by admin on January 24, 2010
I received the Beatles Box Of Vision as a gift recently, and to be honest I’d never really heard about it before. So to my happy surprise I can now say I am the proud owner of this true Beatles fan collectible item.
At first I thought it was one of those new “remastered” albums that seem to be released every other day recently. But in fact its actually full of The Beatles album art and informational booklets that I have never even seen before. One of the many highlights of the Beatles Box Of Vision is the 200 pages of restored LP art prints, some of these are just breathtaking to look at! Another addition in this set is the guidebook which explains the track listings and cover art itself, and also adds all the reasons behind the the creation of them. There is a lot of things I never even thought of before, but thanks to this guide it puts all the pieces of The Beatles puzzle together for you. But the ultimate show stopper in the Beatles Box Of Vision is the storage system! Its basically a storage folder for 32 CDs and booklets that make up The Beatles core album catalog. I think I am the only person I have seen with this item in my Beatles collection to date. I started my collection a while back so its always nice to get a really well put-together product like this one, they have done a great job with it. Most of the restored Beatles merchandise you too commonly see today is shoddy and out for the quick dollar, but not this one, this is a very special item indeed. When you are constantly on the lookout for collectibles you get to see all the same old material that every other fan has, but vary rarely stumble upon something rather special. So it was a nice surprise to receive this gift I can assure you, which to my amusement is filling some of my friends with envy right about now!
So I recommend the box of vision as a gift, or for any Beatles fan that wants another piece of classic history in their hands. Make someones Christmas.
To find out more about this Beatles product visit The Beatles Box Of Vision. I’m sure you will love it as much as me.
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by admin on January 21, 2010
When The Beatles were recording their legendary albums in the 1960s almost everyone listened back to their music using a mono playback system. Since nearly everyone was listening back to their music in mono it only made sense that The Beatles spent most of their time perfecting their mono mixes while basically just “throwing together” the stereo mixes. In fact, according to Geoff Emerick (who worked on many of The Beatles recordings) the band itself spent almost no time on the stereo mixes.
The first 10 Beatles albums were all mixed in mono as well as in stereo (the first two albums were only mixed in mono. ) And now as a part of The Beatles Mono Box Set all 10 of those albums are included in their original mono mix. This is a huge deal to Beatles purists who want to hear their songs as they were originally meant to be heard.
But it’s not just “purists” that should be interested in hearing these mono mixes. Many have claimed that the mono mixes are not only how these albums were meant to be heard but that they actually sound far better in mono than they do in stereo. For example John Lennon himself has said that the 1967 classic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band sounds much better in mono than it does in stereo.
And even if it doesn’t sound “better” (that’s a subjective statement anyway. ) It certainly sounds different! There are many differences in what you can hear in the mono versions of Sgt. Pepper and the other Beatles albums from what you can hear in the stereo versions. Certain instruments are mixed more loudly. There are certain effects (such as an echo on the vocals on “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”) which were lost in the stereo versions. If you’re a big Beatles fan like I am then you are curious to hear this alternative version. Particularly when you think about how this is the way most people heard it for the first time back in 1967!
Along with those first 10 Beatles albums (all of the UK studio albums including Magical Mystery Tour even though it was initially released only as an EP in the UK) there’s also a non album songs set called Mono Masters which is included. Mono Masters has all of The Beatles songs which were never included on an album which were mixed in mono. If you’re thinking that non album means that they aren’t very good songs then you are definitely mistaken! Many of The Beatles greatest songs were never included on an album including huge hits like “Day Tripper” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand. ”
The Beatles final three albums (including Let It Be & Abbey Road) are not included in the mono box set. Why not? Because they were never mixed in mono in the first place. By 1969 mono had been so completely phased out that The Beatles didn’t bother mixing their albums in mono at all. How quickly things changed in the 1960s!
CLICK HERE to learn more about The Beatles Mono Box Set including how you can order it online 24/7/365 at the best price without paying any shipping fees. Also buy The Beatles Stereo Box Set.
