Across The Universe | 
| Manufacturer: Interscope
Buy New: $9.99
Rating:  212 reviews
Sales Rank: 100
Genre: pop-music
Media: MP3 Download
Running Time: 0 Minutes
ASIN: B000X9Q8A4
Publication Date: October 9, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 207 more reviews...
 Excellent Beatles interpretations October 29, 2007
Redgecko (USA)
185 out of 188 found this review helpful
Interscope Records has released three variations of soundtrack albums from the film - a standard edition and two deluxe editions. The standard edition contains 16 tracks from the film soundtrack. The first version of the deluxe edition features 31 tracks - all of the vocal performances and one of the three instrumental tracks. This 31-track version is available solely at the Best Buy retail chain and in a digital version via iTunes. A second version of the deluxe edition is available at other retail outlets. The second version differs from the 31-track version in that it omits two tracks: "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?". The total time for these two missing tracks is 5 minutes.
If you can get the 31-track version without a lot of hassle, then do so, even though the singer of the 2 songs, Dana Fuchs, isn't considered a particularly good singer or actor and the two missing songs aren't highlights. I see no point in buying the 16-song single CD version when for $2 more you get more than 54 minutes of extra music.
The 29-track version is excellent and worth the money. Virtually every song is done in a manner very different from the original by the Beatles and yet it is very enjoyable and tasteful. Great, innovative cover versions, an amazing feat.
A final comment. Interscope Records is to be disdained for releasing 2 different Deluxe versions and causing both buyers and sellers a lot of needless decision making problems. Obviously Best Buys made some marketing arrangement with Interscope Records but it won't generate enough extra cash to compensate for all of the bad PR and angst that this will generate.
 Great soundtrack, but... October 23, 2007
Michael Moulton (Virginia Beach, VA USA)
74 out of 90 found this review helpful
The original Deluxe Edition released to iTunes and Best Buy contained 31 tracks over 2 CDs. The Deluxe Edition sold here and now available at other retailers only includes 29 tracks over 2 CDs. "Why Don't We Do it in the Road?" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" are missing.
I don't know why this is, but take it into account before ordering. The soundtrack deserves 5 stars, but the unexplained removal of tracks cuts it to a 3.
 Go to Best Buy and get the 31 song version October 25, 2007
R. Kyle (USA)
66 out of 70 found this review helpful
This edition is 29 songs long. I found another version with 31 songs at Best Buy. The two missing songs here are: "Why Don't We Do it in the Road?" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"
Otherwise, this is a great album. The original cast voices Evan Rachel Woods, Jim Sturgess, etc. are excellent, plus we get guest shots from Joe Cocker (Come Together), Bono (I am the Walrus, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds) and Eddie Izzard (Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite).
Probably my top two of this collection is Joe Cocker's rough voice on "Come Together" and the excellent surprise of Martin Luther McCoy's voice on "While my Guitar Gently Weeps."
I strongly recommend the movie and this soundtrack is one of my favorites as well.
Across The Generations December 29, 2007
Maclen (Hawaii, USA)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
I grew up with The Beatles and consider them the greatest pop/rock band. I also consider Lennon and McCartney the greatest composers of the 20th century, who were also blessed with fine voices and perfect harmony. So, when my daughter saw this movie and strongly recommended the soundtrack, I was very skeptical. I thought to myself: "Why is there yet another attempt to cover The Beatles' songs; with few exceptions, the results are abysmal."
But when I listened to these songs, reinterpreted by these talented singers, I was really impressed. Especially noteworthy are Jim Sturgess and Martin Luther McCoy; they are gifted performers. What struck me the most, however, was that all of these singers took on our generation's sacred songs (our zeitgeist) and succeeded in giving these songs vibrancy and new meaning.
Highlights:
"Girl"--Beautifully sung, but I wish he was allowed to finish the song.
"All My Loving"-- Again, Sturgess gets it right with all the youthful exuberance this song requires.
"Let It Be"--Fantastic! McCartney always intended this to by a church hymn, and I have heard gospel renditions by Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, but the choir here is superb and makes this my favorite version of the song to date.
"Come Together"--I forget who told Joe Cocker that he was the only white man with soul, but this song showcases his talents. He brings a soulful, bluesy feeling to this song.
"I Am The Walrus"--While I still prefer Lennon's psychedelic, stream of consciousness in your face version, taking aim at his overzealous song critics, Bono is able to convey this anger with great success. Bono is wonderfully manic.
"Strawberry Fields Forever"--I never thought that I would hear a better version of Lennon's defining moment of introspection and self-doubt, but Sturgess captures this mood effectively, in a haunting and mesmerizing way.
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"--This is worth the price of admission alone. McCoy even betters George Harrison (in "The "White Album" version with the hard-rocking Clapton backing and in "The Anthology" version with Harrison alone with his acoustic guitar.) McCoy starts out quiet and breathless and by the end wrings every emotion out of this song. His range and voice remind me of Seal's. This is my favorite song on the album.
"Across The Universe"--Sturgess takes a wordy, but extremely poetic Lennon song and does not stumble over the words, which is so easy to do. He is able to get at the core of the song and discover its purity. However, unlike Lennon, Sturgess sings defiantly and transforms the song into an anthem.
Shortcomings:
"Hold Me Tight"--This is the fault of the director and producer and not the performer. Lennon has admitted that this song was "filler" and far from his best. In this album, it is forgettable.
"Blue Jay Way"--Again, poor song choice. This is one of the worst songs by Harrison and on the "Magical Mystery Tour" album. It has no purpose other than droning on and on; it is no better on this album.
"Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite"--I prefer the original. Lennon is so much better than Izzard.
"Because"--This rendition is not bad; it's just not close to the original. The Beatles knew that they were breaking up on "Abbey Road," and they gave the performance of a lifetime on the album. It is reported that they painstakingly recorded many takes of this song to get the phrasing, harmony and pitch perfect. Listen to the version on "The Anthology" or "Love," since it is a cappella. It features McCartney taking the high part, Harrison the middle, and Lennon taking the bottom. Their lush three-part harmony is so tight and perfect, that it is difficult to tell who is singing what part. Their version has never been equalled.
"Revolution"--This is the only song sung by Sturgess that doesn't work for me. The original song is angry Lennon at his best, with distorted guitars augmenting his strident singing. Sturgess' version is too light and benign and seems misplaced.
"Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"--In this song, Bono is banal. It's an average performance of a great song.
In sum, this is a wonderful album. The singers deserve credit for taking on the daunting task of The Beatles' canon and making it work, and more importantly, reinterpreting it so that it succeeds on its own merit. The fact that my daughter, who considers The Beatles "so last century," loves this album, and the fact that her die-hard Beatles' fan father loves it too, should speak volumes.
 Disappointing November 26, 2007
Tom Tom (Arizona USA)
13 out of 36 found this review helpful
I generally like tribute albums of this sort, and though this is technically not a tribute album I will lump it into that category. First of all, Bono of all people doesn't deserve to be singing Beatles music. His performances of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and I am the Walrus have a very sterile/pompous air about them. And I'm sorry, I doubt there is a human being alive that could do justice to the song Blackbird, other than Paul McCartney himself. The re-interpretations of these songs by the various performers are, in my opinion, definitely lacking with the exception of a few tracks, namely Joe Cocker's Come Together and Eddie Izzard on Mr. Kite. Most of these performers seem to have ignored or forgotten that the Beatles sang Rock & Roll. If I wanted to hear some downtempo Beatles music I would rather play one of their albums in reverse in search of some backmasking as opposed to listening to this drivel.
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