I Am Sam [Soundtrack]

The artist list reads like a Who's Who of contemporary geniuses, exhibiting how the Beatles have managed to influence such a wide range of musicians. Each track seems to suit the artist so well, for example Eddie Vedder's superb version of You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, helping to illuminate the songs in a different light. Every song plays a part on this album, each song flowing gently into the next culminating with an excellent verison of Here Comes the Sun performed by Neil and Liam Finn.

The only disappointment for me was the slightly dry verison of Lucy in the Sky by the Black Crowes, personally I was looking forward to the direction that they might take this song, but sadly they seem to plod through with musical efficiency. This, however, does not detract from the album in any way.

I originally wanted this album for just one song, being a huge fan of Eddie Vedder, yet it has provided me with album much fuller than just one song. The day after buying this album I had it playing loudly in our back garden and one of my friend's turned to me and professed that he was going to go out and buy the album the following day. This is typical of the brilliance of this album, able to touch even the most hardcore Beatles fan in a totally different way.

There is a clear division within the album which becomes apparent early on. On one hand are the artists who play it straight, recording versions that are very similar to the originals (Rufus Wainwright, The Black Crowes and Ben Harper). On the other are the artists who have taken a few more liberties with classic Lennon & McCartney numbers; Nick Cave, Grandaddy and Eddie Vedder fall into this category. Each group work equally well. Beatles songs are so good that generally they don't need to be changed much, but equally it's good to hear a new spin on a old record (the version of 'Revolution' by Grandaddy's sounds a 1000 years away from the original).

The album fulfills many objectives. Firstly it reminds us all exactly how good the Beatles were, and how timeless many of their songs are. If it gets more people to dig out their old Beatles records, that can only be a good thing. It also proves on many counts the range of artists who owe a debt of inspiration to them. It's not often you find Nick Cave on the same CD as the Stereophonics. Finally and perhaps most importantly it highlights the talents of many of the artists on the soundtrack. Nick Cave proves to his doubters that he is more than a funereal mumbler with a stellar rendition of 'Let It Be'. Eddie Vedder sings a John Lennon song every bit as well as Lennon on 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away'. Even the normally mundane Stereophonics up their game with a terrific version of 'Don't Let Me Down'.

It's a great soundtrack - one of the best I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. A very worthy purchase.

Put simply it has rapidly become my favourite album. I urge you to cherish it too.