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by admin on January 18, 2010
Paul McCartney and Ringo made an appearance at the E3 video game trade conference in Los Angeles recently. They were at the convention to champion the anticipated release of the Beatles Rock Band video game. The Beatles Game will be out on 09 09 09. It will obviously be the must-have Beatles Christmas Gift of 2009. It may be hard to find around Christmas, so plan ahead and put in your order today. The Limited Edition Guitar Controllers will probably be extra difficult to find near Christmas. You can pre-order Rock Band here. . . Beatles GiftsAt the game conference, Paul McCartney kidded, “Whoever thought we’d end up as androids?” His bandmate Ringo added “The Game is good, the graphics are very good, and we look great. ” McCartney and Starr robotically parodied how their game characters walked without getting any laughs from the game industry audience. Looks like the video game industry take their video games very serious. Beatle family members Yoko Ono and Olivia and Dhani Harrison, and George Martin’s Son also made brief appearances at the conference. The Beatles Rock Band video game will allow people to step into the lives of the Beatles and perform hits such as I Saw Her Standing There, I Feel Fine, Day Tripper, Back in the USSR, Octopus’ Garden, and Get Back. You can hold controllers that are replicas of the Beatle’s instruments including an optional limited edition Rickenbacker and Gretsch guitars. With downloadable remastered songs, the game is going to be the Beatles first jump into distributing their catalog digitally having denied the release of their catalog as MP3s to iTunes and other online sites. On the same day as the game release, the Band will re-issue their CDs as brand new remixed songs. If they’re as good as the remixed Let it Be and Yellow Submarine, you’re in for a great time. Giles Martin remixed the songs and publicized the remastered Beatles song catalog release at the E3 Video Game Convention. Star and McCartney Played at a New York benefit in April, but appearances together have been uncommon since the breakup. I’m hoping that Ringo will make an appearance at McCartney’s Citi Field concert. It will be the first concert in the Mets new baseball stadium. In a historic concert, the Beatles were the first to play the NY Mets original Shea Stadium. Visit Beatles Gifts . com
Visit my Beatles News blog at Beatles Gifts Blog
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by admin on January 15, 2010
Christmas (and birthday) shopping for a Beatles fan has never been easier than it is now with the release of three new very cool Beatles products on 9/9/9 (these three new products will be the first three Christmas gift ideas listed. ) In all this article features seven great gift ideas for any Beatles fan among your family & friends.
#1) The Beatles in Stereo Box Set – This is probably the most obvious choice as it’s a comprehensive collection of every Beatles song released from 1962 through 1970 in newly remastered sound (these CDs sound far superior to the old Beatles CDs) and with really great packaging (much better than the old CDs. )
#2) The Beatles in Mono Box Set – This is the best choice for the really serious Beatles fan who wants to hear The Beatles music as it was originally intended to be heard. Also, since these box sets are being made in limited quantities – it’s a great gift idea for anyone who considers themselves a “collector. ” Who knows how many copies of these will be made? In my view this box set is just as essential as the stereo box set and to my ears many of these mono mixes actually do sound better than the stereo mixes (and they often sound quite different which makes them essential for a completest. )
#3) The Beatles Rock Band Video Game – Completing the first three gift ideas of new products released in 2009. Of course this game requires a video game console of some kind (either a Wii, PS3, or an XBox 360) but don’t think that this game is only for those who love games. I actually think many older Beatles fans who have never got into playing video games before will love playing this game. Also, it’s a really great way to improve your drumming and your singing!
#4) The Beatles Anthology DVD Set – Many Beatles fans already own these of course, but if you notice that they don’t then this would make an excellent gift! Every fan should own The Anthology. It’s a 10 hour documentary for God’s sake! It’s brilliant!
