Beatles Wiki - User contributions [en]

With a Little Help from My Friends

2009-10-28T04:58:09Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Song
| Name = With a Little Help from My Friends
| Artist = [[The Beatles]]
| Album = [[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]
| Released = 1 June 1967
| track_no = 2 of side 1
| Recorded = 29-30 March 1967
| Genre = [[Pop Rock]]
| Length = 2:44
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Label = [[Parlophone, Capitol, EMI]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Tracks =
'''Side one'''
#"[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]"
#"With a Little Help from My Friends"
#"[[Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds]]"
#"[[Getting Better]]"
#"[[Fixing a Hole]]"
#"[[She's Leaving Home]]"
#"[[Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite]]"
'''Side two'''

#"[[Within You Without You]]"
#"[[When I'm Sixty-Four]]"
#"[[Lovely Rita]]"
#"[[Good Morning Good Morning]]"
#"[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)]]"
#"[[A Day in the Life]]"
}}

{{cquote|Paul had the line about 'a little help from my friends.' He had some kind of structure for it, and we wrote it pretty well fifty-fifty from his original idea.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1970}}

{{cquote|This was written out at John's house in Weybridge for Ringo... I think that was probably the best of our songs that we wrote for Ringo actually. I remember giggling with John as we wrote the lines, 'What do you see when you turn out the light/ I can't tell you but I know it's mine.' It could have been him playing with his willie under the covers, or it could have been taken on a deeper level. This is what it meant but it was a nice way to say it  a very non-specific way to say it. I always liked that.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1994}}

{{cquote|It was Paul's idea. I think I helped with some of the words. In fact, I did. Hunter Davies was there when we did it and mentioned it in the book. 'What do you see when you turn out the light, I can't tell you but I know it's mine,' That was mine.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1980}}

{{cquote|Even now, I just saw Mel Torme on TV the other day saying that 'Lucy' was written to promote drugs and so was 'A Little Help from My Friends' and none of them were at all  'A Litte Help from My Friends' only says get high in it, it's really about a little help from my friends, it's a sincere message.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon}}

{{cquote|They knew it would be for the kids, a sing-along type of song. They thought the album was missing this sort of thing and I sat with them as they tried to get all the rhymes right.|Hunter Davies, the Beatles authorized biographer|1968}}

{{cquote|The original line was, 'What would you do if I sang out of tune, would you stand up and throw a tomato at me,' and I would not sing that line. I hated that line, so I refused to sing it. Besides changing that line, it took a lot of coaxing from Paul to get me to sing that last note. I just felt that it was very high.'|Ringo Starr}}

{{cquote|John and Paul always wrote a song for Ringo on every album. 'With a Little Help from My Friends' proved to be that song. Paul wrote that and wrote it beautifully simple with just five notes. Terribly simple and terribly effective.|George Martin}}

'''Have a listen:'''

{{#ev:youtube|ytiy2BfAi0w}}

[[Category:Songs]][[Category:Paul McCartney]][[Category:Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (album)]]

Within You Without You

2009-10-28T04:49:58Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Song
| Name = Within You Without You
| Artist = [[The Beatles]]
| Album = [[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]
| Released = 1 June 1967
| track_no = 2 of side 1
| Recorded = 15 March 1967 
22 March 1967 
3 April 1967
| Genre = [[Raga Rock]]
| Length = 5:05
| Writer = [[George Harrison]]
| Label = [[Parlophone, Capitol, EMI]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Tracks =
'''Side one'''
#"[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]"
#"[[With a Little Help from My Friends]]"
#"[[Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds]]"
#"[[Getting Better]]"
#"[[Fixing a Hole]]"
#"[[She's Leaving Home]]"
#"[[Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite]]"
'''Side two'''

#"Within You Without You"
#"[[When I'm Sixty-Four]]"
#"[[Lovely Rita]]"
#"[[Good Morning Good Morning]]"
#"[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)]]"
#"[[A Day in the Life]]"
}}

{{cquote|There are so many people who don't understand the sentiment of 'Within You Without You.' They can't see outside themselves, they're too self-important and can't see how small we all are. 'Within You Without You' was just my way of trying to make a Western pop song using some of those instruments and some of those sounds.|quotewidth=500px|George Harrison}}

{{cquote|I think that this is George's best song, one of my favorites. I like the arrangement, the sound and the words. He is clear on that song. You can hear his mind is clear and his music is clear. It's his innate talent that comes through on that song. George is responsible for Indian music getting over here. That song is a good example.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon}}

{{cquote|George has done a great indian one. We came along one night and he had about 400 indian fellas playing, and it was a great swinging event, as they say.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1967}}

{{cquote|Klaus (Voorman) had a harmonium in his house, which I hadn't played before. I was doodling on it, playing to amuse myself, when 'Within You' started to come. The tune came first, and then I got the first sentence. It came out of what we'd been doing that evening.|quotewidth=500px|George Harrison}}

{{cquote|I'm writing more songs now that we're not touring. The words are always a bit of a hangup for me. I'm not very poetic. 'Within You Without You' was written after dinner one night at Klaus Voorman's house. He had a harmonium, which I hadn't played before. I was doodling on it when the tune started to come. The first sentence came out of what we'd been doing that evening... 'We were talking.' That's as far as I got that night. I finished the rest of the words later at home.|quotewidth=500px|George Harrison|1967}}

{{cquote|There are some Indian musicians who worked on ''Sgt. Pepper''who still haven't been paid simply because George doesn't know their names.|George Martin}}

{{cquote|My job was to add Western strings to the song that is, to find classically trained European fiddle players (frequently of Jewish stock) and get them to mimic their Indian counterparts. This intrigued me no end. I couldn't wait to see the titanic clash of cultures in the studio! When it came to it, the European string players min gled well with the Indian players, but musically the Europeans were sliding around all over the place. This was especially true in the second, or middle section of 'Within You Without You,' where the tabla changes rhythm from a 4/4 to a much more Indian-feeling 5/4 tempo; here, too, the song gets quite fast and tricky. We had a lot of fun getting that right.|George Martin, ''Summer of Love'', 1994}}

{{cquote|George, as usual, set joss sticks smouldering in the corners. He looked a bit like the Lone Ranger with his Indian friends. Although the other Beatles were there, they stuck around for the fun of it. None of them played or sang a note. In order to get them to play what he wanted, George would simply sing to the Indian musicians, or occasionally pick a few notes on the sitar.|George Martin, ''Summer of Love'', 1994}}

'''Have a listen:'''

{{#ev:youtube|JIDA7FHHbmM}}

[[Category:Songs]][[Category:George Harrison]][[Category:Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (album)]]

Within You Without You

2009-10-28T04:49:11Z

Beatleboy: New page: {{Infobox Song | Name = Within You Without You | Artist = The Beatles | Album = Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Released = 1 June 1967 | tr...

{{Infobox Song
| Name = Within You Without You
| Artist = [[The Beatles]]
| Album = [[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]
| Released = 1 June 1967
| track_no = 2 of side 1
| Recorded = 15 March 1967
22 March 1967
3 April 1967
| Genre = [[Raga Rock]]
| Length = 5:05
| Writer = [[George Harrison]]
| Label = [[Parlophone, Capitol, EMI]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Tracks =
'''Side one'''
#"[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]"
#"[[With a Little Help from My Friends]]"
#"[[Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds]]"
#"[[Getting Better]]"
#"[[Fixing a Hole]]"
#"[[She's Leaving Home]]"
#"[[Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite]]"
'''Side two'''

#"Within You Without You"
#"[[When I'm Sixty-Four]]"
#"[[Lovely Rita]]"
#"[[Good Morning Good Morning]]"
#"[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)]]"
#"[[A Day in the Life]]"
}}

{{cquote|There are so many people who don't understand the sentiment of 'Within You Without You.' They can't see outside themselves, they're too self-important and can't see how small we all are. 'Within You Without You' was just my way of trying to make a Western pop song using some of those instruments and some of those sounds.|quotewidth=500px|George Harrison}}

