The Beatles
"Yellow Submarine"
(Apple)
You know the re-issue of Yellow Submarine is great. Much has already been made about the healthy sheen of new production that has lent to an even greater spice to wonderful set of tunes that would sound fantastic no matter what shape they are in. That immortal list includes immediately recognizable classics like "All You Need Is Love" as well as the joyous, lemon-colored title track. Not to mention that the old soundtrack album from 1968 only contained four other Beatle songs, ("Hey Bulldog," "It's All Too Much," "All Together Now," and "Only A Northern Song"). This new improved version draws in nine additional Beatle favorites that were used in the cartoon feature. Now were talking about great stuff like "Nowhere Man," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Eleanor Rigby." But something was lost in the grand revamping of this wonderful cartoon-fantasy film soundtrack. Unfortunately, stricken from this great record is the entire Side Two of the old LP release. What was contained on Side Two? Why, original film music composed and orchestrated by George Martin, of course. The sad fact is that when you buy the marvelous, exquisitely produced 1999 CD of Yellow Submarine you miss out on vintage instrumental compositions like "Pepperland" and "Sea Of Monsters." Now I ask, if you spent almost twenty bucks on the new "Yellow Submarine" album, wouldn't you want to be able to hear "March of the Meanies" and "Sea of Time & Sea of Holes?" I think they should have expanded this new collection even more-and made it a double CD if necessary-to include this wonderful George Martin stuff. Regal, melodic, thick with classical sophistication but also revealing debts to Messrs. McCarthey and Lennon (and perhaps Van Dyke Parks and Brian Wilson!), this is some pretty cool stuff. I think there's even a little bit of backward panning or phasing on one of the numbers. So that's it. Listening to the Beatles is never a bad thing, listening to George Martin working with the Beatles' concepts on "Yellow Submarine" is an entertaining side road before heading back to the main camp. Today's select cut: "Pepperland Laid Waste" How prophetic!
by Mitch Myers
copyright 1999 New City Communications, Inc.