THE BEATLES

What a LOVE-ly idea for one of the world's most popular musical bands to come together with the 21st century's greatest show on Earth, namely the Montreal based mind-blowing Cirque du Soleil. Nobody wanted THE BEATLES to end in 1970 after delivering some of the most catchy pop melodies of all time but all things come to an end and unfortunately for better or worse the band's record company has been cashing in ever since. The music of THE BEATLES has been recycled in every way possible with one pointless compilation after another. But every now and again a veritable flicker of creative mojo sparks allowing a project that honors the past while finding relevancy in the contemporary world. LOVE is actually quite different from a normal comp and a very inspired way to reanimate the Fab Four's classics in a mashup styled soundtrack that accompanies the live performances of the Cirque du Soleil.

Rather than tritely compiling yet another greatest hits compendium for the umpteenth time, the fifth BEATLE, George Martin along with his son Giles assembled elements form 130 different commercially released material together with demo recordings of THE BEATLES' entire career resulting in a veritable treasure trove of BEATLES mania reimagined for the 21st century. While LOVE officially features 26 separate track listings, many of these songs are medleys that bleed together as well as containing mere snippets of music and lyrics interpolated into key moments. While most tracks appear to sound identical to the singles released during the Fab Four's heyday, others such as "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" appear in unreleased demo forms although not always to my satisfaction (this particular acoustic track isn't as effective).

Completely remixed as well as mashed up, LOVE was one of the few post-BEATLES archival releases that found George Martin at the helm and his last effort before joining John and George in the great beyond with his passing in 2016. Crafted with precision and great care, LOVE was Martin's last labor of LOVE and it really shows in how well the many faces of THE BEATLES sit so well together in a constant consciousness stream of the 60s chart toppers. For example "I Am The Walrus" sits snuggly next to "I Want To Hold Your Hand" juxtaposing the mop top teenie-bopper early years (complete with audience screaming) with the studio-only psychedelia of the band's latter years that forged entirely new paths in the world of rock music. Graced with a shining crisp production, LOVE rejuvenates THE BEATLES experience in a way no other compilation of the last 50 years really has.

Given the mashup craze was going full force in the 2000s with artists like Danger Mouse and Jay-Z deftly blurring unrelated musical expressions together seamlessly, Paul McCartney expressed a passionate enthusiasm in the project as he himself had hired mashup artists for his own tours during the same period. Another interesting feature is that every format had different playing times with the CD running at 78:38, vinyl at 79:08, DVD-audio (80:28) and iTunes digital releases with bonus tracks that add up to 86:41, thus making LOVE a double album's length by 60s album time limits. Given all the music was recorded between 1963-1969, LOVE was given a modern technological upgrade and despite showcasing music decades old at the time of its 2006 release and succeeds in clearly demonstrating why THE BEATLES remain some of the top dogs of pop rock songwriting in the history of music.

A divisive release for sure as some scream exploitation of the classics while others praising the album as a relevant celebration of the past. I fall into the latter camp as i'm perfectly fine with artists revisiting and reinterpreting their own musical catalogue as long as they have found a unique and relevant angle for doing so. LOVE was probably a project nobody saw coming whether it be BEATLES stalwarts or Cirque du Soleil fanatics but every once in a while the cross-pollinating effects of two entertainment powerhouses actually comes to fruition in a meaningful and brilliant way. Perhaps it's not true that all you need is LOVE but it sure makes a great supplemental album beyond THE BEATLES' original canon.

Of course the album was a major success going double platinum in the USA and racing up to the top 5 albums chart in dozens of nations. Few things are as exhilarating as a BEATLES musical marathon and LOVE provided the perfect reunion album that never could be. As John Lennon famously said, "Make LOVE, not war" and with this collaborative effort with Cirque du Soleil, THE BEATLES could honor his profound wishes. THE BEATLES was a pop band with pop hits and engaged in pop culture in just about every way possible so to claim this sort of project was a sellout actually belies THE BEATLES' own cross-entertainment endeavors that included short films, animation and every possible form of merchandising possible. THE BEATLES were the epitome of popular culture and an album like LOVE only reestablishes the band's relevance in the world of music even some four decades after its last rooftop concert appearance. While most comps are rather unnecessary padding in your collection, this one on the other hand is magical mystery tour in its own right and one that John and George surely would've LOVE-d.

