by admin on December 31, 2009
The Beatles entered the world of compact disc in the late 1980s when their entire catalog was released on the (new at the time) medium.
Unfortunately there were a couple of big issues with the way their music was released on CD. The first was that it wasn’t mastered particularly well (some would say that’s an understatement. ) The second was that only the stereo mixes for most of their albums were released on CD, leaving the mono mixes that were the standard for most of The Beatles career on the shelf.
Both of these issues have been corrected in 2009 with the release of new Beatles remasters. Digital mastering has come a long way since the ’80s and while that hasn’t all been progress (look into the “loudness wars”) the technological advances did wonders for these remasters because those that did them had the taste not to over compress and squeeze the life out of the music.
And with the release of The Beatles in Mono Box Set, the original mono mixes that most Beatles fans listened to in the 1960s are finally available on CD.
While The Beatles in Mono was the most exciting new Beatles release for real hardcore Beatles purists, the most popular box set has definitely been The Beatles in Stereo. And that’s for a lot of very good reasons. For one it includes The Beatles entire 1960s discography (unlike the mono box set which is missing the last few albums) and for another it sounds absolutely delicious! While it’s a real treat to hear the mono mixes for the first time, I must say that it’s the stereo mixes that stay in my CD player the most because they just sound so great.
Compared to the old CDs, these new remastered stereo discs really pop. In particular I find that Paul McCartney’s wonderful bass lines (and in my opinion, he’s the best bassist in pop music history) really punch through the mix like never before. But Ringo’s drums and the beautiful harmony vocals are close runner ups as they both seem to be more clear in the mix than before.
If I had to choose just one song as an example of how much better these new stereo mixes sound I would point to “Long Long Long” which sounds like it’s under a pile of blankets on the old CD. There are bits in this song that were nearly inaudible before, that now really jump into the ear and make themselves known. It’s a revelatory experience listening to this wonderful under appreciated George Harrison written gem.
As great as the stereo box set is, there are still some “purists” who feel strongly that The Beatles in Mono is really the way to go if you want to hear The Beatles as they were originally meant to be heard. The reason they believe this is because back in the 1960s almost all of The Beatles fans actually listened to their music on mono playback systems. And John, Paul, George, & Ringo themselves grew up listening to mono.
Because of this they put almost all of their energy into making sure the mono mixes were as good as they could be. On the other hand up until around 1968 the band and it’s producers didn’t put nearly as much thought into their stereo mixes. They were usually “thrown together” after they worked out the mono mix.
Often times they would try experimental approaches such as having all of the vocals on one side and all of the drums on the other. Because of this many people find many of the stereo mixes unsettling to listen to on headphones.
These two box sets are not the only remastered Beatles compilations released in 2009. The third is The Beatles USB “Apple” flash drive which is a digital version of The Beatles in Stereo. It includes the same elements (both sound & vision) except on a USB instead of on a set of CDs.
The really cool thing about it to me is that you can essential hold The Beatles entire career in your hand. I think that’s fantastic. It’s also very cool that this USB contains “better than CD” audiophile 24bit FLAC versions of all of their stereo remasters. Of course it also includes the first official release of The Beatles in the mp3 format, and they do it right with high quality 320 mp3 files.
All three of these of these groovy products makes 2009 the year of the Remastered Beatles.
Mike Jensy recommends you collect ‘em all: (1) Remastered Beatles in Stereo Box Set. (2) Remastered Beatles in Mono Box Set (3) Remastered Beatles USB (MP3 & FLAC)
Tagged as:
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by admin on December 28, 2009
by admin on December 25, 2009
Do you remember that haunting song by the Beatles, the one with the line “Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name, nobody came”?
A very sad song, and at the time it was rather out of keeping with the type of songs that we had come to expect from the ‘fab four’.
Just to remind you, here are a couple of verses of that song.
“Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?
All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people, where do they all belong?
Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
So, who was Eleanor Rigby, and was she a real person or was she just a figment of the imagination, something like ‘lovely Rita, meter maid’?
Well, I was playing some gigs recently in Liverpool, and although my evenings were busy, the rest of the day was free and so I decided to use my spare time to do some research into this and to try and find out if there really was an Eleanor Rigby.
I looked up a few points of reference in the local library, donned my Sherlock Holmes hat, and set off for a suburb of Liverpool known as Woolton.
In the Anglican church there you will find a typical English churchyard, surrounding the church, and you will find many tombstones, but one headstone in particular caught my attention.
Wait for it. The headstone is dedicated to an Eleanor Rigby.
