The BEATLES Illustrated: Meet The Covers!

Meet The Covers! - Various Artists

Compact Disc • Hip-o Records • HIPD-40064.

1997 • U.S.A.

Classic Interpretations of Beatles Songs

Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Earth, Wind & Fire, Nils Lofgren, Flamin’ Groovies

Nilsson, The Mamas & The Papas, The Grass Roots, Richie Havens, Todd Rundgren, Siouxsie and The Banshees, Breakfast Club, Wilson Pickett, Ike & Tina Turner

Back cover.

Disc.

Booklet.

Liner notes:

To even the most casual observer of the ‘60s pop scene, one thing was quite obvious - the Beatles were songsmiths supreme.

The enormous success certainly had something to do with the endless barrage of Motown Sings The Beatles and 101 Strings Play The Beatles albums, but the incredible depth, diversity, quality and quantity of their songs during their near-decade of prominence made everyone from classical composers to top bluegrass players take notice. This package is not quite that diverse - to be so in 14 songs would guarantee a listening headache.

However, even within the streamlined confines of this collection check out the diversity of those covering the Fab Four’s material one of their forebears and major influences, Little Richard; numerous - highly successful contemporaries, the Mamas & the Papas, Aretha Franklin, the Grass Roots; and a pair of more modern bands who found the urge to take on their songs irresistible - Siouxsie & the Banshees and the Breakfast Club.

Further, three of the four biggest hits on this collection - Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Got To Get You Into My Life” (#1 R&B, #9 Pop); Wilson Pickett’s “Hey Jude” (#13 R&B, #23 Pop); Ike & Tina Turner's “Come Together” (#21 R&B) - are stone cold soul cookers, while the fourth, Richie Havens’ “Here Comes The Sun” (#16 Pop), comes closer to folk-rock than anything. Meet The Covers has a sweet pop pastiche like Nilsson’s loving tribute, “You Can’t Do That,” near-gospel with Aretha’s “Let It Be,” mainstream guitar jangle-rock with the Flamin’ Groovies and Nils Lofgren, modern psychedelia with Siouxsie & the Banshees, and Cass Elliot doing her swaggering version of showtime pop-rock with “I Call Your Name”.

That all this music holds up under the weight of this variety of styles and stands the cold hard test of time is truly remarkable. For those of us who lived through Beatlemania and bought into it on one level or an- other, a collection like this only reaffirms our belief in the magic of their music. For more recent converts to Beatles music, feel free to marvel at the power of great songwriting. Styles, rhythms, fads and fancies come and go, but, when it comes right down to it, a great song can last forever.

ANDY MCKAIE

side one

01. GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE - Earth, Wind & Fire

O2. LET IT BE - Aretha Franklin

03. I SAW HER STANDING THERE - Little Richard

04. ANY TIME AT ALL - Nils Lofgren

05. THERE’S A PLACE - Flamin’ Groovies

06. YOU CAN'T DO THAT - Nilsson

07. I CALL YOUR NAME - The Mamas & The Papas

08. YOU'VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY - The Grass Roots

09. HERE COMES THE SUN - Richie Havens

10. RAIN - Todd Rundgren