Come Together (Without Vocal Overdub)
2-20 Because (Single Tracked Vocals)
2-21 Something (Without Vocal Overdub)
3-1 From Me To You (Single Version-Stereo)
3-2 Thank You Girl (Single Version-Stereo)
3-3 The One After 909 (Single Edit)
3-4 I Want To Hold Your Hand (Overdubs)
3-5 Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand (Clear Stereo Mix)
3-6 Can’t Buy Me Love (Alternate Mix)
3-7 I Feel Fine (Alternate Vocal)
3-8 Help (Film Version)
3-9 The Night Before (Alternate Vocal)
3-10 That Means A Lot (Clear Stereo Mix)
3-11 If You’ve Got Trouble (Alternate Vocal)
3-12 Nowhere Man (Alternate Vocal)
3-13 In My Life (Alternate Vocal)
3-14 Yellow Submarine (Complete)
3-15 And Your Bird Can Sing (Clear Stereo Mix)
3-16 For No One (Backing Track)
3-17 Tomorrow Never Knows (Forward Solo Mix)
4-1 Penny Lane (Minimalist Mix)
4-2 Strawberry Fields Forever (Complete Fast Version)
4-3 Penny Lane (Stereo With Trumpet Flourish)
4-4 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Complete Sans Audience)
4-5 A Day In The Life (Sans Orchestra)
4-6 I Am The Walrus (Complete Stereo Mix)
4-7 Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (Clear Stereo Mix)
4-8 Revolution 1 (Reconstruction)
4-9 Old Brown Shoe (Clear Vocal Mix)




Below are the complete artwork scans from the 4 CD set:

Source: https://www.giginjapan.com/beatles-minus-one-project-box/

You can listen to them online here:
D1: https://archive.org/details/minus-one-disc-one
D2: https://archive.org/details/01-what-goes-on-single-track
D3: https://archive.org/details/20220714_20220714_0214

More info is available here:
https://forum.beatlegdb.com/viewtopic.php?t=1943

https://mega.nz/file/IwVU0LTR#N_1zULyxkP7BQJP6jyJDfmz8smpK8DJ84ows2af6Ehc
https://mega.nz/file/8sE2XIha#cG-mn1kiUiVlpFZhTTdJEu1ND2bU5XvbuQsvJdandVI
https://mega.nz/file/UwNxFIyA#H227EMhotF2HPomEE6ovqeVB4nLOnSxsIOrN0P4jdoI

The Beatles Bootleg BBC Recordings 1963 on iTunes

 

Restored Let It Be film coming to Disney+ 05-08-24

The Beatles’ 1970 film Let It Be is coming to Disney+ on 8 May 2024.

The film, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg in January 1969, has been commercially unavailable since the 1980s. A documentary about the making of the film and Let It Be album, The Beatles: Get Back, was directed by Peter Jackson and released in November 2021.

In January 2019, at the time of the documentary’s announcement, a line in the press release stated: “Following the release of this new film, a restored version of the original Let It Be movie directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg will also be made available.” However, in the intervening five years there was no further news.

Jackson’s Park Road Post Production company restored the film from the 16mm negatives, including sound restoration using his machine-assisted learning (MAL) technology which was used in both The Beatles: Get Back and the ‘Now And Then’ single.

Although there is no word on a physical edition, the press release mentions that the film will “launch exclusively” on Disney+, suggesting a wider release to follow.

Here’s the full press release:

BURBANK, Calif. (April 16) – Today, Disney+ announced that Let It Be, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s original 1970 film about The Beatles, will launch exclusively on Disney+ May 8, 2024. This is the first time the film is available in over 50 years.

    First released in May 1970 amidst the swirl of The Beatles’ breakup, Let It Be now takes its rightful place in the band’s history. Once viewed through a darker lens, the film is now brought to light through its restoration and in the context of revelations brought forth in Peter Jackson’s multiple Emmy Award®-winning docuseries, The Beatles: Get Back. Released on Disney+ in 2021, the docuseries showcases the iconic foursome’s warmth and camaraderie, capturing a pivotal moment in music history.

