It appears no one can escape the vise-like grip of Beatlemania II as the multi-media Anthology project draws nearer.

Or maybe they just don't want to.

Now even normally ultra-cool musicians seem to be jumping on the Beatles' bandwagon.

Pretenders' frontwoman Chrissie Hynde says she's kicking herself after passing up the chance to hear the new Beatles song Free As A Bird. "I sat next to George Harrison on a plane back from L.A. recently after doing (the TV show) Friends.

"In fact, I slept with George Harrison. On the flight, we were right next to each other, up real nice and close just like peas in a pod and he offered to play me his new track and I said, `Yeah, I'll get to it in a minute', 'cause I was, like, rooting through my bag or something and then I didn't say `Hey, can I hear that track'? I forgot. And he's too polite to say like `Don't you want to hear our track now'?"

Lee Ranaldo, the guitarist for New York's art-noise band Sonic Youth, confirms the popular rumor that his group was once going to cover the entire Beatles' White Album during their rise in the '80s.

"There was a period when it was something we were seriously talking about doing," said Ranaldo, "But at this point it was quite awhile ago."

Ranaldo, who calls himself "a huge Beatles fan" also says he has no problem with the remaining three Beatles resurrecting John Lennon's Free As A Bird and adding their voices and other instruments to his.

"I don't find it distasteful or anything like that. I think it could be interesting to see what they can do in that regard. They were always a studio band to begin with. I don't think the working method of doing something like that was too far off. They basically were the pioneers of that kind of thing to begin with, working in studios in very artifical ways."

Neo-country's Dwight Yoakam puts it in his own "out-there" way.

"There are some things that, in fact on this plane of existence, we no longer have control over. And John has moved on, presumably."

Uh, Dwight, where were you when Lennon was gunned down outside his apartment building in New York City in December 1980?

Melissa Etheridge, on the other hand, thinks the psuedo-reunion makes up for what might have been had Lennon lived.

"I get sad everytime I think there would have been a Beatles' reunion. It would have happened. Ten years ago I bet they would have got together. So I think it's great. Use technology, do what you can, to keep that alive.

"It was such an influence on me. The first song I can even remember hearing is I Want To Hold Your Hand."

The one breath of fresh air in all of this Beatles admiration society comes in the unlikley form of Joan Armatrading.

"I obviously was aware of the Beatles but I wasn't like a fan you know, didn't own a Beatles record," said the England-based singer.

"The first Beatles record I got, I was given it by my record company, they gave me, like, a whole stack of records and I don't even know which Beatles record it is because, believe it or not, I don't think I even opened it."

Beatles fans would be crushed.

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