Offered for auction is an extremely rare Beatles mono acetate of 'Let It Be' and 'You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)'. This version is the Phil Spector influenced version and was recorded by Lennon and McCartney on April 30, 1969 and then remixed by Spector on March 26, 1970. We believe this record was a personal copy of John Lennon's and has the titles hand written in "Apple" green crayon on both sides.
The fact that the band was managed by Allen Klien at the time, who was brought in by Lennon and the fact that probably only a handful of these acetates were ever made is a good indication of its provenance (although we have no way to prove this). After looking closely at the handwriting we believe that not only was this a personal copy of Lennon's, but the titles were actually written by John Lennon himself.
The record itself is in great condition and only shows some minimal wear to the edges and a little bit of flaking around the inside ring on the B side. There are a few small scratches and unfortunately there is a small skip in the beginning of 'Let It Be' and two less noticeable skips later in the song. This just may be from my record player, but thought it needed mentioning. Please listen to the song and hear for yourself. 'You Know My Name' plays extremely well with no skips but shows a little more wear then the A side. You can listen to 'Let It Be' by clicking Play below or you can save it to your computer as an MP3 file by right clicking HERE and selecting 'Save Target As'.
You can listen to 'You Know My Name (Look Up The Nmber)' by clicking Play below or you can save it to your computer as an MP3 file by right clicking HERE and selecting 'Save Target As'.
'Let It Be' runs 3:36 instead of 4:03 and there are a few verses that have slightly different lyrics then the popular video of the Beatles performing this song in 1970 (Click HERE to view) and 'You Know My Name' runs 4:10.
Also included is a rare Beatle Promo 45 RPM record from 1970 titled Dialogue from the Beatles' motion picture 'Let It Be'. It is a one-sided record, is marked 'Promo 1970 D-1' in the dead wax and is in M- condition.
About the Songs
Let It Be
Written by Paul during the sessions for The Beatles (a/k/a the "White Album"), "Let It Be" was inspired by a dream the singer had of his deceased mother, Mary, assuring him, amongst the turmoil of the Beatles' slow breakup, that everything would be all right. McCartney eventually transformed the song into a gospel-style number for the Get Back sessions that would eventually be released as the album Let It Be. The earliest known performance of "Let It Be" occurred on January 3, 1969, during rehearsals for the LIB project. It was rehearsed over 38 times on January 8, 9, 25-27, 29, and 31, 1969; Take 27 from the 31st was used as the basis for the official release. That take featured the song's third verse, written on the spot by Paul after it was decided one was needed.
On April 30, 1969, producer George Martin recorded a new solo from Harrison, although the single release of "Let It Be" would use the original solo from January 31, 1969. On January 4, 1970, George recorded yet another guitar solo, which was meant to sync up with the earlier solo and play simultaneously (this idea was later scrapped). Martin added backing vocals from Linda McCartney, at the insistence of Paul, and the resultant mix, with the original solo only, became the "single version" of "Let It Be." On March 26, 1970, producer Phil Spector, called in to save the Get Back/LIB project, remixed "Let It Be," adding his signature orchestra and choir. He used the more rocking January 4 solo instead, and also added an extra chorus at the end. This would become known as the "album version" of the song. McCartney was very displeased with Spector's version, but had no say in the matter. The band was being managed by Allen Klein, a move that Paul disagreed with, leading him to sue for dissolution of the band, and therefore Klein was allowed to bring in Spector.
You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)
The most bizarre official Beatles track released during the band's lifetime, "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" was written by John after he spotted a telephone book at Paul's home in the Spring of 1967 sporting the catchphrase "You know their name -- look up their number." John created the original chord sequence on piano, which he later described as a homage of sorts to the Four Tops, and Paul helped him develop the song into four distinct sections, each one variations on the same theme. John had apparently decided that the title phrase -- the only real words in the song -- should be repeated "like a mantra." The second section of the song, often referred to as "Slaggers," features the band breaking into a light samba (helped along by longtime associate Mal Evans, who manipulated a shovel in a pail of gravel to get the proper rhythmic effect) and Paul crooning the chorus in the manner of a cheesy cocktail lounge singer. At the beginning of the section, John ad-libs "Good evening and welcome to Slaggers, featuring Dennis O'Bell." At the end, he talks Paul off the "stage.". The third section is often referred to as the "Goon Show" section, as its goofy British music-hall flavor recalls the antics of a native radio show of the same name which ran from 1951-1960. The show, which featured Peter Sellers, was an obvious precursor to the Monty Python TV show, which has led some fans to believe the Pythons the true inspiration for this section. Yet the troupe didn't appear on the telly until the band had effectively broken up. The final section is a return to the lounge setting, but with a jazz shuffle feel. Rather than repeat the lyrics, John and Paul instead indulge in a series of increasingly comical grunts and groans. The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones, present in the studio on June 8th, comes in with a genre-specific alto sax solo. At the end of the track, John can be heard belching loudly. The original backing track for the first section was laid down in May 1967 during work on the seminal Sgt. Pepper album, requiring 16 takes. In June of that year, fourteen additional takes produced the other three sections. (The song was also performed on January 14, 1969, during the rehearsals for the "Get Back"/Let It Be project. Vocals, however, weren't recorded until April 30, 1969, when John and Paul set aside their increasing differences and performed all the vocals in one take into the same microphone, finally completing the song for release as the b-side of the group's new single ("Let It Be," completed at the same session). Finally, John edited the song from the original 6:18 length, which included a fifth section, to a single-length 4:19.