I gain satisfaction from the process of deciding what album I'd like to review next for ProgArchives.com. Most recently, I've realized I've only reviewed one of Genesis' albums, "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway." My ostensible choice for my next review was Genesis' "A Trick of the Tail . . . ."

However, knowing "the only permanent thing is change" (Heraclitus, I believe), John Lennon's "The Word" popped in my head as I was fixing my morning coffee, which is Folger's "Black Silk," "Proudly roasted in New Orleans."

"Rubber Soul" is a watershed album for the Beatles. When compact disks made their appearance in the early 1990's, one of my first CD's was "Rubber Soul." Through my 1976, Janszen electrostatic speakers, I, in actuality, heard "Drive My Car" for "the first time." Of course, EMI/Parlophone records' revisiting the original master tapes, rendering an ADD product, assured this potency of sound.

There is a baroque essence to "Rubber Soul." The production of George Martin actualized the imaginative gestures of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Indeed, during John Lennon's undying "In My Life," we hear Martin at the piano, performing a legendary harpsichord evocative solo. All of the finished products of Martin's mentorship bear a crisp and poignant presence.

"The Word," "In My Life" and McCartney's slightly later "Penny Lane" are "art songs" in the heritage of "lieder" from Western classical music. One of the enduring characteristics of John Lennon is his status as a quintessential smart- aleck. Famously, during a 1963 performance with the Beatles in front of members of the royal family, Lennon exhorted the regular audience to clap with their hands and those in preferred seating to "rattle their jewelry . . . ." In this vein, Lennon summons up a certain amount of chutzpah in his biblically inspired commentary of "The Word."

Who is this 25 year old Liverpudlian who asserts

Say the word and be like me/Say the word I'm thinking of/Have you heard the word is/love? . . . In the beginning I misunderstood/But now I've got it, the word is good . . . ?

Well, Lennon has good company in his exaltation of love:

And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love (1 Cor 13:13, NRSV).

As part of a milestone album like "Rubber Soul," "The Word" contains adroitly performed music (with George Martin at the harmonium) and perhaps, along with "In My Life," some of Lennon's truly superlative lyrics.

One can only react with incredulity to the age of "Rubber Soul": 58 plus years . . . ?! As Yes would assert a relatively short 15 years later on "Drama," "Tempus Fugit." George Harrison's "Think for Yourself" is forward-looking, not only in the fuzz bass, lead guitar of Paul McCartney, but also in its lyrics:

Although your mind's opaque/Try thinking more if just for your/own sake/The future still looks good/And you've got time to rectify all/the things that you should . . .

In 2024, independence of thought, what a unique concept . . . .

