Search - Replacements :: Let It Be (Reis) (Dlx) (Exp)

Agree with Bill Wikstrom's review and...

Rebecca H. Parker | Long Island. NY | 06/02/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

""I Will Dare", "Unsatisfied" and "Answering Machine" have ALL BEEN EDITED!!!

Small, but significant edits have been made to the tracks. Which changes the identity of the track(s) and the album. "Answering Machine" the beginning has been chopped off. No more Paul count off over buzzing guitar. No more back round fumbling before the start of "I Will Dare", in turn the track sounds more confident (for a lack of a better word). The backround after "Androgynous" are not only edited but also now bleed over onto the front (beginning) of "Black Diamond". Which sounds like a careless post-production boo-boo. But being intimately familiar with this album, it now sounds like it's someone else's album.



For something so well-established, it just seems pretty foolish for a revisionist history lesson as far as ANY editing of the original album tracks.



Glaring omissions aside ("Who's Gonna Take Us Alive", "Street Girl", "Sixteen Blue" - without Chan Polling's piano on the entire track (!!) which also had a very nice guitar feedback ending courtesy of Bob - now gone (as if it was never even there). And simply uninteresting, very uninforming and self-indulgent liner notes. The purchase is fine for the photos (with staples in the middle of frames) and beefier sound. Otherwise, it's just a bad re-issue which is unfortunate as it's been in the works (the idea of a reissue at very least) for a while now.



Will there be a box set forthcoming for all of the ommisions?"

Like the 'Mats themselves, a mixed bag

srellek | 04/30/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For those of us hoping that the Ryko/Rhino would give the Replacements the same treatment they gave Elvis Costello, LET IT BE and their other reissues are something of a disappointment.



The sound is great, no question. But there are two main shortcomings. One of which has rightly been noted already: there is too much wasted room on these discs. With all the boots extant from throughout the 'Mats career, there is a literal goldmine of material out there that could have been included to get these timings closer to 80 minutes -- and, more importantly, give a more complete picture of what the Replacements were all about. Without some chunk of concurrent live material, there is something important missing. For those of us lucky to have seen the band live over the years, that void is all the more glaring.



Second, the liner notes are mediocre to downright bad. There are some great bits from Peter Jesperson. The LIB essay is a navel-staring disaster. How anyone could have let that stand as a "tribute" to one of the greatest albums in rock history is beyond me. Again, unlike the gold standard that both Ryko and certainly Rhino had set with their reissues of Costello's work, there is absolutely no input from the artists themselves. No words/thoughts/remembrances from Paul, Tommy, or Chris. And maybe this was their choice. But it certainly makes for a less-than-definitive reissue of this work.



The music does sound great. Bottom line. And I don't mind paying a little more for a great repackaging of important music -- and both Ryko and Rhino have done this very well in the past. Unfortunately, this effort doesn't live up to that same standard."

Let It Be

Sherringford Clark | Mayor's Income, Tennessee | 05/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's a shame that "Let It Be" is getting anything less than 4 stars. I don't think this is the place to air grievances against the record industry. Whether or not this reissue is a rip-off, that doesn't make the album any less great. So I'm giving it 5 stars to even out the ratings here, but the reissue probably deserves about 3.



That being said, I wouldn't bother buying this re-release if you already have the 2002 Restless reissue, but it is worth updating if you still have the original TwinTone CD.



The liner notes represent the worst kind of musical nostlagia, complete fluff. I found the bonus tracks rather underwhelming and they really don't add anything at all. "20th Century Boy" is a rather tired performance, lacking the energy of the original and probably of the Mats' own live versions. The sole new original song among the bonus tracks, "Perfectly Lethal" boasts a few good lines, but was left off the album for good reason. "Temptation Eyes" and "Heartbeat - It's a Lovebeat" are solid covers but hardly required listening. And the two alternate versions of "Sixteen Blue" and "Answering Machine" add nothing.



The real problem with reissues like this (when the bonus material kind of stinks) is that now you can never just listen to the whole album by itself, but the bonus tracks will always spoil the listening experience. So it is probably smarter to stick to the 2002 reissue."