{{cquote|I think that this is George's best song, one of my favorites. I like the arrangement, the sound and the words. He is clear on that song. You can hear his mind is clear and his music is clear. It's his innate talent that comes through on that song. George is responsible for Indian music getting over here. That song is a good example.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon}}

{{cquote|George has done a great indian one. We came along one night and he had about 400 indian fellas playing, and it was a great swinging event, as they say.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1967}}

{{cquote|Klaus (Voorman) had a harmonium in his house, which I hadn't played before. I was doodling on it, playing to amuse myself, when 'Within You' started to come. The tune came first, and then I got the first sentence. It came out of what we'd been doing that evening.|quotewidth=500px|George Harrison}}

{{cquote|I'm writing more songs now that we're not touring. The words are always a bit of a hangup for me. I'm not very poetic. 'Within You Without You' was written after dinner one night at Klaus Voorman's house. He had a harmonium, which I hadn't played before. I was doodling on it when the tune started to come. The first sentence came out of what we'd been doing that evening... 'We were talking.' That's as far as I got that night. I finished the rest of the words later at home.|quotewidth=500px|George Harrison|1967}}

{{cquote|There are some Indian musicians who worked on ''Sgt. Pepper''who still haven't been paid simply because George doesn't know their names.|George Martin}}

{{cquote|My job was to add Western strings to the song  that is, to find classically trained European fiddle players (frequently of Jewish stock) and get them to mimic their Indian counterparts. This intrigued me no end. I couldn't wait to see the titanic clash of cultures in the studio! When it came to it, the European string players min gled well with the Indian players, but musically the Europeans were sliding around all over the place. This was especially true in the second, or middle section of 'Within You Without You,' where the tabla changes rhythm from a 4/4 to a much more Indian-feeling 5/4 tempo; here, too, the song gets quite fast and tricky. We had a lot of fun getting that right.|George Martin, ''Summer of Love'', 1994}}

{{cquote|George, as usual, set joss sticks smouldering in the corners. He looked a bit like the Lone Ranger with his Indian friends. Although the other Beatles were there, they stuck around for the fun of it. None of them played or sang a note. In order to get them to play what he wanted, George would simply sing to the Indian musicians, or occasionally pick a few notes on the sitar.|George Martin, ''Summer of Love'', 1994}}

'''Have a listen:'''

{{#ev:youtube|JIDA7FHHbmM}}

[[Category:Songs]][[Category:George Harrison]][[Category:Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (album)]]

With a Little Help from My Friends

2009-10-28T04:21:10Z

Beatleboy: New page: {{Infobox Song | Name = With a Little Help from My Friends | Artist = The Beatles | Album = Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Released = 1 Ju...

{{Infobox Song
| Name = With a Little Help from My Friends
| Artist = [[The Beatles]]
| Album = [[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]
| Released = 1 June 1967
| track_no = 2 of side 1
| Recorded = 29-30 March 1967
| Genre = [[Pop Rock]]
| Length = 2:44
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Label = [[Parlophone, Capitol, EMI]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Tracks =
'''Side one'''
#"[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]"
#"With a Little Help from My Friends"
#"[[Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds]]"
#"[[Getting Better]]"
#"[[Fixing a Hole]]"
#"[[She's Leaving Home]]"
#"[[Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite]]"
'''Side two'''

#"[[Within You Without You]]"
#"[[When I'm Sixty-Four]]"
#"[[Lovely Rita]]"
#"[[Good Morning Good Morning]]"
#"[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)]]"
#"[[A Day in the Life]]"
}}

{{cquote|Paul had the line about 'a little help from my friends.' He had some kind of structure for it, and we wrote it pretty well fifty-fifty from his original idea.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1970}}

{{cquote|This was written out at John's house in Weybridge for Ringo... I think that was probably the best of our songs that we wrote for Ringo actually. I remember giggling with John as we wrote the lines, 'What do you see when you turn out the light/ I can't tell you but I know it's mine.' It could have been him playing with his willie under the covers, or it could have been taken on a deeper level. This is what it meant but it was a nice way to say it  a very non-specific way to say it. I always liked that.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1994}}

{{cquote|That's Paul, with a little help from me. 'What do you see when you turn out the light/ I can't tell you but I know it's mine' is mine.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1980}}

{{cquote|They knew it would be for the kids, a sing-along type of song. They thought the album was missing this sort of thing and I sat with them as they tried to get all the rhymes right.|Hunter Davies, the Beatles authorized biographer|1968}}

{{cquote|The original line was, 'What would you do if I sang out of tune, would you stand up and throw a tomato at me,' and I would not sing that line. I hated that line, so I refused to sing it. Besides changing that line, it took a lot of coaxing from Paul to get me to sing that last note. I just felt that it was very high.'|Ringo Starr}}

{{cquote|John and Paul always wrote a song for Ringo on every album. 'With a Little Help from My Friends' proved to be that song. Paul wrote that and wrote it beautifully simple with just five notes. Terribly simple and terribly effective.|George Martin}}

'''Have a listen:'''

{{#ev:youtube|ytiy2BfAi0w}}

[[Category:Songs]][[Category:Paul McCartney]][[Category:Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (album)]]

Beatles Remastered

2009-10-25T20:21:38Z

Beatleboy: /* July 8, 2009: Creater of Many Beatles Remasters from Vinyl, Dr. Ebbetts, Retires! */

<seo metak="beatles remastered remasters remastering" metad="The Beatles remastered catalog were released in September 2009. This page tracks the news and information about Beatles remasters." />

===Oct 23, 2009: Review & Analysis of the Beatles Remasters===
James N. Perlman's [[Review:_Beatles_Mono_and_Stereo_Remasters_Box_Sets|detailed analysis]] of the audio quality and musicality of the new mono and stereo Beatles remasters is a must read. [[Review:_Beatles_Mono_and_Stereo_Remasters_Box_Sets|Check it out...]].

===Oct 20, 2009: Lively Discussion on Amazon.com Re the "Limited Edition" Mono Box Set===
A hornet's nest was stirred up when a customer questioned EMI's and Apple's motives in marketing the Beatles Mono Remasters Box Set as a "limited edition" and leaking the quantity to be 10,000 copies while retaining Plausible Deniability as to that amount, as it appears there will be as many manufactured as the market demands. [http://www.amazon.com/review/R1UXDFOP0T6I67 Read the whole sordid tale....]

===August 7, 2009: Interview with Beatles Remastering Engineer Allan Rouse===

Here’s [http://www.examiner.com/x-2082-Beatles-Examiner~y2009m8d5-SPECIAL-Engineer-Allan-Rouse-discusses-the-Beatles-remasters an interview of Abbey Road engineer Allan Rouse] by Steve Marinucci. Rouse talks - fairly boringly and begrudgingly - about the process of remastering the Beatles albums.

===July 15, 2009: Box of Vision ===

If you plan on buying both the Stereo and Mono box sets, but still feel the need to blow even more cash, why not invest in the 'Box of Vision': a box to store the contents of your box sets it. Includes a 200 page, LP-sized book with reproductions of Beatles album covers and artwork.

[[Image:Box_of_Vision.jpg]]

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/07/13/all-beatles-artwork-available-in-reissue-companion-set-box-of-vision Beatles artwork comes to Reissue Storage Set]

===July 8, 2009: Creater of Many Beatles Remasters from Vinyl, Dr. Ebbetts, Retires!===

Dr. Ebbetts sent out [[Dr. Ebbetts Retires from the Beatles Remastering Business|an email]] to his many fans, stating that he'd heard some of the new Beatles remasters coming out on September 9, 2009, that they are far superior to his remasters from pristine vinyl, and that he'd no longer be offering his remasters and was abandoning his years-long project. As he said, he only initiated his project of creating remasters because the Beatles CDs on the market, produced in 1988, were inferior.

Dr Ebbetts took The Beatles blue box releases, which many believe is the best vinyl representation of the original Beatles recordings, and put on a beautiful polish. Digitally transfered from virgin vinyl and remastered with meticulous attention to detail, Dr. Ebbetts brought out the warmth and shine sorely lacking from the official EMI releases. The blue box collection of re-masters is considered by many to be the best versions of The Beatles albums available.

