The Beatles: Love
All you need is Love.
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Tuesday, 21, Nov 2006 04:05
Parlophone, out now.
In a nutshell.
All You Need Is Love
What's it all about?
Love could quite have easily translated into a Beatles fan's nightmare and in its finished and splendid form it could still reverberate in this way. Love is 26 tracks compiled from original Beatles recordings and this would usually be the part when a Fab Four completist would lampoon it for being worthless. The involvement of George Martin in its production would probably make the doubter wince in their criticism, but lambaste they would, arguing that nothing would ever be as good as the original releases. Fortunately Let It Be.Naked proved this argument to be indefensible, because when you strip down 'Spectorised' production or alter standard production in a different way, you end up with an alternative and fresh approach that breathes in new life. Fundamentally, this is what Love is. It's a fresh approach to classic tracks and it cradles them into the 21st century.
Who's it by?
The Fab Four made a few albums in their time, the odd hit single, that kind of thing. So let us concentrate on the production team that complied Love. George Martin is a man who needs no introduction having worked with the Beatles for over 40 years. Martin and his son Giles stationed themselves in Abbey Road, along with Dominic Champagne, a director of the Cirque de Soleil stage show. They began work on a project that the founder of the Cirque show, Guy Laliberte, and George Harrison had spoken about. Martin set about rearranging Beatles tracks from the original EMI tapes and Champagne listened to them, before producing scenes for a future stage show. That show premiered in Las Vegas in this summer and Love is the soundtrack to the show.
As an example.
"Get back/get back/get back to where you once belonged/get back Jo Jo!" Get Back begins the stage show with a long Ringo drum introduction, it turns the song into a rhythmic anthem and revolutionises the feel of the tune.
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Love is a genuine musical achievement and could quite easily steal a few awards this year, George Martin certainly deserves one.
What the others say
"Love vindicates the Beatles' status as master musicians and conceptualists. Not only for the spirit of optimism they embodied but artistically, they remain the act to beat. On this evidence, no one else comes close." - Observer Music Monthly.
"Though "best band in the known universe" hyperbole is too easy, class of 2006 doesn't come off well by comparison. It may not be quite all you need, but 'LOVE' still conquers (almost) all."- NME
So is it any good?
The first point to make is that Love is quite simply a new production and arrangement of Beatles songs. Only a score composed by Martin has been added to Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps, the rest has simply been chopped and reversed from original EMI tapes. The effect that this has on the songs is sometimes quite subtle, but always frighteningly effective. Eleanor Rigby has the odd extra vocal from John Lennon overlapping Paul McCartney's tones and Hey Jude is simply slower, and more defined.
I Am The Walrus demonstrates Martin's knack for altering the pace and reversing certain notes, with John's distorted vocal sounding more piercing and like the scowl he probably intended. "I'm Crying!/yellow made custard/dripping from a dead dogs eye" shows that I Am The Walrus is probably the best track of 2006, and it reminds you how good the Beatles really were. Help, perhaps the most recognisable song of the band's entire catalogue, is left relatively untouched.
No doubt a great deal of work was done to this record, but it's a credit to the production team that the songs don't sound wrong, it sounds more perfect than ever. The final lines delivered by John sound clearer, perhaps even slightly louder, which suits the energy of the tune. Strawberry Fields Forever sounds beautiful, as does While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Revolution sounds angrier and more generation-defining than ever before, with the distorted guitars overlapping John's confident and cutting lyrics. There are some joyous creations on Love, with Within Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows being notable for its innovation, proving that John had so much more to give.
Love is a display of perfect song writing, masterful performances and loving production. It's a fantastic achievement.
10/10
Karl Pike