CD review: Rüdiger Baldauf – Strawberry Fields 2020: Video, CD cover

John, Paul, George and Ringo. Compressed ten years of band history, 12 studio albums alone, hundreds of songs, many of them absolutely legendary. Anyone approaching this should know what they’re doing. Fortunately, with Rüdiger Baldauf you don’t have to worry about this.

Because the well-known and versatile trumpeter presents exactly the right mix of humility and new ideas. So now a brand new project, the Beatles reloaded, just different. The selection of songs is surprising and well thought-out, the sound is close to the sometimes scruffy sixties. Nevertheless, it sounds modern and highly versed, because Baldauf’s teammates Thomas Heinz (drums), Marius Goldhammer (bass) and Christian Frentzen (keyboards) present their very own interpretation of the characteristic Beatles choirs.

Illustrious guests round off the album: Max Mutzke sings a version of “Imagine” that you can kneel down, Bruno Müller convinces as usual with the best guitar sounds and the newcomer Jakob Manz enriches the band with fresh saxophone solos. Own ideas are carefully woven into legendary songs, and many a short original song is taken further without reducing the reputation of the greatest band of all time – a new and exciting Rüdiger Baldauf project!

01 We Can Work It Out
02 Back in the U.S.S.R.
03 Blackbird
04 Come Together
05 Penny Lane
06 Something
07 Eight Days a Week
08 Norwegian Wood
09 Hey Bulldog
10 Eleanor Rigby
11 Strawberry Fields Forever
12 Imagine

Rüdiger Baldauf – trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet
Christian Frentzen – piano, wurlitzer, organ, synth
Marius Goldhammer – bass
Thomas Heinz – drums
Guest: Max Mutzke – vocals on 4 & 12