1. Back In The U.S.S.R. pop rock in function, boogie yes, the solo that takes your breath away just to take a stand even in the USSR 2. Dear Prudence acoustic guitar and almost 4 minutes, the longest and most monolithic title 3. Glass Onion with stringed instruments and a melodic sound that will be taken up by the XTC; cinematic music from BOF about gangsters 4. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da and the first hit of the album, do you need a hit to exist? ob la di it doesn't matter, it's anchored in our heads; spaghetti western rock or festive pop whatever you want 5. Wild Honey Pie as Charisma interlude, you know Alice's 6. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill where we go to Andalusia 5'' before a good-natured festive title up to the trombone, repetitive 7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps arrives... why is it so beautiful? why do you want to hug your girlfriend while listening to this vulgurus song from the 60s? It's spinning frantically in any case! 8. Happiness Is A Warm Gun not that of MARILLION, but a title which shows that it really took a Harrison to make a good zik group 9. Martha My Dear return to the saloon, head a pint of bourbon; a nursery rhyme in real stereo from the time, yes mono still existed; classic jaunty fairground orchestration and a festive progressive tune 10. Im So Tired well yes I must admit I'm really starting to... get tired, yes I can't find any blood, no stain... no prog blood for the moment; maybe the general concept? 11. Blackbird follows, minimalist acoustic guitar to let the vocals come forward; animal title I would say!! 12. Piggies hop harpsichord for the umpteenth nursery rhyme musical, bucolic, crazy wandering; huge but short cinematic title 13. Rocky Raccoon yes I confirm after the psychedelic Indian passage we are indeed blue flower on the American continent with warm titles from the countries... American Indians with the accordion and the tutti frutti 14. Don't Pass Me By continues with this saloon piano, the journey continues, the acid violin comes to invite itself into the party, we are closer to Canada 15. Why Don't We Do It In The Road wakes us up with this provocative and screamed title 16. I Will sweet nursery rhyme that takes up the clichés with a guitar from over there, come on let's have a bourbon again 17. Julia to finish this first album and a syrupy melody on julia that to? beautiful guitar arpeggio. An album that I was never able to get hold of, too uneven, too scattered; but thinking at the time the kind of avant-garde album that paved the way for a lot of future bands.

the LP2: 23.Helter Skelter floats with this title which many have cited as a proto hard rock; after proto prog it's really a lot; magnificent title in itself with this riff from beyond the grave known to me thanks to Pat BENATAR 25.Revolution 1 what a revolution in USSR ah no in the USA, OK why not! A premonitory title! 29. Revolution 9 cinematic while 4 years ago we were not yet using this word; a de facto avant-garde title with all the necessary sound effects, yes I did the same with my galena set; in short, after the psychedelic we arrive at progressive improvisation, still ahead of its time 30. Good Night as a final outing, a syrupy melancholic tune to wake up from this testament moment! I surf the LP2 because I find that there are more overrated, basic titles... but that doesn't mean that without this album, where would we be today?

Rubber Soul was a major leap forward in the already high-quality Beatles output. Maturing studio and playing abilities as well as exploring LSD did contribute to the legendary position of Rubber Soul. Starr showed promising drumming treats coming out of his comfort zone. Lennon/McCartney provided excellent vocals in tandem. Harrison grew as a songwriter and guitar player. Bass playing by Macca from now on deserves increased attention.

Rubber Soul is a quite a mixed bag of styles - rock'n'roll, folk rock, country and a bit of psychedelia. "Drive my car" is a bit dissonant song for their standards and features a great rocking vocal seconded by the playful bass. "Norwegian wood" is one of the best folk-rock Beatles numbers with exquisite vocal harmonies. "You won't see me" is the longest track on the album although far from the strongest one but let me highlight Starr's tasty fills and detailed cymbal work as well as solid harmonies and bass. "Nowhere man" captures attention by the guitar solo, lyrics and vocal harmonies. "Think for yourself" was, for me, the best and most sophisticated piece written by Harrison back in 1965. Bitter lyrics, brilliant rhythm section and fuzzed guitar are the highlights. The rocking "Word" has a simple 3-chord structure but shining Starr/McCartney on instruments joined by harmonium (Martin) at the end. The composition retains a soul-rocking charisma. "Michelle" and "Girl" are two excellent ballads. Harrison country guitar style shines on "What goes on". He actually still uses some pre-1965 guitar licks but they fit well in. "I'm looking through you" has two McCartney's vocal extremes - tender and lovely in the beginning soaring to a dirty loud in the end suiting the lyrics. "In my life" is the most progressive song on the album with its double-speed piano borrowing from classical scales. "Wait" is a fine McCartney-Lennon collaboration and a well developed composition, I like its groove. "If I needed someone" is a rather conventional pop song by Harrison focusing on melody. "Run for your life" has an excellent emotional vocal by Lennon that stands above the average song structure, guitar solo and ideas.

