Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Fair Tribute to John Lennon, July 31, 2000
I remember a televised tribute to John Lennon in the 1980's. During this tribute, Lenny Kravitz did a fantastic cover of John's Cold Turkey. Cyndi Lauper did a remarkable rendition of working class hero. These artists captured John's soul in their rendition of his work. Having this show in the back of my mind, I believed that I would get the same from this CD. With some exceptions, I did not. The Red Hot Chili Peppers do an admirable job covering John's "I Found Out," using Lennon's / Phil Spector's "wall of sound" technique as well. "Blues Traveler" does an interesting cover of "Imagine" using guitars and organ music. Their rendition of "Imagine" has a simplicity that John would truly appreciate. "Grow Old With Me" is a beautiful song; made even more so by the lovely voice of Mary Chapin Carpenter. George Clinton certainly captures John's depth and emotions on his rendition of "Mind Games." If John were alive today, he would truly be honored by these aforementioned covers of his work. For the most part, the rest of this CD is "filler." Many of the remaining artists simply lack John's depth and perception. It is like Karaoke in a way: You get the words right, you mimic the artist; but, unfortunately, the karaoke singer cannot capture the artists soul. Basically, most of the remaining artists fail to capture John's intensity -- his soul. For this reason, this CD is only "fair." With a little more work, I believe these artists would have been able to put together a truly remarkable tribute to the immortal John Lennon. Unfortunately, they fell a little short of the mark. A fair tribute, indeed -- not the best; but, certainly not the worst.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly enjoyable set of grunge-tinged covers., February 12, 2002
I'm pretty shocked at the negative reviews above, but its kind of the nature of tribute albums. I really enjoy this CD-but I'm a big Beatles fan AND a fan of 1991-95 "Seattle Sound" type grunge. The latter part is important for enjoying this disc. "I Don't Want to be a Soldier" by Mad Season (with members of Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam) and "Working Class Hero" by Screaming Trees (another lesser known Seattle band) are the standouts, along with "I Found Out" and "Well Well Well". I thought these were excellent meldings of Lennon's awsome lyrics presented in an alternative rock format that might be more accessible to younger listeners. Then maybe they'll chase down the originals-and that's always a good thing. There's a cohesiveness to the songs and artists. It doesn't feel forced or disjointed like the Led Zep Encomium disc (where you could just see the A&R guys doling out asssignments to the "hot" bands on the label). I play 75% of this disc when I dig it out. It's worth your time and $$$.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A bit disappointing, January 27, 2002
John Lennon's music was so intensely personal that it can be difficult for someone to convey his emotions in a cover version. Also, this album contains covers by several flash-in-the-pan groups who don't seem to have a clue what they are singing or why. In the category of trying to re-create a personal song, there is 'How Do You Sleep?' performed here by The Magnificent Bastards. Although the lead singer sounds appropriately angry, what is he angry about? John Lennon was angry at Paul McCartney at the time he recorded the song, so that cannot be re-cycled. Another intense song of Lennon-angst, 'Well Well Well' gets a fairly good turn from Super 8, but nothing could match Lennon's misery on the original version. I was very disappointed with Cheap Trick's version of 'Cold Turkey' which is virtually unrecognizable and sounds like a pop tune rather than the painful tale of a man overcoming heroin addition. There are very few highlights on the album, where the artists create their own version of the Lennon song, but keep true to the emotion of the original, without sacrificing their personal stamp. To me, the best versions on the album are 'Imagine' by Blues Traveler, which is very folky and mellow, but also very distinctive with John Popper's vocals. Collective Soul do a very good version of 'Jealous Guy' and Mary Chapin Carpenter's version of 'Grow Old With Me' is tender and memorable. I wouldn't recommend buying this cd, since most of the versions are forgettable. It's not really worth it for the few good songs on the album.
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