[[Dr. Ebbetts Retires from the Beatles Remastering Business|Read Dr. Ebbetts' email...]]

===June 10, 2009: US Apple Store 'Remasterded' Blunder ===

It's to be hoped that the wording blunder on the US Apple Store is not an indication of a general sloppiness we can expect to bedevil these releases.

[[Image:Beatles_Remasterded_sic.jpg]]

===June 10, 2009: Pictures of Remaster Box Sets at Beatles.com UK Store===

You can view images of the Mono and Stereo Remaster Box Sets at [http://www.digitalstores.co.uk/beatles/ the Beatles.com UK Store].

[[image:beatles_stereo_boxset.jpg|caption|Beatles Stereo Box Set|175px|thumb|right]]
[[image:beatles_mono_boxset.jpg|caption|Beatles Mono Box Set|175px|thumb|left]]

The first clear pictures of the remastered box sets are now up on the Beatles website UK store. The stereo set is listed at £199.99, which translates to $326.30 at current exchange rates.

The mono set is listed for £209.99, which is $342.97 roughly in U.S. dollars.

(N.B. It has been pointed out that the CD's spread out in front of these boxes do not look like the individual remastered CD's as advertised on Amazon etc. The CD's shown with the box sets do not have the distinctive sidebars with the Apple logo on them.)

===Apr 8, 2009: New York Times Article===

As has been [http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=beatles+remastered widely reported], EMI will be releasing remasters of [[#list|all 12 Beatles UK albums]] on 09.09.09. However, there is as yet no decision on their availability on iTunes or other etailers.

[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/arts/music/08beat.html?_r=2&hpw New York Times article...]

[http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2009/04/the_beatles_remastered.html Mojo Magazine article...]

===Apr 7, 2009: Beatles Remasters Announced for Sept 9, 2009 Release!===

[[image:Sgt-Pepper-Remastered.jpg|thumb|caption|Remastered CD - Cover Art|175px|right]]If you search [http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Beatles%20Original%20recording%20remastered&tag=hyperartspynch07&index=music&linkCode=ur2&camp=1634&creative=6738 Beatles Original Recording Remastered] at Amazon.co.uk, you will be pleasantly surprised to see many of the Beatles releases '''available for pre-order'''! The release date is set for September 9, 2009. OK, that's 09.09.09 (get it?) They are also listed at the UK online retailer [http://hmv.com/hmvweb/simpleSearch.do?searchUID=-6921789425232557408&pGroupID=-1&adultFlag=false&primaryID=-1&simpleSearchString=beatles+remastered&btnSubmitSearch.x=0&btnSubmitSearch.y=0 HMV]. It will be released simultaneously with "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game.

You can check to see if they're available for [http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=beatles%20original%20recording%20remastered&tag=hyperartspynchon&index=music&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 pre-order at Amazon.com USA], but as of 7:30pm PST on April 7, 2009, they weren't.

====Beatles.com News Release====
TheBeatles.com (the "official" site) has [http://www.thebeatles.com/core/news/ a news release] with details. Here are highlights:

:Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

:The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and 'Magical Mystery Tour,' which became part of The Beatles' core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987.

:A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. 'The Beatles in Mono' gathers together, in one place, all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release.

There's no mention of alternate takes or unreleased tracks.

====RollingStone.com Article====

RollingStone.com has [http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/07/the-beatles-remastered-albums-due-september-9-2009/ an article on the Beatles remasters]. Highlights:

:The press release didn’t include news regarding a possible deal with iTunes or another digital-music vendor to distribute the catalog digitally: “Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalog will continue. There is no further information available at this time,” the press release reads. Both Apple Corps. and Paul McCartney have expressed reluctance to release the Beatles’ music digitally until all the albums had been remastered. The solo work of each of the four Beatles is available on iTunes.

<div id="list"></div>

:The Beatles Remasters:

::*''Please Please Me''
::*''With the Beatles''
::*''A Hard Day’s Night''
::*''Beatles for Sale''
::*''Help!''
::*''Rubber Soul''
::*''Revolver''
::*''Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band''
::*''Magical Mystery Tour''
::*''The Beatles (The White Album)''
::*''Abbey Road''
::*''Let It Be''
::*''Past Masters''
::*''Yellow Submarine''

====All the Online News, via Google News====

[http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=beatles+remastered Just click here!]

===Beatles Remasters - When???===

Currently, the only Beatles tunes available in remixed and/or remastered from the original master tapes are on two CDs:

* ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' (1999)
* ''Love'' (2007)

Remixed at [[Abbey Road Studios]], the tracks of ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' feature many alterations and adjustments from the original stereo recordings. All of The Beatles songs included in the film are on ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'', with the exception of "A Day in the Life", which was not put in because EMI did not want too many songs from [[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]] to be included.

The ''Love'' album is a stunner and, as a teaser, shows what might be in store when the entire catalog is finally released. George Martin and his son managed to create an amazing "new" collection of Beatles material from the rich store of masters at EMI.

There are also two four-disc boxed sets that sound somewhat better than the late-1980s CDs:

* [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]] (2004)
* [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 2]] (2006)

However, the CDs in these two boxed sets do not contain the original George Martin mixes released in Britain in the 1960s. Instead, the CDs were mastered from mixes prepared by Capitol A&R executive Dave Dexter, Jr., who, in 1965 took the submaster tapes from Capitol Records' vaults and added reverb to several tracks and simulated stereo on mono tracks (the proof that these are Dexter's mixes being the false start on "I'm Looking Through You"). Initially, however, the CDs only used Dexter's stereo mixes, with the mono tracks consisting of the two stereo channels folded into a single channel. Dexter's mono mixes were made available on the second pressings of these albums. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Capitol_Albums,_Volume_2]

==The latest news on the remastering==

===March 18, 2009===

From: [http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/mar/18/beatles-digital-music-store guardian.co.uk]

The long-awaited, remastered Beatles' catalogue may finally be making its way to your computer sometime this year. But don't bet on it being on iTunes.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with the estates of the late John Lennon and George Harrison, are said to be looking into the possibility of releasing the material on their own website.

Talks between Apple and The Beatles to resolve royalty disputes have been on-again and off-again for years, and according to Harrison's son Dhani, the situation has reached a tipping point.

Harrison, 30, told Blender magazine that The Beatles' camp still isn't satisfied with what they're being offered by Apple, and they may go elsewhere to release the remastered catalogue.

:"We're losing money every day," said Harrison. "So what do you do? You have to have your own delivery system, or you have to do a good deal with Steve Jobs.

:"But he says that a download is worth 99 cents, and we disagree."

It appears as though Dhani Harrison, who has his own band called thenewno2, is having increasing pull in how The Beatles' business is conducted. Just recently he revealed that he convinced the surviving Beatles and Yoko Ono to agree to the upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band project.

"The game blows my mind," said Harrison. "It's infinitely better than Rock Band 2."

===January 5, 2009===

'''The Beatles’ Catalog Finally Goes Digital Thanks To Norwegian Podcasts'''

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/05/the-beatles-catalog-finally-goes-digital-thanks-to-norwegian-podcasts/ Rolling Stone magazine online reports] that the Beatles' entire catalog will become available via a Norwegian podcast series:

:The Beatles will reportedly make a bulk of their musical catalog available as a free, legal download thanks to a series of Norwegian podcasts. In 2001, the Fab Four were the subject of a documentary series entitled “Vår daglige Beatles,” or “Our Daily Beatles,” in which Norwegian journalists told the stories behind every track in the Beatles official catalog in chronological order, with the tracks themselves being played after the story was told. Now, for the first time ever, the series is available as a downloadable podcast, marking the first time the Beatles music in any form has been legally available via download. Despite efforts to finally bring the Beatles to iTunes, Paul McCartney said talks between Apple Corps. and EMI Records have “stalled.”

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/05/the-beatles-catalog-finally-goes-digital-thanks-to-norwegian-podcasts/ Read the entire article...]

