'Variations In Fab Minor' – A Look At Some Interesting Takes On The Songs of The Beatles – Part 1
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
When the Beatles burst into American living rooms on Feb. 9, 1964 via the Ed Sullivan Show, they altered the direction of the universe. That's no exaggeration! There was the world before the Beatles, and the world after. What we have now is the world after the world after, which is a big room in a lot of disarray, most of the old paint peeled off the wall, but a few of the original layers still able to peek through.
The music of the Beatles startled and shook the music world to the core. Countless musicians sited that Sullivan show as the moment they knew they wanted to be a musician while others less musically inclined still pointed to it as a 'one day the world was suddenly in full color' moment. A huge reason the Beatles were not dismissed as temporary entertainment and fodder for the kids was because even those of an older generation knew there was something more to their music than a typical teenage come hither or empty calorie sugary beverage. There was, ahem, substance!
Not wanting to seem like unhip day old bread, countless artists recorded Beatles songs who otherwise wouldn't have given a second listen to these 'long haired' kids from across the pond. Acknowledgement came from the likes of Leonard Bernstein to Frank Sinatra over time. Sinatra famously recording a version of George Harrison’s ‘Something,’ referring to it as the finest Lennon/McCartney composition. It was the thought that counted.
Beatles songs were recorded in the mode of easy listening, country, folk, orchestral, jazz, electronic, you name it with nearly all versions succeeding at one level or another, simply because of the quality of the songs. Here then are a handful of Beatles interpretations, some to be take less seriously than others, but all sincere in their homage. Trust me, there's plenty more where these came from!
Eleanor Rigby - Tony Bennett – (1970)
From the album ‘Tony Sings The Hits Of Today’)
The Beatles reach extended far, even to the likes of one of the world's greatest singer, Tony Bennett. On his 1970 album, 'Tony Sings The Hits Of Today,' Bennett does just that by including three Beatles songs - 'Something,' 'Here, There and Everywhere,' and a dramatic take on 'Eleanor Rigby.' Bennett transforms the song into theater by reciting the verses before swooping in for a majestic vocal on the chorus. The dramatic horns punctuate the arrangement for full theatrical effect.
It Won't Be Long - The Quick (1976)
From the album: 'Mondo Deco'
The Quick were a shining light on the Los Angeles music scene in the mid-70s. Sunset Strip Svengali Kim Fowley took the band under his wing and got them a record deal. and produced their 1976 debut, 'Mondo Deco.' Though it never made the charts, it did make a lasting impression on those of us who heard it. Inspired, brilliant pop music on the cusp of Glitter and Punk before the one had truly faded and the other had yet to fully announce itself, it remains a power pop classic. Their revamping of the Fabs' 'It Won't Be Long' owes more than a slight debt to the influence of Sparks. Members of the Quick would go on to work with such combos as the Weirdos, Rembrandts, the 3 O' Clock and the Dickies (who started out as Quick roadies!).
Strawberry Fields Forever - Peter Gabriel (1976)
From the album: 'All This and World War II'
All This and World War II' was a film from 1976 that, billed as a musical documentary, was to feature World War II newsreel footage and scenes from war films with Beatles music as the soundtrack. Weighing out costs and future earnings, the film's produces opted for other artists to cover Beatles songs instead. The film received less than stellar reviews but the album has remained a curiosity piece, one reason in particular, it featured the first solo recording of Peter Gabriel. His take on 'Strawberry Fields Forever' is actually pretty wonderful. His voice shines atop a fully orchestrated backdrop that tips hat to the original while adding a more grandiose approach. You want a long lost Gabriel track? Here it is.
Tomorrow Never Knows - 801 (1976)
From the album '801 Live'
801 were a side project of Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera who, along with such friends as Brian Eno, Francis Monkman, bassist Bill MacCormick and drummer Simon Phillips, created one of the eras most unique one-offs with '801 Live.' Release in late 1976 (not until 1978 in the US) it is a glorious album featuring excellent musicianship and unique arrangements. The version of the Beatles groundbreaking 'Tomorrow Never Knows' defiantly avoids trying to copy the original and transports the listener to a different place entirely. The unique take on this psychedelic classic shows the composition in a different light and succeeds on its own terms.
Ticket To Ride - The Carpenters (1969)
From the album ‘Ticket To Ride’
Karen Carpenter's sweeter than sweet vocal and Richard Carpenter's knack for knowing just what kind of arrangement a song is crying out for put the Carpenters in the charts and the hearts of American in the early 1970s. In 1969, they released their debut album, originally titled 'Offering,' later retitled Ticket To Ride,' it featured their own interpretation of the Beatles 1965 hit. The original has that wonderful stilted drum pattern from Ringo and chiming 12-string guitar. The Carpenters dismantled the song, turned it inside out, and made it a plaintive ballad with Karen's heartbroken voice front and center. It would be the first Carpenters single to chart and though only making No. 54, it's where it all started.
Help! - The Damned (1977)
From ‘New Rose’ single b-side
The best British 'punk' band ever was the Damned! There, I said it! They captured the attitude, spirit and spark of the original movement better than any of 'em! The first to release a single and album and the first to make their way to America, yet eclipsed in notoriety, sales and history books over the years. Sad fact but, they're still standing with a new album released this year and another world tour. Released in October 1976, 'New Rose' was a call to arms. It’s a frantic, aggressive musical blast of energy that beat the rest of the UK punk scene to the record shops. Their take on 'Help,' found on the b-side, is twice the speed of the original with any tears replaced by anger.