Leo Sayer celebrates 50 years in music with brand new album of Beatles covers

Next year Leo Sayer will be celebrating a major milestone in his music journey - 50 years since he released his debut album.

In honour of the incredible achievement, the 73-year-old has released a brand new album of Beatles covers.

Sayer self-produced the album, Northern Songs: Leo Sayer Sings the Beatles, putting his own signature spin on 19 iconic songs written and composed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison.

Of the album, the 'You Make Me Feel Like Dancing' hitmaker said: "[It] started life in 2011. I was fooling around in my new studio and found an interesting way to arrange 'Eleanor Rigby' by mashing it up with Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean.' It worked surprisingly well, feeling like a great groove.

"I wondered if I was committing sacrilege by taking such liberties with a Lennon/McCartney classic, but friends I played it to seemed to love it. I moved on to 'Strawberry Fields Forever,' 'Norwegian Wood' and 'Girl.'"

He added: "Throughout my entire career there's always been a strong link for me with The Beatles. In 1975 my then-manager, Adam Faith, convinced me to record a cover of 'Let It Be' as a Christmas single, and I still perform that version onstage today.

"I hope fans of The Beatles won't be too shocked by some of the liberties I've taken with these masterworks. I've created it all with a great sense of love and respect for the band, doing my best as an interpreter and as a diehard fan too. The Beatles were, and still are, in my humble opinion, the true musical geniuses of our age, and will always be my eternal inspiration."

Sayer's Beatles covers date back to the '70s when he recorded three songs for the soundtrack to All This And World War II.

On that album, he covered 'I Am The Walrus,' 'The Long and Winding Road' and 'Let It Be.'

Northern Songs: Leo Sayer Sings the Beatles Track Listing:

1. Eleanor Rigby
2. Strawberry Fields Forever
3. Revolution
4. Get Back
5. Across The Universe
6. A Day In The Life
7. Girl
8. A Hard Day’s Night
9. Magical Mystery Tour
10. Julia
11. Can’t Buy Me Love
12. Norwegian Wood
13. Here Comes The Sun
14. Only A Northern Song
15. Yesterday
16. I Feel Fine
17. Nowhere Man
18. Hey Jude
19. Eleanor Rigby #2