Beatles oddities: "All This and World War II"

An article out of Australia today recalls perhaps one of the weirdest and most tasteless uses of Beatles' music: the 1976 film "All This and World War II."

Conceived by Russ Regan, the film combined Beatles music with news reel footage of World War II. Critical response was brutal, with writers highlight the extreme tackiness of the whole enterprise. The film ran for two weeks in U.S. theaters before disappearing, seemingly forever. It's never surfaced on any format of home video. But it is, like everything else, on YouTube. See below.

The soundtrack also is available, and it's interesting. Unable to get permission, or afford, to use the Beatles' own recordings, a diverse lineup of stars was recruited to perform the tunes. Along with the hit version of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," there some decent stuff on it.

I never picked up the LP in the 1970s, as I was too busy catching up on getting the "real" Beatles albums. At that time, this meant the U.S. Capitol versions of all the 1960s recordings.

Here's soundtrack track list.

Disc: 1
1. Ambrosia - Magical Mystery Tour
2. Elton John - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
3. The Bee Gees - Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight
4. Leo Sayer - I Am The Walrus
5. Bryan Ferry - She's Leaving Home
6. Roy Wood - Lovely Rita
7. Keith Moon - When I'm Sixty-Four
8. Rod Stewart - Get Back
9. Leo Sayer - Let It Be
10. David Essex - Yesterday
11. Jeff Lynne - With A Little Help From My Friends/Nowhere Man
12. Lynsey De Paul - Because
13. The Bee Gees - She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
14. Richard Cocciante Michelle
Disc: 2
1. The Four Seasons - We Can Work It Out
2. Helen Reddy - The Fool On The Hill
3. Frankie Laine - Maxwell's Silver Hammer
4. Brothers Johnson - Hey Jude
5. Roy Wood - Polythene Pam
6. The Bee Gees - Sun King
7. Status Quo - Getting Better
8. Leo Sayer - The Long And Winding Road
9. Henry Gross - Help!
10. Peter Gabriel - Strawberry Fields Forever