"All This and World War II" was, to put it mildly, an odd film. Cobbled together almost entirely from newsreel footage of World War II, all taken from the vaults of Movietone News, the film wasn't a documentary or an exercise in nostalgia, it was constructed as an anti-war film thanks to the presence of Beatles music which functioned as commentary on the events as they unfolded. Beatles music it may have been, but it wasn't performed by the Beatles: the Fab Four's classic tunes were covered by an all-star cast of pop and rock stars, assembled under the direction of record exec Russ Regan and produced by Lou Reizner. These artists were teamed up with a bunch of studio pros, highlighted by pianist Nicky Hopkins, along with the London Symphony Orchestra, who gave this music the bombastic pomp a project like this deserved. If the film itself was quite odd most notoriously, it featured Nazi soldiers being run in reverse as "Get Back" played on the soundtrack the soundtrack itself isn't particularly strange or compelling. This is a Brit-centric soundtrack it was a British production after all so it shouldn't be a surprise that it's heavy on British prog rockers and pop songwriters with an arty bent: Peter Gabriel, Bryan Ferry, Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne, Elton John, David Essex and Leo Sayer are all here, as are Ambrosia who may not be British but fit in well with that contingent. Then, there are mainstream superstars and middle-of-the-road artists like the Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Helen Reddy, Frankie Laine, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (separately, mind you), the forgotten Lynsey de Paul, Henry Gross, with the Brothers Johnson and Tina Turner added for some diversity. But the fact of it is, it doesn't really matter who is singing here: it all sounds roughly the same thanks to the London Symphony Orchestra, who gives every song here altogether too much pomp and circumstance. That means that anybody enticed by the prospect of Peter Gabriel reinventing "Strawberry Fields Forever" or Roy Wood running wild on "Lovely Rita" will be disappointed by the perfectly fine versions here because they are, at the core, Reizner and the London Symphony Orchestra's interpretations of these songs; Gabriel and Wood are merely invited guests.
Tracklist
01. "Ambrosia - Magical Mystery Tour" - 3:52
02. "Elton John - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" - 6:15 (John Lennon, on lead guitar & backing vocals)
03. "Bee Gees - Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight" - 3:17
04. "Leo Sayer - I Am the Walrus" - 3:49
05. "Bryan Ferry - She's Leaving Home" - 3:07
06. "Roy Wood - Lovely Rita" - 1:13
07. "Keith Moon - When I'm Sixty-Four" - 2:36
08. "Rod Stewart - Get Back" - 4:24
09. "Leo Sayer - Let It Be" - 3:43
10. "David Essex - Yesterday" - 2:44
11. "Jeff Lynne - With a Little Help from My Friends/Nowhere Man" - 6:56
12. "Lynsey De Paul - Because" - 3:24
13. "Bee Gees - She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" - 1:54
14. "Richard Cocciante - Michelle" - 4:00
15. "The Four Seasons - We Can Work It Out" - 2:39
16. "Helen Reddy - The Fool On The Hill" – 3:37
17. "Frankie Laine - Maxwell's Silver Hammer" - 3:27
18. "The Brothers Johnson - Hey Jude" - 4:58
19. "Roy Wood - Polythene Pam" - 1:30
20. "Bee Gees - Sun King" - 2:03
21. "Status Quo - Getting Better" - 2:19
22. "Leo Sayer - The Long and Winding Road" - 4:47
23. "Henry Gross - Help!" - 3:07
24. "Peter Gabriel - Strawberry Fields Forever" - 2:30
25. "Frankie Valli - A Day in the Life" - 4:04
26. "Tina Turner - Come Together" - 4:08
27. "Will Malone & Lou Reizner - You Never Give Me Your Money" - 3:04
28. "The London Symphony Orchestra - The End" - 2:26
Personnel
Barry Gibb – vocals
Robin Gibb – vocals
Maurice Gibb – vocals
Nicky Hopkins – piano
Les Hurdle – bass
Barry Morgan – drums
Ronnie Verrell – drums
Wil Malone – orchestral arrangement
Harry Rabinowitz – conductor
David Measham - conductor
Notes
Released: November 5, 1976
Genre: Rock
Length: 98:45
Label: Riva/20th Century Records
Producer: Lou Reizner
All songs by: Lennon–McCartney
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