Album review: The Beatles take flight again

3.5 Stars Various artists This Bird Has Flown (Razor and Tie)

When The Beatles released Rubber Soul in 1965, it was received with much acclaim and enthusiasm. The album represented a shift in The Beatles style of music. On Rubber Soul, the "Fab Four" embarked upon much more mature lyrics and some unique instrumental use, drastically differing from their early pop hits and mainstream love songs.

Rubber Soul served as a beautiful transition album, wonderfully leading to such innovative masterpieces as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road.

This December marks the 40th anniversary of Rubber Soul. As a commemoration for this milestone, Razor & Tie is releasing This Bird Has Flown, a tribute album with various artists covering the classic songs. All 14 of the songs are here, each with its own modern twist.

This Bird Has Flown gives the artist an opportunity to interpret a particular Beatles song however he or she sees fit. In many cases, this style works very well. Sufjan Stevens takes an amazing approach to "What Goes On." The more reverent feel given during the chorus - resembling a small choir - compliments the electric guitars that quickly pick up during the verses. Revamped with a new melody and tempo, this cover proves to be very intriguing.

Others more closely follow the originals. Ben Harper's version of "Michelle" is very consistent with that on Rubber Soul. He adds his own touch with his distinct guitar style. "Nowhere Man" and "In My Life" (performed by Low and Ben Lee, respectively) simply take the song down a notch. The vocals and instruments combine to be very solemn and peaceful. Ted Leo stays true to "I'm Looking Through You," while giving it an even more upbeat sound and incorporating a little technology, making the track skip at a few parts toward the end. This causes the song to build up and end strongly.

The makeover, however, doesn't fair so well on some songs. The classic "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," covered by Fiery Furnaces, loses much of what made the original such a great tune. The Fiery Furnaces fail to bring in anything resembling a guitar, much less a sitar (George Harrison's major contribution to the song). Many lyrics are repeated in hope of emphasizing them, but this, combined with the slow pace, makes the song drag. This is a shame. Since the album is named after this song, one would expect a stronger cover of "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)."

When covering a song, an artist can take one of two approaches. He can either adhere to the primary structure (music, melody, tempo, etc.) of the song, deriving originality solely by his presence; or he can make the song his own, changing anything he sees fit while still keeping the main ideas intact. Artists on This Bird Has Flown tend to make use of both methods. This results in the listeners experiencing these works of art in a completely new light.

Though some songs may yield disappointment, the album overall takes a very unique approach to timeless songs - it invites the listener to rediscover memorable songs from a different angle.

Unfortunately, some artists seem to take too many liberties in creating a completely unique cover. The song loses important elements that made the original so beautiful in the first place.

Rubber Soul had a unique approach for every song. Forty years later, This Bird Has Flown strives to do the same as a tribute.