I would imagine that I approached this album in the same cautious way as any other dedicated Beatles' fan. Having heard it a number of times on the radio or off the beatles.com site, I'm a now a firm fan.
There are moments of sheer beauty on this album, for example, the segueing of the opening bars from Blackbird into a fully blown version of Yesterday. The entire medley (all 80 minutes of it) does take some getting used to, but once you've listened to it a number of times, I don't think you'll be too disappointed. True, some combinations don't work as well as others (I wasn't particularly enamoured with the combination of Octopus's Garden and Goodnight), but hearing the terrific version of Within You Without You coupled with the amazing drumming in Tomorrow Never Knows was nothing short of jaw dropping. This album needs to be listened to in one sitting to be really appreciated.
The danger was that this project would turn out to be a rehash of the hideous Stars On 45, but under the watchful (and respectful) eye of Sir George Martin and his son Giles, the Beatles' legacy remains intact.
The only poignant bit - what would John and George have thought?
Strongly Recommended, especially if you're a Beatles fan and as such, I'm giving it the Full Monty in terms of ratings. If you're not, borrow a copy...
*****
Comments
Two years on and Love still delights. I also watched the new DVD which is very interesting.