The Beatles - Love
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Free Music Notes for Love
Free Music Review: GILES MARTIN CREATES HIS FIRST MASTERPIECE!
Hit: 5 Stars
Released Nov. 21, 2006, this CD was an incredible and exciting entry into The Beatles catalog! The Beatles' music was always meant to be felt and this CD is no exception. This is experiencing The Beatles in the 21st Century! A lot of people and fans got the wrong perception of this CD when it was first issued and a lot of arguments were made, none of them holding any ground because they all missed the point entirely again and again. If you haven't heard this CD yet, this is a "Beatles-mix," a soundtrack to the Cirque De Olie show called "Love." The Beatles' songs are remixed to flow directly into one another and pieces of songs are mixed right into other songs with incredible continuity and flow.
I had the opportunity to listen to the CD in it's entirety prior to it's U.S. release courtesy of The Beatles website and let me tell you, amazing wasn't even the word to describe what I heard! I remember about six different times that I almost fell out of my computer chair. The next day my mother, an original Beatlemaniac from 1964, got to sit down and listen to it and there were countless moments she looked like she just got shocked by a stun gun. She walked away from the computer and muttered to me, "It's incredible."
The Beatles' producer Sir George Martin and his son Giles (a chip off the ole block if there ever was one), were asked to create an hour and a half musical soundscape using all original Beatle songs for the Vegas show. They used all of the group's original multi-track masters to create the new mixes of the songs you hear on "Love." The project was approved by Paul, Ringo, Olivia, and Yoko. A lot of people ignorantly accused George Martin of trying to milk The Beatles' golden cow again which is NOT the case! As a matter of fact that hasn't been the case with any of The Beatles' releases over the last few years but people are too obsessed with conspiracy theories these days.
Should you buy this CD if you are a Beatles fan? Well how many ways can I say "YES!" This CD represents what The Fab Four were all about; innovation, experimentation, and most of all, the music. "Love" is, quite simply, a celebration of "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band To Have Ever Walked The Face Of The Earth!" While listening to this CD, I've been moved to tears in many different portions of it. And you certainly won't need any drugs for this CD to get you high! You won't believe your ears when "Blackbird" suddenly segues into "Yesterday." Or when "Drive My Car" and "What You're Doing" become one song! Or when "Strawberry Fields Forever" makes four different transitions; from a previously unheard demo, to the first take, to the finished song, to an incredible mash-up for it's coda incorporating portions of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Penny Lane," "In My Life," "Piggies," and "Hello Goodbye" all within it's last minute and a half. One of the most killer tracks on "Love" is the incredible combination of John's "Tomorrow Never Knows" with George's "Within You Without You." The latter's vocals and eastern instrumentation laid firmly on top of the former's rhythm section. It must be heard to be believed!
Being a hardcore Beatles fan ever since the age of four, this CD even provided a few breakthroughs for me! For example, I suddenly LOVE "Octopus' Garden!" In all the years I've listened to the song, I've always found it rather hokey. George and Giles, for the song's intro, brilliantly mixed Ringo's lead vocal with the orchestral backing from "Good Night" and the sound effects from "Yellow Submarine" before the song takes off into the standard version we've known on "Abbey Road." But this isn't JUST the standard version of this song! There is so much more power to the track in this new remix that makes it sound fun instead of corny. Ringo's vocals sound so full and it gives the entire song a new lease on life! The same goes for "Come Together!" It finally sounds HEAVY, the way I thought it should have sounded in the first place. "All You Need Is Love" finally has a bass line and drums beneath it's opening chorus of "Love, love, love," something that was absent before. As you can tell, there's plenty of fun on this CD but you'll find a few of the songs have minor edits, such as "Hey Jude" which is missing a verse or two (but flows seamlessly into the "Sgt. Pepper" reprise).
There's still plenty of goodies to mention though! "I Am The Walrus" is featured in a full stereo mix for the first time and the first take of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (from "Anthology 3") gets a brand new, beautiful string arrangement from, who else, Sir George Martin. At the end of "All You Need Is Love" a short section from one of The Beatles' Christmas recordings (the '64 recording I believe) is overdubbed for the fade. "Love" ends with the sound of the four lads laughing and carrying on, bidding all a good night and a "God Bless" from John. A closing that's guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes.
So it's Five Stars and a "BUY THIS AS SOON AS YOU CAN" from me. We've loved these Four Uncles from Liverpool for nearly five decades now and this CD should remind everyone of all the reasons why. They were good. Incredibly good. God Bless the legacy of John, Paul, George, and Ringo!
Free Music Review: It's a souvenir Soundtrack from a Vegas show! It just happens to be good.
