The Beatles Is Love

Literally.

One of McVie’s most anticipated releases this year, Love began as a project for Cirque du Soleil. The Beatles’ legendary producer George Martin, together with his son Giles (in picture, second and third from left), crafted music of more than an hour long for a Soleil show featuring all-Beatles songs. With a successful run of the show in Las Vegas, the release of the soundtrack wasn’t far behind. With unprecedented access to the original tapes, the Martins created an album that any Beatles fan will swoon over. It’s the ultimate legitimate mash-up—all-original Beatles music tweaked with the blessings of the surviving members plus the wives of John and George. And sans the bootleggy sound, the Beatles never sounded so fresh. As Giles said in his introduction, “All the music was so well recorded by the EMI engineers that the attitude and passion were frozen in time. Had the music not been so familiar, the tapes sounded like they’ve been recorded yesterday.” But this isn’t just about hearing Beatles songs in crystal-clear, digital crispness. Thanks to the tweaking, it’s like hearing the familiar for the first time again. Of course, only those who are fans of the familiar will experience that. Beatles novices will be forgiven if they scratch their heads and wonder, what’s the big deal? Hearing the songs anew, I’m now compelled to listen to the originals all over again.

The copy I bought also includes the audio-DVD version (DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1); I’m looking forward to hear the whole album in full surround. For this particular Beatles McFan, that will truly be a magical mystery tour.

Tangina, ibang klase talaga sila.