Album Review: Various Artists - Beatles ’64 (Music from the Disney+ Documentary)
While they put nothing new between the grooves, the producers of Beatles ’64 (Music from the Disney+ Documentary) managed to create a history lesson of sorts by pairing original songs by Chuck Berry, Barrett Strong, Little Richard and the Miracles with their Fab counterparts.
The sequencers were wise to group the O.G. recordings and Beatles covers of “Roll over Beethoven,” “Money (That’s What I Want),” “Long Tall Sally” and “You(’ve) Really Got a Hold on Me” to illustrate what motivated John, Paul, George and Ringo to make music in the first place.
These mini-groupings also reflect the power of strong arrangements as the Beatles, in their youthful wisdom, let them be. This makes Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ March 31, 1968, performance of “Yesterday” on “the Ed Sullivan Show” all the more illustrative, as the sappy, nearly a cappella presentation reinforces the importance of arranging to making or breaking a composition.
The Beatles’ “She Loves You,” “Please Please Me,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Till There was You,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” “From Me to You,” “Baby it’s You,” “Twist and Shout,” “It Won’t be Long” and “This Boy” sit alongside an alternate take of the Miracles’ “I’ve been Good to You” to round out the 20-song collection.
Grade card: Various Artists - Beatles ’64 (Music from the Disney+ Documentary) - B+