    Let It Be contains footage not featured in the Get Back docuseries, bringing viewers into the studio and onto Apple Corps’ London rooftop in January 1969 as The Beatles, joined by Billy Preston, write and record their GRAMMY Award®-winning album Let It Be, with its Academy Award®-winning title song, and perform live for the final time as a group. With the release of The Beatles: Get Back, fan clamour for the original Let It Be film reached a fever pitch. With Lindsay-Hogg’s full support, Apple Corps asked Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production to dive into a meticulous restoration of the film from the original 16mm negative, which included lovingly remastering the sound using the same MAL de-mix technology that was applied to the Get Back docuseries.

    Michael Lindsay-Hogg says, “Let It Be was ready to go in October/November 1969, but it didn’t come out until April 1970. One month before its release, The Beatles officially broke up. And so the people went to see Let It Be with sadness in their hearts, thinking, ‘I’ll never see The Beatles together again. I will never have that joy again,’ and it very much darkened the perception of the film. But, in fact, how often do you get to see artists of this stature working together to make what they hear in their heads into songs. And then you get to the roof and you see their excitement, camaraderie and sheer joy in playing together again as a group and know, as we do now, that it was the final time, and we view it with full understanding of who they were and still are and a little poignancy. I was knocked out by what Peter was able to do with Get Back, using all the footage I’d shot 50 years previously.”

    “I’m absolutely thrilled that Michael’s movie, Let It Be, has been restored and is finally being re-released after being unavailable for decades,” says Peter Jackson. “I was so lucky to have access to Michael’s outtakes for Get Back, and I’ve always thought that Let It Be is needed to complete the Get Back story. Over three parts, we showed Michael and The Beatles filming a groundbreaking new documentary, and Let It Be is that documentary – the movie they released in 1970. I now think of it all as one epic story, finally completed after five decades. The two projects support and enhance each other: Let It Be is the climax of Get Back, while Get Back provides a vital missing context for Let It Be. Michael Lindsay-Hogg was unfailingly helpful and gracious while I made Get Back, and it’s only right that his original movie has the last word… looking and sounding far better than it did in 1970.”

    Let It Be, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, stars John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, with a special appearance by Billy Preston. The film was produced by Neil Aspinall with The Beatles acting as executive producers. The director of photography was Anthony B Richmond.

    Let It Be will debut exclusively on Disney+ May 8, 2024.


Source: https://www.beatlesbible.com/2024/04/16/restored-let-it-be-film-coming-to-disney-plus/

Let It Be Movie Restored and Streaming on Disney+ 05-08-24

Word started to spread a few days ago, that the Let It Be documentary film from 1970, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, was about to finally become available again. Yesterday, I was told that the film will debut on Disney+ in May, and will be released on physical media later this year.

I wrote about it over on my Norwegian Wood blog, and made a mock-up of a blu-ray cover, just as an illustration. Over on Facebook, I published the same picture on the Daily Beatle Facebook page, with no words, as I figured news would be out in an official capacity soon.

I was rewarded just a few hours later, when the official social media accounts of the Beatles displayed the photo teaser seen above, with the sentence “There will be an answer.” Which, of course, is from the lyrics of the song “Let It Be”. And which song did Paul McCartney perform in public just a few days ago at the Jimmy Buffett tribute at the Hollywood Bowl?

People have been asking why do we need the “Let It Be” movie, we have already been given more than seven hours of that era in Peter Jackson’s “Get Back” documentary, which has been available on Disney+ since November 2021.

There are many reasons for “Let It Be” to be available. Remember those few glimpses we get in Jackson’s TV documentary of the 31 January recordings? The day after the rooftop concert? The three songs they recorded then, “Let It Be”, “The Long and Winding Road and “Two Of Us” are represented with complete footage and audio in Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s “Let It Be”. And there are plenty more interruptions of songs in the rooftop segment in Jackson’s documentary. There are lots more interviews with people on the street and much more footage of the police, waiting and eventually going up on the rooftop to stop the show. There are fewer interviews and less police scenes in Lindsay-Hogg’s film, allowing us to enjoy fuller versions of the songs.

For complete satisfaction and an uninterrupted concert though, one has to settle for the album “Get Back (Rooftop Performance)” which is available from several streaming platforms.

It is important that Lindsay-Hogg’s film is available, as it’s one of The Beatles’ films made when they were together, alongside “A Hard Day’s Night”, “Help!”, “Magical Mystery Tour” and “Yellow Submarine”. And it’s important that it is available on a disc, because: Where are those other iconic Beatles films available on streaming platforms? I believe perhaps you might be able to find “A Hard Day’s Night”, but forget about finding the others. Streaming movies are for the mass consumption market for the general public, not for those interested in niches or cult films.