#5) The Beatles Anthology CDs – There were three sets of Anthologies released in the mid 1990s and they are all really great gift ideas (obviously you may want to snoop around and see if they already own them. )
#6) Love – The Love CD was released a couple of years ago and it’s really a very interesting “mash-up” of The Beatles music. It really sounds fantastic and gives a new perspective on their songs. This hasn’t really sold in huge quantities so I think there’s a good shot that the fan in your family may not already own it!
#7) The Capital Box Sets – Not too long ago there were two Capital box sets released which contain the band’s first 8 American LPs on CD for the first time. After those first 8 American LPs, the same LPs were released in the UK & and in the US but for for the first couple of years there were totally different albums released in America and many older American fans still remember those albums and would probably love to have them on CD!
The Beatles Remastered Box Sets are the most highly recommended gifts by Mike Jensy. Both The Beatles In Stereo and The Beatles In Mono box sets are essential to most Beatles fans!
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by admin on January 12, 2010
I haven’t read every book on The Beatles but being the big Beatles fan that I am, I have read many of them. I’ve read books that are primarily about their biography and books that are primarily about their music. I’ve read books on The Beatles that are really great and I’ve read some that are not so great. In this article I focus on the good ones that I do recommend reading.
Revolution In The Head – This is a book that I love a “love/hate” relationship with. I strongly disagree with many of the opinions shared in this book but I still find it to be a really good read. One that makes me want to listen to The Beatles songs again to hear things from this author’s perspective. It takes a close look at each of the songs The Beatles recorded during the 1960s (originals and covers. ) Although it contains many opinions, it also contains a lot of facts that make it a good resource.
The Beatles As Musicians – This is actually a two book set that is sold separately. One edition covers all of the music The Beatles recorded from their beginnings up through 1965’s Rubber Soul and the other edition covers their music from 1966’s Revolver through the break up of the band in 1970. This books is really aimed at students of The Beatles music. It largely bypasses the biographical stuff (which is fine, because so many other books cover that stuff) and instead focuses in great detail on the musical construction of their songs. This book is probably over the head of many readers because of it’s focus on music theory. But for those really interested in the musicianship and songwriting of the band, there is no better resource.
Lennon Revealed – This is a “revealing” biography of John Lennon (hence the name!) I have read a few books on Lennon and I think this is the best of them. It does a good job of making you feel like you’re getting to know the real John Lennon rather than just the “icon. ”
Many Years From Now – Tells The Beatles story from Paul McCartney’s perspective. Includes many direct quotes from Paul. This is an extremely informative book.
Here, There, & Everywhere: My Life Recording The Beatles – This book was written by Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick and it tells The Beatles story from his very interesting perspective. I don’t think any other book had me feeling like I was really there for the recording of their albums as much as this one. It includes some interesting technical details on how the music was recorded. I very highly recommend this book!
The Beatles Anthology – The “official Beatles story. ” I think this is an obvious “must have” for any Beatles fan. It’s the perfect companion to the Anthology documentary film (which is available on DVD of course. )
The Beatles Complete Scores – The music (including guitar & drum tabs) for every song the band officially released during their active career (ie: no Anthology songs are included. )
Joshua J. Jacks believes that all of these Books On The Beatles are available for the Global Kindle. The Kindle With Global Wireless makes the Kindle EBook reading device available to the rest of the world (outside of the US) for the first time.
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Paul Mccartney,
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Relationship,
Revolution In The Head,
Revolver,
Rubber Soul,
Songwriting
by admin on January 9, 2010
I’m sure you’ve already heard a lot about The Beatles 2009 remasters. They’ve got a huge amount of of hype considering that they are essentially re-releases of music that most people who are buying them already own.
As someone who grew to love The Beatles music from their 1980s CDs I think that their great song writing and their great performances are far more important than variations in sound quality from one format to another but that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t excited about the 2009 remasters. After all, I had heard plenty about how the ’80s discs were not of the highest quality since digital mastering was in it’s infancy at the time and audio engineers of the time just didn’t have the same advanced tools and knowledge that they do today.
