I have to say it (and I'm sure it's been said plenty of times before): Let It Be was not an impressive Beatles album. The fact that it was compiled from "leftover" Beatles songs, from before Abbey Road was even recorded, really shows. I now fully understand and agree with the majority of Beatles critics and fans who consider Abbey Road to be the official "final" Beatles album; the alternative is trying to swallow Let It Be as a goodbye, and it just doesn't work.
That's not to say that there weren't any noteworthy songs on this one. My favorite was "Across the Universe", a very well-written song, and I also enjoyed "Get Back" and "Let It Be" a great deal. Maybe the issue I had with the album as a whole was that it felt unfinished and raw, for whatever multitude of reasons there no doubt were.
To be honest, I'm glad Let It Be exists. It feels like an encore performance--the band has already performed its best, having saved it for last, and they've exited the stage, only to come back and play one or two more songs. Those extra songs are never the most popular, but they're well-received and the crowd always cheers and almost always leaves happy. With The Beatles' break-up forefront in the fans' minds, Let It Be might have provided a therapeutic service: perhaps audiences would have been even more distraught over the break-up if The Beatles had left off at Abbey Road, definitely one of their all-time best albums. In that way, Let It Be tapers off the career of the greatest band of all time.
Although Let It Be is officially the unofficial end, I'm nowhere near done with this adventure. We still have to catch up with all the singles we've missed along the way (including the wonderful "Hey Jude", among others), so stay tuned. :)
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