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Let It Be

 
Album Review: Let It Be

  • Artist: Laibach
  • Rating: StarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: 1988
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Probably the band's most famous release in the English-speaking world, Laibach's Let It Be -- unlike the Replacements' album -- didn't just name itself after the Beatles' swan song, it full-on covered every last bit of it, with the notable exception of the title track ("Maggie Mae" gets a Slovenian folk tune substituted for it). Having spent some time beforehand drawing any number of parallels of right-wing extremism with their home country's government and the West alike, especially when it came to the resemblance of big rock concerts to totalitarian rallies, all Laibach had to do was tackle what they felt was the Beatles' worst album. In some respects, Let It Be wasn't that hard of an effort -- songs like "Get Back," "I Me Mine," and "One After 909" simply had to have the Laibach elements applied (growled vocals, martial drums, chanting choirs, overpowering orchestrations, insanely over-the-top guitar solos) to be turned into bizarre doppelgängers. The sheer creepiness of hearing such well-known songs transformed, though, is more than enough reason to listen in -- "Dig It" in particular becomes a full-on Third Reich chant, only to be trumped by the meta-metal fake-live recording blast of "I've Got a Feeling." In a more subtle way, "Across the Universe" easily trumps the original, only a female choir, harpsichord, and organ turning it into a disturbed anthem of acquiescence. Meanwhile, other efforts like "Two of Us" have a smooth, strong passion to their arrangements -- the sheer appeal of the commanding delivery in its own way helps explain the appeal of stage-managed demonstrations and performance. It's a joke endlessly folded in on itself, a killing joke and then some. Happily, it's just as funny as it is disturbing, and points for the hilariously unsettling cover art as well. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Get Back (Lyrics) Paul McCartney, John Lennon Laibach (4:25)
Two of Us (Lyrics) Paul McCartney, John Lennon Laibach (4:04)
Dig a Pony Paul McCartney, John Lennon Laibach (4:40)
I Me Mine (Lyrics) George Harrison Laibach (4:41)
Across the Universe (Lyrics) John Lennon, Paul McCartney Laibach (4:15)
Dig It Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon Laibach (1:32)
I've Got a Feeling Paul McCartney, John Lennon Laibach (4:34)
The Long and Winding Road Paul McCartney, John Lennon Laibach (1:49)
One After 909 (Lyrics) John Lennon, Paul McCartney Laibach (3:20)
For You Blue (Lyrics) George Harrison Laibach (5:10)
Maggie Mae Traditional Laibach (3:41)

Credits

Iztok Turk (Mixing), Iztok Turk (Engineer)
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Wikipedia: Let It Be (Laibach album)
Top
Let It Be
Studio album by Laibach
Released 1988
Recorded 1988
Genre Industrial
Length 42:31
Label Mute Records
Professional reviews
Laibach chronology
Opus Dei
(1987)
Let It Be
(1988)
Sympathy for the Devil
(1988)

Let It Be is the fifth album by Laibach, released in 1988. It is a cover of the Beatles' album Let It Be recorded in Laibach style with military rhythms and choirs, though a few tracks deviate from this formula, most notably "Across the Universe". The title track is omitted and "Maggie Mae" is replaced by the German folk song "Auf der Lüneburger Heide". "For You Blue" begins with Moondog's "Crescent Moon March", which is subsequently used as a counter-melody.

Track listing

  1. "Get Back" (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) – 4:25
  2. "Two of Us" (Lennon/McCartney) – 4:04
  3. "Dig a Pony" (Lennon/McCartney) – 4:40
  4. "I Me Mine" (George Harrison) – 4:41
  5. "Across the Universe" (Lennon/McCartney) – 4:15
  6. "Dig It" (Lennon/McCartney/Harrison/Richard Starkey) – 1:32
  7. "I've Got a Feeling" (Lennon/McCartney) – 4:34
  8. "The Long and Winding Road" (Lennon/McCartney) – 1:49
  9. "One After 909" (Lennon/McCartney) – 3:20
  10. "For You Blue" (Harrison) – 5:10
  11. "Maggie Mae (Auf der Lüneburger Heide & Was gleicht wohl auf Erden)" (Traditional) – 3:41

External links

CoverTogether Review


 
 
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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Let It Be (Laibach album)" Read more