Let it Be was actually the last original album The Beatles released, though it was recorded before Abbey Road. I’ve ordered them this way because Abbey Road feels like a more fitting finish to their career (hell, it even ends with a song call ‘The End’).

Let it Be was recorded amidst even more band strife than The White Album, and it was during these sessions that Yoko Ono’s presence was most acutely felt (it’s also why she’s widely believed to be the cause of the band’s breakup). Contrary to the individual efforts on the last album, this record was mostly recorded live, including in a famous rooftop jam session that drew many onlookers as well as the police.

The album was shelved for awhile then gussied up by producer Phil Spector, who added strings and choirs to some songs (generally for the worse). Still, despite all the trouble in the recording, production and release of the album, it does contain some wonderful songs.

‘Across the Universe,’ ‘Two of Us,’ ‘Dig a Pony’ and ‘Get Back’ are all featured here, as is ‘The Long and Winding Road,’ which suffers the most from Spector’s hand.

But the most enduring song on the album is the title track, ‘Let it Be.’ One of Paul’s finest moments on record, it’s a spiritual that really does lift the spirit.