AA.VV.
Butchering The Beatles

LA RECENSIONE

What do the Beatles have to do with Metal? Nothing, you might say. Yet if some of the hallowed masters of Metal and Hard Rock in general have decided to cover some of the most famous songs of the four lads, there must be a reason. Perhaps they simply wanted to have fun making their fans shake their thick manes with songs that used to make teenage girls scream like maniacs, or more likely they wanted to pay homage in their own way to a band that contributed to the birth of modern music as we understand it today. Whether it's rock, pop, metal, or hard rock, it doesn't matter much.

The cover art reprises the famous Butcher Cover, which sparked controversy and was immediately pulled from the market and replaced with another more innocuous cover because it was deemed too gruesome. It depicts the Beatles skinned alive and submerged in quarters of beef, turkey breasts, hams, etc. All genuine stuff.

Some of the proposed tracks already have a certain basic "drive" like Hey Bulldog, Back In the U.S.S.R. or Revolution, but there are also quieter tracks like Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds and Hey Jude made more aggressive with power chords and distortions in pure 80s Heavy Metal style.
Among those who took part in the project are Alice Cooper (Hey Bulldog), Lemmy Kilimster (Back In the U.S.S.R.), Billy Idol (Tomorrow Never Knows), Yngwie Malmsteen, and many others. A remarkable cast with high technical skills, which however do not always suit the style of the songs (the usual Malmsteen solos that serve no purpose in Magical Mystery Tour).

Personally, I find this album quite enjoyable. The idea of reinterpreting undeniably important tracks in an unusual way is amusing, even though the most traditionalist Beatle fans might frown and not fully approve of this divertissement, because in the end, that's what it is. Try listening to it if you're curious.