Essential Treasures & Random Acts of Generosity

 

Love The Beatles (Artist)

From Amazon.co.uk
It begins with a twittering of birdsong lifted from "Across the Universe." And once the triple-tracked a capella harmonies of "Because" enter, followed by snatches from "A Hard Day’s Night" and "The End," leading into a fired-up "Get Back," it becomes obvious that this is far more than just another Beatles compilation. This is Love, conceived by the Fabs’ former producer George Martin and son Giles as a stageshow soundtrack to Cirque de Soleil’s Las Vegas spectacular of the same name, but appears to have taken on a life of its own. Whereas the Beatles’ last release, 1, delivered the (over?) familiar hits in a nice, simple package, Love is a mélange of the familiar and obscure, all literally mixed together in one 78-minute audio collage which succeeds in reminding the listener just why the Beatles truly are, as Lennon put it, "toppermost of the poppermost." There’s no new Beatles material per se, but the songs are all approached differently—some are cut together in a flawlessly mixed medley (check out "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!/I Want You/Helter Skelter"), some reassemble different backing tracks and vocal performances to create new spins on old classics; but all the songs are revitalized considerably. Even in its weakest moments (which probably work better in the context of the show itself), Love is still a formidable prospect, and one has to admire Martin’s willingness to go out on a limb with such a project. While purists may complain that the cut ’n’ paste nature of the project is simply tampering with perfection, at the very least it’ll make them reach for the originals and enjoy them all over again. For newcomers and everyone else, it makes a fine listen, both in its sonic clarity (the actual tracks are the best they’ve sounded on CD) and audacious nature. —Thom Allott

 

Cirque d’amour, November 21, 2006

Reviewer:

Amanda Richards "Modest to the extreme" (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews

This album is actually the soundtrack for a Las Vegas production by the Quebecois entertainment group Cirque du Soleil, each track having been carefully excavated and lovingly remixed by longtime Beatles collaborator Sir George Martin and his son Giles from the archives of original recordings.

With the blessing of the surviving Beatles, as well as Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, some 130 Beatles songs were mixed into this track list, with a lot of blending, combining, and in one case a new musical arrangement by George Martin. The result is a wonderful piece of history brought to life for listeners who may have been too young to experience it first hand, or those who wish those days could come again.

My favorite tracks on the album are listed below, and I’m really pleased for this opportunity to hear them again with their new arrangements as if for the very first time.

Eleanor Rigby
I Am the Walrus
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Something
Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite (mixed with 2 other songs)
Help!
Yesterday
Strawberry Fields Forever (with parts of 4 other songs)
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Octopus’s Garden
Here Comes the Sun
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (new string arrangement)
A Day in the Life
Hey Jude
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Far from being a mere compilation of Beatles songs, this album breathes new life into the Fab Four, and proves that Beatlemania Lives!!!

Amanda Richards

 

 

 

The X-Men Trilogy (X-Men/ X2: X-Men United/ X-Men: The Last Stand) DVD

Synopsis All over the planet, unusual children are born with an added twist to their genetic code. This "X-factor" allows the children to perform extraordinary feats - flight, telekinetics, laser beams from the eyes and more. One Dr. Charles Xavier gathers the children to a place where he can train them to use their powers for themselves and the forces of good he dubs these children his X-men and hijinks ensue.