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| Length = 35:10 | Label = Apple | Producer = | Last album = ''Abbey Road'' (1969) | This album = ''Let It Be'' (1970) | Next album = ''From Then to You'' (1970) | Misc = }} ''Let It Be'' is the twelfth and final studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 8 May 1970, almost a month after the group's break-up. Like most of the band's previous releases, it was a number one album in many countries, including both the US and the UK, and was released in tandem with the motion picture of the same name. The album was conceived as ''Get Back'', a return to the Beatles' earlier, less complicated approach to music. It was recorded and projected for release before their album ''Abbey Road'' (1969). For this reason, some critics and fans, such as Mark Lewisohn, argue that ''Abbey Road'' should be considered the group's final album and ''Let It Be'' the penultimate. The recording sessions began at Twickenham Film Studios in January 1969 as part of a planned documentary showing the Beatles preparing to return to live performance. A project instigated by Paul McCartney, the filmed rehearsals were marked by ill-feeling within the band, leading to George Harrison's temporary departure from the group. As a condition of his return, the Beatles reconvened at their own Apple Studio, where they completed the recordings with the help of guest musician Billy Preston. Following several rejected mixes by Glyn Johns, a new version of the album was created by Phil Spector. While three songs from the sessions were released as singles before the album's release, "Get Back" / "Don't Let Me Down" and "Let It Be", the songs were remixed by Spector for the album and "Don't Let Me Down" was not included. Despite a mixed review from ''Rolling Stone'' at the time of its release, the album was ranked number 86 in the magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2003 but was adjusted to number 392 in the 2012 version.〔Wenner, Jann S., ed. (2012). Rolling Stone – Special Collectors Issue – The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. USA: Wenner Media Specials. ISBN 978-7-09-893419-6〕 ''Let It Be... Naked'' was released in 2003, an alternative version of the album, stripping much of Spector's production work and using some different versions of songs. ==Background== By late 1968, more than two years after the Beatles gave up touring, Paul McCartney was eager for the group to perform live again. The sessions for that year's ''The Beatles'' (commonly known as the White Album) had seen a number of serious arguments and strained relations among the group. McCartney felt that the band's cohesiveness had been lost through years without playing live, and from using the studio not to record ensemble performances, but to make increasingly complex recordings made up of parts played individually by each Beatle as overdubs rather than as a group. He believed that the best way to improve band relations and revive enthusiasm was to get the group back into rehearsal as quickly as possible (the White Album sessions having concluded in October 1968) and begin work on a new album that made little or no use of studio artifice or multiple overdubbing. This would allow the group to return to their roots by playing as a true ensemble, recording some or all of the new album during a one-off live concert or full concert tour. This idea mirrored the "back to basics" attitude of a number of rock musicians at this time in reaction against the psychedelic and progressive music dominant in the previous two years. The concert itself would be filmed for broadcast on worldwide television, with the album released to coincide with it. McCartney also decided to invite producer/engineer Glyn Johns to contribute to the recording. His proposed role was apparently not clearly defined, as McCartney also wished to retain the services of George Martin. As a result, Johns was not entirely sure whether he was supposed to be producing (or co-producing) the album or merely engineering it, with Martin having no clear idea of where he stood either. As it turned out, Johns acted as engineer, whilst the band used Martin for advice and ideas as they worked. The other three Beatles were less enthusiastic about McCartney's proposals. They had just completed five months' work on their previous album and were sceptical about the prospects of returning to live performance. George Harrison in particular was opposed to the idea of touring, having taken the strongest dislike of any in the group due to the gruelling tours of the Beatlemania era.〔Spitz, Bob. "The Beatles". Back Bay Books, 2005, p.636.〕 However, he had recently enjoyed a series of jam sessions with Bob Dylan and the Band in America, rediscovering his liking for straightforward ensemble playing, and was attracted to the idea of the "back to basics" approach. The same approach greatly appealed to John Lennon, who had grown increasingly wary of what he regarded as the excessive technical artifice used on their recordings since ''Revolver'' and had also made a recent return to no-frills ensemble playing with an appearance on ''The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus''. In addition, all the group members had greatly enjoyed the recording of Lennon's White Album track "Happiness is a Warm Gun", which, due to its multiple sections and time signature changes, had required the Beatles to focus sharply and revive their ensemble playing skills to lay down a coherent basic rhythm track. In the end, the group agreed to convene for rehearsals immediately following New Year's Day 1969, even though no firm direction for the new project had been agreed on. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Let It Be」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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