===December 2008===

On Murmurs.com, there's a reprint of a December 26, 2008 [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/arts/music/27beat.html?_r=1&ref=technology ''New York Times'' article] on what's going on with the remasters, by Allan Kozinn. It discusses what's going on (although no light is shed on the issues between the Beatles and EMI), the Purple Chick series, and the fans. [http://www.murmurs.com/forum/showthread.php?s=5bca8880b328b2099975c770330ec81e&p=2012636#post2012636 Check it out...]. It also references an addition to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles#2009_CD_remasters The Beatles entry on Wikipedia]:

:All albums by the Beatles (including Past Masters, Volume One and Past Masters, Volume Two) will be released newly remastered sometime in 2009 on CD. The 2009 remasters will replace the infamously poor quality 1987 remasters. Mojo Magazine's Mat Snow was invited to hear 10 remastered tracks from 1968's The White Album and stated that they were "Better even than we'd hoped."

The [http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49803 Audioholics Forum] has a good thread discussing the remasters, mentioning MOJO magazine's teaser about "sometime in 2009" and speculating on sound quality etc. Worth checking out.

===November 2008===

From [http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/11/26/sgt-pepper-stuck-in-nowhere-land.aspx The Motley Fool Financial Website] 
Nov 26, 2008

If Apple Corps is Sgt. Pepper, then EMI is the Nowhere Man.

On Monday, rocker Paul McCartney said that negotiations between the Beatles' record company and label EMI, which owns the rights to the group's recordings, have stalled. Each has a say in how and when The Beatles will publish to iTunes.

"The last word I got back was it's stalled at the whole moment, the whole process," McCartney told the Associated Press. "I really hope it will happen, because I think it should."

Us, too, Sir Paul. Apple Corps and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) became embroiled in a [http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2006/03/30/apple-cant-let-it-be.aspx trademark dispute] in 2006 that lasted [http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2007/02/05/apple-beatles-let-it-be.aspx about a year]. We've been waiting for the White Album on iTunes -- or maybe Help!, a personal favorite of mine -- ever since both sides decided to come together and work it out.

Do EMI and Apple Corps. know what they're missing? Certainly McCartney sees the value in digital sales, as do other labels. Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) recently reported a 28% year-over-year gain in digital sales. Universal Music, the largest label in the biz, said its digital take was up 33% for the first nine months of the year.

Perhaps EMI is the stumbling block. Apple Corps and Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Harmonix, the makers of Rock Band, last week struck a deal to create a Beatles version of the game, VentureBeat reports.

===October 2008===
There's quite a bit of noise now about The Beatles remasters, and [http://s3.zetaboards.com/Strawberry_Fields/topic/7038111/1/ this website] has a good thread on developments. Apparently, The Beatles music will be finding a digital home on MTV Games' Rock Band, according to [http://www.pcworld.com/article/153053/beatles_to_make_digital_debut_on_rockband.html this news article]. "MTV Games, creator of the hit game Rock Band, and Apple Corps, which owns the rights to The Beatles' music catalogue, announced Thursday (Oct 30, 2008) that they plan to create a title that will feature only music from the Fab Four."

===June 2007===
Beatles fans will probably have to wait until next year before they can buy the [[Fab Four's]] tunes from online retailers such as Apple's iTunes store, [[George Harrison's]] widow has said.

A recent settlement to a lengthy trademark dispute between Apple and the Beatles' company, Apple Corps, has cleared the way for the band to distribute its catalogue in cyberspace.

But [[Olivia Harrison]] told Reuters, 'We just have a few things to work out elsewhere.'

Specifically, all the Beatles CDs have been remastered - good news for fans who have long complained about the poor sound quality - and the organisation wants to get the artwork ready for the physical packages.

Asked if the catalogue would be available online by the end of next year, she said, 'Oh God, yeah. Hope so ... I don't know if it would be the end of this year, but it would be nice. Imminent, let's put it that way.'

[[Paul McCartney]], who has adopted an aggressive digital marketing strategy for the release next week of his solo album, Memory Almost Full, said last month that an online deal for the Beatles catalogue was 'virtually settled' - perhaps over the cheesecake he delivered to Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. But he, too, shied away from saying that anything would happen in the short term.

The Beatles are the highest-profile omission from digital retailers. While the dispute with Apple did not help, the band's organisation has traditionally adopted a conservative approach to new technology, including CDs.

'I think we're a little bit behind,' Harrison said, noting that it was 'ridiculous' that properly remastered CDs of the band's catalogue were not yet available.

'We [the band's members and widows] all agree. It's been done. It's just trying to now get it out there.'

She said that [[Neil Aspinall]], the recently retired [now deceased] businessman who oversaw the group's complex business affairs, had been busy in recent years on the remastering project.

'That's a big job. That means you have to go back through all the archives and find great photographs and really give a nice package to the fans.'

Aspinall retired in April and was replaced by Jeff Jones, an American music industry executive who specialises in deluxe reissues of classic albums. Harrison said Aspinall's departure was voluntary, dispelling fan speculation to the contrary.

But she said Jones would 'pick up the pace' now that the most recent project, a Beatle-inspired [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque_du_Soleil Cirque du Soleil] stage show in Las Vegas, was underway after years of preparation initiated by her husband before he died in 2001.

''Reuters and Simon'' Aughton[http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/114590/remastered-beatles-on-itunes-in-2008.html]

==The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1==

The Capitol Records LP's issued in 1964 were resurrected with the issue of this boxed set. Remastered from the original Capitol Records master tapes, these records were best known to American audiences before EMI's initial CD issue of the first four Parlophone LP's in 1987, causing their deletion. The initial effort to internationally unify the catalogue caused some state-side confusion, as the song programs and monaural sound deviated from the familiar product.

''[[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]]'' includes four CD's packaged in mini-album sleeves that mimic their vinyl counterparts. The titles are: [[Meet The Beatles!]], [[The Beatles' Second Album]], [[Something New]], and [[Beatles '65]].

[[Meet The Beatles!]], the group's iconic Capitol debut, was initially distinctive in its originality, featuring eleven Beatles compositions out of a program of twelve songs. [[The Beatles' Second Album]] relied somewhat more on covers and includes two of their best: John's landmark vocal on Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)", and Paul's one-take-to-glory shot of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally". [[Something New]] was culled from recording sessions for the Parlophone LP [[A Hard Day's Night]] and offers the cleverly constructed "Any Time at All", with its overlapping couplets, and "If I Fell", with one of John and Paul's best two-part harmonies.

The set is rounded out with [[Beatles '65]], perhaps the most notable inclusion for its underscoring of programming and artistic differences between EMI and Capitol. The corresponding Parlophone LP, Beatles For Sale features the most underrated cover photo in the history of rock with the Beatles staring in utter bewilderment. This is clearly intended to be a silent statement by the artists that the mania was taking its toll. Capitol replaced this display of candor for [[Beatles '65]] with a series of group photos that did nothing to alter their "happy moptop" image. The music, on the other hand, deceived no one who really listened: "No Reply", "I'm A Loser", and "Baby's In Black" left no question that the mood had darkened.

Although prepared from master tapes at least one generation removed from the original masters, [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]] offers some sonic improvements over the 1987 CD's. Each CD in the set includes both the early four-track stereo and mono mixes of the time for each song. The stereo versions in this set are audibly brighter with greater bass definition and vocal presence as compared to the previously available material, especially true on [[Something New]] and [[Beatles '65]], and are recommended at least until the remastered British catalogue becomes available.

==The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2==

The Capitol Albums Vol. 2 offers reissues of the group's four American LP's originally released in 1965: [[The Early Beatles]], [[Beatles VI]], [[Help! Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]] and [[Rubber Soul]]. As presented in the preceding box-set, all discs are packaged in sleeves that recall the original jacket designs and include stereo and mono mixes of each song. [[The Early Beatles]] is made up of eleven tracks from their British debut LP [[Please Please Me]] not previously released in album form. One of the disc's highlights is perhaps the Beatles' most popular cover of all time, "Twist and Shout". Capitol's choice to program "Twist and Shout" as the album's second track is somewhat curious in retrospect as this song was so often their concert finale, effectively taking down whatever was left up of the house. In comparison to the sound on the previously available Parlophone CD [[Please Please Me]] from 1987, it is worth hearing this remastered track (and several others on the disc) in stereo.

