Year: 2025

This is a controversial choice for bottom of the list, but maybe some people agree.

There has been so much in recent years about the film Let It Be, the restored outtakes and revamped album with extras. And I remember seeing it when it first came out, at the Capitol cinema with Yellow Submarine as support.

There are no comments about any of that. We are here to talk about the album as an album.

It came with a book (mine is falling apart, of course, they do, but not too bad, nor are all the sleeve and inserts in such a bad condition). It came out in 1970 and is short (by late Beatles’ standards) at barely 35 minutes. This includes short track snippets that amount to nothing, like Dig It, and some talking as filler, irritating filler.

Famously, George Martin did not really produce. He was around during the recordings, but Phil Spector butchered the tracks and this is his work.

The idea was to be filmed rehearsing for a concert and then doing the concert, and this would be the soundtrack to the film. The songs are mostly pretty unexceptional, like no-one had any enthusiasm or any great ideas for what to perform. Some very old oldies were dug out. Other tracks, eg Two Of Us, I’ve Got A Feeling and Dig A Pony are just pretty dull.

We know people who say: I loved The Beatles and they are still popular. I have an original copy of Sgt Pepper. It must be worth a fortune.

And sometimes you see people on tv shows going into antique shops and finding records at high prices and thinking they will be good in auction.

Yes, it’s true, Beatles’ records do still sell, and some (new and old) command a high price. But also remember that the Beatles sold millions of records in a short time around the world. Nearly everything is common and ordinary.

If you have an early pressing of something, chances are there are still millions of them out there. If you’ve played it, then it probably is not in the greatest of conditions, certainly not mint. If the cover is a bit loved, no-one will be interested.

So probably, your early record is worth pennies. There are just too many others that are better. And just because someone on (say) eBay is asking a lot for some disc does not mean it is worth it. Records, and everything else, are only worth what people will pay.

Now, it IS possible you have something of value. Records that are rare are, well, rare. If they are unusual (and genuine) people may be interested. A foreign copy with an unusual cover, or a rare mix, or labels on the wrong sides… An authenticated signed disc… Something like this could command a small fortune, if you are lucky.

If not, just play it and enjoy it. You didn’t buy it as an investment, you bought it because you liked the music. That is something beyond value…