Anyway, you need not worry. Even if the rumours about a physical release should prove to be untrue, bootleggers will make available the film as soon as they have recorded it from Disney+.

Of course now speculations are all about the format, and whether or not Jackson has applied the same method of enhancing the picture quality as he did with “Get Back”, where faces are somewhat plastic looking in places. Will this new release be “Let It Be” as rebuilt by Peter Jackson, sticking to the same scenes as Lindsay-Hogg? In a January 2022 interview, Lindsay-Hogg claims that for the last two or three years, he has been working with the director of photography Tony Richmond on the print, so it looks totally different, and Giles Martin has been working on the soundtrack.

One problem with the original “Let It Be” film is that sometimes the wrong sound was overdubbed, like a different take of the song or you can see an out of place instrument being picked. For the sake of being true to the original, will these flaws be kept in? We’ll find out soon enough.

TIMELINE: LET IT BE (movie)

1969: 16mm footage of the Beatles filmed in January for proposed TV Special and album, “Get Back”. Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg.

1969: The Beatles all attend a screening of a rough cut of the movie on July 20. Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg recalled that it was about an hour longer than the released version.

1969: Film and album shelved for now, new album “Abbey Road” recorded and released.

1969-70: Footage reworked for movie screening, to fulfill 3 film contract with United Artists.

1970: Theatrical release. Film has been blown up to 35mm, sound is in mono, retitled “Let It Be”.

1975: BBC 1 shows the film on Boxing Day. 16mm version, mono.

1979: Four years later, BBC 1 again shows the film on Boxing Day. 16mm version, mono.

1980: John Lennon is killed.

1981: Home Video release (USA) of 35mm film pan-and-scan: VHS, Betamax, Laserdisc and Videodisc on 20th Century Fox/Magnetic Video Corporation. Mono.

1982: TV screening (UK) of 16mm cropped version on BBC TV. Mono.

1983: TV screening (West Germany – Bayerische Rundfunk). 16mm version, mono. The film was also shown on TV in several other countries, Finland and Australia among them, but we have no full overview of this. And of course, the film was also shown on TV in the seventies.

1992: Original 16mm film restored by Ron Furmanek for Apple, with remastered sound mixed by Furmanek, assisted by George Martin, in stereo when multitracks exist.

1995: Restored footage from film and outtakes shown on “The Beatles Anthology” TV series.

1997: VCI (UK) announces plans to release “Let It Be” on VHS. It doesn’t happen.

2001: George Harrison succumbs to cancer.

2002: Paul McCartney says plans for DVD release alongside “Let It Be…Naked”.

2003: Original 16mm film plus outtakes restored by Bob Smeaton.

2003: “Let It Be…Naked” album released. Outtakes from “Let It Be” film used in promotion of album. No sign of the film on DVD.

2003: Movie director Lindsay-Hogg says 2 DVDs with the film and outtakes ready for 2004.

2004: A review of a 3 disc version appears online.

2005: “The Toronto Sun” features interview with Bob Smeaton who says a DVD will come out that year.

2006: In a US radio show, Bob Smeaton gives three possible release dates in 2006 for the DVD.

2007: Apple Corps Ltd register the domain name letitbemovie.com.

2007: Neil Aspinall says the film is still too controversial for release.

2008: Yoko Ono says the DVD will not be released yet.

2008: “The Daily Express” (UK) says DVD was cancelled by Paul and Ringo.

2009: Unidentified “insider” claims Yoko Ono is the one blocking the release.

2009: Theatrical screening at a film club in Philadelphia, PA. Good print, poor mono sound.

2010: BBC radio show says DVD is still considered for release at a future date.

2011: Original film and outtakes re-transferred again in higher resolution for future release.

2012: Film due out for 50th anniversary of “Love Me Do”, but plans are again scrapped.

2012: Richard Porter learns from insider that the film may be released in 2014 or 2015.

2012: Ringo says: “One day that will come out, but we’re not thinking about it right now”.

2013: The “Let It Be…Naked” album released on iTunes and two videos made available for download: “Get Back” and “Don’t Let Me Down” – both compiled in 2003 of outtakes from the original “Let It Be” movie.

2013: “Help!”, “Magical Mystery Tour” and “Yellow Submarine” restored and released on Blu-ray.

