Thought you’d encountered the worst movie musical ever when Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees starred as ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ in ’78? You ain’t seen nothin’, Billy Shears — a pronouncement applicable to this misbegotten mishmash in myriad ways, considering it was pulled from theaters after two weeks in late ’76, rarely to be witnessed since.
Concept: a montage of actual WWII footage and scenes from 20th Century Fox’s archives set to covers of Beatles songs — not all of which are atrocious, but none of which make the slightest bit of sense juxtaposed with such imagery. Clips of it are scarce, as it understandably has never been released on any form of home video. But what can be viewed on YouTube is appallingly dumb: Ambrosia (and why?) performing ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ while we watch Nazis goose-step in formation; Helen Reddy singing ‘The Fool on the Hill’ as if it were written about Hitler; Barry & Robin & Maurice harmonizing on ‘Sun King’ while the Japanese prepare for battle. I’ll admit I knew next to nothing about the flick when I bought this ragged-on-the-outside/nearly-mint-on-the-inside copy of the soundtrack for $2.99 at OC’s dearly departed music shop Pepperland back when my boy was a budding Beatlemaniac. He excitedly asked if it could come home with us, not knowing most of the artists involved beyond Elton John (whose ’74 hit version of ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ was revived here) and the Bee Gees (gluttons for this sort of punishment, they remade multiple tunes, and symphonically, an especially terrible approach for ‘She Came in Through the Bathroom Window’). Years later, I’m pretty sure he still hasn’t played all four sides — although it was how he learned about 2LP pressings split between 1 & 4 and 2 & 3. (Cont’d ⬇️)
#SoundtrackSunday 010:
‘All This and World War II’
20th Century Fox, 1976
d: Susan Winslow