Giacomo Bondi: A Lounged Homage to the Beatles (Leader)

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Giancomo and the Apple Pies: Tomorrow Never Knows
Giacomo Bondi: A Lounged Homage to the Beatles (Leader)

As someone who has albums of dogs barking out a Hard Days Night and Looney Tunes characters singing Beatles' songs -- as well as a tribute to the Rutles (the Beatles parody band) -- it was inevitable I would pick up this "lounge" version of Beatles songs in Buenos Aires.

Giacomo Bondi and the Apple Pies who present this are from Italy, as far as I can tell (much like the great Beatles cover band Shampoo). And they can do intonation-perfect renditions of Lennon and McCartney's distinctive voices.

That said, my idea of lounge music is somewhat more sedate that some of the prickly uptempo treatments here -- and although there is barely a stinging guitar in sight (none on Dr Robert but pounding drums, Eleanor Rigby driven by an incessant undercurrent) this feels kinda weirdly right. Like the Beatles much-maligned Love album in another world again.

Sometimes the results aren't that different from the originals (Lucy in the Skies is rendered redunant by the alarmingly innovative original) but about half the tracks here make you either relax into the lounge mood or sit erect and go "whaaa??"

One for Beatle completists, of course.

Move on people, there's nothing to see here . . .

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