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“Across the Universe”
Soundtrack
Interscope
Grade: B
When it comes to the Beatles, one can hardly ever go wrong. The English foursome’s influence is continually seen in nearly all aspects of western culture and this soundtrack is another great example of the enduring power of the Beatles’ music.
The Beatles music has been used countless times in movies such as “I Am Sam” and recently in the Cirque Du Soleil show “LOVE,” but the new movie “Across the Universe” takes this idea to a whole new level. The movie tells an original story of a young man named Jude living in the socially turbulent early ’60s. The movie is a musical using a plethora of different Beatles songs to tell the tale. While this unique and very original idea seems like a bit of an undertaking, the soundtrack is a high-quality collection of Beatles covers, all with an interesting twist. The majority of the songs are remade by the various stars of the movie, with a few more popular artists occasionally featured.
The album opens with a cover of “All My Loving,” done by Jim Sturgess, the lead role in the movie. He sings a few songs on the album and does a great job on each one. His voice eloquently resembles George Harrison’s, but he adds an almost raspy edge to his songs marking a beautiful distinction from the originals. The best cover he does on the album is “Something.” He adds vocal emotion over a scarce and ethereal instrumentation of the song.
The gospel cover of “Let it Be” by Carol Woods and Timothy T. Mitchum is a unique spin on the song and seems to ask why contemporary songs like that are not commonly sung in churches.
One of the most intense tracks comes from blossoming musician Dana Fuchs. Her cover of “Helter Skelter” retains all the energy of the original with a heavier and more modern edge. Fuchs, who hails from Florida, plays a lead role in the movie as Sadie. Her vocals are razor sharp and all too similar to that of Janis Joplin.
The biggest name on the album is Bono of U2, who covers two songs somewhat half-heartedly. His rendition of “I am the Walrus,” which he does with the Secret Machines, a psychedelic rock duo from Texas, is a bit of a swing and a miss. The new orchestration is interesting, but he seems to essentially turn the song into another typical U2 song. His huge poverty-fighting ego is a little too present, detracting from the original beauty the Beatles had. Luckily there’s not much he can do to ruin his cover of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and the closing track goes over fairly well.
This album, like any soundtrack, is only half of the story. Nevertheless, the intricate mood changes as well as the twists and turns of the story are clearly reflected from track to track. The cast of relatively unknown artists does a great job of making the Beatles classics jump into this generation as well as weave a tale of the generation of the 1960s. It’s hard to totally screw up the Beatles, but it’s nearly impossible to do them justice. This album certainly steps up to the challenge.
Bangor Daily News