$9.99 Love
Tuesday, January 30th, 2007When it comes to the old Beatles v. Stones argument, I fall firmly in the Stones camp. The Beatles were always too squeaky clean for me, even though, like most people, I went through a Beatles phase that culminated in high school with some Lennonesque spectacles. I’m drawn much more, in fact, to Lennon’s post-Beatles work. 
But when the new Love album was marked down to $9.99, I figured it was worth the cheaper-than-iTunes-like pricing for the experience. It’s definitely worth $9.99. You get hugely improved sound quality and some interesting sound effects courtesy of George Martin’s son. There’s definitely a “stagey” feel and texture to the remix, which is, I guess, supposed to make you go see the Cirque du Soleil show. The whole album plays seamlessly, with songs overlapping in interesting ways, sort of like what you might hear on a Disneyfried “Yellow Submarine” amusement park ride, or maybe what the Fab Four might have sounded like if they were playing five shows a week in Branson. However, what this album also depressingly demonstrates is how what was once the cutting edge of music has become elevator tunes. Really, when’s the last time you listened to Lady Madonna on purpose? Danger Mouse’s famously bootleggable Grey Album did a much better job of showing how the Beatles are being reinterpreted in a fresh way. This remix is severely limited by drawing only from other Beatles songs, outakes, sound effects, etc. Still worth $9.99, though.