love

Channel 5-5 in Los Angeles is this really cool thing called The Tube, which is like MTV when it played music videos, before most of you were born.

It's hit and miss. It seems to play ten or twelve songs in a row that are great, and then an equal number that are Love Shack, so depending on when you catch it, it's either the greatest thing ever, or Love Shack.

A few weeks ago, I tuned in to see George Harrison grooving to something identified as Within Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows. I'm a pretty big Beatles fan, but I hadn't ever heard these two songs, from two different albums, put together like this. I wasn't aware that they had been remixed by George Martin as part of this new Beatles album called Love, which is, apparently, the soundtrack to the Cirque du Soleil show of the same name.

I know, I know. I was also very surprised to learn that people smoke weed at rock concerts; occasionally I miss some of the more obvious things in life.

"Well," I thought, "if the whole album is as groovy as this, it will be worth picking up," and I bought it yesterday.

I've only listened to it three times, and so far I'm "meh" on it. Without the associated visuals of the show, it has this Stars on 45 feeling that I can't get over, and I don't know if it will grow on me or not. It's trying, but . . . Stars on 45, man. One unintended side effect, though, is how clearly and undeniably it illustrates the perfection of Revolver, Abbey Road, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. My gods, those are some pretty incredible albums.

So, two questions:

1. Am I the only person who thinks the guitar phrase from She's So Heavy is very similar to the guitar phrase from In the Flesh? I never noticed it until I heard it on this album.

2. Have you heard this album? What do you think about it?