Booker T. & the MG's' LP dedicated to covers of much of the material on a specific
Beatles album (1970's
McLemore Avenue, which focused on songs from
Abbey Road) was the first such project to get widespread critical attention. It's sometimes forgotten, however, that it wasn't the first effort of its sort. About four years before, a bunch of top Los Angeles session musicians got together under the name
the Music Company to knock off a
jazz version, track for track, of
the Beatles'
Rubber Soul LP. Yes, it was undoubtedly an exploitative project; the group was a temporary studio-only concoction, and the album was done to capitalize on
the Beatles' success while
Rubber Soul was hot. As such exploitation projects go, however, this has got to be one of the better ones, and it is certainly leagues above the likes of
the Hollyridge Strings albums. For one thing, the players, though most famous primarily for their work on Hollywood
pop/rock sessions, are very good, including
Hal Blaine on drums,
Tommy Tedesco and
James Burton on guitars, and
Don Randi on piano. More importantly, these really are pretty good straight
jazz arrangements with a bit of
pop and some playful liveliness, as well as some
Latin rhythmic influences here and there. It helps, of course, that the songs are so good, but as great as
the Beatles' tunes were, it wasn't true that no one could ruin them; just listen to those
Hollyridge Strings albums, for example.
The Music Company, on the other hand, treat the material with respect, and at the same time aren't afraid to put their own stamp on the songs. The
bossa nova and
flamenco-tinged arrangement of
"In My Life" might be the highlight, but really, it's surprisingly enjoyable all the way through, even if it might be no substitute for
the Beatles (and probably won't find immense favor with serious jazzheads, either). Note, incidentally, that this follows the track listing of the original 1965 U.S. version of the
Rubber Soul LP, not the U.K. version that became the standard edition of the album in the CD era. ~ Richie Unterberger
