I Am Sam - Music From and Inspired By the Motion Picture

Sean Penn wanted the orig Beatles tunes...they wouldn't give him the rights, so he used other artists' versions.

received cd scratched so bad will not play, no jewel case, no liner notes. None of this was mentioned by the seller. Very dissatisfied. Do not reccomend this seller. Will not purchase from this seller again.

I thought it was cool to hear other artist's takes on some of the most popular Beatles songs. They were covered, without being buried.

When Michael Jackson - who owned the rights to The Beatles music at that time - put a $300,000 price tag per use of each song, Sean Penn had two options for this soundtrack; write a check for at least $4.5 million or commission artists to record cover versions.

He opted for the latter and - in a project which was recorded in about three days - what was produced is one of the finest movie soundtracks ever. The 17 tracks - the European edition has three additional songs - are fitting tributes to the poetic majesty of The Beatles, with each artist adding a bit of spice from their own performance repertoire.

The signature song may be Across the Universe by Rufus Wainwright, as the vocal/guitar combination is absolutely stunning. Heather Nova's rendition of We Can Work It Out is nothing short of powerful, while Grandaddy brings a healthy dose of David Byrne-inspired quirkiness to Revolution.

Eddie Vedder (You've Got to Hide Your Love Away), Ben Harper (Strawberry Fields Forever) and Ben Fields (Golden Slumbers) are standouts, with Nick Cave's Let It Be a fitting way to end the CD.

The soundtrack stands alone as a masterpiece and - at the very least - will be pointed to by music critics and fans as a beautiful tribute to a revolutionary band whose music will continue to stand the test of time.

I love this CD! It's fun to hear the remakes of familiar Beatles hits done by contemporary artists, in a respectful and classy way. Puts a new spin on an old favorite.