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Beatles on Letterman

To celebrate The Beatles performing on Ed Sullivan, in 1964, David Letterman, who hosts his show on the same stage, has been inviting bands to perform Beatles songs.

Broken Bells – And I Love Her

Looping Ringo’s drumming from “I Am The Walrus,” Broken Bells add some sparse electronic music, acoustic guitar, and vocals. The tempo is slowed down and they were very effective in creating a melancholy mood to the song. It honestly reminds me of Sinister-era Belle & Sebastian. A higher compliment, I can barely fathom.

Of course for those unaware, Brian Burton is Danger Mouse. Danger Mouse made the epic Grey Album which mixed both Jay-Z’s Black Album with The Beatles self-titled album which is commonly referred to as “The White Album.”

Sting – Drive My Car

They decided to follow up this genius with a soulless cover by Sting. I have no idea who is accompanying him on vocals, but her vocals are mixed higher and kind of terrible, but I think they might be trying to mask Sting’s poor performance.

Lenny Kravitz – Get Back

There was nothing original to this cover, but overall, it was enjoyable. Kravitz does a decent Beatles cover.

The Flaming Lips & Sean Lennon – Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

They definitely have the advantage of having a vocalist who sounds almost identical to John Lennon, his second son, Sean Lennon. They tried something bold, and slowed down the chorus, but I don’t feel it worked. The song needs that sudden burst of energy that spills out of Ringo’s drums as it lunges into the chorus.

The second verse gets better as Lennon takes the lead vocals. While Wayne Coyne is a great vocalist, and did a good job on the first verse, well, Lennon is a Lennon. Sure he’s not THE Lennon, but since that one has been dead for 34 years, we’ll take Sean1.

Overall, it’s decent. Nothing spectacular, except the set.

Lauryn Hill – Something

An interesting performance. I like how she upped the tempo of the song. It worked for her voice. Don’t think it would’ve worked for The Beatles, but the extra layer of soul she added, the faster tempo helped.

Definitely ended off the week well.

  1. Who is a damn good singer/songwriter in his own right. Listen to Dead Meat. []

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