A very good thing just got a whole lot better, as the followup to last year's warmly received "Minnesota Beatle Project, Vol. 1" features bigger names and more clever recreations of Fab Four classics. Soul Asylum's first new recording in almost five years leads off the 16-song collection, a wild, horn-buoyed version of "Good Morning Good Morning." It also features one of Lookbook's last recordings before its split, a surprisingly non-electronic, lovely spin on "Real Love." Two well-known non-Minnesotan acts also contributed to the disc, the Meat Puppets and Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons. The Puppets' track ("Tomorrow Never Knows") features local gal Alison Scott, and was arranged through her guitarist/producer Kevin Bowe (who previously worked with the Arisona/Texas trio). Chisel ("Fixing a Hole") has family and roots in the Iron Range. Other participants include Mason Jennings, P.O.S., the New Standards, Polara, Sounds of Blackness, Communist Daughter and more. Here's the whole track list:
1. Good Morning Good Morning - Soul Asylum
2. Revolution - Total Babe
3. Child Of Nature - Mason Jennings
4. Fixing A Hole - Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons (Humans Win! Remix)
5. Real Love - Lookbook
6. Happiness Is A Warm Gun - A Night In The Box
7. It's All Too Much - Polara
8. Tomorrow Never Knows - Meat Puppets feat. Alison Scott
9. I Am The Walrus - Pert Near Sandstone
10. Michelle - The New Standards
11. And Your Bird Can Sing - Rogue Valley
12. Dear Boy - P.O.S.
13. I Want To Hold Your Hand - Edison High School
14. Golden Slumbers - Communist Daughter
15. Hey Jude - Sounds Of Blackness
16. Good Night - Curtiss A's D'Lando Flaques-ffaire *Rockestra
The official release party for "Minnesota Beatle Project, Vol. 2" is Curtiss A's annual John Lennon tribute at First Ave on Dec. 8. It will be in record shops, Target stores and online Dec. 7. As was the case last year, money from album sales go directly to Vega Productions, the local nonprofit doing great work bringing instruments and some much-needed money to school music programs statewide. "Project" co-sponsor the Current is previewing three of the tracks on its website (click here).
