i am sam

This is a movie soundtrack. The movie is about a person who is crazy about beatles. The soundtrack album contains Beatles songs, sung by today's artists like Eddie Vader (Pearl Jam), Rufus Wainwright, The Wallflowers, Sheryl Crow and others. Sounds cool, right? But unfortunately, not all of the songs are nicely done. Here's the track listing of the album:

1. Two of Us - Aimee Mann & Michael Penn ***
2. Blackbird - Sarah McLachlan **
3. Across the Universe - Rufus Wainwright ****
4. I'm Looking Through You - The Wallflowers ****
5. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away - Eddie Vedder **
6. Strawberry Fields - Ben Harper
7. Mother Nature's Son - Sheryl Crow *
8. Golden Slumbers - Ben Folds
9. I'm Only Sleeping - The Vines
10. Don't Let Me Down - Stereophonics
11. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - The Black Crowes
12. Julia - Chocolate Genius
13. We Can Work It Out - Heather Nova
14. Help - Howie Day
15. Nowhere Man - Paul Westerberg
16. Revolution - Grandaddy
17. Let It Be - Nick Cave

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Below you can read album reviews found at www.amazon.com

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
 

Jessie Nelson's poignant tale of a mentally challenged man named Sam (Sean Penn) who recruits a lawyer to help him regain custody of his young daughter leans heavily on the lead character's obsession with Beatles songs, and his innocent trust in their wisdom and emotional truth. It's an artistic gambit that shrewdly lends itself to this mostly rewarding collection of Beatles covers by a wide range of contemporary artists, many of whom no doubt leapt at the chance to record a treasured song by their own musical heroes. The renditions are by and large faithful, and inform the elemental genius of the originals by the strength and variety of the artist's voices alone. The husband-wife team of Aimee Mann and Michael Penn (Sean's brother) can't help but find resonance in "Two of Us," just as Nick Cave's latter-day, heart-on-his-sleeve crooner infatuation makes "Let It Be" all his own. It's the reinterpretations that are riskier. While Paul Westerberg's stripped-down, nasal reading of "Nowhere Man" perceptively underscores Lennon's inherent Dylan fetish and Howie Day turns "Help!" from anxious plea to desperate dirge, Grandaddy smugly alt-rocks the energy right out of "Revolution." The Beatles hardly need anyone to burnish their reputation, but this album goes a long way toward underscoring their most undersung legacy as rock's most transcendent melting pot. -Jerry McCulley


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Spotlight Reviews (what's this)

One of the Best Albums of 2002!, July 23, 2002
Reviewer: steve_seim (see more about me) from Juneau, WI United States
Unable to use the Beatles' original recordings for legal reasons, the producers of "I Am Sam" enlisted a stellar lineup of contemporary artists to cover them instead. That inauspicious start resulted in one of the best soundtracks in recent memory, and perhaps the finest tribute album ever recorded.

The real strength of this album - as might be expected - is the song selection. While the Lennon/McCartney library is one of the best in pop and rock, "I Am Sam" includes only those Beatle tunes that are truly timeless and intelligent songwriting, and whose strength is intrinsic to the song itself (lyrics, melody, structure), rather than the Beatles' performance or George Martin's studio wizardry. (The only exceptions are "Strawberry Fields Forever" by Ben Harper and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by the Black Crowes, which sound out of place.) As a result, the covers of "Two of Us," "Across the Universe," "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," and "Julia" are almost as strong as the originals.

Furthermore, the performances here are careful to be largely faithful to the originals. As a result, these versions breathe new life into the Beatles' classics, while still reverently retaining their original beauty.

"I Am Sam" is a musical triumph.


...Soundtrack is Great, October 17, 2002
Reviewer: A music fan from Austin, TX United States
... I Am Sam the movie was one of the stinkiest things I've seen in the last year and a half. The soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal however.

Weird thing is, I dig the songs that sound the least like the original Beatles' recordings the most. I think the Grandaddy cover of Revolution is absolutely inspired, and does a great job of illustrating what a great cover can be - unique, even in its sameness. It take a masterful hand to light up someone else's song in a completely different way, especially when you're dealing with a juggernaut group like the Beatles. I loved Paul Westerberg's cover, and Nick Cave brought his typical darkness to "Let It Be" that really changed it for the better. Also, don't miss Ben Harper's cover of "Strawberry Fields Forever." It's incredible.

My least favorite tracks were the Black Crowes, Sheryl Crow, and The Vines. Thanks guys, but if I wanted to hear the Beatles version of a song, I'd listen to it.

These psychotic Beatles-devotees have got to take up knitting or something. I can't even believe how worked up they're getting over an album of covers. I guess it's nice that something still holds emotional value, but from the reaction, I'm expecting some Paul McCartney shrines lit up with Ringo-shaped candles.

Look. Get this album. It grows on you. It's great. Unless you're a psycho death hand Beatle fanatic or something and the thought of hearing the words of a Beatles song coming out of anyone's mouth besides the original four makes your crazy little pinhead explode.


Decent., December 4, 2002
Reviewer: abs_c9 from Decatur, GA United States
As opposed to some of the other reviewers, I rather liked this album. True, not every track is good (a few are *bad*) but many are great. Ben Harper does a great job on Strawberry Fields, and "Country Boy" is wonderful. Though the original Blackbird will never be replaced, Sarah does a good job here. Rufus Wainwright's version of Across the Universe is alright, but they ought to have used Fiona Apple's, it's killer.

All in all, I'd suggest simply downloading a few tracks unless you really enjoy beatles covers as I do. Some are better than the originals, in my opinion.
~14:30


Half good and half weak., November 14, 2002
Reviewer: Andy Williamson from Chicago, IL
Aside from the fact that anyone else playing the Beatles songs could never be anything but a nostalgia trip, this disc starts well but never really takes off. Some of the renditions of songs are really great-I like Aimee Mann and husband Michael Penn singing "Two of Us". Sarah Maclaughlan's "Blackbird" is consummately professional if ultimately lacking any emotion whatsoever. Rufus Wainwright sounds great on "Across The Universe", at times very similar to Lennon. Ben Harper, The Vines, Stereophonics, Ben Folds, and The Black Crowes all do a nice job as well. But what are we to think of Sheryl Crow's awful "Mother Nature's Sun"? Is it just me or was she shrunk down to a seven-year-old by the ray-gun in "HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS"!? Also, the Chocolate Genius, Grandaddy, and Howie Day versions are at best forgettable, at worst, blasphemous. This disc has its moments, but overall it is average. Use caution...

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