But hearing the original mono mixes for the first time was even more exciting than hearing those remasters for the first time. Until the new Beatles in Mono box set was released I had never heard some of the greatest Beatles albums the way they were originally intended to be heard. It can be difficult to understand today since we are so far removed from it, but at the time mono was the standard way to listen to music. Stereo was mostly the domain of hi-end “audiophiles” who, for the most part, had little interest in popular music (although The Beatles both directly and indirectly have changed that since then. )
It was (and still is) a really wonderful listening experience to hear Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band how the band and George Martin first mixed it (and how the majority of Beatles fans originally heard it) in the ’60s. There are easily noticeable differences in these mono versions when compared to the stereo versions that I had previously been used to. It’s not so much that they’re better (because I often prefer the stereo mixes) but that they sound different. I love being able to hear those differences.
Along with the box sets (stereo and mono) there’s also an all digital version of The Beatles in Stereo which is known as The Beatles USB. This is actually the very first release of the legendary band’s music in the mp3 format but there’s actually something more exciting than just the inclusion of their entire catalog in remastered stereo in high quality mp3s (although that is cool, isn’t it?) What is that more exciting thing? That the USB flash drive also includes 44. 1kHz/24bit FLAC files.
These 24bit FLAC files are actually of higher quality than 16bit CD files which means that The Beatles USB actually contains the highest quality version of The Beatles remasters available (until, of course, the remastered catalog gets released in 96kHz/24bit or even 192kHz/24bit on DVD and/or blu-ray in the future. )
Of course these remasters haven’t been only been made available for listening, they’ve also been made available for playing with The Beatles Rock Band. And if you’re someone who automatically think you’re not interested in video games, I beg of you to keep an open mind. This is a really fun game. I am not someone who plays video games normally, but I absolutely love The Beatles Rock Band. It’s fantastic.
The Beatles Stereo & Mono Remasters are both essential to any Beatles fans collection. The Beatles Remasters have been long anticipated and by all accounts The Beatles Remasters exceeded all expectations.
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by admin on January 6, 2010
If you’re a Beatles fan who already owns all of their albums on CD I can understand feeling like it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to buy the new remastered Beatles CDs. You maybe thinking “How much difference does it really make?” or “I’ve already spent hundreds of dollars on The Beatles CDs, do I really need to spend more?” Yes, I can understand this feeling, but I completely disagree with it! I bought the Beatles box sets as soon as they became available for pre-order and in this article I hope to explain why all other serious Beatles fans should also buy these CD box sets.
I think the importance of the Mono Box Set is actually quite obvious. This is the first time that these original mono mixes have been made available on CD. And it doesn’t take too much of a history lesson to understand why these mono mixes matter so much. These were the mixes that the band itself worked on so hard in the 1960s. These were the mixes that they thought of as the real final version of their albums. Why? Because throughout most of the 1960s (up until the final couple of years) mono was the “standard” by which almost everyone listened to their music so it made sense for The Beatles to work much harder on the mono mixes than on the stereo mixes. Believe it or not, stereo was thought by many to be a “fad” at the time.
So clearly these original mono mixes are an important part of the history of The Beatles and anyone who wants to hear their music as it was originally hears in the ’60s should be very curious to hear these new mixes. But there’s more to it than that. It’s not just about the historical importance of these mono mixes and a “curiosity factor. ” Lots of Beatles fans have claimed that these mono versions of famous albums such as Sgt. Pepper are actually better than the stereo versions. John Lennon himself said that the mono Sgt. Pepper was much better than the stereo mix.
The Mono Box Set includes The Beatles first 10 UK studio albums (all of them up through the self title double album that’s known as The White Album) and a compilation of non album tracks in their original mono titled Mono Masters. This non album tracks compilation is actually a vital part of this box set because many of The Beatles greatest songs were never included on a studio album (including “Hey Jude” & “Day Tripper” among many others. ) Beyond the music, this box set also includes some very cool packaging, most notably the vinyl replica artwork for each album in the collection.
