The Beatles - Love

Ever wondered what classic Beatles tunes would sound like if they where in the hands of someone with ProTools? Well no need to lie awake at night and wonder, the result is Love. This is a remix of classic songs by the Beatles (from the original 4 track recordings) by George Martin and his son Giles Martin. This was done for the Cirque du Soleil Vegas show of the same name. Sounds like it would be a load of crap, right? Sounds like it could be like that Billy Joel musical, or heaven forbid the Bob Dylan one.

Suprisingly it is not as bad as you would think. Love has a big thing going for it, it is the original Beatle music, and producers that are familiar and love the original material

I enjoyed the album, it never got too "clever." Beatle songs are like the U.S. Constitution. Either you feel that they way they are record is the way they should remain for the end of time and should not be f'd with or you feel that they can be changed and evolve with the times. I as with the constitution fall some where in the middle. Beatle songs where close to perfect when they were recorded and in an essence timeless, this is why there are so many bad Beatle covers (G Love's Blackbird and most of the I am Sam soundtrack). Now the timelssness of their songs make it so adaptable to change (ie Rufus Wainwright Across the Universe). When it is done with care and respect it can make something magical.

Love is close to magical. Giles intertwines several classic Beatle tunes to make a swirling sonic experience that continues to make the listener think about what they are hearing but also of the original tunes. Unfortunately this is a gimmick and with all gimmicks I can see it getting old really fast. Love will not be a lasting album in the Beatle's pantheon of great records, but an interesting footnote in their ever expanding mythology.

All Songs Considered recently did a show that interviewed Giles Martin and talked extensively about the record and the project. If you are interested I would suggest downloading their podcast on it. If you don't subscribe to their podcast you should because it is really good.

I have included the art work from the album for you reading pleasure.

***This post updated while listening to Rufus Wainwright, no particular album but just some songs by him.***