Given the unfortunate but very true fact that The Beatles have hardly been in the same room for decades, let alone recording anything new, the arrival of yet another compilation – despite the countless Fab Four compilations already available – managed to attract a great deal of attention! With John and George gone, Paul busy with his private affairs and Ringo just getting on with his life, it fell to one of the Beatles’ most important collaborators to breathe new life into some very old tunes. To do the job – which was in fact produced to as a soundtrack for the Cirque Du Soleil stageshow - producer George Martin brought in his son Giles and a clearly refreshed approach to the songs that shaped many a generation’s musical vision!

What this compilation does – aside from bringing, as Sir Paul commented, the Beatles back together – is offer listeners an uninterrupted and reworked presentation that outlines exactly what made the four (un)likely lads so special. The extended sense of melody translated through captivating arrangements and that boy-next-door familiarity are very clear indeed. The Martins’ intervention - weaving together some of the Beatles’ best-known tunes (sometimes very, very tightly) via a number of transitory hazy interludes – only serves to highlight yet another aspect of the Beatles’ magical charm. “The Beatles as you’ve never heard them before” says the sticker on the cover, which is probably as good a catchphrase as any to get you on board this Magical Mystery Tour! Welcome aboard!

Rating: 4

CD COURTESY OF EXOTIQUE