There's a new Beatles album coming out. Haven't you heard?
It seems that Beatles producer George Martin and his son Giles have re-mixed a number of Beatles tunes using the original tracks and many other unused or rehearsal tracks, combining them into new arrangements and mixes that will surprise even seasoned Lennon/McCartney fans. The 26 "new" tracks were created for the new Cirque du Soleil spectacular in Las Vegas and the project has been approved by the two surviving Beatles, Paul and Ringo, and the widows of John and George.
Anyone who knows me, knows that The Beatles are pretty much the beginning and end of my musical life. I have other musical interests and influences, of course. But The Beatles are the band, baby. I credit my Mom and Dad for this influence. Mom liked the early, pop-driven years and Dad favored the later, more experimental stuff. So growing up, the entire library of Beatles tunes was in-house for me to sample. I grew up with them and they shaped my appreciation for great music and later on influenced me when I started to dabble in songwriting as a member of various bands.
That being said, any chance to hear their music in a fresh way and reignite my lifelong interest is a welcome one. I've heard four of the tracks from this new compilation, and I have mixed feelings about the results (no pun intended). Not because I feel they've gone too far tinkering with classics. Quite the opposite. They didn't go far enough. I thought the re-mix of Strawberry Fields was the best of the four, the most surprising in terms of being a new version. But Octopus's Garden was the most fun and sounded the best in terms of audio quality. I'll say this . . . on a purely audio-quality level, they sound wonderful. Listening to the four tracks through my Bose headphones was a great experience. But I'll have to hear the entire album before making any final judgments.
I like what I've heard so far. But I was bound to like it on some level . . . it's The Beatles, fer cryin' out loud.
To read more about this experiment in mixology, go HERE.
To order a copy of the CD from Amazon.com, go HERE.
LOVE will be released on November 21st, kiddies.
-Otis