[[Beatles VI]] is derived from the greatest number of sources including two Parlophone LP's, [[Beatles For Sale]] and [[Help! (album)]], a B-side single, "[Yes It Is]", and a cover version of Larry Williams' "[Bad Boy]", which was intended only for American release. Although [[Beatles VI]] reached number one on the Billboard Charts and appeared for a total of 41 weeks, it is conceivable that by this point, Capitol's slicing and dicing of the Beatles' discography was becoming irritating to the artists themselves.

The incidental film background music on [[Help! Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]] is of interest only to hard-core completists and, unfortunately, makes up the majority of this set's third disc. Listeners who have purchased the [[Help! DVD]] from 2007 will have rendered this instrumental material completely inessential. From a standpoint of content, the Parlophone [[Help! (album)]] CD from 1987 is still far superior.

It is perhaps ironic that the last of the Beatles 1965 releases, [[Rubber Soul]], arguably benefitted from Capitol Record's programming changes. For it's American incarnation, [[Rubber Soul]] kicks off with Paul's "I've Just Seen a Face", raised in prominence from the B-side of the British [[Help! (album)]] LP. This, along with several other programming changes effectively set the tone for a subtley different, yet just as enjoyable listening experience compared with the Parlophone version of the album, as pointed out by [[Mark Lewisohn]] in the boxed-set's included liner-note book. It is notable that the version of [[Rubber Soul]] included here provided competitive inspiration for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson Brian Wilson] to create and produce The Beach Boys' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sounds ''Pet Sounds''], one of rock history's greatest achievements. In terms of sonics, listeners will note a clearer high end in the instrumentation, as well as improved bass definition as compared to the same tracks on the 1987 [[Rubber Soul]] CD.

==External Links==

* [http://www.thebeatles.com/core/news/ TheBeatles.com news release on 9.9.09 remasters]
* [http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/07/the-beatles-remastered-albums-due-september-9-2009/ RollingStone.com article on 9.9.09 remasters]
* [http://www.cnet.com/8301-13645_1-9869772-47.html Interview with Mastering Engineer Greg Calbi]
* [http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1196032146/ DM's Beatles Forums - Repackaging the Remasters Thread]
* [http://yourmothershouldknow03.blogspot.com Strawberry Lane - Awesome Beatles Sonics Resource]
* [http://www.bootlegzone.com/ BootlegZone - Documents most Beatle bootlegs]
* [http://threesrepeating.blogspot.com/2009/03/beatles-unauthorized-remasters.html Download Purple Chick Remasters].
* [http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Where-Are-Beatles-Reissues-316/ Gibson.com Article on Remasters - Mar 16, 2009]

Beatles Remastered

2009-10-25T20:21:11Z

Beatleboy:

<seo metak="beatles remastered remasters remastering" metad="The Beatles remastered catalog were released in September 2009. This page tracks the news and information about Beatles remasters." />

===Oct 23, 2009: Review & Analysis of the Beatles Remasters===
James N. Perlman's [[Review:_Beatles_Mono_and_Stereo_Remasters_Box_Sets|detailed analysis]] of the audio quality and musicality of the new mono and stereo Beatles remasters is a must read. [[Review:_Beatles_Mono_and_Stereo_Remasters_Box_Sets|Check it out...]].

===Oct 20, 2009: Lively Discussion on Amazon.com Re the "Limited Edition" Mono Box Set===
A hornet's nest was stirred up when a customer questioned EMI's and Apple's motives in marketing the Beatles Mono Remasters Box Set as a "limited edition" and leaking the quantity to be 10,000 copies while retaining Plausible Deniability as to that amount, as it appears there will be as many manufactured as the market demands. [http://www.amazon.com/review/R1UXDFOP0T6I67 Read the whole sordid tale....]

===August 7, 2009: Interview with Beatles Remastering Engineer Allan Rouse===

Here’s [http://www.examiner.com/x-2082-Beatles-Examiner~y2009m8d5-SPECIAL-Engineer-Allan-Rouse-discusses-the-Beatles-remasters an interview of Abbey Road engineer Allan Rouse] by Steve Marinucci. Rouse talks - fairly boringly and begrudgingly - about the process of remastering the Beatles albums.

===July 15, 2009: Box of Vision ===

If you plan on buying both the Stereo and Mono box sets, but still feel the need to blow even more cash, why not invest in the 'Box of Vision': a box to store the contents of your box sets it. Includes a 200 page, LP-sized book with reproductions of Beatles album covers and artwork.

[[Image:Box_of_Vision.jpg]]

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/07/13/all-beatles-artwork-available-in-reissue-companion-set-box-of-vision Beatles artwork comes to Reissue Storage Set]

==July 8, 2009: Creater of Many Beatles Remasters from Vinyl, Dr. Ebbetts, Retires!==

Dr. Ebbetts sent out [[Dr. Ebbetts Retires from the Beatles Remastering Business|an email]] to his many fans, stating that he'd heard some of the new Beatles remasters coming out on September 9, 2009, that they are far superior to his remasters from pristine vinyl, and that he'd no longer be offering his remasters and was abandoning his years-long project. As he said, he only initiated his project of creating remasters because the Beatles CDs on the market, produced in 1988, were inferior.

Dr Ebbetts took The Beatles blue box releases, which many believe is the best vinyl representation of the original Beatles recordings, and put on a beautiful polish. Digitally transfered from virgin vinyl and remastered with meticulous attention to detail, Dr. Ebbetts brought out the warmth and shine sorely lacking from the official EMI releases. The blue box collection of re-masters is considered by many to be the best versions of The Beatles albums available.

[[Dr. Ebbetts Retires from the Beatles Remastering Business|Read Dr. Ebbetts' email...]]

===June 10, 2009: US Apple Store 'Remasterded' Blunder ===

It's to be hoped that the wording blunder on the US Apple Store is not an indication of a general sloppiness we can expect to bedevil these releases.

[[Image:Beatles_Remasterded_sic.jpg]]

===June 10, 2009: Pictures of Remaster Box Sets at Beatles.com UK Store===

You can view images of the Mono and Stereo Remaster Box Sets at [http://www.digitalstores.co.uk/beatles/ the Beatles.com UK Store].

[[image:beatles_stereo_boxset.jpg|caption|Beatles Stereo Box Set|175px|thumb|right]]
[[image:beatles_mono_boxset.jpg|caption|Beatles Mono Box Set|175px|thumb|left]]

The first clear pictures of the remastered box sets are now up on the Beatles website UK store. The stereo set is listed at £199.99, which translates to $326.30 at current exchange rates.

The mono set is listed for £209.99, which is $342.97 roughly in U.S. dollars.

(N.B. It has been pointed out that the CD's spread out in front of these boxes do not look like the individual remastered CD's as advertised on Amazon etc. The CD's shown with the box sets do not have the distinctive sidebars with the Apple logo on them.)

===Apr 8, 2009: New York Times Article===

As has been [http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=beatles+remastered widely reported], EMI will be releasing remasters of [[#list|all 12 Beatles UK albums]] on 09.09.09. However, there is as yet no decision on their availability on iTunes or other etailers.

[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/arts/music/08beat.html?_r=2&hpw New York Times article...]

[http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2009/04/the_beatles_remastered.html Mojo Magazine article...]

===Apr 7, 2009: Beatles Remasters Announced for Sept 9, 2009 Release!===

[[image:Sgt-Pepper-Remastered.jpg|thumb|caption|Remastered CD - Cover Art|175px|right]]If you search [http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Beatles%20Original%20recording%20remastered&tag=hyperartspynch07&index=music&linkCode=ur2&camp=1634&creative=6738 Beatles Original Recording Remastered] at Amazon.co.uk, you will be pleasantly surprised to see many of the Beatles releases '''available for pre-order'''! The release date is set for September 9, 2009. OK, that's 09.09.09 (get it?) They are also listed at the UK online retailer [http://hmv.com/hmvweb/simpleSearch.do?searchUID=-6921789425232557408&pGroupID=-1&adultFlag=false&primaryID=-1&simpleSearchString=beatles+remastered&btnSubmitSearch.x=0&btnSubmitSearch.y=0 HMV]. It will be released simultaneously with "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game.

