Review: (George Martin and) The Beatles - Love

There are those to whom the Beatles are sacrosanct, and inviolate. For them, nothing will ever be good post-Abbey Road (excluding Let It Be, of course, and possibly Anthologies and Let It Be... Naked.) I say: listen to it. That's the real judge. Listen to Hey Jude, and hear George Martin take a great song and make it better (different/new/fun/exciting again, etc.) Listen to Help! and hear George Martin leave a great song virtually untouched. Hear the whole thing, and you've got some new music, and more importantly, a new musical context in which to enjoy said music. Judge for yourself, of course, but I say kudos! It's a fine album. Furthermore, I'd like to think of this album as a gesture of good will on the part of Paul, Ringo, Olivia Harrison, and the other one to give George Martin his own little Beatles album - unfettered access to the rich musical legacy they had to do anything he wants, and a fitting coda for a dignified and simply enjoyable working career. Furthermore, Martin has more of a right to this music and to re-mixing it than do Olivia and the other one, as he actually did compose some of it (uncredited, of course), and was instrumental in shaping the sound of the Beatles as we know them. He's probably the ninth Beatle.