"Let It Be... Naked" is an alternative mix of The Beatles' 1970 album Let It Be, released on November 17, 2003, by Apple Records. The project was initiated by Paul McCartney, who felt that the original album's producer, Phil Spector, had not captured the raw, live-to-tape aesthetic that the band had originally intended. The album consists largely of newly mixed versions of the Let It Be tracks, with a focus on stripping away the orchestral overdubs and additional production elements that Spector had added, as well as omitting most of the incidental studio chatter.
Two tracks from the 1970 Let It Be release – "Dig It" and "Maggie Mae" – were omitted in Naked, while the non-album single "Don't Let Me Down" was added to replace them. This version of Let It Be presents the songs in a more straightforward, rock-and-roll style, which McCartney felt was closer to the original vision for the album.
The album was part of McCartney's desire to "get back" to the essence of the Beatles' sound, without the orchestral arrangements and embellishments that Spector had added to some of the songs, particularly "The Long and Winding Road." McCartney had always been dissatisfied with the final mix of this song and others that Spector had altered. The Naked project received approval from George Harrison before his death, while John Lennon, in a 1970 interview, had defended Spector’s work, saying that Spector had turned "a load of badly recorded shit" into something worthwhile. Harrison and Ringo Starr were also generally complimentary about Spector's contribution, with Starr noting that there was no point in bringing Spector in if the band wasn't going to like his approach.
In terms of differences, Let It Be... Naked excised "Maggie Mae" and "Dig It," as they were considered more suitable for a soundtrack album than a proper studio album. The song "Don't Let Me Down," which had been the B-side to the "Get Back" single, was included instead. This version of "Don't Let Me Down" was a composite edit made from the two rooftop concert performances. Additionally, the song "I've Got a Feeling" was also presented in a new composite edit, taken from two different takes recorded during the rooftop concert. On "The Long and Winding Road," the producers of Naked opted to use the final take of the song, recorded five days after the rough version that Spector had originally selected for the 1970 release.
Let It Be... Naked is a reimagining of the album that strips away the ornate production and offers a version of Let It Be closer to what McCartney, Lennon, Harrison, and Starr had initially intended. The album received mixed reviews but was praised for its raw, more direct approach, providing a different perspective on the final Beatles studio album.
