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April 7, 2009 - 8:04am
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Finally: Beatles catalog to be rereleased digitally remastered and added pic and video
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You'd think they'd release it on the day after 9-09.
(Sorry, bad Beatles song joke.)
All in stereo, eh? That will tick Dudley off, he's rehabbing an old Sony CDP-101 to play only mono CD's.
I've heard the Love soundtrack, and it seems pretty clean, so maybe these remasters will bring something to the table!
You didn't read the article through...
Let's all hope that the EMI engineers have outdone themselves here... any news about the vinyl remasters?
Oh, Whoopie do, yet another Beatles release.
D'OH!
Well, at least Art's 8 kilodollar mono CD project will not be in vain!
Post deleted by Rich M
Not true. I own the entire Beatles catalog. My point being is that every couple of years, they come out with the comprehensive Beatles catalog. And then a few years later, the remastered Beatles catalog. And then the ultimate master catalog and so on.
I agree with Alex here, Rich. I love the beatles and have several versions of most of the albums(mfsl, etc) and feel in spite of their releasing this stuff every few years, nothing really tops the original releases. Those albums are amazing as they are, I feel. Let em be. (the extra tracks would be cool though)
Sorry misunderstood...I feel that the catalog is in dire need of remastering and has been for a long while. What has kept them from being remastered are the giant corporations at large who now control the catalog.
I agree with Rich on the state of the art, Beatle-wise. Other than "Love" on CD/DVD-Audio, I haven't heard any Beatle remasters on CD worth a damn. The MFSL releases on vinyl- still available? Cheap, too!
I thought that it was Michael Jackson's financial woes and disputes with his creditors. Did he sell his interest finally?
EMI has been some nice work lately, so I'm encouraged. All my originals were stolen, so I'm in the market for a quality replacement for the whole book.
Dave
So tell me, why hasn't this thread been moved to the Rock Music section, where it rightfully belongs?
And also tell me, what's the big deal with a remastered Beatles catalog being released in standard CD resolution? Now a remastered Beatles catalog being released in high resolution digital, either as SACD, DVD-Audio or Hi-Rez download, would be a big deal. After all, both Bob Dylan and The Stones recordings have been released on SACD, so why not the Beatles as well?
But, but, it's THE BEATLES!
Plus the fact that this is the first remastered CD version by EMI/Apple Corp. since the '87 release of 1st Beatles set. Hi-rez would have been very nice, though... perhaps the higher rez versions and/or LPs might follow in due time.
Which would mean that as far as this round of re-re-re-releases (orignal LPs -> remastered LPs -> original CDs -> remastered CDs) is concerned, I'll pass and just save my money for the hi-rez version. I happen to have a nice clean copy of the Mo-Fi LP set in addition to the original CDs (which are of course ripped to my hard drive based music library) so I think I'm good for now. A hi-rez digital version would be much more useful than yet another red book CD version.
Here's the punch line section:
"Engineers used de-noising technology and cleaned up glitches like electrical clicks and microphone vocal pops..."
But wait, here's the best part...
"They also slightly boosted the volume levels."
Yeah! They are adding volume!
Your nonchalance to the remasters is self-explanatory! This wouldn't be news to me if I owned the MoFi LP set like you! But the reissue by EMI/Apple is big enough news for most ordinary listeners that it's getting headlined even in mainstream press, i.e.:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/arts/music/08beat.html?ref=arts
Oh for crying out loud. *forehead smack*
I'll get excited when they are released on BD audio.
I agree with Jazzfan and Eagle. I will stick with what I have for now and hold out for the hi-rez versions.
I'll be old and gray and in diapers sitting in my wheelchair (with the rubber fluid proofed seat)..drooling away (both age and lechery) ...whilst trying to understand the vision of the 20-something nurses gyrating in front of me on Activity Day..as they dance to Ozzy Ozborne and Judas Priest tunes for old farts like me....as I wet myself one more time (for that morning)..at the old age home.
In the mail, the morning that I finally expire -as part of my oldies package of papered stuff for old guys like me- I will receive word if yet one more 'Ultimate' Beatles release, with new never before heard tracks.
Beatles releases: Like the hand-job that never ends or ever goes anywhere.
No disrespect - but I grew up with the Beatles and I swear I never want to hear them again. Every song is in my head forever - it's more relentlessly efficient than a Squeezebox or iTunes or whatever - the songs play in my head at any given moment and I am sick of them. Hi rez, schmi fez. Just make that pop stop! I can glean no further musical value from them.
Yes I used to love them and I know all about their cultural impact blah blah. They've hogged critic's ink for far too long. Please no more! (Also, please ban the word "Beatle-esque")
In Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs
Of every head he's had the pleasure to know
And all the people that come and go
Stop and say hello
On the corner is a banker with a motorcar
The little children laugh at him behind his back
And the banker never wears a mack
In the pouring rain, very strange
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back
In Penny Lane there is a fireman with an hourglass
And in his pocket is a portrait of the queen
He likes to keep his fire engine clean
It's a clean machine
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
A four of fish and finger pies
In summer, meanwhile back
Behind the shelter in the middle of a roundabout
The pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
And though she feels as if she's in a play
She is anyway
In Penny Lane the barber shaves another customer
We see the banker sitting waiting for a trim
And then the fireman rushes in
From the pouring rain, very strange
Penny lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back
Penny lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
Penny Lane
aarrgghhh! you dastardly evil genius you. I have to go put on some OTHER music now
You almost nailed it except for the fact that Beatles reissues NEVER, EVER include previously unreleased tracks. In fact even for a 35 minute album one is forced to buy separate stereo and mono CDs when both versions could easily fit on one 80 minute CD.
I know that I'm getting to sound like a broken record with my constant berating of these senseless reissues but here's how I feel about the role of public user forums on the internet:
If I wanted to read what is basically an ever so slightly edited version of a corporate press release I would just pick up a newspaper or magazine since that is just about all they are good for these days. The fact that many newspapers and magazines are dying a slow and painful death leaves my eyes dry and a big smile on my face. Good riddance to bad rubbish. As for public user forums I would hope that at least a few people use them to spit in the face of the corporate thieves and their shills and call them on all their bullshit. And I'm one of those people. This is the real power of the internet.
In the case of these Beatles' reissues the bullshit is piled high and deep:
Separate stereo and mono releases, no high resolution releases, no previously unreleased material, etc.
Sorry for the rant.
But but but...they will be 'louder!'
I'm sure that they will sound BETTER in addition to being louder. As McCartney sings, "It's getting better all the time" and Lennon follows by singing, "It couldn't get much worse." Seriously the current sound of their catalog is an embarrassment, glad to see that they have done something about it. Too bad they aren't Hybrid Stereo SACD's at least.