Hit: 5 Stars
Although much of how I feel is stated in the topic, I will review the CD so as to explain my perspective. First off, I have over 1,000 Beatles tracks in my iPod so, I'd say it puts me into the "fan for life - purist" catagory of fandom. But what is pure? Is it take one? take two? take 2 & 7 combined to make take 26? For years we have listened to Strawberry Fields Forever and we have thought it was a take with overdubs until they said, yeah, that's it! It's a complete thought. Well, there is more than one version that we have heard. The single version, the Magical Mystery Tour version the mono and stereo versions etc... So, what would be the definitive version?
When you hear bootlegs of their work you discover early takes which show one direction on a song...which was good...then you hear take two which is completely a new thought, then of course you hear the final version...perfect! Or is it? When people clamour (and I am one of those people) for the American Mixes on the American Albums from Capitol, you have to understand, we can hear a difference. So, even on vinyl and bad players back in the 60s and 70s with tiny speakers, we could hear a difference when they released them on CD. What's on CD is supposed to be the definitive versions of every track. But then, they released Anthology which not only makes new songs from Lennon demos, but it also allows us to hear alternative versions of songs we already had on CD as definitive. So, we know what's "right" and what's "not right". There isn't an issue of that.
So, just what makes Love a needed album in your collection? NOTHING! Don't buy it if you are just going to complain about what's pure and perfect. You obviously don't get it. It isn't going to replace their catalogue in my or anyone's collections. What it was meant to be was a souvenier of the soundtrack used for the show in Vegas. I am 100% positive if you went to see the show (and I have not yet) you'd walk away wondering why you couldn't have the music? Well, now you can!
It's a fun listen and it covers their career span with the sounds and textures of some of their most famous tracks. So instead of just hearing one song, you think of more than one song at a time which, to me is almost as experimental as using a Leslie Organ Speaker (which rotated) miced for someone's human voice to create the swirling effect heard on Lennon's voice for Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.
ON THIS ALBUM You will also find the vocals to stick out of the mix as well as a much richer bottom end. You will be able to more clearly hear just what was recorded and not extraneous tape noises. It's beautiful! Interesting is hearing the lead vocalsit without cover by the others. Interesting is hearing the harmonies without blending and cover of instrumentals. Interesting is hearing how some of their natural rhythms blended with others from other songs which when you hear the guitars and vocals seem miles apart. Interesting is Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows which combines two songs from completely different writers who express an idea about the meaning of life in different ways lyrically and musically, yet when combined, you almost wish this version was what was included on Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band back in 1967. It may just have been a big hit? Interesting is how crisp the sounds are today and how much one might expect a remix/remaster to sound if we fans ever get our wish.
Now I want the video of the Cirque Show from Vegas! LOL
This album can never replace the whole collection and isn't meant to do so. Just as Live at the BBC isn't supposed to be the definitive "live" Beatles CD, or Anthology isn't supposed to collect every song they ever recorded, this is a CD whhich supplements their collection and maybe inspires people to listen to them in a new way. To hear the genius of the music in the simplicity of the harmonies (Because) or the intimacy of the performance (While My Guitar gently Weeps) or the complexity of the time period and recording experimentation they had brought to pop music (Strawberry Field Forever) is to hear the magic they created for 8 years in Studio 2 at Abbey Road.
One extra thought - I bought the DVD audio version as well and this gives you the opportunity to hear something even closer to the sound of the show in Vegas. They give you DTS, Dolby Digital and PCM to choose from. That's very nice!
Is this a must have? not at all. But if you don't have it, you are missing out on a new listening experience. It doesn't redefine the music, it just lets you hear things a bit differently. But in the end, it is a soundtrack album, not necessarily a straight listening experience. And without separation between tracks, it's really meant to be heard all in one sitting, like the show in Vegas would be if you went.
Free Music Review: A great new approach to The Beatles music and legend
Hit: 5 Stars
I was not sure what to think of this collection at first, about the idea of taking existing music that is very good on its own merits and creating new sounds with it. At first listen, I was somewhat impressed with what Sir George and Giles Martin did with the sounds, but I wasn't sold on the concept, and least not yet. What did strike me immediately was the clarity and fullness of the music; it sounded as if the songs and other sounds were recorded several years ago vs. several decades ago. And with each listen, what also became very apparent was the time and care taken in creating a decent finished product.
One of the most interesting concepts of this project is that the Martin's, father and son, have been able to recreate what some of the Beatles music may have been able to sound like if the technology of today existed back then. Because most of the tracks had to be mixed down in order to accommodate a four or eight track machine, they were able to remix in a way that gives a more natural stereo picture. This makes the sounds fuller rather than hearing vocals and an instrument on one channel, other instruments on the other channel. It also gives the opportunity to recreate each part of the mix from the original source before any mixing down has occurred to a second and third generation master, which reduces the musical integrity.
