The Beatles

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Thirty years after the first invasion of Pepperland by the Blue Meanies, the irrepressible Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has resurfaced from the loam to save us from the gray, loveless world of the greedy gloved establishment. Well, all right! But the big question is this: Are the Fab Four hitching a ride in a brand new Yellow Submarine, or are they towing the same old boat in a new (wet) suit? The answer: A little of both. Unlike the original '69 release, this "songtrack" contains all the Beatles songs used in the film -- five of which were exclusive to the movie, plus ten that original appeared on {|Sgt. Pepper's|}, {|Magical Mystery Tour|}, and {|Revolver|}. Missing are the seven original (and quite stuffy) George Martin orchestrations. Of the five Yellow Sub exclusives, only the salty, {|Lennon|}-driven "Hey Bulldog" rises to usual Beatle standards, though aficionados will enjoy the film version of "It's All Too Much," with its extra verse. Digitally re-mastered to create "wraparound" sound (a novel change from the extreme left-right stereo separation typical of Beatle records) and the song score does succeed as it was intended -- as a cool trip for groovy kids. Fans will also want to revisit the film, now on DVD, which stands as a brilliant vestige of the era's best psychedelic art.