(Disclaimer: Those looking for a brief description of the album will find what their looking for in the "Review Body" section. The section titled "Track Reviews" is meant only for those who want to read detailed descriptions of the songs, and they do not constitute the essence of this review. Lastly and most importantly, this review is not necessarily written by the point of view of a Beatles fan.)

Overall Score: 3.5/5
Best song: “Hey Bulldog”
Worst song: “Pepperland” ... I suppose

Review Body:

This is officially considered a member of The Beatles discography, but it's the only one that isn't essential for your collection. The reason for that, simply, is because this is a film soundtrack, and there are only four Beatles songs here that you can't get anywhere else. What's more, most of them were originally recorded for other albums, but didn't quite make the cut when they compiled Magical Mystery Tour (which was a “leftovers” album by itself). So, it's safe to say that these four new songs aren't exactly the best The Beatles ever had to offer.

Well, there's one massive exception to that. It's “Hey Bulldog,” a composition from John Lennon, which is just about as good as anything he ever does. It's a rocker with a heavy piano riff, and it features some of his more enjoyable psychedelic lyrics! That's the only song on the album that I would go out of my way to hear. Although George Harrison's “It's All Too Much” is certainly worth hearing if you have the time, particularly if you're a Harrison fan. The overlong six-minute running length becomes a bit of a problem (which is a bit unusual for a Beatles song ... most of them are very succinct), but it has a very cool, stiff guitar riff and the soundscape and odd percussive textures is certainly interesting to hear.

George also contributed “Only a Northern Song,” which was a psychedelic piece that was originally intended for Sgt. Peppers. You can note how quickly the musical trends evolved in the '60s, because this sort of thing was already considered a bit passe by 1969! The melody isn't anything special for George ... in fact, this sounds a lot like “If I Needed Someone.” But those really unusual “waves” of sound effects that get played throughout give it an interesting texture. “All Together Now” is an incredibly simplistic chant that was designed as a children's song. It's the sort of simple thing that people like to sing at sporting events (though mostly just the British ones). Definitely not as good as their other children's song, “Yellow Submarine,” but it's still likable. It's certainly better than most of the children's songs I grew up listening to.

The two songs that appeared on previous Beatles releases were the title track and also “All You Need is Love.” Yup. These are good 'uns, but it's sort of a waste of money to have to buy the same songs twice just to be able to hear “Hey Bulldog!”

I won't spend much time talking about the last half of the album just because it's not rock music, and it was designed to go along with scenes from the cartoon. Furthermore, they weren't even composed by The Beatles, but George Martin the producer! Well, that guy has some accomplished skills. These moody instrumentals are very British, and they're reminiscent of the sort of music that you'd find in Frederick Delius pieces. They're surprisingly fairly good, though, and you could do a lot worse with a film soundtrack. Only judging them without the context of the film, “Sea of Holes” stands alone pretty good on its own feet... I'm not a classical music expert, but I wouldn't have been so surprised to find out if that one was written by some old master. Although, I found “Pepperland” to be a bit cheesy for my tastes and “Pepperland Laid Waste” to be a little boring. But again, they were intended to orchestrate a film, so it's difficult to give a fair assessment of those ... especially since it's been awhile since I saw it.

Once again, this is the least essential Beatles album in their discography, and you probably don't need it. But if you do find yourself owning it, you might discover that you'll like some of the songs ........ and George Martin's instrumental side isn't as bad as you might think. But, just a warning, all you'll probably do with it is make a mix CD featuring “Hey Bulldog” somewhere on it.

Track Reviews:

Yellow Submarine A
This album already is a semi-rip off because everybody already had this song in their collection. As ya know, this is the cute novelty song that we previously heard in Revolver. But I suppose that's why Yellow Submarine isn't really a Beatles album, but a soundtrack to that freaky cartoon. And I don't really mind having another chance at hearing it again.