2014: “A Hard Day’s Night” released on Blu-ray.

2015: Ringo confirms that “Let It Be” will eventually be released, just not this year.

2015: The last 34 minutes of Furmanek’s unpublished 1992 restoration uploaded on YouTube

2015: Apple releases a collection of The Beatles’ promotional films on Blu-ray and DVD. The material from “Let It Be” looks unrestored. This triggers speculation that Apple saves the restored version for a later stand-alone release.

2016: Bootleg company HMC releases the 1992 restoration of the film on a DVD+CD package in NTSC and an aspect ratio of 4:3, with the lower part of the picture cropped.

2016: Paul tells Rolling Stone that he keeps promoting a release of the film internally.

2017: In an interview with the film’s Cinematographer Tony Richmond in February, it was revealed that “Since then, we remastered it for DVD and there were so many outtakes that weren’t used in the film that really show the acrimony between all of the Beatles. But that’s still being held up by George Harrison’s estate and his wife and Yoko Ono because they don’t want the acrimony shown.”

2018: A new movie is being planned: In an interview with a radio station in Quebec, Canada in September, Paul McCartney was asked about the fate of the Beatles’ “Let It Be” film. “We keep talking about that,” Paul confirmed, “we have meetings at Apple”. Paul thinks there is “some talk” about making a new movie, re-editing it from the same footage. “Who knows, that may be happening in a year or two,” Paul concludes, obviously knowing a lot more about the subject.

2019: In January, in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the rooftop concert, The Beatles announced that a new film will be made, culled from the 55 hours of Get Back film footage available. The new film will be directed by Sir Peter Jackson. A release date is not announced, but the announcement says that a restored original “Let It Be” film will also be made available in conjunction with the new film. However, while there were plans to show the new documentary in cinemas starting in 2020, no plans were made to screen the original “Let It Be” film that year.

2020: On December 20,  Peter Jackson introduced a “sneak peek” – teaser for the upcoming film. The footage looks better than ever before. During the pandemic, the film has morphed into a TV series, Jackson keeps adding more and more footage in order to tell the whole story of the “Let It Be” album in his series.

2021: On June 17, 2021, it was announced that the Peter Jackson film is not going to theatres after all, it will be expanded to three two hour episodes and will debut on the Disney+ channel on November 25, 26 and 27. No word about the fate of the original “Let It Be” film.

2022: The Get Back series debuts on DVD and blu-ray in the States, only blu-ray elsewhere. A faulty first run is recalled and it takes time to ship the replacement discs. Meanwhile, several bootleggers have released their own product featuring the series, with more languages available as subtitles than the official product, and bonus material, sometimes including the full “Let It Be” film.

2022: In an interview with Cigar Aficionado, Michael Lindsay-Hogg says that “Let It Be” will come out, but he is unsure of how. “For the last two or three years, the director of photography Tony Richmond and I have been working on the print, so it looks totally different and Giles Martin has been working on the soundtrack”.

2023: In August, the U.S. Beatles fanzine Beatlefan reported of an upcoming relaunch of “Let It Be” that it was exactly as it originally was in 1970 with an upgraded soundtrack made possible by Jackson’s crew, remixed by Giles Martin and Paul Hicks. At the same time, Michael Lindsay-Hogg said in an interview that he was hoping for the relaunch to happen in 2023 or early 2024.

2024: Let It Be finally becomes available on the Disney+ streaming platform in May.

See also this timeline explained in detail here.

Source: https://webgrafikk.com/blog/news/let-it-be-at-last/

Beatles - The Ultimate 'Sessions' Collection

Sessions was a cancelled compilation album of previously unreleased tracks by the Beatles, planned for release by EMI in 1985 but never issued officially, due to objections by the surviving Beatles. The album consists of 13 finished but unreleased Beatles songs. A planned single containing two of the tracks from Sessions – "Leave My Kitten Alone", backed with an alternative version of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" – was also left unissued. The idea was resurrected in 1995 as the greatly expanded three-volume double CDs called The Beatles Anthology with an accompanying six-hour documentary.

However, other bootleg labels came up with their own sets of unreleased tracks.

