DOWNLOAD: Wu-Tang vs. The Beatles

By Jake Guidry in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 20, 2010 10:40PM

Wait--before you start, we know that mash-up albums are, like, so last decade. We know that every so-called unsuspected relationship between rock and hip-hop has been bridged by ambitious producers all over the world who happen to have some acappella tracks and GarageBand. While we still love the great bits, like Chicago's own The Hood Internet, so much of it is just sloppily placed together, without regard for what makes two different tracks work well harmonically. But, amidst a trend that we can't quite figure out is leaving or here to stay indefinitely, every once in a while a well-intended and talented soul finds the right match. In this case, it's Tom Caruana and his free album pitting Wu-Tang vs. The Beatles, Enter the Magical Mystery Chambers.

Enter the Magical Mystery Chambers explores the entire chronology of Wu-Tang, using tracks and verses from all eras, including group and solo efforts, and stages them against the instrumentation of The Beatles. What stands out about Caruana's mash-up album is that it maintains a hip-hop feel while allowing The Beatles' dynamic musical bits to peak through. Had RZA not been dabbling in classic Charmels tracks and instead buried himself in the Beatles back-catalog, this is the album he might have produced. Caruana uses his samples selectively, only taking the best parts and reinterpreting them in true hip-hop fashion. In a radically different world where The Beatles are not the biggest band to ever exist, this album could have dropped in 1993 and we would have called it just another great record, not some gimmick as manifest through current music trends. And that's why it's great.

DOWNLOAD: Wu-Tang vs. The Beatles - Enter the Magical Mystery Chambers