Across the Universe and into Obscure

I am kinda excited about this post. You see.. I have several things that I am passionate about besides music. Film is one of those several things.

I have been anticipating the release of the film "Across the Universe". I remember seeing a trailer for it over the holiday season with my brother and sister, and we all just kind of turned to each other, mouths gaping and eyes wide as planets... "Oh I've got to see this" was about the only thing that I could get out.

The movie is sort of a Beatle-centric acid trip. It seems like a love story at the beginning, but then the world bends in on itself and you see things that you wonder if you really just saw. And top the head-trip off with this little dandy fact: it's a musical. (I think I just heard my conscience sob for recommending a musical)

I am listening to the soundtrack for the movie, which is a bunch of remakes of the Beatles original tunes. Some of the more notable/unusual ones are the Joe Cocker's take on "Come Together", Dana Fuchs' and Martin Luther McCoy's version of "Oh Darling!", and Joe Anderson's take/interpretation of "Hey Jude".

I know that there will be many die hard Beatles fans that will be appalled by the dismantling of the Beatles classic cuts, but my hope is that it will introduce a new generation of people to one of popular music's most innovative and influential bands.