2 new Beatles cover albums are sure bets

A friend of mine collects Beatles covers — that is, Beatles songs performed by other singers, not album covers.

He started doing this as soon as audio tape became a viable format in the 1970s. He'd discover that some singer had recorded one of the Beatles' songs and buy the record — back when 33 1/3 rpm vinyl was still the industry standard. Then he'd copy the song to a tape.

Gradually, he'd come across others and add them to the tape, until it was filled. Then he'd start "Volume 2," and then "Volume 3," etc.

He began sharing these with me in the early '80s but eventually became less earnest in his pursuit.

Some years ago, when I got my first computer with iTunes and a CD burner, I started a "Beatles covers" playlist, and as it grew, I began burning CDs for my friend.

The baton was officially passed.

But it's actually been a very casual hobby for us both.

After awhile it became clear that Beatles covers were coming faster than we could keep up with them. And today — for us anyway — there are far too many for even a serious hobbyist to be comprehensive.

My own, later iTunes playlist has grown to ridiculous proportions, and I'm sure it just scratches the surface.

There are literally hundreds of individual cover songs out there, and dozens of entire albums devoted to Beatles variations — classical ("Baroque Beatles Book"), soulful ("Motown Meets the Beatles"), heavy-metal ("Butchering the Beatles"), comical ("The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits").

Yet, even at that, I'm not suggesting any single Beatles song has set a record ... so to speak. The Gershwins may hold that title.

But it's certainly impressive that there are so many collections of the music of John, Paul, George and Ringo — and that they keep on coming some 40 years later.

Anyway, all this brings me to a couple of new Beatles cover albums: "Judy Collins Sings Lennon & McCartney" and the "Across the Universe" soundtrack.

Collins is responsible for my single favorite Beatles cover of all time, "In My Life," which imbues the song with deep feeling and a sense of universality. (John Lennon's original can't be beat, but this comes a close second in my book.)

Collins goes for a wide range in her choice of a dozen Lennon & McCartney tunes — heavy on McCartney — from early Beatles ("And I Love Her") to late Beatles ("The Long and Winding Road").