A little over a year ago, Cirque du Soleil put on a Beatles tribute show. Of sorts.
The soundtrack to what was apparently an amazing performance was put together by veteran Beatles producer George Martin, along with his son Giles.
Now, I wouldn't necessarily call myself a Beatles fan - that is to say, I don't own any Beatles albums, but I respect them and enjoy quite a few of their songs because, well, they're the Beatles.
But this album is a masterpiece.
Put together over two years and comprising elements from 130 individual songs by the Beatles, this album brings the Beatles kicking and screaming into the 21st century - and then adds another layer or two.
One example of the fine production work that went into the album is Strawberry Fields Forever - track 13 on the album.
The song includes the orchestral section from Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the solo piano from In My Life, brass from Penny Lane, the cello and harpsicord arrangement from Piggies and the coda of Hello, Goodbye.
As I said before, I'm no Beatles afficionado, but this album is top notch.
The waves of sound are lush and three-dimensional, and you don't even have to close your eyes to imagine the Cirque du Soleil performers doing their thing.
As I thought about my rating for this review, I was in a bit of a quandry. Any reviewer will tell you their hesitation or, sometimes, flat out refusal to give perfect marks to a movie/book/album etc.
But I thought this one qualified.
Not only is it a collection of some of the 20th century's most seminal pop music, by none other than the Beatles, but it has also been taken to another level by Martin.
Five stars.
1 comment:
The Beatles are my generation's music, but I never liked all of their songs. I never really liked them performing them either, but enjoyed it performed by other artists, even orchestras, which show the quality of their music. - Dave
Post a Comment