And once again, New Jersey’s finest Beatles-oriented band. The Weeklings, have returned with their second album, the aptly-titled The Weeklings Studio 2. Recorded in the sacred rooms of Abbey Road Studios, this is yet another notch in the band’s collective gunbelt. This time, they’ve recorded four Beatles compositions that seemingly no one has ever heard – found on rehearsal tapes (!) and wrote full arrangements for three of them – one of which is actually credited to “Lennon/McCartney/Harrison”. The fourth, “Love Of The Loved” was recorded previously by Cilla Black as her debut single. The rest are all Weeklings originals and it’s (again) a terrific mix.
“Some Days”, the track credited to John, Paul and George, sounds like a melding of “Slow Down” and “Rock And Roll Music”, but with The Weeklings’ twist on it, it’s joyful and spot on; “Morning, Noon and Night” is a 12-string Ric fest punctuated with harmonica, an instantly classic arrangement and flawless harmonies; “Don’t Know, Don’t Care” is a totally Chuck Berry/”Roll Over Beethoven” rave up, complete with handclaps and “Little Elvis” is a singalong stomper and the album standout (listen to those up-and-down riffs on the choruses – subtle and dynamic). “Because I Know” is another of the Lennon/McCartney originals is one of those Gretsch twangy country numbers (think “Act Naturally); “Melody” is a sweet, perfect pop ballad, restrained and built around the acoustic guitars and beautifully wound harmonies and “You Must Write” is another of the Beatle songs, which actually sounds like it was tailor-made for The Weeklings!
So once again, The Weeklings have managed to put together a glorious collection of Beatles-inspired pop; the kind of music that lasts a lifetime. And to breathe new life into these forgotten and unknown Beatle gems. This is by no means an easy feat and yet The Weeklings manage to do it. With love from them to us.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
The Weeklings Studio 2 will be released Friday, November 18th, 2016
www.weeklings.com
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