Only a Northern Song A-
So, this song was originally recorded for Sgt. Pepper, and it didn't manage to make it on the Sgt. Pepper leftover album, Magical Mystery Tour. You would expect a double leftover to be a little burnt and chewy, but this is actually rather good. (Ah, it's the Beatles! Everything they released is good, right?) It's George Harrison composition, though, and he wasn't quite ready to peak as a songwriter at the point, and and the melody also bears a striking resemblance to “If I Needed Someone.” But the instrumentation is nothing like that song... The only thing normal about it is the vocal melody and the drum beat. There is an almost avant-garde sound wave of random sound-effects and noises. Well, you can't say that isn't interesting!

All Together Now A-
Well, this a bit trite though that was the point of it. It's a children's song that was meant to mimic the sort of songs they sing on the playground jumping rope. (At least that's what it says on the Wikipedia entry!) It's pretty good for that. The melody is simple, but it still seems fresh enough to keep it from becoming too cheesy.

Hey Bulldog A
If you're in the business of purchasing albums just because you want to have access to one really great song, then here's the reason that you'll purchase Yellow Submarine. One of John Lennon's songs, and it's just about as good as anything he wrote. It features a quick and catchy piano riff that would surely stick in your mind for years to come. Oh yes, this is prime Beatles!

It's All Too Much A
Another George Harrisong already? This is quite a bit better than “Only a Northern Song” although this doesn't have that unusual soundscape to keep things interesting... Though the song production is a little weird. That highly clomping rhythm sounds like they were pounding together whatever they could find. The sort of stiff guitar riff is catchy, though, and George provides a very thick guitar atmosphere that's sort of tucked away in the background. The instrumentation is highly creative!The only possible flaw with it is that it's six and a half minutes long. But the last few minutes of it when they keep repeating the riff and chanting “too much” amidst an evolving backdrop are undoubtedly the coolest moments, so that's not really a flaw.

All You Need is Love A
Oh yes... this is one of their most famous tunes! But it's left unchanged from the version that we already heard on Magical Mystery Tour. So...... yah.

Pepperland B-
Alright, this marks the beginning of the cinematic movements written by George Martin. From what I recall watching the film, I did wish that this piece of incidental music was a little less schmaltzy and more original. But ah, what can you expect? But honestly, this isn't bad. We have some crunchy strings and the theme is generally good. It's very British sounding, too.

Sea of Time B
A little bit moodier than the last song as it obviously takes a hint from George Harrison's “Within You, Without You.” A sitar can be heard quietly in the background as a string section sounds like it's having a conversation. Something a little more conventional pops up after that. But again, it's not bad, and it does a nice job establishing a quiet mood. Again, you'll have to have a thing for cinematic music to like it.

Sea of Holes A-
This could probably pass as a classical song. It kind of reminds me of a Delius composition. Not so intricate, but some of his works have a similar mood. At any rate, this is pretty effective mood music. It stands alone from the film rather well.

Sea of Monsters B
Not as interesting as the previous composition, though it is also meant to establish a mood. There's a modern classical music flavor to this, and Martin comes off quite a bit better than an amateur. Maybe I wasn't expecting that he would be able to do that... Well. This one's even a tad avant-garde. (And you can hear a very brief Bach quotation!)

March of the Meanies B
Again, this isn't bad. It's a little tenser than the other songs (which fit the scene pretty well), though for some reason it doesn't hold my attention as well. It's a nice composition, though. Again, you sort of already have to be into this stuff.

Pepperland Laid Waste B-
I don't really like listening to this one, but at the same time, this really wasn't designed to closely listen to. It's mood music, of course, and it's very quiet and dark. The chord progressions are nice, though, and I do enjoy the atmosphere. It's just not that fun to hear! It's got a cool coda though.

Yellow Submarine in Pepperland B
This starts out as an instrumental fanfare version of “Yellow Submarine” and then in the middle, it transforms into another bit of somewhat interesting cinematic/classical music. A nice variation of “Yellow Submarine” pops up in the middle to close the soundtrack. Cool.

Concluding Remarks:

This is the least essential Beatles album of their discography, and it's easy to see why: There are only four new songs, and some of them aren't that good. The only real reason to get is if you want a copy of “Hey Bulldog.” The last half consists of instrumental tracks composed and arranged by George Martin.... They're not bad if you're into that sort of thing, but most rock fans will find themselves bored with it.

Recommended: No