Don Satz wrote:

>I bought a DVD movie the other day.  Although it doesn't involve
>classical music, the film does highlight classic songs written by
>Lennon and McCartney.  ...
>
>So, give yourself a treat and obtain the fim.  I wouldn't recommend
>buying the soundtrack, because it loses so much when divorced from the
>plot.

As an alternative to this soundtrack, run out and get George Martin's
"In My Life". For his "goodbye" recording, ex-Beatle producer and
classically trained Martin used various guest musicians and celebrities
to cover a selection of that band's tunes and the results are fascinating,
usually working much better than one would think. Imagine these combinations:

  "Come Together" with Bobby McFerrin and Robin Williams
  "A Hard Day's Night" with Goldie Hawn
  "Because" with Vanessa Mae
  "I am the Walrus" with Jim Carey
  "Here Comes the Sun" with classical guitarist John Williams
  "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" with Billy Connolly
  "In My Life" with Sean Connery (speaking the lyrics over a string and
  piano arrangement)

Some of the highlights include Jeff Beck performing "A Day in the Life"
(remember that Martin produced Blow by Blow), Celine Dion on "Here,
There, and Everywhere" (I can't normally stand to listen to Dion at all
but this is gorgeous), and Martin's instrumental "Friends and Lovers"
(which could pass for something from an English light classics collection).

I only heard about this last year when a Fanfare writer included it in
their annual Want List, but it was one of my favorite CD purchases of
the year.

Tim Dickinson
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