Let It Be is the English rock band the Beatles' twelfth and final studio album. It was released on the same day as the motion picture of the same name, about a month after the group's breakup. The album, like most of the band's prior releases, topped record charts in a number of nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom. However, the critical reception was mostly negative, and Let It Be became one of the most divisive rock albums of all time.
In January 1969, rehearsals for a documentary on the Beatles' return to live performance began at Twickenham Film Studios. The idea was devised by Paul McCartney as a way to re-energize the band by returning to basic rock and roll combinations. The filmed practices were marred by dissatisfaction, prompting George Harrison's brief resignation from the band. The band reconvened at their own Apple Studio with guest keyboardist Billy Preston as a condition of his return. On the 30th of January, the project culminated in a single spontaneous public concert on the studio's rooftop, from which three of the album's tracks were culled.
The Beatles released the song "Get Back" in April 1969, following which engineer Glyn Johns developed and submitted mixes of the album – first titled Get Back and later rejected – that were widely bootlegged before its release. The project was put on hold as they worked on Abbey Road, which was released in September. John Lennon had left the band by that time. With the completion of "Let It Be" and "I Me Mine" in January 1970, the surviving Beatles completed the album. The former was released as a single in March 1970, and was produced by George Martin, as was the rest of the album's production up to that point.
