Various Artists (Beatles Related)

Various Artists - Fried Glass Onions: Memphis Meets The Beatles, Vol.1 - 2005 - Inside Sounds

Soul and blues versions of Beatles songs have always been favourites in this field, and this collection of newly recorded interpretations by contemporary Memphis artists, is no exception to that. There’s a preference for Beatles songs from their Soul and blues versions of Beatles songs have always been favourites in this field, and this collection of newly recorded interpretations by contemporary Memphis artists, is no exception to that. There’s a preference for Beatles songs from their later period, such as Happiness Is A Warm Gun and Two Of Us, but there’s also Old Brown Shoe, which hasn’t been covered that much. The styles range from a ‘Soul Man’-like version of Two Of Us, swamp blues with harmonica (Get Back), swinging soul (with female singer and lots of brass) Day Tripper, a musically varied Happiness Us A Warm Gun, a laid-back, intense and acoustic Blackbird, blue-eyed soul (You’re Gonna Loose That Girl), an instrumental surf-punk version of A Hard Day’s Night and the tear-jerking version of The Long And Winding Road. Besides obvious soul / blues inspirations from Stax and Atlantic stables, you may imagine one or another popular artist performs a song: Lenny Kravitz, Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Palmer and Robbie Williams, which isn’t the case, of course. But then again, this also shows the professional approach of the Memphis artists to interpret ‘the Beatles the way they might have sounded once upon a time’, as said on the CD booklet. (B.U. 183) Internet: © www.insidesounds.com © 1996-1999 by Namo Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved http://members.home.nl/tomtom/BU%20Reviews%20Various%20Artists%20Compilations.html

Fried Glass Onions is a great title, and one with a good idea attached to it—retool old Beatles classics with the soulful sound of Memphis R&B. The liner notes try to justify the existence of these fourteen new tracks by explaining that the Fab Four almost recorded in the city during the mid-Sixties, but it’s unnecessary, mainly because the group almost did a ton of things and because Beatlemusic and Memphis soul are two of the more durable musical styles in history. Still, you’d have an easier time validating the existence of a Memphisized version of U2’s “Rattle And Hum.” (Let me write that one down.) This is not to suggest that FGO is an all-star collection; in fact, most of the artists featured here have a tenuous collection to popularity at best. Like Austin (and New Orleans, for that matter), Memphis is a town filled with unsung talents, and the project heads here made sure to strike a good balance between obviously bluesy Fab cuts like “Get Back,” “Yer Blues,” and “Old Brown Shoe” and popular but decidedly non-bluesy milestones like “Two Of Us,” “Blackbird,” and “The Long and Winding Road.” From that perspective, the only real revelation is Z-Da’s ”Day Tripper,” which unearths an earthiness barely hinted at in the original. Several soul miracles are performed, however, most notably Bertram Brown’s Hi-styled interpretation of “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl” and a Sam and Dave-style take on “Two Of Us” by Bob Simon and Eddie Harrison. As usual with these sorts of experiments, some of the songs prove bad fits (a jazz reconstruction of “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” and a funked-up “One After 909”) and some are virtually pointless, like an instrumental but otherwise copycat version of ”A Hard Day’s Night” and a seemingly straight-up remake of “Across The Universe” that has nothing to do with the sound of the city in question. Then again, there’s not much Memphis in Jackie Johnson’s lovely, lyrical “Blackbird,” but it’s beautiful just the same. Besides, it’s not as if the band in question didn’t musically contradict itself, either. - by & © Robert Fontenot 01 July 2005 © 2012 Offbeat Magazine http://www.offbeat.com/2005/07/01/various-artists-fried-glass-onions-memphis-meets-the-beatles-inside-sounds/

Fried Glass Onions-Memphis Meets the Beatles is a celebration of The Beatles and of the city that greatly inspired and influenced them. Most of these interpretations have a definitive, identifiable Memphis twist. Daddy Mack Orr’s "Get Back" is a stripped-down, blues rendition. Bob Simon & Eddie Harrison’s "Two Of Us" sounds like vintage Sam & Dave from the Stax Records era. Most of these versions are either R&B or soul infused, although funk treatments of "The One After 909" and "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" take the groove a little deeper. The Memphis All-Stars version of "Drive My Car" is absolutely unstoppable and demonstrates the undeniable potency of a four-piece soul band. These 14 tracks represent a diverse pool of contemporary Memphis talent offering fresh versions of Beatles songs that will not disappoint even the most discerning Beatles fan. At the same time, proponents of classic Memphis music will hear Beatles songs like never before and will delight in knowing that Memphis music is alive and well. All of this material was recorded and mixed between June 24 and November 24, 2004, specifically for this unique tribute CD © 2005 Site Maintained by: Sandra Sallings/S&G Entertainment http://www.memphisallstars.com/gpage1.html

Good Memphis soul covers album of 14 Beatle's tracks. This album is not all strictly soul, but who cares? It's hard to mess up a Lennon & McCartney tune. There is also a Volume 2 & 3 of this compilation available [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 96.3 Mb]

DISC ONE [TRACKS]

1. Two Of Us - Bob Simon & Eddie Harrison
2. Get Back - Daddy Mack Orr
3. Day Tripper - Z-Da
4. Happiness Is A Warm Gun - Charlie Wood
5. Blackbird - Jackie Johnson
6. You're Gonna Lose That Girl - Bertram Brown
7. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window - Matt Tutor
8. Drive My Car - Memphis All-Stars
9. Yer Blues - The Beat Generation
10. Across The Universe - John Kilzer
11. The One After 909 - Gusto (featuring Dexter Haygood)
12. Old Brown Shoe - Dani
13. A Hard Day's Night - Lamar Sorrento & The Mod Saints
14. The Long And Winding Road - Kevin Paige

All songs composed by John & Paul except "Old Brown Shoe" by George

MUSICIANS

Charlie Wood - guitar, Wurlitzer organ, keyboards, drums, vocals, background vocals
Matt Isbell, Richard Hage, Malcolm Cullen, Matt Tutor, Lamar Sorrento - guitar
Greg Reding - guitar, background vocals
Zack Mack - slide guitar
Dave Smith - baritone guitar, background vocals
Adam Levin, Joe Boogie, Kurt Clayton - keyboards
Robert Claybourne - keyboards, vocals
Mark Ross - piano
Michael Sinc, John Adams , Walter White, Kurt Ruleman, Richard Rosebrough, Terry Stafford, Kim Trammel - drums
Eddie Dattel, Kevin Houston - percussion
Tom Link, Kirk Smothers - saxophone
Dedrick Davis, Tom Clary - trumpet
Billy Gibson - harmonica
Daniel McCulloch, Eddie Harrison, Dexter Haygood, Daddy Mack Orr, Bertram Brown, John Kilzer, Kevin Paige, Bob Simon - vocals
Rick Nethery, Jackie Johnson, Z-Da - vocals, background vocals
Lucy Hathcote, Freddie Kirskey, Tommy Cathey, Charles Ponder, Rene Simon - background vocals