You can check to see if they're available for [http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=beatles%20original%20recording%20remastered&tag=hyperartspynchon&index=music&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 pre-order at Amazon.com USA], but as of 7:30pm PST on April 7, 2009, they weren't.

====Beatles.com News Release====
TheBeatles.com (the "official" site) has [http://www.thebeatles.com/core/news/ a news release] with details. Here are highlights:

:Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

:The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and 'Magical Mystery Tour,' which became part of The Beatles' core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987.

:A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. 'The Beatles in Mono' gathers together, in one place, all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release.

There's no mention of alternate takes or unreleased tracks.

====RollingStone.com Article====

RollingStone.com has [http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/07/the-beatles-remastered-albums-due-september-9-2009/ an article on the Beatles remasters]. Highlights:

:The press release didn’t include news regarding a possible deal with iTunes or another digital-music vendor to distribute the catalog digitally: “Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalog will continue. There is no further information available at this time,” the press release reads. Both Apple Corps. and Paul McCartney have expressed reluctance to release the Beatles’ music digitally until all the albums had been remastered. The solo work of each of the four Beatles is available on iTunes.

<div id="list"></div>

:The Beatles Remasters:

::*''Please Please Me''
::*''With the Beatles''
::*''A Hard Day’s Night''
::*''Beatles for Sale''
::*''Help!''
::*''Rubber Soul''
::*''Revolver''
::*''Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band''
::*''Magical Mystery Tour''
::*''The Beatles (The White Album)''
::*''Abbey Road''
::*''Let It Be''
::*''Past Masters''
::*''Yellow Submarine''

====All the Online News, via Google News====

[http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=beatles+remastered Just click here!]

===Beatles Remasters - When???===

Currently, the only Beatles tunes available in remixed and/or remastered from the original master tapes are on two CDs:

* ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' (1999)
* ''Love'' (2007)

Remixed at [[Abbey Road Studios]], the tracks of ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' feature many alterations and adjustments from the original stereo recordings. All of The Beatles songs included in the film are on ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'', with the exception of "A Day in the Life", which was not put in because EMI did not want too many songs from [[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]] to be included.

The ''Love'' album is a stunner and, as a teaser, shows what might be in store when the entire catalog is finally released. George Martin and his son managed to create an amazing "new" collection of Beatles material from the rich store of masters at EMI.

There are also two four-disc boxed sets that sound somewhat better than the late-1980s CDs:

* [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]] (2004)
* [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 2]] (2006)

However, the CDs in these two boxed sets do not contain the original George Martin mixes released in Britain in the 1960s. Instead, the CDs were mastered from mixes prepared by Capitol A&R executive Dave Dexter, Jr., who, in 1965 took the submaster tapes from Capitol Records' vaults and added reverb to several tracks and simulated stereo on mono tracks (the proof that these are Dexter's mixes being the false start on "I'm Looking Through You"). Initially, however, the CDs only used Dexter's stereo mixes, with the mono tracks consisting of the two stereo channels folded into a single channel. Dexter's mono mixes were made available on the second pressings of these albums. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Capitol_Albums,_Volume_2]

==The latest news on the remastering==

===March 18, 2009===

From: [http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/mar/18/beatles-digital-music-store guardian.co.uk]

The long-awaited, remastered Beatles' catalogue may finally be making its way to your computer sometime this year. But don't bet on it being on iTunes.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with the estates of the late John Lennon and George Harrison, are said to be looking into the possibility of releasing the material on their own website.

Talks between Apple and The Beatles to resolve royalty disputes have been on-again and off-again for years, and according to Harrison's son Dhani, the situation has reached a tipping point.

Harrison, 30, told Blender magazine that The Beatles' camp still isn't satisfied with what they're being offered by Apple, and they may go elsewhere to release the remastered catalogue.

:"We're losing money every day," said Harrison. "So what do you do? You have to have your own delivery system, or you have to do a good deal with Steve Jobs.

:"But he says that a download is worth 99 cents, and we disagree."

It appears as though Dhani Harrison, who has his own band called thenewno2, is having increasing pull in how The Beatles' business is conducted. Just recently he revealed that he convinced the surviving Beatles and Yoko Ono to agree to the upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band project.

"The game blows my mind," said Harrison. "It's infinitely better than Rock Band 2."

===January 5, 2009===

'''The Beatles’ Catalog Finally Goes Digital Thanks To Norwegian Podcasts'''

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/05/the-beatles-catalog-finally-goes-digital-thanks-to-norwegian-podcasts/ Rolling Stone magazine online reports] that the Beatles' entire catalog will become available via a Norwegian podcast series:

:The Beatles will reportedly make a bulk of their musical catalog available as a free, legal download thanks to a series of Norwegian podcasts. In 2001, the Fab Four were the subject of a documentary series entitled “Vår daglige Beatles,” or “Our Daily Beatles,” in which Norwegian journalists told the stories behind every track in the Beatles official catalog in chronological order, with the tracks themselves being played after the story was told. Now, for the first time ever, the series is available as a downloadable podcast, marking the first time the Beatles music in any form has been legally available via download. Despite efforts to finally bring the Beatles to iTunes, Paul McCartney said talks between Apple Corps. and EMI Records have “stalled.”

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/05/the-beatles-catalog-finally-goes-digital-thanks-to-norwegian-podcasts/ Read the entire article...]

===December 2008===

On Murmurs.com, there's a reprint of a December 26, 2008 [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/arts/music/27beat.html?_r=1&ref=technology ''New York Times'' article] on what's going on with the remasters, by Allan Kozinn. It discusses what's going on (although no light is shed on the issues between the Beatles and EMI), the Purple Chick series, and the fans. [http://www.murmurs.com/forum/showthread.php?s=5bca8880b328b2099975c770330ec81e&p=2012636#post2012636 Check it out...]. It also references an addition to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles#2009_CD_remasters The Beatles entry on Wikipedia]:

:All albums by the Beatles (including Past Masters, Volume One and Past Masters, Volume Two) will be released newly remastered sometime in 2009 on CD. The 2009 remasters will replace the infamously poor quality 1987 remasters. Mojo Magazine's Mat Snow was invited to hear 10 remastered tracks from 1968's The White Album and stated that they were "Better even than we'd hoped."

The [http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49803 Audioholics Forum] has a good thread discussing the remasters, mentioning MOJO magazine's teaser about "sometime in 2009" and speculating on sound quality etc. Worth checking out.

===November 2008===

From [http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/11/26/sgt-pepper-stuck-in-nowhere-land.aspx The Motley Fool Financial Website] 
Nov 26, 2008

If Apple Corps is Sgt. Pepper, then EMI is the Nowhere Man.

On Monday, rocker Paul McCartney said that negotiations between the Beatles' record company and label EMI, which owns the rights to the group's recordings, have stalled. Each has a say in how and when The Beatles will publish to iTunes.

"The last word I got back was it's stalled at the whole moment, the whole process," McCartney told the Associated Press. "I really hope it will happen, because I think it should."

Us, too, Sir Paul. Apple Corps and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) became embroiled in a [http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2006/03/30/apple-cant-let-it-be.aspx trademark dispute] in 2006 that lasted [http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2007/02/05/apple-beatles-let-it-be.aspx about a year]. We've been waiting for the White Album on iTunes -- or maybe Help!, a personal favorite of mine -- ever since both sides decided to come together and work it out.

Do EMI and Apple Corps. know what they're missing? Certainly McCartney sees the value in digital sales, as do other labels. Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) recently reported a 28% year-over-year gain in digital sales. Universal Music, the largest label in the biz, said its digital take was up 33% for the first nine months of the year.

Perhaps EMI is the stumbling block. Apple Corps and Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Harmonix, the makers of Rock Band, last week struck a deal to create a Beatles version of the game, VentureBeat reports.

