h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Let It Be... Naked - A2057519
Author: Bluebottle: He's Back - And It's About Dinnertime - U43530

Let It Be... Naked is the "new" Beatles album, and this is a review of it.

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Looks good to me!

Excellent entry, although I think that Across the Universe is a dreadful song, personally.

I have to say I always thought the singing on it was terrible.

One thing I thought though was that the title's a bit narrow- it isn't just a review of Let it Be Naked, it's much more. How about "Let it Be... Naked- The Last Days of The Beatles"? Actually, that's a bit crap, but you get the idea

Nice one

Good article - haven't heard the whole album yet though (Santa is bringing me a copy)

Thanks - I'm glad you like the article so far. I could change the title, but feel that all I've really done is write a bit of the background behind how the album was made. I don't know - what does everyone else think?

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Wow. Fantastic entry!

With regard to the title, I'd just add the suffix '- the Album' as (shockingly) there are people who won't know what it is.
I know, I know, but what can y'do?




Now, y'didn't think I wouldn't go through an entry on my fave band and make notes now, did ya?


Two general points:
Dates - we don't use ordinal numbers for dates - just 17, not 17th. And album titles should be italicised, song titles come between single inverted commas.

"has finally been released as originally intended." Could I suggest 'was' finally released as...', just to make it a bit easier to read? Also - and this is just a personal feeling - perhaps it might be worth adding to the end of that sentence "... and as at least one of the surviving members had always hoped it would be."

"Although the final venue for this concert was never agreed, although..." repetition of 'although'. I'd drop the first one, and add the word 'upon' after agreed'.

"the TV Show, and he suggested". Try 'the TV show. It was O'Dell who suggested...'

[Sorry, just a side note, reading through this entry. The famous tribute band The Bootleg Beatles have a part of their act where they do the Let it Be era, during which they introduce their pianist "Billy... from Preston." ]

Under the header "The Get Back Albums" and before the table, I'd suggest just one line explaining that the first attempts at locking down the tracklist for the album produced some interesting differences.

Phil Spector possibly needs more explanation. How about 'legendary record producer Phil SpectorFamous for his 'Wall of Sound' production so recognisable in the music of 1960s girl bands such as the Shirelles, the Crystals and the Ronettes.

"Let It Be had been deliberately sandwiched between the albums weakest" - an apostrophe should come at the end of albums - album'

I should expect this to be snapped up by a Scout as soon as you say it's done.

Completely off-topic, but taking Jim's aside even further... there's a line in a Half Man Half Biscuit song which goes:
"I'm off to see the Bootleg Beatles - as the Bootleg Mark Chapman"

Okay - some changes made. I had originally had a section on Phil Spector, which gave a brief background of his Wall of Sound style and went on to say

"John was so impressed with Spector's work on Let it Be that Spector co-produced his next three albums, Plastic Ono Band, Imagine and Sometime in New York City. When John began work on his album of Rock 'n' Roll classics, Phil Spector was naturally asked to produce it. The tracks were recorded by December 1973, but Phil Spector refused to hand over the master tapes to Lennon for final production. When John asked to have the tapes Phil Spector threatened him with a gun. It is also believed that Phil Spector had fired his pistol at the studio roof during the recording sessions"

and also mentioned that John Lennon once said Spector put a pistol to singer Stevie Wonder's head, that Dee Dee Ramone, of the Ramones groups, alleged that Spector pulled a gun on him during one recording session and that he had threatened his wife Ronnie with a gun during their marriage, as well his recent arrest for murder.

It had all gone a bit gossipy, which isn't what I had intended, and far too side-tracked. I guess I'm biased against Phil Spector as he did play a part in breaking up the group, and I think the "Let It Be" songs sound better without his influence.

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Spector is a known nutter - all you have to decide is how germane this is to the existence of this album

I'mnot sure whether that's yikesable, #6, but can we just state for can we just state for the record that 'nutter' is an affectionate term in the UK and hope he doesn't sue us?

Of course!

This post has been removed.

Coming outta chokey - that's a line from 'Reasons to be Cheerful', isn't it?

A couple more changes have been made.
As it's coming up to Christmas I may not be able to be online for more than 15-20 minutes a week until the New Year - but in the meantime I think this article's pretty much complete except perhaps for a few grammatical changes (which a sub-ed can do if I don't have time for now), so hopefully when I get back to h2g2ing full time it'll have been picked.

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As Mr Spector's case hasn't actually come to trial yet, that comment does unfortunately come under libel. Sorry, FM. You can ask us to put it back up after the verdict is delivered.

OK, point taken. I apologise for making such prejudicial assertions about Mr. Spector, and accept that a man is innocent until proven guilty

He also has much better access to good lawyers than I do...

This looks great!

I'm tempted to mention that the rooftop concert was famously missed by Douglas Adams as related in one of his short stories in his final book 'Salmon of Doubt'.

Though I doubt it's really all that important. The man did love the Beetles though!

Great job BB!


- Jimi X