The Beatles in bed

When it comes to power pop, few acts can hold a candle to the now sadly defunct Jellyfish.  

If you haven't heard their "Bellybutton" and "Spilt Milk" albums, you've missed out on a real treat.

I have to admit a marginal preference for "Milk", even though the hugely talented Jason Falkner had left the band before it was recorded. It's a stunning album - punchy and melodic, although its predecessor is only a very short step behind.

The whole torrid Jellyfish saga is one worth investigating - but not here, and not now because there are other (jelly) fish to fry...

Since he went solo, Falkner has made some great solo albums that have gone essentially nowhere, although he is, as Jellyfish were, 日本で大成功 (TM) and he still has a very loyal following. He's also regularly in demand as a session player and has recorded with Noel Gallagher, Beck, Paul McCartney, Cheap Trick, Dwight Yoakam, Primal Scream, and many others.

As well as the many original tracks he's recorded, he's always been fond of a cover version or two in the overall mix (from Tom Waits through Be Bop Deluxe to Def Leppard), and amongst his back catalogue are a couple of Beatles covers albums, However, they're not yer usual hack jobs, they're instrumental lullaby-style Beatles songs - "Bedtime with the Beatles - Volumes 1 &2".

Simply but well played with acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, wordless vocals (apart from the words "Hey Jude" in 'Hey Jude'), an occasional string section and extremely minimal percussion (often none at all), the project sounds a whole lot better to listen to than it might seem on paper. Even though the arrangements are stripped right down and almost totally lacking vocals, Falkner's managed to keep not just the melodies, but also the richness of the harmonic interplay found in the originals, despite the simplicity of the instrumentation and the sparse arrangements. It's also worth noting that many of the songs are slowed down slightly, compared to the originals, but this isn't a distraction.

The choice of the songs favours the softer side of the Beatles - these are, after all, lullabies - but the albums achieve an overall naive charm and grace that is hard to resist. Above all, Falkner treats the Lennon and McCartney compositions with respect and allows the music to retain the essential qualities which first attracted people to it.

Adult listeners may find much to enjoy here.

Or not...see what you think.