For you casual Beatles fans, there is a great treat to be found. I guess many of you have never listened to “Love”, a soundtrack remix album of music recorded by The Beatles and released in 2006, I hadn’t until just a few days ago. It features compiled and remixed Beatles music and was produced by George Martin and his son Giles Martin. The good news is many whole albums are now appearing on YouTube, including many videos of whole 80 minutes of the album. You can start listening right now through YouTube on your PC, iPhone, iPad, etc!
It is magical to have such well-known songs be remixed and mashed up in a new way. The CD starts out with an angelic “Because” totally empty except for the vocals and some chirping birds, this turns into the opening chord from “A Hard Days Night”, then into Ringo’s drum solo on “The End”, which finally fades into a rocking version of “Get Back”. The CD is actually like one long 80 minute Beatles song.
Other highlights include some George songs. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is missing Eric Clapton’s epic crying guitar solo, and as a result the song feels totally different, lighter and wonderful, and the acoustic guitar takes the place in ones mind and heart for Eric’s missing soaring solo. George’s “Something” sounds the same, but a little richer yet not heavy. A lot of the songs strip away many of the instruments so you can catch a glimpse of how the song was put together. I could go on an on about other songs, but I won’t have to because you all can start listening to Love (The Beatles album) right now on YouTube.
Ultimately the work is a huge success and a great surprise and pleasure to listen to. McCartney and Starr, the surviving members of The Beatles, responded very positively to the album. George Martin did a great job on the remix, however he didn’t do anything purists could consider sacrilegious to the Beatles religion. Now that George Martin had his shot, how about giving people like Danger Mouse or Prince a chance to take the entire Beatles library and mix it into something totally new, and maybe even create all brand new songs with the material.
Soundtrack album / remix album by The Beatles
Released 20 November 2006 (2006-11-20)
Recorded 1963–1969 at EMI, Trident, Olympic and Apple studios, London,
EMI Studios, Bombay and Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles; mixed 2004-2006 at Abbey Road Studios
Length 78:38 (CD)
80:28 (DVD-Audio)
Here is a good link to the whole 80 min of the album with some videos someone edited in. Love the videos during “Something”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ag3XbD2p6E
