"Strange Fruit - The Beatles Apple Records" DVD

In their sixties heyday, as the Beatles were riding a wave to the top of the charts, they (and their management) decided to begin their own "artist-centric" record label called Apple Records. As an unauthorized documentary of the legendary label, this 162-minute DVD is absolutely essential for fans. 

Detailing now-obscure releases by names like Elephant's Memory, The Iveys, and Paul McCartney protege Mary Hopkin, as well as better-known releases by Badfinger and James Taylor, "Strange Fruit" includes interviews with experts, journalists, and the musicians themselves (though actual Beatles member interviews are not featured). Individual albums are dissected, and the involvement from McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon, or Ringo Starr are noted. 

This is a fascinating and exhaustive look at the golden era of the Beatles and Apple  Records, and I applaud Chrome Dreams for this superlative release.

Sexy Intellectual

Beatles official site

"The Beatles - Their Golden Age" DVD

Not sure who this is aimed at, as there are few bands who've been as exhaustively researched, dissected, and documented, but here it is...a Beatles primer, sans any actual music. Narrator/writer Les Krantz states the obvious time and time again, though he does do so with enthusiasm.

Within the first 2 minutes of this presentation, we have repeat footage (and I saw the same clip repeat again within the first 20 minutes), so that's certainly not a good harbinger of things to come from this dodgy, shallow documentary. "The Golden Age" is a rehashed, recycled mash of old TV and newsreel footage of the band leaving airplanes, a few interviews, and mostly shots of screaming and fainting fans. Totally unessential, unnecessary, and only marginally interesting for even the hardest-core fans. (MVD VIsual)

Yim Yames - "Tribute To" CD

Yames is a pseudonym of My Morning Jacket mainman (and Monsters Of Folk sideman) Jim James (itself a stage-name). So you know to expect some righteous, heartfelt Americana from the wilds of Kentucky (well, if Louisville can be called wild, anyhow). So no real surprises here. This is James solo, and it's an acoustic, laid-back, acoustic offering of 6 songs. As the title references, this is a re-interpreting of tunes, here all by the late Beatle George Harrison, shining a light on Harrison's oft-overlooked genius. "Long, Long, Long" is a lonely lament, and "Behind That Locked Door" is given a gentle, rural country vibe. "Love You To" is ghostly, with James' vocals drifting away in a dusty cloud, while "My Sweet Lord" resonates most with me, having heard it so often growing up in a Beatles' fan household. These tracks are very spare recordings, rattled off by James in response to Harrison's passing way back in 2001. They've only now been released. Admittedly, serious Harrison fans may scoff at these low-key re-interpretations, but to a new generation unfamiliar with this under-appreciated Beatle's contributions, this could be a perfect jumping-off point. (ATO Records)

Yim's site

Yimspace

My Morning Jacket