It's no secret Paul McCartney was never happy with what happened to the album that became "Let It Be."

He got the group together in January 1969 in hopes of making a return to being a band - playing together in the studio and possibly doing a handful of live shows. The album would be called "Get Back," and the recording process would be filmed for a documentary.

But as internal squabbles mounted and personal differences intensified, "Get Back" kept getting pushed farther back. It saw the light of day when producer Phil Spector was brought in to cover it with his "Wall of Sound" treatment.

"Let It Be" was the Beatles' final album chronologically, but "Abbey Road" was the last time the group was together. Because of that, "Let It Be" has always had an 'unfinished business' kind of vibe to it.

Enter McCartney, Ringo Starr and the sound technicians at the fabled Abbey Road studios. Armed with the original tapes - Spector free - the technicians cleaned things up for the new mix - "Let It Be … Naked."

It's apparent right away this album was always good. It's held to a higher standard than most, and falls short because of it. Any other band would be tickled to have an album with three No. 1 singles, but "Let It Be" was always lightly regarded.

The new version, however, is a force to be reckoned with. It starts with a few lineup changes. "Naked" has 11 tracks compared to the original, which had 12, and has a much different running order.

"Dig It" and "Maggie May" are gone, replaced by "Don't Let Me Down." A lot of the between-song chatter is gone as well. In its place are 11 sharp, but raw tracks.

McCartney's wish was granted with "The Long and Winding Road," now much more palatable thanks to the exclusion of the orchestra. "Let It Be" sounds much cleaner - very basic.

The two tracks that stand out the most, however, are "Across the Universe" and "I've Got a Feeling." The former is just John Lennon and his guitar. It's an intimate solo performance that ranks among his best.

"I've Got a Feeling" is pure genius. It bristles with intensity as Lennon and McCartney team up to make a classic track. Billy Preston's organ work is front and center, as it now is on most tracks.

My only reservation about the disc is the altering of history. While "Naked" may be closer to what the band envisioned, it's not what really happened.

Listeners shouldn't look at "Let It Be … Naked" as a replacement for "Let It Be." Rather, it should be viewed as a companion piece. They're two distinct albums and should be treated as such.

That said, however, it's great to hear the Beatles again.