ALBUM OF THE MONTH

#43: Cathy Berberian - Beatles Arias (1966)

Ever since I heard Can't Buy Me Love or whatever track it was I've wanted to hear the whole album of American opera singer Cathy Berberian covering The Beatles. Originally out on vinyl back in 1966 but sadly not released on CD until a French company did so in 2004, and found by me just a couple of weeks ago.

I just got the CD and decided to make it Album of the month to show off the "odd side" of my record collection. I do like this kind of stuff. When an artist from one side of the musical spectrum clash and crash with music from a totally different side.

I haven't heard what a person with ears fine tuned to classical music makes of this, but my pop conditioned ears find it funny and silly at once.

But the joke might well be on me. There's very little info on Cathy to be found, but as I understand it she was not doing this record as a misguided take on The Beatles popular music. She did genuinely like the songs and her recording should be seen as a homage with a knowing smile. Knowing that she'd perhaps shock and stun listeners in both the world of pop as well as in the world of classical music.

Born in 1928 Cathy Berberian seem to have been talented in a lot of fields.
She studied writing and opera at Columbia and New York Universities, Hindu and Spanish dancing, just to name a few.

She made her singing debut debuted in Naples, Italy in 1957 and was known to be a mezzo soprano performing music of different styles, never afraid to try something new.
And a new experience is what hearing her versions of Help, Yesterday and Yellow Submarine will give you.

The remastered CD release comes with an interview (in French) with Cathy from 1972 and three live tracks from a recital, where you get the additional enjoyment of hearing the audience reaction. The single disappointment with the CD is probably the greyish, dull cover. I prefer one of the many different versions from the original LP release in the 60s. Here's just two of them:

N.S.

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