(I'm not reviewing all songs here.)
I just listened to LOVE yesterday twice - on headphones and speakers. You certainly pick up more on the ambient and extraneous content on the headphones. I was struck at the sonic clarity of "Come Together." It's not one of my favs, but I really enjoyed this version. Ringo is an excellent drummer with his inventive backup on this.
I was somewhat bored with the intro until it got to the plaintive violin chords of Eleanor Rigby. With "I am the Walrus," I was totally hooked. I feel like George Martin really liked Lennon's work. Is it my perception that I seem to hear a preponderance of John in the project?
I was also very impressed by the final "hmmm" at the end of "Help" as vocalized together by John and Paul. Was George in on this, too, for a tri-harmony? Hard to believe they did this on a few (or one) takes.
Glass Onion - what is this song all about anyway? I love it though. Seems like a throwaway of John's, just some filler for the White
Album. It clocks at 2:13. I think more could have been done with it.
Gnik Nus: I wasn't too impressed but it was an interesting idea by the Martins. At first listen, I really thought it was John singing in Dutch or something. I read the liner notes afterward and realized it was Sun King played backwards because George liked the melody and surmised that John would have enthusiastically approved.
I thought it was interesting to hear the excerpt of the passing ambulance alarm from Revolution 9 at the end of the Julia segment.
Octopus's Garden sounded melancholy in this version.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps is simply a great George Harrison tune. Can it really be called a Beatles song considering that John and Paul weren't receptive to it at the time? (However, John does play both organ and acoustic guitar on it - but where's Paul?) For that matter, I think we'd have to say that "Yesterday" wasn't a Beatles tune either. I'd hate to continue on with this logic. Best to leave it at that.
A Day in the Life: I'm glad it was included in its entirety and with the fabled "sugar plum fairie" verse clearly audible - and the short count as well. I have always considered "A Day in the Life" to be a masterpiece of sheer musical perfection.
I'm not so sure about the closeout with the Sgt Pepper reprise but I guess it made sense considering the performance is concluding at that point.
"All you need is Love" was appropriately placed as the final song because the Performance is itself labeled "Love." The snippets of Beatles dialogue with John saying "Good Night" had a frenetic quality to them. It's sort of like an amped-up Beatles concluding a show. All that energy - whew - it would have taken them a while (in those days) to unwind and cool down.
I think a better critique could be made upon seeing the Cirque Du Soleil performance and in hearing how the songs jive with that. I expect they'll eventually release a DVD of it.
One question: Is there any kind of narrative thread throughout these songs? I don't see it. Is it one of these endless "interpretation/IMO" type of games? I would think a chronological order would make the most narrative sense but it appears to be non-existent. What were George and Giles thinking - just a focus on the soundscaping of it all?
Also: I'd love to see what John, Paul, George (and yes, Ringo, too) would have done with this commission were they able, living, present and agreeable to it. Sure, the Martins are wonderful craftsman and exceedingly knowledgable in their chosen profession, but I think the actual Beatles would have done far better and would have also produced some exquisite surprises, riddles and perhaps, new material as well.
So that's my initial impression so far. Fans of all levels can enjoy it. There are some medley aspects to it in which some songs necessarily receive short shrift - but that's the nature of the project - it can't be helped. I think that apart from the Cirque Du Soleil performance itself, we'll probably just pick out what we really like and play it whenever the mood dictates. But as an overall album, I don't know. It's not even a concept album, IMO. Unless someone here can argue otherwise, it seems to me to be a motley collection of their work.
Enjoy - Love. That's all you need!
