The songs are presented in the same order as on Abbey Road, and so the album opens with “Come Together,” this version featuring Durga McBroom and Jackie Lomax on vocals, and Snowy White (who was a member of Thin Lizzy) on guitar. Fernando Perdomo plays bass, rhythm guitar, keyboards and percussion. Nicole Marcus is on drums. This is a cool, bluesy rendition, with some particularly good work from Durga McBroom. And that guitar work in the middle is excellent. This is a strong opening to this tribute album. If forced to pick a favorite Beatles song, it would be “Something” (followed closely by “Across The Universe”). The version of “Something” on this album features Charles Jones on vocals, and Sonny Landreth on guitar, along with the wonderful Kaitlin Wolfberg on strings. This version has a soulful vibe right from the start with that additional section at the beginning, with some 1970s pop elements. These musicians certainly put their own spin on the song, and Charles Jones delivers a passionate vocal performance. Jody Quine is on backing vocals. Fernando Perdomo plays guitar, keyboards, bass and drums. This rendition has a sweet, smooth ending.
Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (of Jellyfish) is on vocals and piano for “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” and Jody Quine is again on backing vocals. Matt Tecu (who has worked with a lot of different artists) plays drums on this track, and Fernando Perdomo is on guitar, bass, mellotron and percussion. This is a totally fun rendition, and it includes that sort of old-time piano work toward the end. This track, for me, is one of the album’s great surprises, for the song is not one of my favorite Beatles numbers and yet it is a highlight of the disc. Then Eric Dover sings on “Oh! Darling,” this version also featuring Carmine Appice (of Vanilla Fudge) on drums. Ken Sharp is on guitar, and Zach Ziskin is on backing vocals. This track has a fresh, sharp sound, and Eric Dover really digs in vocally, delivering an excellent performance.
Matt Axton sings lead and plays acoustic guitar on “Octopus’s Garden,” Ringo Starr’s writing contribution to the album. This is a cool rendition with a strong country vibe. Taylor Kropp is on guitar, and Brian Auger is on electric piano and organ. Ryan Posner plays bass, and Travis Popichak is on drums. I really like the way these guys handle this song. It totally works as a country number. This is another of the album’s delicious surprises. The lines “Oh what joy/For every girl and boy/Knowing they’re happy/And they’re safe” carry more weight these days when children are no longer safe in normal places like schools. The first side of Abbey Road concludes with a wild number, John Lennon’s “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” And on this album, they find someone wild enough to be up to the task of performing it, Arthur Brown (yes, The God of Hellfire). Arthur Brown is on vocals, and Steve Stevens is on lead guitar, delivering some great stuff. Fernando Perdomo plays guitar, bass and organ. Derek Cintron is on drums. And adding to the magic of this track is Ruti Celli on cello. When Arthur Brown sings, “You’re driving me mad,” he bloody well means it. And there is no doubt that he wants her, nor any doubt that he will get her. Arthur Brown’s vocal work is present in that wild finale. There is an abrupt ending to this version, as in the original, but the conclusion here is a bit different.
The disc continues with the music from the second side of Abbey Road, beginning with a nice rendition of “Here Comes The Sun,” featuring Ron Bumblefoot Thal on vocals and guitar. Fernando Perdomo plays rhythm guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and mellotron. Kaitlin Wolfberg again lends her talent on strings, and Hilary Gerber is on backing vocals. This track contains some really good guitar work. One of the most interesting tracks from Abbey Road is “Because,” in part because of some of the instruments used, and the version on this tribute album does include harpsichord. That’s Patrick Moraz, who also plays keyboards on this track. Rebecca Pidgeon is on vocals, delivering some beautiful work. Fernando Perdomo plays guitar, sitar, bass and mellotron. Matt Tecu is on drums, and Phil Martin is on percussion. Yes, not only does this version feature drums, but the beat is prominent, giving the song a different vibe from the original.
Then we get into that great medley of songs that makes up most of the record’s second side, beginning with “You Never Give Me Your Money.” The version on this disc features Graham Bonnet on vocals, Rick Wakeman on piano, Jason Berk on guitar and backing vocals, Jim Camacho on bass and backing vocals, and Michael Collins on drums. Ferdando Perdomo plays organ, mellotron and percussion, and Chris Price is on piano. This version slowly fades out and does not run straight into the next song. This version of “Sun King” contains quite a bit of talent. James Booth is on vocals, guitar, drums and percussion. Albert Lee is on guitar, Geoff Downes is on synthesizers and keyboards, and Fernando Perdomo is sitar, bass, mellotron and organ. And they deliver is an excellent rendition, with a dreamy aspect. This one also comes to an end, rather than running straight into “Mean Mr. Mustard.” Jack Russell sings “Mean Mr. Mustard,” and does a great job with it. He is backed by Fernando Perdomo on guitar, bass, organ and percussion; and David Goodstein on drums. This one does go straight into the next track, “Polythene Pam,” with David Goodstein again on drums. Matthew Sweet is on vocals and guitar, and Jason Berk is on acoustic guitar. And that leads straight into “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window,” with David Goodstein remaining on drums. Adam Gaynor is on vocals, and Paul Shaffer is on piano for this song. This one ends.
My favorite two songs of the medley on Abbey Road are “Golden Slumbers” and “Carry That Weight,” and the same group of musicians plays on both tracks on this tribute album: Terry Reid on lead vocals and guitar, Hilary Gerber on piano and backing vocals, Gregg Bissonette (who plays with Ringo Starr) on drums, Kaitlin Wolfberg on strings, Probyn Gregory (who has played with a wide range of artists including Brian Wilson, The Monkees and EZ Tiger) on horns, and Fernando Perdomo on guitar and bass. And they do a really job with both songs. “Carry That Weight” runs straight into “The End,” which features mostly the same musicians as on those two tracks, including Fernando Perdomo, Hilary Gerber, Gregg Bissonette, Kaitlin Wolfberg and Probyn Gregory. Joining them on this track are Frank Dimino on vocals and Steve Hillage on guitar. And as on Abbey Road, there is a pause before the final track, “Her Majesty.” It is Gary Wilson who sings on this one, backed by Fernando Perdomo on acoustic guitar, bass and drums.
CD Track List
- Come Together
- Something
- Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
- Oh! Darling
- Octopus’s Garden
- I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
- Here Comes The Sun
- Because
- You Never Give Me Your Money
- Sun King
- Mean Mr. Mustard
- Polythene Pam
- She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
- Golden Slumbers
- Carry That Weight
- The End
- Her Majesty
Abbey Road
Reimagined: A Tribute To The Beatles is scheduled to be released on August
18, 2023 on Cleopatra Records. Apparently it is going to be available on purple vinyl as well as on CD.
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