The Baroque Beatles

There are lots of important things to do in lockdown. And for Fantasy Bob, spared from his full-time summer job of populating the ever-burgeoning team sheets of the go-ahead Edinburgh cricket club Carlton, lots of time to do them. 

But it is not until this week that FB has got round to the all important task of looking casually through his extensive collection of vinyl LPs.  This collection has not been added to for about 20 years - ever since CDs became the thing.  And now everything is streamed. 

Here is one gem he found. 

These are Beatles' tunes arranged in various baroque styles - mainly Bach and Handel.   The arrangements are by Joshua Rifkin, these days Professor of Music at Boston University.  He is also celebrated through his promotion of the at one time forgotten works of Scott Joplin. There are other attempts to do the same trick, but having heard them FB is confident that this tops them.

The Baroque Beatles Book was released in 1965, at the height of Beatlemania, although FB purchased it some years after.  It is worth noting that it was on the Elektra label -  whose catalogue was mainly progressive artists including the Doors and, another of FB's vinyl favourites, who have featured previously in these posts, the Incredible String Band.

FB hopes you enjoy this track from the album.  A small compensation for no cricket.