What's exciting is that we get to hear the potential of having all of their music catalog eventually approached this way so we can hear and enjoy the music in its fullest clarity. Purists will not like this idea, but being the current stereo mixes are limited in their sound picture scope, a modern-day stereo mix would only improve the finished product significantly. Besides, the purists already have both the original stereo and mono mixes available from the newly released 2009 remastered series anyway.
This disk is experimental in nature but offers something new and exciting that really hasn't been done before, at least not with any previous Beatles works. What makes this effort even more special is that Sir George himself had the executive hand over creation of this project and no better person could have done this, being he was the producer for all of these tracks in their original form. Both Giles and George give a new approach to already familiar music and treat it with the absolute best sonic quality it could be given. They truly created a very solid finished product with this, rather than just release alternative or obscure songs from the group's catalog, heard especially on the Anthology series CDs.
Some of the song highlights I found to be interesting are as follows:
- a reverse `fade-in' of the piano from `A Day in the Life' after `Because', launching into the `Get Back / The End' sequence
- `Paul's "Ah, (look at all the lonely people)" chorus of `Eleanor Rigby' weaving in and out of the background between tracks, in a very distant echo
- the different stages of `Strawberry Fields Forever' blended seamlessly together (a nice tribute to John), and tacking on various other song clips at the end including `Penny Lane', `Piggies, and `Hello Goodbye'
- an awesome intro of `Tomorrow Never Knows' becoming the backdrop of `Within You Without You'
- `Good Night' being slowed down to the key of E and becoming the backdrop for the beginning of `Octopus's Garden' (a really nice tribute to Ringo)
- `Why Don't We Do It In the Road' becoming the backdrop for `Lady Madonna'
- `Within You Without You' becoming the backdrop of `Here Comes the Sun' in the beginning, and ending with `The Inner Light' (a really nice tribute to George)
- the acoustic, quieter version of `While My Guitar Gently Weeps', with a brand new score from Sir George beautifully augmenting the background (another really nice tribute to George)
- the `Hey Jude' chorus portion bringing the bass guitar riff at the tail end of the popular version to the foreground, fading into `Sgt. Pepper's (reprise)' (a nice tribute to Paul)
- and lastly, `All You Need is Love' fading into `Good Night' with some charming spoken passages from each of the Beatles (probably from a Christmas message they made to their fans)
If you keep an open mind and treat this not as a `greatest hits', but as a completely new and fresh approach to the legend of the Beatles, you will be greatly satisfied because, with extremely little exception, it is so well done and should please many generations of fans, old and new.
Free Music Review: SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES! (BUT LISTEN TO IT IN DOLBY 5.1)
Hit: 5 Stars
This disc is amazing - as soon as Because opened up the soundscape with the insects, birds, an ambient sounds providing the background for the ephemeral, transcendent, harmonic voices of the four boys, the tears began to flow. These are the voices of our life story people. And this is the soundtrack of our lives.
Anyone who has seen the old sci fi film Soylent Green (an overly polluted, resource depleted world leads to chaos, totalitarianism, and the mysterious edible of the title that feeds the starving masses) remembers the final scene. The great actor Edgar G. Robinson, tied of it all, goes to a euthanasia center to be put to sleep while viewing a 350 degree movie panorama of images showing the world the way it used to be. Mountains. Vistas, Nature. All the while, while listening to Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony.
I thought of this while listening to LOVE, becuase I realized, when my time comes - and I hope thats not for a long time - this is the disc I would like to hear as I fade from this life. The complete songs, the snippets, the segues, the voices, the song tags (hey-la hay-a-la-lo-wa), the Sullivan intro, the mental image of The Beatles singing I want to Hold Your Hand (Paul cocking his head, eyebrows raised, John bouncing, grinning to the camera, Ringo joyously bobbing his head, huge grin, George, well, giving that George look).
So many, many memories. Where I was when this records originally came out. The covers. Mimicing the Beatles. This disc is free association of a lifetime worth of memories.
Listening to these songs anew, for the umpteenth time, also makes one re-evaluate the players and their contributions. First, it simply must be acknowledged that George Martin was an integral part of making The Beatles who theywere. Martin brought out the full potential of this group. Each record had a unique sound, a uniquely identifiable property. And while Lennon may have felt that MArtin was better suited to McCartney's musical temperements and never truly captured the muscial soundscapes travelling through his head, Martin did a magnificent job.
For while McCartney's tunes remain timeless, it is Lennon's musical vision and voice that propels this set. Each song - Lucy In The Sky (introductory notes reimagined as dropping individual diamonds from the sky), A Day In The Life, Strawberry Fields, I Am The Walrus, and of course All You Need Is Love - emerge not merely as classic pop songs, but as epochal musical statements that forever changed music.