Even though Rubber Soul is a dated effort, its level of musicianship is astounding even today.

Though released as the last Beatles album, it was recorded before the Abbey Road album. Very different to a few previously released Beatles albums, this one was supposed to be recorded live without studio trickery. What we can say is that at this stage, they could still play live confidently and even stay in a jovial mood. Musically, with the exception of McCartney's 3 cuts, all the rest is pedestrian (for Beatles standards at the best. As we know, pedestrian for Beatles could be the best song for some other bands but here they lacked the ambition and songwriting quality that was present before. "Two of us" is noteworthy as it is one of the last examples of their famous vocal harmonies. "Dig a pony" is my favourite Lennon's track on the album thanks to great melody, guitar solo and untypical beat, of course as well as Lennon's vocal. "Across the universe" is one of the better Beatles ballads. Somehow I even like the Spector's orchestral overdub as well as on the McCartney's penned "The long and winding road". Harrison brings a haunting "I me mine" with a contrasting rocking chorus. "I've got a feeling" is compositionally an average song but its vocals by Paul and guitar work stand out. We are lucky to witness the intensity of McCartney's vocal live at this stage and not only from the studio (Oh darling!). Since "Get back" made it to the album, it's a pity that "Don't let me down" which is equally good if not better, didn't.

This crown jewel is in my TOP 3 Beatles albums and no doubt a favourite one among many classic rock fans. Sounding as a cliche for the Fab Four but they all have reached an astonishing amount of maturity and proved they were still able to be in the leading pack though not being the leader any longer. Lennon did, despite his diminishing interest in the band, provide two passionate numbers - the hard-rocking "Come together" and the jam-like "She's so heavy". The chord sequence in the latter one is powerful. The addition of hammond organ adds a bit of jazzy atmosphere.

McCartney has the strongest and most dominant presence. "Maxwell's silver hammer" is far from the strongest cuts on the album, yet it features moog and a likeable guitar solo. "Oh darling" was underrated by me as I found it a pastiche but later I started the appreciate the incredibly powerful and wide-ranged McCartney's vocal that even Lennon must have been jealous of. McCartney's first two contributions are rather conventional but he compensates it later on the second album's side which is more adventurous, a nice studio work and slightly interesting instrumental coda.

Harrison is an equal contributor with two legendary "Something" and "Here comes the sun", with the first one being one of the best late 60's ballads. Let's highlight Harrison's guitar work be it heavier guitar on "Come together", "She's so heavy" or the wonderful solo on "Something".

"Because" has great vocal harmonies, Beatles still proving they had some top vocals despite cutting down on the number of harmonies after 1966.

Starr is showing improved and updated drumming with a great feeling, hear "Something", "Come together" or "She's so heavy". He come with a number that I consider most mature during his time with the band "Octopus's garden" with the heavy band support.

Abbey Road album has not been matched by any of the solo Beatle output and remains a fascinating legacy of classic rock.

Rightfully considered the weakest album in the Beatles' discography, it is also the least serious one. More than half of the songs are no fun listening to if you aren't watching the above-average cartoon movie.

I'll start with the weakest songs - "Yellow submarine" and "All together now". The first is recycled from "Revolver" and the latter one may be sufficiently good for kids but not adults. Then comes "Only a northern song" with a relatively solid unconventional melody but half-baked psychedelia arrangements and particularly weak drumming.

"All you need is love" was heard before but suits the cartoon well, just like the title track. "It's all too much" gives another credit to Harrison and better arrangements this time - organ, psychedelic drums with special sound, even some brass instrument and suitable guitar. "Hey bulldog" is the clear winner on the album with the entire band at peak power. Starr providing a solid rhythm, Lennon great, affected but fitting vocal, Harrison one of his best solos and McCartney tops this with his busy bass playing alongside Lennon's piano. This song's fair is far away from the psychedelia pack of the rest.

