Yellow Submarine [Songtrack CD]

by The Beatles

Overview

Thirty years after the first invasion of Pepperland by the Blue Meanies, the irrepressible Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has resurfaced from the loam to save us from the gray, loveless world of the greedy gloved establishment. Well, all right! But the big question is this: Are the Fab Four hitching a ride in a brand new Yellow Submarine, or are they towing the same old boat in a new (wet) suit? The answer: A little of both. Unlike the original '69 release, this "songtrack" contains all the Beatles songs used in the film -- five of which were exclusive to the movie, plus ten that original appeared on Sgt. Pepper's, Magical Mystery Tour, and Revolver. Missing are the seven original (and quite stuffy) George Martin orchestrations. Of the five Yellow Sub exclusives, only the salty, Lennon-driven "Hey Bulldog" rises to usual Beatle standards, though aficionados will enjoy the film version of "It's All Too Much," with its extra verse. Digitally re-mastered to create "wraparound" sound (a novel change from the extreme left-right stereo separation typical of Beatle records) and the song score does succeed as it was intended -- as a cool trip for groovy kids. Fans will also want to revisit the film, now on DVD, which stands as a brilliant vestige of the era's best psychedelic art.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/14/1999
Label:	Capitol
UPC:	0724352148127
catalogNumber:	21481

Tracks

1. Yellow Submarine
2. Hey Bulldog
3. Eleanor Rigby
4. Love You To
5. All Together Now
6. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
7. Think for Yourself
8. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
9. With a Little Help from My Friends
10. Baby You're a Rich Man
11. Only a Northern Song
12. All You Need Is Love
13. When I'm Sixty-Four
14. Nowhere Man
15. It's All Too Much

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Beatles   Primary Artist
George Harrison   Group Member
John Lennon   Group Member
Paul McCartney   Group Member
Ringo Starr   Group Member

Technical Credits

George Martin   Producer
Peter Cobbin   Remixing
Geoff Emerick   Engineer
Keith Grant   Engineer
Eddie Kramer   Engineer
Dave Siddle   Engineer
Norman Smith   Engineer

Editorial Reviews

Admittedly, the soundtrack to Yellow Submarine wasn't one of the highlights in the Beatles' catalog, so providing an official alternate version of it is no big deal. The soundtrack always felt cobbled together, because it was. It only contained four new songs -- two of which were written by Harrison, which indicates how seriously Lennon and McCartney took the project, if their enjoyable throwaways ("Hey Bulldog" and "All Together Now," respectively) didn't provide enough of a clue -- plus two previously released songs ("All You Need Is Love," "Yellow Submarine") and a side of George Martin instrumentals from the film's score. The Beatles never assembled a slighter album while they were active, so it wasn't a sacrilege when their organization decided to assemble a "songtrack" -- a soundtrack that featured only the songs in the film, not any of the instrumentals -- to coincide with the re-release of the film in 1999. In a way, the "songtrack" (which is what the Beatles' associates insisted on calling the new effort) is an improvement on the soundtrack since it eliminates dead weight and strengthens the original six songs with nine songs featured in the movie ("Eleanor Rigby," "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," etc.). It's a little jarring not to hear the songs from the soundtrack in a different order on the songtrack, but ultimately the record is entertaining, if a bit familiar. That's not the case with the sound, though. The Beatles have decided to make this the first remixed CD in their catalog. The differences are slight but often notable and never really an improvement; as a matter of fact, it could likely be enough to irk, possibly anger, longtime Beatlemaniacs. It helps distinguish the Yellow Submarine "songtrack" as much as the new sequencing.

All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine