Rating: 
- Wow
I had fallen away from the Beatles music, but this soundtrack drew me back in. Although I had spent some time listening to other genres and styles of music, this soundtrack reminded me of how much I really did love the Beatles... And still do. I must say that among these renditions of the great Beatles hits the Eddie Vedder (Hide Your Love Away), Black Crowes (Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds), Sarah McLaughlan (Blackbird), Sheryl Crow (Mother Nature's Son), and suprisingly Aimee Mann and Michael Penn's (Two of Us) performances were AMAZING. Although nothing will ever be as good as the original, once you've seen the movie you gain a very deep appreciation for this soundtrack. Once you've seen the movie you really learn to love Rufus Wainwright's version of "Across the Universe" you can even hear in the back of your head Lucy trying to convince herself that "nothing's gonna change my world." And also, in the tender moment with Lucy and Sam on the bus, when Lucy is running away from the social worker, "Strawberry Fields" (One of my favorite Beatles songs by far) by Ben Harper adds a very soft sound to that moment. This is overall a great soundtrack. Don't let any of these negative criticisms on here deter you from buying this one. It's a keeper.
Rating: - One of the Best Albums of 2002!
Unable to use the Beatles' original recordings for legal reasons, the producers of "I Am Sam" enlisted a stellar lineup of contemporary artists to cover them instead. That inauspicious start resulted in one of the best soundtracks in recent memory, and perhaps the finest tribute album ever recorded.The real strength of this album - as might be expected - is the song selection. While the Lennon/McCartney library is one of the best in pop and rock, "I Am Sam" includes only those Beatle tunes that are truly timeless and intelligent songwriting, and whose strength is intrinsic to the song itself (lyrics, melody, structure), rather than the Beatles' performance or George Martin's studio wizardry. (The only exceptions are "Strawberry Fields Forever" by Ben Harper and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by the Black Crowes, which sound out of place.) As a result, the covers of "Two of Us," "Across the Universe," "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," and "Julia" are almost as strong as the originals.
Furthermore, the performances here are careful to be largely faithful to the originals. As a result, these versions breathe new life into the Beatles' classics, while still reverently retaining their original beauty.
"I Am Sam" is a musical triumph.
Rating: 
- overall, a decent collection
Tribute albums seem to be a dime a dozen these days. Everybody's doing them. One of the better ones to come along in recent memory is the soundtrack to I am Sam. Of the 17 tracks included here, there are only a few that will send you lunging for the skip button on your CD player. The fact that the majority these tunes are done as well as they are is an achievement in itself.Things get off to a great start with Aimee Mann & Michael Penn's "Two of Us" and Sarah McLachlan's take on "Blackbird." The producers did a great job of picking the artists to do these two songs. Things quickly go downhill from there, though, with Rufus Wainwright warbling his way "Across the Universe."
The Wallflowers turn in a fittingly retro-sounding version of "I'm Looking Through You" and Eddie Vedder's solo rendition of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" is notable as well. Ben Harper was the perfect choice for "Strawberry Fields Forever,' adding just the right amount of psychedelia to the song to make it sound authentic.
After suffering through Sheryl Crow's whiny version of "Mother Nature's Son," Ben Folds turns a respectable rendition of "Golden Slumbers." It's a bit strange not having it followed by "Carry That Weight," but he does a good job with the song. The Vines do a great job with the relatively obscure (that is, if any Beatles song can truly be called obscure at this point) "I'm Only Sleeping."
The Black Crowes contribute what could end up being the last thing we hear from them, their version of "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds." The saddest thing about all this is that unless you see the band's name in the track listing, you'd never know it was them. There are only two instances on this CD where the artists take any real liberties with the tune. Chocolate Genius does an excellent job with "Julia," and Grandaddy serves up a different take on "Revolution" (however, I'm not quite sure what to make of this one).
Heather Nova and Paul Westerberg both do good versions of their songs--"We Can Work it Out" and "Nowhere Man" respectively. Nick Cave ends the disc with the worst song of them all, "Let it Be." I'll be nice and describe this one as "your father's Beatles." Do yourself a favor and just hit the stop button before it gets there.
With a few exceptions, this is one of the best 'tribute albums' to come along in a long time. Recommended for Beatle fans, as well as fans of any of the artists mentioned.