Having located such an interesting gravestone I then began to ask myself if any of the Beatles lived anywhere nearby. And guess what? As a child John Lennon used to live in Menlove Avenue, which is very close to the church.
This made me think back to my childhood, and I remember as a young boy I and my friends would often play in our local churchyard, playing hide and seek and other games behind the headstones.
Therefore it is not unreasonable to assume that John Lennon also probably often went into this churchyard, and would have seen the headstone dedicated to Eleanor Rigby.
Now unfortunately I only had a couple of days in Liverpool so I was not able to dig any deeper into this, but I intend to return soon and continue my research.
I want to spend some time going through the church records, and I would like to see what I can find out about the other people mentioned on Eleanor,s headstone.
If you would like to be kept posted on this, and kept up to date with my research, then please click on the following link. You will be taken to a page and near the bottom you will find my email address. Just send me a note saying keep me informed or something like that, and I will email you whenever I have found out some fresh information.
Click on Eleanor Rigby to be kept updated.
Click on http://www. guitarplayingmadeeasy. com>Eleanor Rigby to be kept updated.
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by admin on December 22, 2009
In the 1960s Liverpool became a centre of youth culture. The Liverpool wall of frame in front of the Cavern Club is a tribute to acts from the city who reached number one in the charts. It has 54 number one hits since 1952 on it. The wall is dominated by The Beatle who have 17 discs on the wall. The National Trust has purchased the McCartneys house in Liverpool.
The soap opera Brookside and currently Hollyoaks for channel 4 were produced by Lime Pictures formerly Mersey television.
Every two years the Liverpool Biennial festival of arts are held it was during this event in 2004 that My mother is beautiful by Yoko Ono caused protest by exhibiting photographs of a naked woman s public area on the shopping street and it still remains there to day.
The Grand National the famous steeplechase in held every year in April at Aintree Racecourse to the north of Liverpool. The British Grand Prix is also held here.
In 2001 the airport near Speke was renamed Liverpool John Lennon Airport in honour of the late John Lennon. The airport has a sketch that John Lennon had drawn of himself and the word Above us only sky from the song imagine. In the sixties the airport was a starting point for many Beatles tours. 5m passengers pass through the airport every year and it flies to 62 destination.
The song Ferry me across the Mersey by Gerry and the Pacemakers made the Mersey ferry famous with tourists
The heart of Beatleland is the shopping centres at Cavern Walks on Mathew Street.
Some of the trendiest stores or at Albert Dock Such as the Apple store Tate Gallery gift shop and the Beatles Story gift shop.
Liverpool Cathedral is the 5th largest in the world has the largest church organ with 9765 pipes and the largest cathedral in the UK.
Liverpool is home to 2 football team Everton and Liverpool and just minutes from the city centre. Liverpool home Anfield displays silverware of the most successful English football team. Goodison Park Stadium is home to Everton.
Merseyside Maritime Museum opened in 1980 it was a bonded warehouse part of the historic Albert dock tell the story of one of the worlds greatest ports.
Liverpool is celebrating its 800th birthday in 2007 and will be hosting festivals performances debates and variety of heritage themed events.
The restaurants in the city have a range to suit every body palate from Pan American Club to the St Petersburgh Russian Restaurant.
Douglas Scott writes for Car Rentals The Car Hire specialist. and works for The Villa Rental Site
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by admin on December 19, 2009
While Paul McCartney was the most well known member of the band to indulge in seemingly ethereal song concepts, John Lennon was also from time to time given to contribute his own musical visions. With Across The Universe Beatles fans were treated to a glimpse into Lennon’s creative process. In 1967, Lennon was inspired during an argument he had with his wife. While listening to her talking at him, rather than to him, the first line of ‘Across The Universe’ kept repeating in his mind: ‘words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup’. Whether this indicated the state of Lennon’s feelings regarding his marriage or was truly a transcendental moment the world will never know, but the line persisted in Lennon’s imagination and he began to search for music and verses to accompany it.
At the time, the Beatles were in their Indian guru / meditation phase, which accounts for the inclusion of the ‘Jai guru deva om’ mantra, spoken in Sanskrit in the chorus of the song. The song was somewhat hastily recorded prior to a trip to India, and Lennon was not satisfied with the results. It was shelved, and other tracks were released to tide the public over until the group could return from their vacation. He later groused that he felt McCartney had tried to steamroll the song through the studio, a glimpse of the impending breakup of the band due to constant inner squabbling. The song was remixed in order to be part of a charity release before it was properly packaged onto the ‘Let It Be’ album. It was one of the few contributions Lennon made during the recording sessions for that album.
