This was not the first timeLet It Be was released as a box set. The original album came out in a limited edition box set in the UK on 8 May 1970, which went out of print by that December and was replaced in circulation with a standard issue LP. Aside from the LP, the original box set included a 164-page paperback book.[1]
Like the previous Beatles 50th anniversary box sets,Let It Be: Special Edition was originally going to be released the same month as the original album. However, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, its release was delayed until October 2021 while the release oftheGet Back documentary series was delayed until November 2021. Additionally, the release dates of the super deluxe editions ofJohn Lennon/Plastic Ono Band andAll Things Must Pass were delayed until April 2021 and August 2021 respectively.[2][3]
A trailer forLet It Be: Special Edition was released in August 2021, two months before its release. It was also revealed that a book containing essays, photos, session notes and a message fromPaul McCartney on his thoughts on both the box set and the upcomingGet Back documentary will be included in the box set.[4]Let It Be: Special Edition features a remix of the originalLet It Be album by producerGiles Martin and engineer Sam Okell, along with session highlights, outtakes, an EP featuring four additional unreleased tracks and new mixes and a remaster ofGlyn Johns' original 1969Get Back mix.[5][6]Let It Be: Special Edition is available in both CD and vinyl formats.[7][8][9][10]
The box set included the first official release of the 1969Get Back mix, which was previously available inbootleg form.[11] However, some sources state that due to a mixup, the true 1969 mix is available only on the Japan Super High Material (SHM) CD release, and that the mix on all other releases combines elements from both the 1969 mix and the 1970 mix of theGet Back album.[12]
On 28 January 2022, the full audio recording of therooftop concert was released to streaming services asThe Beatles: Get Back – The Rooftop Performance.[13]
Let It Be: Special Edition received positive reviews.[14][15][16] In an online review, music critic David Quantick stated the box set "does wonders for the record" and that it gives the listener "a bird’s-eye view of the sessions".[17]Pitchfork gave it a 9.1 rating and said in their review that the box set shines a light on "the brilliant and tumultuous process" of the album, and called some of the outtakes "uncomfortable and fascinating".[18]
OnMetacritic,Let It Be: Special Edition holds an aggregate score of 91 out of 100, based on seven reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[19]
