Since they disbanded in 1970, the uncountable amount of artists have taken The Beatles' songs to do the cover/remix version and tried to gain their name from the songs' popularity. Some has succeeded and some has failed. This album is another example of the fab four's remix album. This time is quite unique because--firstly, it is a request from the remaining Beatles (Ringo, Paul, Ono, and Olivia Harrison) to do an experimental remix, secondly, it is produced by the band's original producer, George Martin, and thirdly, it is composed for the show of the infamous dance group Cirque du Soleil.
The selection of the songs here are surprisingly match with the style of Cirque du Soleil. Most of the songs have been adjusted to make the continuous show. Some songs has been shorten and made into medleys. Some part of the songs has been inserted into another song to create a new background sound. Despite all these adjustments, the producer chooses to maintain the original vocal. Considering this as a performance show, the results are not all that bad. The music is almost smooth from the beginning of the album. But when "Help!" is played, its fast rhythm is incoherent with the previous track.
Some songs are performance-ready and need only few adjustments/enhancements such as "I Am the Walrus", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamond", and "A Day in the Life". The producer also chooses to use the demo version of "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" instead of the album version.
As for The Beatles fans, some adjustments are unacceptable. The clapping and drum sound in "Lady Madonna" don't go together with the song. The background music from "Goodnight" in the beginning of "Octopus's Garden" is even more irritating. "Hey Jude" is cut to reach the fadeout part quicker.
Beside those few points, the arrangement of tracks and medleys are excellent. Considering this album as a show soundtrack or experimental remix of the classics, the result is quite good. But for an usual music listeners, this is not a necessary album. |