[SYN-024 874757002422]
Right from the start, the Beatles played like hillbillies.
The tight, nasal Lennon-McCartney harmonies on their
very first single, "Love Me Do," could easily
have rung down from somewhere in the Smoky Mountains.
It comes as no surprise, then, to learn that every member
of the Fab Four loved country music. Neither is it a
shock to hear how well their songs respond to a bluegrass
revamping. Appropriately, two of the 12 cuts here--"What
Goes On" and Buck Owens' "Act Naturally"--were,
in the Beatles' own versions, features for Ringo Starr,
the group's number-one country fan. As for "I've
Just Seen a Face," that's basically a bluegrass
tune anyway; all these Nashville pickers are doing is
letting it get back to where it once belonged.
— Mac Randall
"If you are one of those die-hard Beatles fans who also
happens to perk up at the mentioning of bluegrass, you have
found a little piece of heaven with Grassmasters' album,
Beatles Grass. Just as the name suggests, these are
bluegrass arrangements thumping and lilting through some of
the best tunes by the Beatles. With sweet, singing fiddle,
ringing mandolin and the usual country folk get-up, this
group gives a fresh, danceable, especially earthy context to
some of the greatest songs ever written. Without too much
flair or flash, these interpretations are true, simple and
shoot straight for the heart."
— CD Baby, April 16, 2006 |