It is perhaps Walrus that most benefits from this remastering. Virtually unchanged, though slightly shortened from the released version, this is the first truely, magnificent stereo mix of the song. The result - especially in 5.1 sound - is astonishing. Lennon's voice is front and center as the seperate strings/sound surround you from all four corners. I have heard this song in my "mind's ear" for decades in this fashion - truly hearing it pristine, clear, fresh, opened up - virtually live - is nothing short of revelatory.
The same can be said for While My Guitar Gently Weeps - yes, it's the Anthology version, but a stunningly delicate thing of beauty it is. With the addition of Martin's final Beatle score, I dare you to listen to it without mourning the loss of George Harrison and our youth. I dare you not to shed a tear.
I could go on and on. It is possible to criticize some elements of the production. It is not really a mash - too many of the songs are virtually unchanged - but let's remember that this disc is the soundtrack to a live production. Presumably, those who spends the hundres of dollars to view Cirque de Soleil's show wouldn't be content hearing 90 minutes of non-continuity cut and paste.
LOVE is an extraordinary achievement. A rare blending of artistic integrity and shrewd business acument, it succeeds beyond all expectation. Lennon probably would have hated, but then again he never liked side 2 of Abbey Road either. Then again, he only listened to it when there was such a thing as Side 2. Thankfully, Lennon gets the last word on the disc too. When Johnny Rhythm says goodbye at the end its more than the end of the disc. It's the end to our life's soundtrack.
Free Music Review: He's very clean, isn't he?
Hit: 5 Stars
George Martin, now old enough to be Paul's other grandfather, gets the last laugh. First of all, like everybody else, I'm knocked out by the clarity of the re-mastering. Surely this will put a ton of pressure on those stodgy old fogeys at apple to get their butts in gear and get this precious body of music into the pristine shape that it deserves. It also seems a shame not to put old George on the case immediately. Like he's only the greatest pop producer of all time and knows the ins and outs of the material like no one else could dream to.
It took me sometime to catch on to some of the logic behind some of the sequencing. The disc begins with Because, because that is the very last item the group recorded together before disbanding. The second track, Get Back, which reflected Paul's desire that the band get back to their old ambitious comradary, is the last live piece they performed.
John was ecstatic about his "discovery" of backwards vocals (originally on Rain), so George makes it a point to feature a little backward John as the lead into Something.
Old George doesn't feature much of their early work, and in fact barely focuses on what many consider their best period, the year covering mid '65 to mid '66. He seemed to try to cram a number of bits into Drive My Car (Paul's Taxman solo, the Word, etc.) to cover this. So if this CD (and/or Beatles 1) is the extent of your current collection, the acquisition of Revolver and Rubber Soul is your best next step.
George also seems to settle a little bit of a score with John, who famously complained the Strawberry Fields didn't turn out as he originally intended, despite it being probably the best pop production ever recorded. So George manages to redo the thing in a manner that included John's original input, as well as the original group instrumentation, and still throws in enough of his own scoring to make the thing rootsier and still true to the original finished production. (Maybe a little too much stuff tacked on the end, but that's quibbling.) Pretty neat.
Appyling the dynamic beat of Tomorrow Never Knows into the wise, but formerly static Within You is genuinely inspired. It also adds to the high percentage of psychedelia in this collection which is not a bad thing.
John, who was disappointed at the lack of regard for Across the Universe responded to Paul's winning choice for a single, Lady Madonna with the aggressive, but similarly constructed Hey Bulldog, so it's very satisfying to hear the two combined.
A number of critics have complained that George's Guitar Gently Weeps was superior in its earlier, acoustic rendition, and the arrangement that Martin adds to the original is classy, if not as astounding as what he did for Walrus back when (but then again, its hard to think of any arrangement that comes close to those heights.)
There are clever bits of combination abouding throughout, and some truly sterling reproductions of a couple of the Beatle's best. (Funny, even after #1 and this, the surface of what comprises the best is still only scratched. A Beatles #2 featuring Saw her Standing There, Twist and Shout, I'll Be Back, No Reply, I've Just Seen a Face, In My Life, For No One, Rain, Across the Universe, etc. might still be a superior mix.)
Of course, the unfair thing here is that considering the quality of the material and the intense nostalgia that the boomers have for it, there's a lot going for this kind of project whether the actual execution is worthy, which it really is, if not quite as daring as the Danger Mouse exercise (though I'd have to say the Beatles manage to hold up pretty well without the rap). One interesting thing is that the album ends with the same Christmas tape line ('good night to yuz all") as did the Residents Beatles mash-up from 1977: Beyond the Valley of a Day in the Life. How much you want to bet that George wasn't aware of that early piece of sampling?
Ultimately it's about the music, which remains fresh, intriguing and begging for attention. I've got a feeling that this will sell very well and only spur on continued interest. Thanks George, for the holiday treat.