Interestingly, the song has had a lasting impact on world culture long after its original release. In a film named Across The Universe Beatles songs and themes were used to tie together a rather loose plot. The film was more of a visual and musical exploration than a proper narrative. ‘Across The Universe’ also had the honor of being broadcast into space on X band radio raves by NASA in 2008. It was only the second time that a piece of music had been intentionally transmitted into deep space, although radio waves from all over the planet routinely bridge the gap between the stars. This was done in celebration of the 50th anniversary of NASA, and hopefully anyone out there on the receiving end will be converted into a Beatles fan.
Classic-Rock-Music. com is the mystical rehersal studio for rockers DEMON TWEAK. Listen as they prepare for battle with the evil trickster Loki by playing home brewed classic rock direct from Ragnarok. Also read articles on your favorite classic rock band written by resident historian VIRGIL THE STORYTELLER
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John Lennon,
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Paul Mccartney,
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Sanskrit,
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by admin on December 16, 2009
Few songs have sparked as much debate over lyrical meaning as the Beatles I Am The Walrus. Released in 1967 as the B-side to ‘Hello, Goodbye’, the track’s bizarre wordplay and pastiche of vocal and musical samples have confounded amateur rock scholars in cafeterias, basements and garages for decades. In addition to its single release, ‘I Am The Walrus’ was also featured on the album ‘Magical Mystery Tour’. The album was tied in with the television film of the same name, a rambling piece of cinema verite that never really left the ground.
Like many of the Beatles’ seemingly incomprehensible songs, ‘I Am The Walrus’ was a result of the amalgamation of three separate ideas that John Lennon had been working on. These random points of inspiration ranged from Lennon writing a verse to match the rise and fall of a police siren he heard driving past his house to a re-jiggering of a nursery rhyme he had sung as a child.
The catalyst for the fusion of these disparate ideas came when Lennon was contacted by a British student who explained to him in a letter that he and his classmates had been asked to analyze the lyrics of the Beatles in order to find their true meaning. It tickled Lennon to no end that a professor had decided to make his musical work the subject of such scrutiny, and he decided to try and create the most confusing set of verses he possibly could. He grabbed the bits and pieces of the songs that had been floating about in his head and pasted them together, creating the Beatles I Am The Walrus with a kind of malevolent glee.
Lennon went on to explain that the glue holding the strange elements of the song together was a series of acid trips that he had gone on prior to the final arrangement. Parts of the song are self-referential, including snatches of ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’, while others sampled monologues from Shakespearian plays. The entire track is arranged as a blustery, winding-up explosion of sound, layering vocals on top of strings on top of noise. The ‘walrus’ in the song had been derived from a Lewis Carroll poem recited in Alice in Wonderland, while the ‘Eggman’ was thought to be a reference the Eric Burdon, who was at the time the lead singer of the Animals. His nickname of ‘Eggman’ referred to one of his more bizarre sexual predilections.
Classic-Rock-Music. com is the mystical rehersal studio for rockers DEMON TWEAK. Listen as they prepare for battle with the evil trickster Loki by playing home brewed classic rock direct from Ragnarok. Also read articles on your favorite classic rock band written by resident historian VIRGIL THE STORYTELLER
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by admin on December 13, 2009
The Beatles Yesterday is one of the most persistent songs in their entire catalog. Over 3000 different versions of this track have been recorded by a huge variety of artists. The song had humble beginnings inside the mind of Paul McCartney – more specifically, inside a dream he had one night. With a fair number of McCartney’s musical compositions resulting from dreams, this shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Perhaps due to the otherworldly manner in which the song had appeared to him, after his initial demo recording of the song he became paranoid that it was actually the property of some other songwriter. He feared that he had merely heard it somewhere else and had the suggestion of its tune planted in his subconscious. Gradually, over a period of several weeks, and through the assurances of everyone he played it for that it was indeed original, McCartney set out to complete the song and lyric.
The words to the piece were quite difficult to pin down for the talented songwriter. He had given the song the temporary title of ‘Scrambled Eggs’, and it became an ongoing joke in the band. After the filming of ‘Help!’ in 1965, McCartney took a vacation in Portugal and in transit he managed to come up with almost the entire rhyming scheme for the track, as well as the final title.
