This was not the first time
Let 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. 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 the
COVID-19 pandemic, its release was delayed until October 2021 while the release of
the Get Back documentary series was delayed until November 2021. Additionally, the release dates of the super deluxe editions of
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and
All Things Must Pass were delayed until April 2021 and August 2021 respectively. A trailer for
Let 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 from
Paul McCartney on his thoughts on both the box set and the upcoming
Get Back documentary will be included in the box set.
Let It Be: Special Edition features a remix of the original
Let It Be album by producer
Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell, along with session highlights, outtakes, an EP featuring four additional unreleased tracks and new mixes and a remaster of
Glyn Johns' original 1969
Get Back mix.
Let It Be: Special Edition is available in both CD and vinyl formats. The box set included the first official release of the 1969
Get Back mix, which was previously available in
bootleg form, though the original 1969 mix is available only on the Japanese Super High Material (SHM) CD release, while the mix on all other releases combines elements from both the 1969 mix and the 1970 mix of the
Get Back album. On 28 January 2022, the full audio recording of the
rooftop concert was released to streaming services as
The Beatles: Get Back – The Rooftop Performance. == Reception ==