The Beatles Ultimate Sessions Collection is a 2 CD set. It has a nice selection of rare tracks in very good sound quality. It has appeared under several labels. I have been enjoying revisiting this collection. A detailed track listing appears below.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISC ONE - US black and white version, includes original "Sessions" mixes taken from DESS "Sessions" (Version 2)

01 Come And Get It
02 Leave My Kitten Alone
03 Not Guilty
04 I'm Looking Through You
05 What's The New Mary Jane
06 How Do You Do It
07 Besame Mucho
08 One After 909
09 If You've Got Trouble
10 That Means A Lot
11 While My Guitar Gently Weeps
12 Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues
13 Christmas Time (Is Here Again)
14 Revolution 1 (take 18) - Sessions (Fake Apple) ST 12373/4 (2LP set)
15 And Your Bird Can Sing (take 2) - Purple Chick Revolver Deluxe Edition
16 She's A Woman (take 7) - Purple Chick Beatles For Sale Deluxe Edition
17 Yes It Is (rechannelled stereo) - Past Masters Vol. 1 (left channel-stereo mixed to mono/right channel-OOPsed version)
18 For You Blue ("Get Back" album version) - Purple Chick Let It Be Deluxe Edition
19 Free As A Bird (outfake) - Upgraded Collection-Highlights
20 Come And Get It (take 5) - Sessions (Fake Apple) ST 12373/4 (2LP set)
21 I'm A Loser (take 2) - Purple Chick Beatles For Sale Deluxe Edition
22 Don't Bother Me (take 10) - Purple Chick With The Beatles Deluxe Edition
23 Dizzy Miss Lizzy ("backing track" outfake) - Help (OOPSed)
24 Revolution (take 15)
25 Hello Goodbye (take 1) - Miscelleneous Tracks (Yellow Dog 2005)

DISC TWO - UK colour version - fake EMI PROMO CD configuration, All tracks taken from Another Sessions...PLUS

01 Hello Little Girl - Hope We Passed The Audition (Purple Chick)
02 Love Of The Loved - Hope We Passed The Audition (Purple Chick)
03 How Do You Do It (Ultra Rare Trax mix) - Please Please Me Deluxe Edition (Purple Chick)
04 Do You Want To Know A Secret (take 7) - Please Please Me Deluxe Edition (Purple Chick)
05 One After 909 (true stereo outfake) - DESS "Sessions" (Version 2)
06 That Means A Lot (stereo version) - Help! Deluxe Edition (Purple Chick)
07 Shout (complete - mostly stereo) - Anthology 1 + Around And Around (Silent Sea)
08 Leave My Kitten Alone (stereo version) - Beatles For Sale Deluxe Edition (Purple Chick)
09 I'm Looking Through You (alt. stereo mix) - Rubber Soul Deluxe Edition (Purple Chick)
10 Paperback Writer (alt. stereo mix) - Anthology VHS
11 Strawberry Fields Forever (takes 4,25,26) - Sgt. Pepper Deluxe Edition (Purple Chick)
12 The Fool On The Hill (demo) - Anthology 2
13 I Am The Walrus (reference mix) - DESS Casualties
14 While My Guitar Gently Weeps (unedited take 1)
15 What's The New Mary Jane (complete alt. mix) - Another Sessions...PLUS + Miscelleneous Tracks (Yellow Dog 2005)
16 Not Guilty (unedited take)
17 I Me Mine (acetate) - Acetates (2002)
18 Goodbye (acetate) - Acetates (2002)

HIDDEN TRACKS:
19 Like Dreamers Do - Hope We Passed The Audition (Purple Chick)
20 Besame Mucho (Ultra Rare Trax mix) - Hope We Passed The Audition (Purple Chick)
21 If You've Got Trouble (alt. stereo mix)
22 Christmas Time Is Here Again (alt. stereo mix)
23 Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues (stereo reconstruction using "Sessions" configuration)
24 Come And Get It (stereo demo)

BONUS TRACKS (from original US versions):
25 Medley: Obladi Oblada/Christmas Time (Is Here Again) - Ultra Rare Trax Vol. 5
26 Real Love (video mix) - Anthology DVD

Below are similar albums under different labels.

 

More info available here:

https://www.guitars101.com/threads/the-beatles-the-ultimate-sessions-collection-sbd.757666/

https://superdiscografiathebeatles.blogspot.com/2021/09/2021-ultimate-sessions-collection.html

https://music-that-we-adore.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-beatles-bootleg-albums-320kbps.html

https://we.tl/t-jXwqIAaSYg