In the studio recording of The Beatles Yesterday, only one member of the band is actually playing an instrument. Paul decided to accompany himself using only an acoustic guitar, although producer George Martin fleshed out the rather bare arrangement with a string section before the track was released. Rather bizarrely for a band that would develop such a reputation for experimentation, the three other members of the band fought McCartney tooth and nail when he proposed releasing ‘Yesterday’ as a single. Their argument was that the song represented too great of a departure from the band’s current sound and style. Eventually, the American market got to have ‘Yesterday’ backed with Ringo Starr’s cover of country song ‘Act Naturally’ on the B-side, as it was hoped that Starr’s popularity in that country would carry the day. McCartney, of course, had the last laugh, and the song performed very well on both the American and later the British charts. Sometimes, even when you are part of a band as successful as the Beatles it is important to go against the grain and listen to the passionate arguments of the lone dissenting member.
Classic-Rock-Music. com is the mystical rehersal studio for rockers DEMON TWEAK. Listen as they prepare for battle with the evil trickster Loki by playing home brewed classic rock direct from Ragnarok. Also read articles on your favorite classic rock band written by resident historian VIRGIL THE STORYTELLER
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Tooth And Nail,
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by admin on December 10, 2009
One of the big events in fingerstyle guitar playing many years ago was the publication of a music book called “Beatles For Classical Guitar”. This was the world’s first attempt to mix the simplicity of the Beatles’ tunes with the complexity of classical guitar technique.
One of the first things that fingerpicking guitar players who were not trained in classical guitar playing noticed was that the fingerings to some of the tunes were much more difficult to execute than they had been used to. But no pain, no gain. The trickier arrangements indicated how much more musical richness had been found in these more complicated arrangements of familiar songs.
Some guitar players thought that a book of classical guitar arrangements of the work of The Beatles was just a gimmick. They expected that a minimal amount of work went into these arrangements just to produce popular music for the “egghead market”. In fact the songs are all substantial arrangements that many classical guitarists find extremely satisfying to play.
People who loved the Beatles’ music found that the songs had not been rendered unrecognizable in the process of arranging them for fingerpicking. The songs were arranged for guitar players who could read standard musical notation and they were not the kind of arrangements that could be played right through on sight the first time you saw them. The pieces asked you to pay some attention and make some effort. Once you get the feel of the way the songs have been interpreted you can let your familiarity with the songs guide you as you play.
Some guitar players are going to feel cheated by the fact that there are not tabs but the pieces are a bit too complicated to be translated into tab effectively. Guitarists who are used to playing using sheet music will be gratified that the music is not made more complicated by the addition of a tab line.
Here is the list of songs:
Across The UniverseAsk Me WhyCome TogetherCry Baby CryDay TripperFor No OneFrom Me To YouHello, GoodbyeHere Comes The SunI Don’t Want To Spoil The PartyI WillI’ll Follow The SunI’m A LoserI’m Happy Just To Dance With YouI’m Only SleepingI’m So TiredIn My LifeThe Long And Winding RoadMaxwell’s Silver HammerNo ReplyNowhere ManP. S. I Love YouPenny LaneSomethingThings We Said TodayThis Boy (Ringo’s Theme)Two Of UsWhile My Guitar Gently WeepsYesterdayYou’re Going To Lose That Girl
You might be surprised by the inclusion of some of the tunes in a collection of guitar solos. So go ahead and try them out.
Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.
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by admin on December 7, 2009
Marvin J. Markus is a contributor to the the Music By Day music blog where he often writes about classic rock.
Markus recommends ear training to improve your musicianship, singing, and your appreciation of music.
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by admin on December 4, 2009
When you talk about classic rock, surely you will be associated with the Beatles. The Beatles is one of the best and biggest pop rock bands that the world produced. John Lennon, James Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey (also known as Ringo Starr) were born during the 1940s in Liverpool, England. During the post war period, Liverpool was a dirty depressed town and money was rarely to meet. Two decades later, these four men would shock the world with their musical breakthrough. Their music contribution is beyond question. Beatlemania, the fanatic fan of beatles, are spread in entire world, even until today. One their best masterpieces, yesterday, is considered as one of the best classic rock song ever produced. It was McCartney’s masterpiece that he recorded on June 14, 1965.
This is probably Paul’s most successful song, as Yesterday has been recorded more than 2500 times by other artists over the years, being the most recorded song in music history! The tune for Yesterday came to him during the night. As he awoke, he went straight to the piano and played the complete tune. So easy this was, Paul feared that the tune must be from another song or belonged to another. No one had heard it before and consequently, yesterday was born. When Yesterday was initially released, it received some critics and controversies from the press, when they learned that it was a purely McCartney recording, without the other three Beatles’, yet released under the name of The Beatles. People feared at the time that this was McCartney’s break into a solo career, but this was not true, not at least for another five years. Yesterday was still be part of the Beatles’s history instead of merely McCartney’s masterpiece.
Simple And General Blog
I am a Nice Guy
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Yesterday
