Beatles Exorcise Spector

The Beatles just can't "Let it Be." That 30-year old work was released after their breakup -- and with some major doctoring by producer Phil Spector. This fall, with "Let it Be… Naked," the surviving Beatles have stripped away Spector's "wall of sound" effects and string arrangements to reveal the back-to-basics album they originally intended. According to various news reports, most of "Let It Be" was recorded in 1969 for an album to be called "Get Back," with the group getting back to its roots as a four-piece rock-and-roll band. When the group broke up, the label brought in Spector to salvage a release from the hundreds of hours of studio sessions.

Paul McCartney likes the honesty of the restored product: "If we had today's technology back then, it would sound like this because this is the noise we made in the studio. It's exactly as it was in the room. You're right there now." Drummer Ringo Starr said of the new, no-frills version, "When I first heard it, it was really uplifting. It took you back again to the times we were this band, the Beatle band."

In addition to the un-processed sound, fans of the original release will notice some track changes. "Dig It" and "Maggie Mae" are gone, replaced with "Don't Let me Down."

The late John Lennon spoke well of the Spectorized "Let it Be" release, but McCartney has always been critical of it. The late George Harrison is reported to have voiced his support for the "Naked" project before his death in 2001.

The release date for "Naked" is Nov. 18, 2003.

On November 13 (10:00pm, Eastern Time), 35 major US radio stations (from the Infinity Broadcasting group) will air the "Naked" release in its entirety. Journalist Pat O'Brien will host, and the music will be followed by a live roundtable discussion with musicians and other guests. Starting Nov. 11, over 70 Infinity stations will be broadcasting rare or unreleased excerpts.

Learn more about "Naked" from NME, CBS, Rolling Stone, and Ananova

Preview the recording at Amazon.com

Find the Infinity Broadcasting radio stations near you, so you can listen to the November 13 premiere of "Naked"