Love is a new Beatles album that reinvents their music, by remixing and remodeling the most sacrosanct pop band of the 20th century. Original Beatles producer George Martin was at the helm for this project. The 26 tracks were augmented with additional instrumentation and vocals performed by The Beatles themselves. A band long broken up has been refashioned in a way that makes a fresh presentation.
Love doesn't drastically alter The Beatles' music, but rather pieces together fragments of songs. It thus topples the barriers of time, rendering The Beatles as a timeless musical entity. George Harrison’s “Within You Without You” vocal is mixed with the tabla undercarriage of “Tomorrow Never Knows,” and “Julia,” John Lennon’s devastating ode to his dead mother, comes as a crushing punk-rock mix. Beatles lovers are rewarded with an overwhelming finale that starts with “Hey Jude,” a sped-up “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club (Reprise)”, and climaxes with “All You Need Is Love”. ''While My Guitar Gently Weeps'' shows up as George Harrison's solo demo, but with new orchestration composed by George Martin.
The Martins have also polished these tracks for today's ears. The crispness of Paul McCartney's vocals intertwined with John Lennon's high, thin harmonies, and the bite of George Harrison's guitar are a revelation. It would've been easy for The Beatles' records to be museum pieces; Love reaffirms these recordings' enduring and essential nature. It will make you want to dig out the originals, and listen all over again. The album easily ranks among the year's best. |
