Sunday, April 11, 2004
THE PERSUASIONS
The Persuasions Sing The Beatles
Chesky Records, 2002
Although by acclamation the most successful and popular rock group in history, The Beatles, like any group, had some sublime moments of genius, and also recorded some stone crap. Don't get me wrong, I say this as a Beatles fan. And in the same way, covers of Beatles material by other artists face the same challenges. First, there is the problem of song selection: choosing songs that, on their own, rise to a level of artistic acheivement, and those which are appropriate for the artist making the selection. "Hey Jude" is an amazing song, but should it be performed by, for example, Public Enemy? A great group in their own genre and in their own right, but not fitted to the task at hand.
Then there is the problem of the artist's performance, which has the same ability to rise and fall as with any other material, but choosing Lennon-McCartney songs (from their best work) raises the bar quite a bit. The Persuasions have surmounted these hurdles quite cleanly, and made it look like a walk in the park to boot.
The Persuasions are an a capella singing group from way back in the day, and in fact one of their early LP's (their first?) was released by Frank Zappa on his own record label ca. 1969. They've had a comeback of sorts in the past few years, with the help of Chesky Records. The group recorded a CD of Zappa songs, as well as one of songs originally by The Grateful Dead. I haven't heard those as of yet, but I can comment on this release, which is a welcome gift for Beatles fans.
One of the enduring qualities of the Beatles music, that has allowed to remain popular for so many decades, is its inherent flexibility. Since the Beatles drew from so many influences (R&B, rock and roll, country, Tin Pan Alley, English music hall, and the list goes on), it was appropriate for interpreters in a wide variety of styles. But for my money, the best interpreters of Beatles material have always been Americans of African heritage. On this CD, Paul McCartney's "Oh Darling" takes on an extra soulfulness. "Rocky Raccoon", which was previously covered by Lena Horne and Sara Vaughn, comes alive here. "Ob La Di, Ob La Da," with its caribbean origins, sounds much more appropriate.
The a capella format lends itself beautifully to this project. And the whole thing is impeccably recorded and mastered at 96/24 bitrate, which is a very high sampling rate. Just to make it clear: buy this on CD, and DO NOT listen to this on MP3; if you do, you'll be ripping the very heart out of the recording. Chesky is an "audiophile" recording label, so they have spared no expense to make this recording sound as deep and lush as a tropical forest. It would be best to listen to this on a high-end home stereo system, but if you don't have one of those, don't deprive yourself just because of that. RATING: Full Retail
The Persuasions Sing The Beatles
Chesky Records, 2002
Although by acclamation the most successful and popular rock group in history, The Beatles, like any group, had some sublime moments of genius, and also recorded some stone crap. Don't get me wrong, I say this as a Beatles fan. And in the same way, covers of Beatles material by other artists face the same challenges. First, there is the problem of song selection: choosing songs that, on their own, rise to a level of artistic acheivement, and those which are appropriate for the artist making the selection. "Hey Jude" is an amazing song, but should it be performed by, for example, Public Enemy? A great group in their own genre and in their own right, but not fitted to the task at hand.
Then there is the problem of the artist's performance, which has the same ability to rise and fall as with any other material, but choosing Lennon-McCartney songs (from their best work) raises the bar quite a bit. The Persuasions have surmounted these hurdles quite cleanly, and made it look like a walk in the park to boot.
The Persuasions are an a capella singing group from way back in the day, and in fact one of their early LP's (their first?) was released by Frank Zappa on his own record label ca. 1969. They've had a comeback of sorts in the past few years, with the help of Chesky Records. The group recorded a CD of Zappa songs, as well as one of songs originally by The Grateful Dead. I haven't heard those as of yet, but I can comment on this release, which is a welcome gift for Beatles fans.
One of the enduring qualities of the Beatles music, that has allowed to remain popular for so many decades, is its inherent flexibility. Since the Beatles drew from so many influences (R&B, rock and roll, country, Tin Pan Alley, English music hall, and the list goes on), it was appropriate for interpreters in a wide variety of styles. But for my money, the best interpreters of Beatles material have always been Americans of African heritage. On this CD, Paul McCartney's "Oh Darling" takes on an extra soulfulness. "Rocky Raccoon", which was previously covered by Lena Horne and Sara Vaughn, comes alive here. "Ob La Di, Ob La Da," with its caribbean origins, sounds much more appropriate.
The a capella format lends itself beautifully to this project. And the whole thing is impeccably recorded and mastered at 96/24 bitrate, which is a very high sampling rate. Just to make it clear: buy this on CD, and DO NOT listen to this on MP3; if you do, you'll be ripping the very heart out of the recording. Chesky is an "audiophile" recording label, so they have spared no expense to make this recording sound as deep and lush as a tropical forest. It would be best to listen to this on a high-end home stereo system, but if you don't have one of those, don't deprive yourself just because of that. RATING: Full Retail