===October 2008===
There's quite a bit of noise now about The Beatles remasters, and [http://s3.zetaboards.com/Strawberry_Fields/topic/7038111/1/ this website] has a good thread on developments. Apparently, The Beatles music will be finding a digital home on MTV Games' Rock Band, according to [http://www.pcworld.com/article/153053/beatles_to_make_digital_debut_on_rockband.html this news article]. "MTV Games, creator of the hit game Rock Band, and Apple Corps, which owns the rights to The Beatles' music catalogue, announced Thursday (Oct 30, 2008) that they plan to create a title that will feature only music from the Fab Four."

===June 2007===
Beatles fans will probably have to wait until next year before they can buy the [[Fab Four's]] tunes from online retailers such as Apple's iTunes store, [[George Harrison's]] widow has said.

A recent settlement to a lengthy trademark dispute between Apple and the Beatles' company, Apple Corps, has cleared the way for the band to distribute its catalogue in cyberspace.

But [[Olivia Harrison]] told Reuters, 'We just have a few things to work out elsewhere.'

Specifically, all the Beatles CDs have been remastered - good news for fans who have long complained about the poor sound quality - and the organisation wants to get the artwork ready for the physical packages.

Asked if the catalogue would be available online by the end of next year, she said, 'Oh God, yeah. Hope so ... I don't know if it would be the end of this year, but it would be nice. Imminent, let's put it that way.'

[[Paul McCartney]], who has adopted an aggressive digital marketing strategy for the release next week of his solo album, Memory Almost Full, said last month that an online deal for the Beatles catalogue was 'virtually settled' - perhaps over the cheesecake he delivered to Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. But he, too, shied away from saying that anything would happen in the short term.

The Beatles are the highest-profile omission from digital retailers. While the dispute with Apple did not help, the band's organisation has traditionally adopted a conservative approach to new technology, including CDs.

'I think we're a little bit behind,' Harrison said, noting that it was 'ridiculous' that properly remastered CDs of the band's catalogue were not yet available.

'We [the band's members and widows] all agree. It's been done. It's just trying to now get it out there.'

She said that [[Neil Aspinall]], the recently retired [now deceased] businessman who oversaw the group's complex business affairs, had been busy in recent years on the remastering project.

'That's a big job. That means you have to go back through all the archives and find great photographs and really give a nice package to the fans.'

Aspinall retired in April and was replaced by Jeff Jones, an American music industry executive who specialises in deluxe reissues of classic albums. Harrison said Aspinall's departure was voluntary, dispelling fan speculation to the contrary.

But she said Jones would 'pick up the pace' now that the most recent project, a Beatle-inspired [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque_du_Soleil Cirque du Soleil] stage show in Las Vegas, was underway after years of preparation initiated by her husband before he died in 2001.

''Reuters and Simon'' Aughton[http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/114590/remastered-beatles-on-itunes-in-2008.html]

==The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1==

The Capitol Records LP's issued in 1964 were resurrected with the issue of this boxed set. Remastered from the original Capitol Records master tapes, these records were best known to American audiences before EMI's initial CD issue of the first four Parlophone LP's in 1987, causing their deletion. The initial effort to internationally unify the catalogue caused some state-side confusion, as the song programs and monaural sound deviated from the familiar product.

''[[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]]'' includes four CD's packaged in mini-album sleeves that mimic their vinyl counterparts. The titles are: [[Meet The Beatles!]], [[The Beatles' Second Album]], [[Something New]], and [[Beatles '65]].

[[Meet The Beatles!]], the group's iconic Capitol debut, was initially distinctive in its originality, featuring eleven Beatles compositions out of a program of twelve songs. [[The Beatles' Second Album]] relied somewhat more on covers and includes two of their best: John's landmark vocal on Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)", and Paul's one-take-to-glory shot of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally". [[Something New]] was culled from recording sessions for the Parlophone LP [[A Hard Day's Night]] and offers the cleverly constructed "Any Time at All", with its overlapping couplets, and "If I Fell", with one of John and Paul's best two-part harmonies.

The set is rounded out with [[Beatles '65]], perhaps the most notable inclusion for its underscoring of programming and artistic differences between EMI and Capitol. The corresponding Parlophone LP, Beatles For Sale features the most underrated cover photo in the history of rock with the Beatles staring in utter bewilderment. This is clearly intended to be a silent statement by the artists that the mania was taking its toll. Capitol replaced this display of candor for [[Beatles '65]] with a series of group photos that did nothing to alter their "happy moptop" image. The music, on the other hand, deceived no one who really listened: "No Reply", "I'm A Loser", and "Baby's In Black" left no question that the mood had darkened.

Although prepared from master tapes at least one generation removed from the original masters, [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]] offers some sonic improvements over the 1987 CD's. Each CD in the set includes both the early four-track stereo and mono mixes of the time for each song. The stereo versions in this set are audibly brighter with greater bass definition and vocal presence as compared to the previously available material, especially true on [[Something New]] and [[Beatles '65]], and are recommended at least until the remastered British catalogue becomes available.

==The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2==

The Capitol Albums Vol. 2 offers reissues of the group's four American LP's originally released in 1965: [[The Early Beatles]], [[Beatles VI]], [[Help! Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]] and [[Rubber Soul]]. As presented in the preceding box-set, all discs are packaged in sleeves that recall the original jacket designs and include stereo and mono mixes of each song. [[The Early Beatles]] is made up of eleven tracks from their British debut LP [[Please Please Me]] not previously released in album form. One of the disc's highlights is perhaps the Beatles' most popular cover of all time, "Twist and Shout". Capitol's choice to program "Twist and Shout" as the album's second track is somewhat curious in retrospect as this song was so often their concert finale, effectively taking down whatever was left up of the house. In comparison to the sound on the previously available Parlophone CD [[Please Please Me]] from 1987, it is worth hearing this remastered track (and several others on the disc) in stereo.

[[Beatles VI]] is derived from the greatest number of sources including two Parlophone LP's, [[Beatles For Sale]] and [[Help! (album)]], a B-side single, "[Yes It Is]", and a cover version of Larry Williams' "[Bad Boy]", which was intended only for American release. Although [[Beatles VI]] reached number one on the Billboard Charts and appeared for a total of 41 weeks, it is conceivable that by this point, Capitol's slicing and dicing of the Beatles' discography was becoming irritating to the artists themselves.

The incidental film background music on [[Help! Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]] is of interest only to hard-core completists and, unfortunately, makes up the majority of this set's third disc. Listeners who have purchased the [[Help! DVD]] from 2007 will have rendered this instrumental material completely inessential. From a standpoint of content, the Parlophone [[Help! (album)]] CD from 1987 is still far superior.

It is perhaps ironic that the last of the Beatles 1965 releases, [[Rubber Soul]], arguably benefitted from Capitol Record's programming changes. For it's American incarnation, [[Rubber Soul]] kicks off with Paul's "I've Just Seen a Face", raised in prominence from the B-side of the British [[Help! (album)]] LP. This, along with several other programming changes effectively set the tone for a subtley different, yet just as enjoyable listening experience compared with the Parlophone version of the album, as pointed out by [[Mark Lewisohn]] in the boxed-set's included liner-note book. It is notable that the version of [[Rubber Soul]] included here provided competitive inspiration for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson Brian Wilson] to create and produce The Beach Boys' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sounds ''Pet Sounds''], one of rock history's greatest achievements. In terms of sonics, listeners will note a clearer high end in the instrumentation, as well as improved bass definition as compared to the same tracks on the 1987 [[Rubber Soul]] CD.