The symphonic section by George Martin is decent when you're watching the cartoon but non-essential for sole listening purposes.

Usually, a theatrical performance that has a story strung together by songs from an artist or composer(s), but not performed by them, is called a jukebox musical.

Instead of other live performers, what if the original tracks are newly remixed for the story? You certainly would have a deconstruction of the "jukebox" part! This is the case with Love, the Cirque de Soleil presentation of the music of the Beatles.

Even the concept of a remix album has been reinterpreted here too. Mashups and digs through alternate mixes from the band's Anthology abound. This itself is significant, as remix albums can be a crapshoot. For every notable Lee "Scratch" Perry dub collection, there are at least several that can be each characterized, as was in a review in the former Island Ear of Billy Idol's Vital Idol, "a textbook case in studio self-indulgence." Rather, Love is a showcase for sound combinations that are pleasant and intriguing.

Some tracks are mashups with samples of songs interpolated into others. Sound effects of horse whinnies are borrowed from "Good Morning, Good Morning" to give voice, so to speak, to Henry the Horse in "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite." (Hey, this is a circus soundtrack, you know!) This is besides the Sgt. Pepper track melding into "I Want You (She's so Heavy)," making it also one of several medleys here.

A precedent for this approach was "Beyond the Valley of a Day in the Life," a drop-the-needle sound collage by the Residents released in 1977 as one side of The Beatles Play the Residents and the Residents Play the Beatles. Another was, curiously enough, "A Medley of Beatle Tunes," an "a cappella" comedy routine by Father Guido Sarducci.

A second type of mashup for Love - vocals dubbed over a completely different track - also results in some intriguing listening. Check out "Because" featuring ambient sounds. Meanwhile, "Gnik Nus," which is a backwards "Sun King" laid over a tanpura drone, taking the band's penchant for backwards tapes to its logical conclusion!

If you are into that kind of mix, try if you can to locate a video for "Baby You're a Rich Man (Ecstasy Mix)," with the vocals laid over The Go! Team instrumental "Friendship Update."

Another kind of remix consists of highlighting certain parts that bring a different twist into the listening, such as a higher volume for John Lennon's voice in "Glass Onion" and the bridge of plucked strings emphasized in "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

"Strawberry Fields Forever" takes this further exponentially, with John Lennon's unaltered voice and solo guitar from a demo version to lay it on top of the familiar instrumental. This may be the ultimate internal (same artist) mashup, featuring also horns from "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Not to mention, on top of it all, "Penny Lane" and even the harpsichord from "Piggies" and the end of "Hello Goodbye."

The crowning medley moment is probably just of two tracks - "Tomorrow Never Knows / Within You Without You" - that weave tautly the energy and depth of both songs.

Recommended for: anyone open to Beatles remixes/mashups that strongly challenge those production notions.

Review #104!

Ha! Two polar opposites on the same 45. This single was released in 1968, after the release of "The White Album". On side one is 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da', one of the best story songs ever. One of the most fun and boogie-inducing track to exist in the modern era. This is followed by 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', possibly the most beautifully composed Beatles song in their discography. And it was written by George Harrison! Thank God, because I don't think I could live without that guitar solo. A great single from a great (only?!) - sorry - absolutely freaking amazing band.

Review #66!

I hate to be the fuddy-duddy when it comes to reception of this album, but the way that I view this record is just a stepping stone between Sgt. Peppers and Abbey Road. I don't find there to be any gold material here apart from tracks like 'Rocky Racoon', 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', and 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun'. I see the innovation; I see where the praise comes from, but it's just not something I'm into. But, something I DO enjoy, oddly enough, is the sound collage millennium and counting before its time: the perplexing 'Revolution 9'. You what? I think The Beatles were on drugs, guys. Just maybe. Maybe.