Poppn’ Up

* 1/2 Various Artists, “Come Together/America Salutes the Beatles,” Liberty. These country versions of 17 Beatles songs work best when Willie Nelson and Delbert McClinton explore the raw side of the landmark band with versions of “One After 909” and “Come Together,” respectively.

The softer stuff, however, ranges generally from undistinguished to painful--whether it’s David Ball’s “I’ll Follow the Sun” or Collin Raye’s “Let It Be.” However “universal” the Beatles music was, there was little country component in most and these artists certainly don’t find a way to inject one.

The poorly designed project doesn’t even touch on the genuine country songs--including the Buck Owens hit “Act Naturally”--that the Beatles themselves recorded.