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 November 16, 2009
My all time favorite album turned 40 this week. The Beatles self titled double album was released on November 22, 1968. It’s better known as The White Album due to it’s white cover. It was The Beatles only double album and their only self titled album. I also believe it was their best album (and considering the competition that is saying a lot. )
Sure not every one of the album’s 30 tracks is up to The Beatles usual incredibly high standards. Songs like “Goodnight” and “Don’t Pass Me By” (sorry Ringo) won’t ever rank among The Beatles best and in fact they do rank among their worst. But even the not so great songs seem to add to the album’s character. And these few weak tracks are definitely exceptions and not the rule.
Some would say that these weak tracks are an indication that the album should have been a single album instead. I strongly disagree. 13 or so tracks probably would have had to have been cut to make it into a single album and there’s no way there are 13 tracks that could be cut from The White Album.
To me it’s the great variety of The White Album that helps to make it so timeless and so endlessly listenable. It’s the one album I seem to never get bored of. It’s amazing how I still hear new things in the songs all of these years later. I first heard The White Album about 12 years ago and I am still blown away by the nuances and musical layers of these songs. I wouldn’t call the album a “grower” as that term is usually reserved for an album one doesn’t initially enjoy and then grows to like. This is an album I initially loved and then grew to love even more and more over the years.
Songs such as “Martha My Dear” and “Honey Pie” may have seemed like “throwaways” when I first heard it but now they seem essential. These are brilliant songs that show The Beatles at a creative peak. They weren’t merely trying to repeat what they had already done, they were always looking for new song styles to try, new ways to create. If you’re the type that enjoys hearing the same song over and over again (hello Nickelback fans!) then sure this may not work for you but if you’re the type that actually likes to hear imagination at play then it certainly is.
“Revolution #9″ is often brought up as the biggest example of The Beatles “going too far. ” Once again I strongly disagree. To me “Revolution #9″ is a vital part of The White Album and I love that it was included. I think, still to this day, it’s the most unusual track ever to be included on a #1 album. That alone would make it an interesting listen. But it’s more than just unusual. It’s an extremely effective track for what it is. It’s aim is to be unsettling. To take the listener on a sort of stream of consciousness journey and to that end it works extremely well. While I do not listen to this track every single time I put on the album (I admit to often stopping the album at “Cry Baby Cry” and thus skipping “Revolution #9″ and “Goodnight. “) when I do listen to it, I enjoy it.
I far prefer that experiments such as that are included rather than hearing an album chock full of average tracks that all sound the same.
The contrasts of The White Album are brilliant. From “Helter Skelter” the album moves to “Long Long Long. ” That has to be among the most intense contrasts in rock history. “Helter Skelter” is the heaviest song The Beatles ever recorded and “Long Long Long” is the quietest. These songs are the perfect representation of what The White Album is. Variety, contrast, imagination, and excellence.
Matthew Yoho recommends buying acoustic guitars online. You can find vintage acoustic guitars and acoustic guitar beginner packs online too. The White Album has a lot of great songs you can play on your acoustic guitar such as “Blackbird” and “I Will. “
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by beatles_records on October 6, 2009
“Can’t Buy Me Love” is a song composed by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and released by The Beatles on the A side of their sixth British single, “Can’t Buy Me Love/You Can’t Do That.”…
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by admin on October 2, 2009
Sir Paul and Mr. Starr has made an appearance at the conference E3 computer game trade in Los Angeles. They were the Convention to connect the imminent release of the game Rockband Beatles. Beatles Rock Band will certainly heat Beatles Christmas 2009. It might be hard to find around Christmas, so plan ahead and pre-order today. At the conference game, Paul McCartney kidded, "Those who thought that we would end up as androids? Starr, "The Game is good, the graphics are excellent, and we look great. "McCartney and Starr robotics mocked how their characters in computer game walked no laughter in the audience video game industry. I guess they take their games very seriously. Wives Bands Yoko and Olivia Harrison and son Dhani Harrison, George Martin and son Giles also made brief appearances on the submarine yellow color inspiration stage. Beatles Rock Band will allow players to slip into the boots of the Beatles and play these classic songs like "I Want to Hold Your Hand, I Feel Fine, I am the Walrus" Octopus Garden "and" Get Back. You will be able to hold controllers shaped like instruments, including the Beatle news ltd Rickenbacker and Gretsch guitars. With downloadable songs remastered, the game will be the groups first jump by turning off their songs have been digitally refused to release their music as MP3 on iTunes and other online sites. The day of the release Beatles game Rock Band, the Beatles re-release their new CDs remixed and remastered versions. Judging by the previous reissues of remastered Yellow Submarine and Let it Be Naked, we are all in a feast of sound. Giles Martin, son (by George Martin) worked on remixing and announced the remixed Beatles CD catalog at the press event E3 video game. Ringo and Paul McCartney performed at a charity event in New York a few months ago, but appearances together were rare, given that group broke up. Do not forget to preorder the Beatles Rockband for Christmas 2009! – Beatles Geek PeteVisit my Beatles News Blog for more.
I am a composer, musician and blogger who loves the Beatles. Visit my blog to wordpress more Beatles News
Tagged as:
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