Song #239 - "The Long And Winding Road" - The Beatles.

Recorded - January 26, 1969 and April 1, 1970

Released - May 8, 1970 (UK and US)

#1 for weeks of June 13 and 20, 1970. 

     We've come to the end of the road, the very last #1 single by The Beatles. On April 10, 1970, Paul McCartney made it public his desire to leave the group. The news stations and papers were quick to report the breakup of the most influential band of the 1960's. Released almost a month after the breakup, the Let It Be album showcased the recordings done during the January 1969 "Get Back" sessions. Exactly how the album finally got released is quite controversial. 

     In March of 1970, after four failed attempts to get the "Get Back" album released, Phil Spector was given the tapes from the sessions. The album was re-mixed and re-edited quite drastically. Often times he would select different performances of a song than the ones that had been included on the "Get Back" track sequences. This remixing all came to a head on April 1st, 1970 when Spector added a lavish orchestral and choir part to three songs, one of those being Paul McCartney's "The Long And Winding Road". 

     The only Beatle present for these orchestral sessions was Ringo. Phil Spector was also already showing signs of his growing instability, to the point where several musicians walked out. Shortly after this tension-filled session, Paul found out that Spector had embellished his song behind his back. To say that Paul was furious would be a major understatement. The orchestral overdubs to "The Long And Winding Road" were one of the last straws for Paul, and it was actually a catalyst for Paul dissolving the group. 

     Yet, despite the hostile reaction from McCartney, I've never had a problem with the orchestra in the song. To me, and most Beatles fans, this is the first way they heard the song. We are familiar with its vast orchestral sound, and I've always considered it a fitting finale for the group. Besides, the idea of using strings on a Beatles recording originated on "Yesterday", which was Paul's baby. 

     On the other hand, by adding all of these extra sounds to "The Long And Winding Road", it goes against the original idea of the Get Back/Let It Be project: "Live in the studio, with no additional instruments added later". Also, this particular performance of "The Long And Winding Road" contains some rather weak bass playing by John. If you listen to the Anthology 3 version of the song, with the orchestra stripped out, these bass errors become more clear. This apparently was one of the reasons Phil Spector chose to add so much onto the track, to bury the mistakes. 

     Of course, all of this could have been prevented if Phil had taken a deeper plunge into the session archives. On January 31, 1969, The Beatles recorded several more versions of "The Long And Winding Road". One of these is featured in the Let It Be film. It has a much tighter bass-line by John and George's guitar is more audible. When the surviving Beatles remixed and re-sequenced the Let It Be album in 2003 to create Let It Be...Naked, they chose this later version of the song instead. Had Phil Spector chosen this stronger performance of the song, and not added orchestra and choir to the recording, perhaps Paul might have been less quick to part ways with the band. 

     "The Long And Winding Road" may not have been the last song The Beatles recorded, (That honor goes to George Harrison's "I Me Mine", from January 1970), but I always consider it to be the swan song of the group. The transformation from their early days of "Love Me Do" to "The Long And Winding Road", it's still amazing to me. The Beatles remain my favorite band because they took the roads less traveled in popular music, always trying to break new ground, and seldom looking back. Their entire recorded output is indeed a long and winding road that's well-worth traveling.

Final Verdict - I happen to like both the classic orchestrated version of "The Long And Winding Road" and the alternative take released on the Let It Be...Naked album. Both showcase the song for what it really is: A superb timeless McCartney piano ballad, which has remained in his setlists to this very day. A bittersweet end to The Beatles reign on the Billboard charts, but a deserved hit nonetheless. 
           
            Coming Up Next - "The Love You Save" - The Jackson Five. 

Until Next Time, I'm Dr. Rock, and I've got a long and winding road of #1 singles ahead of me -