All This And World War II:
Culture Factory gives the 1976 soundtrack the love
it deserves
Before
writing this review, I have to preface it with three questions:
Who the f*** thought it would be a good idea in 1976 to take stock Word War II footage, newsreels
and clips of war-era movies, edit them together into a full length feature film
and soundtrack all 88 minutes with the songs of Lennon & McCartney as
performed by many of the biggest musical artists of the mid-‘70s?
Did cocaine have
anything to do with #1?
Why did it take so
long for this soundtrack to get a proper commercial CD reissue?
All
This And World War II remains one of the strangest ideas ever thrust
upon the masses by Hollywood. Yes, it
really was a full-length motion picture made up entirely of stock WWII footage.
Yes, it did feature artists like Elton
John, The Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Helen Reddy, Jeff Lynne, Ambrosia, Bryan
Ferry, Status Quo, Roy Wood, Keith Moon, Leo Sayer and Frankie Valli performing classic Lennon & McCartney songs as it’s
soundtrack. And yes, it was a monumental flop.
It fared even worse than the atrocious Sgt. Pepper movie that
came out a few years later. In fact, ATAWWII
was pulled from theaters after being brutally ripped apart by critics and
ignored by movie-goers. However, I think it was an absolutely brilliant idea – something that should have ended up a cult
classic at the very least. Emotionally,
the horrors of war and the joys of music are polar opposites yet both possess
the power to move and motivate people. The message may be ‘make love, not war’
yet the end result shows that one only intensifies the other.
OK, so most of you
are familiar with the images of WWII, but what about the music on the soundtrack? Well, I’m from the school of thinking that
nobody – no matter how good they are – can ever better a Beatles recording. The fab four got it right the first time and
you can’t improve upon perfection.
However, I’m open to listening to the songs in a different context and ATAWWII
certainly offers up plenty to digest.
While some may be familiar with Elton’s version of “Lucy In The Sky With
Diamonds” (which was released two years before and licensed for this
soundtrack) and Rod Stewart’s “Get Back” (one of the only songs here to make it
to radio), there are some interesting, entertaining and worthwhile tracks. Most
of the artists are backed by a symphony and choir so oftentimes, they seem like
guest artists on a classical ‘tribute’ album but that does not distract from
the experience. Standouts include Bryan Ferry’s take on ‘She’s Leaving Home,”
Jeff Lynne’s medley of “With A Little Help From My Friends” and “Nowhere Man,”
the various tracks by The Bee Gees (pre-Saturday Night Fever), The Four Seasons’ spirited “We Can Work
It Out” (which incorporates “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” into the musical
arrangement), Peter Gabriel’s haunting voice inhabiting “Strawberry Fields
Forever,” Leo Sayer’s tracks, Status Quo’s “Getting Better” and more. In fact, there are very few tracks that I’d
recommend you to avoid.
This whole concept
was bat-shit crazy and I’m surprised that anyone went along with the idea when
it was first presented. Looking back, it does seem that cocaine ran Hollywood
at this point and the dealers probably made more money than anyone involved
with putting this project together. However, it is definitely worth your time
and nearly four decades on, it is time to enjoy this soundtrack in all its
glory!
The excellent Culture Factory label has been on a
crusade to bring the vinyl experience back to those who still prefer their
music on CD. All of their releases are mini replicas of the original vinyl
release. The CDs have the original vinyl label printed on the disc, they have printed inner
sleeves if the original LP came with one and they have remastered sound, which
sounds crisp and punchy. In the case of ATAWWII,
the entire two record album is duplicated here (on 2CDs) in a gatefold mini
sleeve housed in a slipcase with booklet (that features art and lyrics) as well
as a mini replica of the t-shirt offer that came with the original vinyl set.
Definitely for
fans of any of the artists involved and for music lovers in general. How could something that seemed so wrong then finally feel so right? Find out for
yourself with this fab reissue!
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