Much Better Than It Sounds: David Lee Roth And John Lennon 'Imagine A Jump' With Mash-Up

You'll just have to hear this one out. It almost defies words.

Historically, laying a finger on the Beatles' catalogue takes a kitten's soft touch. To many, it's a sacrilege that's not taken lightly. But in particular, tinker with John Lennon's iconic "Imagine?"

For the sake of decorum, there really should be some sort of almost Papal authority devoted to toying with that one. That's almost like safety-pinning the Shroud of Turin about your shoulders to play "Superman."

I don't know anything about this character called "Mighty Mike." But he's tread into dangerous waters into which few have tread and come out fully intact.

I mean, some Beatles fans practically cried "Heresy!" when DJ Danger Mouse - now one-half of Gnarls Barkley with Cee-Lo Green -  slammed together the Beatles' classic White Album with Jay-Z's The Black Album and made The Grey Album. But among the Beatles' respective solo works, "Imagine" is practically a hymn.

Van Halen's "Jump," on the other hand? Well, calling it "sacred" would be a stretch. "Beloved," sure. It's everything huge, bombastic and just fun about Van Halen's early days. But it lacks the substance, the soul, the spirit and legacy that makes any attempt to impugn upon "Imagine" for all its perfect composition and simple but stirring lyrics something akin to killing a unicorn.

Nobody would exactly look upon "Imagine" and say that it's beneath "Jump." In this case, many would claim "Imagine" had been the victim of an assault.

That is, they would if this had actually been bad. They would, if not for the way Lennon's detached, floating chords actually give David Lee Roth's vocals an unexpected urgency. It almost gives them some kind of heartfelt sincerity.

In sharp contrast, "Imagine A Jump" is actually . . . . *deep, deep breath* . . . . great.

Listen to it. Then tell me, honestly, that it's bad.