A cool bonus feature of the Mono Box Set is that it also includes the original stereo mixes of Help! and Rubber Soul which had been lost to history because both albums were remixed for stereo in 1987 when The Beatles albums were first released on CD. This is the first time that the original stereo mixes of these two albums will be released on CD.
The importance of the remastered Stereo Box Set may not be quite as obvious but it should be noted that these new stereo versions of The Beatles classic albums will be the new “standard” these will be the only versions of the albums available for sale as individual CDs. In other words these are going to be the CDs that everyone else is hearing, don’t you want to know what they’re hearing? Plus these newly remastered versions should reveal interesting new details in The Beatles music that you may not have heard before due to an unprecedented clarity in the recordings.
Johnny Moon recommends that all Beatles fans: Buy The Stereo Box Set and The Mono Box Set. Read this Music Blog for cool Beatles related articles.
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by admin on January 3, 2010
It was 22 years ago (in 1987) that the Beatles albums first came out in the CD format. As vinyl and tape sales slowed significantly, CD became the standard way of listening to music and these versions of The Beatles albums have become those that people listen to. Unfortunately these versions of The Beatles albums aren’t actually the best they could be. The mastering job on that original CD release was less than perfect. And the packaging was pretty lame too!
On 9/9/9 all of that changes! Why? Because that’s the day that the newly remastered Beatles CDs become the new standard for The Beatles albums and from all reports these newly remastered Beatles albums sound amazing. There is new clarity and detail in the songs and nobody has reported any issues with over compression or a lack of warmth. On top of that, the packaging is a lot better too! Now the CDs will available in “vinyl replica” packaging which is a lot cooler than the old plastic cases that the CDs have been in.
The best way to buy all of these newly remastered Beatles CDs is with the new Beatles CD box sets. There’s a stereo box set which includes all 13 of The Beatles UK albums (yes, that includes Magical Mystery Tour even though it’s not really a real Beatles album) and the Past Masters set of non-album tracks so that it includes a newly remastered stereo version of every song The Beatles originally released from 1962 through 1970.
There’s also a mono box set which has the original mono mixes of The Beatles first 10 albums (along with the Mono Masters set which has mono mixes of all of their non-album songs) along with the original stereo mixes of Help! and Rubber Soul. This is the first time that these mixes have been available on CD.
Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road, & Let It Be are not included in this mono box set because they were never mixed in mono. By 1969 mono was dead and stereo was the standard.
But prior to the switchover to stereo, mono was the standard. Most people listened to mono versions of the Beatles albums through most of the ’60s. And because of that the band and their producers spent almost all of their time and energy on mixing the mono mixes. In comparison the stereo mixes were not given significant thought. Stereo was thought by some at the time to be a “fad” or just an “experimental” thing. I know that seems crazy to us now, but that’s what people thought back then.
What this means is that these original mono mixes were really how the band intended their music to be heard and that’s why it’s so significant from a historical standpoint that these mixes are finally easily available on CD. Prior to this new CD release the only way to legally listen to these mono mixes would be to track down an original Beatles mono vinyl LP. As you can imagine that could be difficult & expensive to do. Plus you’d need a record player and most people don’t have one of those anymore.
You may think that these mono mixes are something only “Beatles historians” should be interested in but there are many people who claim that the mono albums are more than just “the way the albums were meant to be hard” but also flat out better sounding. John Lennon was known to say that he thought the mono Sgt. Pepper was vastly superior to the stereo Sgt. Pepper.
In many cases the mono versions of The Beatles song are significantly different sounding. It should be very interesting to hear those differences for Beatles fans.
While the new stereo Beatles CDs are available as a part of the stereo box set and individually (they will be the new standard Beatles albums available everywhere) the new mono CDs are only available as a part of the mono box set.
Click Here to find out how you can hear the new remastered versions of The Beatles songs to decide if you want to buy them or not. Both the Beatles Remastered Stereo Box Set and the Beatles Mono CD Box Set are recommended for serious Beatles fans.
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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)
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by admin on December 28, 2009