==External Links==

* [http://www.thebeatles.com/core/news/ TheBeatles.com news release on 9.9.09 remasters]
* [http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/07/the-beatles-remastered-albums-due-september-9-2009/ RollingStone.com article on 9.9.09 remasters]
* [http://www.cnet.com/8301-13645_1-9869772-47.html Interview with Mastering Engineer Greg Calbi]
* [http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1196032146/ DM's Beatles Forums - Repackaging the Remasters Thread]
* [http://yourmothershouldknow03.blogspot.com Strawberry Lane - Awesome Beatles Sonics Resource]
* [http://www.bootlegzone.com/ BootlegZone - Documents most Beatle bootlegs]
* [http://threesrepeating.blogspot.com/2009/03/beatles-unauthorized-remasters.html Download Purple Chick Remasters].
* [http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Where-Are-Beatles-Reissues-316/ Gibson.com Article on Remasters - Mar 16, 2009]

Beatles Remastered

2009-10-25T20:18:08Z

Beatleboy: /* Oct 20, 2009: Amazon.com Discussion About the So-Called "Limited Edition" Mono Box Set */

<seo metak="beatles remastered remasters remastering" metad="The Beatles remastered catalog were released in September 2009. This page tracks the news and information about Beatles remasters." />

===Oct 23, 2009: Review & Analysis of the Beatles Remasters===
James N. Perlman's [[Review:_Beatles_Mono_and_Stereo_Remasters_Box_Sets|detailed analysis]] of the audio quality and musicality of the new mono and stereo Beatles remasters is a must read. [[Review:_Beatles_Mono_and_Stereo_Remasters_Box_Sets|Check it out...]].

===Oct 20, 2009: Lively Discussion on Amazon.com Re the "Limited Edition" Mono Box Set===
A hornet's nest was stirred up when a customer questioned EMI's and Apple's motives in marketing the Beatles Mono Remasters Box Set as a "limited edition" and leaking the quantity to be 10,000 copies while retaining Plausible Deniability as to that amount, as it appears there will be as many manufactured as the market demands. [http://www.amazon.com/review/R1UXDFOP0T6I67 Read the whole sordid tale....]

===August 7, 2009: Interview with Beatles Remastering Engineer Allan Rouse===

Here’s [http://www.examiner.com/x-2082-Beatles-Examiner~y2009m8d5-SPECIAL-Engineer-Allan-Rouse-discusses-the-Beatles-remasters an interview of Abbey Road engineer Allan Rouse] by Steve Marinucci. Rouse talks - fairly boringly and begrudgingly - about the process of remastering the Beatles albums.

===July 15, 2009: Box of Vision ===

If you plan on buying both the Stereo and Mono box sets, but still feel the need to blow even more cash, why not invest in the 'Box of Vision': a box to store the contents of your box sets it. Includes a 200 page, LP-sized book with reproductions of Beatles album covers and artwork.

[[Image:Box_of_Vision.jpg]]

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/07/13/all-beatles-artwork-available-in-reissue-companion-set-box-of-vision Beatles artwork comes to Reissue Storage Set]

===June 10, 2009: US Apple Store 'Remasterded' Blunder ===

It's to be hoped that the wording blunder on the US Apple Store is not an indication of a general sloppiness we can expect to bedevil these releases.

[[Image:Beatles_Remasterded_sic.jpg]]

===June 10, 2009: Pictures of Remaster Box Sets at Beatles.com UK Store===

You can view images of the Mono and Stereo Remaster Box Sets at [http://www.digitalstores.co.uk/beatles/ the Beatles.com UK Store].

[[image:beatles_stereo_boxset.jpg|caption|Beatles Stereo Box Set|175px|thumb|right]]
[[image:beatles_mono_boxset.jpg|caption|Beatles Mono Box Set|175px|thumb|left]]

The first clear pictures of the remastered box sets are now up on the Beatles website UK store. The stereo set is listed at £199.99, which translates to $326.30 at current exchange rates.

The mono set is listed for £209.99, which is $342.97 roughly in U.S. dollars.

(N.B. It has been pointed out that the CD's spread out in front of these boxes do not look like the individual remastered CD's as advertised on Amazon etc. The CD's shown with the box sets do not have the distinctive sidebars with the Apple logo on them.)

===Apr 8, 2009: New York Times Article===

As has been [http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=beatles+remastered widely reported], EMI will be releasing remasters of [[#list|all 12 Beatles UK albums]] on 09.09.09. However, there is as yet no decision on their availability on iTunes or other etailers.

[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/arts/music/08beat.html?_r=2&hpw New York Times article...]

[http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2009/04/the_beatles_remastered.html Mojo Magazine article...]

===Apr 7, 2009: Beatles Remasters Announced for Sept 9, 2009 Release!===

[[image:Sgt-Pepper-Remastered.jpg|thumb|caption|Remastered CD - Cover Art|175px|right]]If you search [http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Beatles%20Original%20recording%20remastered&tag=hyperartspynch07&index=music&linkCode=ur2&camp=1634&creative=6738 Beatles Original Recording Remastered] at Amazon.co.uk, you will be pleasantly surprised to see many of the Beatles releases '''available for pre-order'''! The release date is set for September 9, 2009. OK, that's 09.09.09 (get it?) They are also listed at the UK online retailer [http://hmv.com/hmvweb/simpleSearch.do?searchUID=-6921789425232557408&pGroupID=-1&adultFlag=false&primaryID=-1&simpleSearchString=beatles+remastered&btnSubmitSearch.x=0&btnSubmitSearch.y=0 HMV]. It will be released simultaneously with "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game.

You can check to see if they're available for [http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=beatles%20original%20recording%20remastered&tag=hyperartspynchon&index=music&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 pre-order at Amazon.com USA], but as of 7:30pm PST on April 7, 2009, they weren't.

====Beatles.com News Release====
TheBeatles.com (the "official" site) has [http://www.thebeatles.com/core/news/ a news release] with details. Here are highlights:

:Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

:The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and 'Magical Mystery Tour,' which became part of The Beatles' core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987.

:A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. 'The Beatles in Mono' gathers together, in one place, all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release.

There's no mention of alternate takes or unreleased tracks.

====RollingStone.com Article====

RollingStone.com has [http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/07/the-beatles-remastered-albums-due-september-9-2009/ an article on the Beatles remasters]. Highlights:

:The press release didn’t include news regarding a possible deal with iTunes or another digital-music vendor to distribute the catalog digitally: “Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalog will continue. There is no further information available at this time,” the press release reads. Both Apple Corps. and Paul McCartney have expressed reluctance to release the Beatles’ music digitally until all the albums had been remastered. The solo work of each of the four Beatles is available on iTunes.

<div id="list"></div>

:The Beatles Remasters:

::*''Please Please Me''
::*''With the Beatles''
::*''A Hard Day’s Night''
::*''Beatles for Sale''
::*''Help!''
::*''Rubber Soul''
::*''Revolver''
::*''Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band''
::*''Magical Mystery Tour''
::*''The Beatles (The White Album)''
::*''Abbey Road''
::*''Let It Be''
::*''Past Masters''
::*''Yellow Submarine''

====All the Online News, via Google News====

[http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=beatles+remastered Just click here!]

===Beatles Remasters - When???===

Currently, the only Beatles tunes available in remixed and/or remastered from the original master tapes are on two CDs:

* ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' (1999)
* ''Love'' (2007)

Remixed at [[Abbey Road Studios]], the tracks of ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' feature many alterations and adjustments from the original stereo recordings. All of The Beatles songs included in the film are on ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'', with the exception of "A Day in the Life", which was not put in because EMI did not want too many songs from [[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]] to be included.

The ''Love'' album is a stunner and, as a teaser, shows what might be in store when the entire catalog is finally released. George Martin and his son managed to create an amazing "new" collection of Beatles material from the rich store of masters at EMI.

There are also two four-disc boxed sets that sound somewhat better than the late-1980s CDs:

* [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]] (2004)
* [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 2]] (2006)

However, the CDs in these two boxed sets do not contain the original George Martin mixes released in Britain in the 1960s. Instead, the CDs were mastered from mixes prepared by Capitol A&R executive Dave Dexter, Jr., who, in 1965 took the submaster tapes from Capitol Records' vaults and added reverb to several tracks and simulated stereo on mono tracks (the proof that these are Dexter's mixes being the false start on "I'm Looking Through You"). Initially, however, the CDs only used Dexter's stereo mixes, with the mono tracks consisting of the two stereo channels folded into a single channel. Dexter's mono mixes were made available on the second pressings of these albums. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Capitol_Albums,_Volume_2]

==The latest news on the remastering==

===March 18, 2009===

From: [http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/mar/18/beatles-digital-music-store guardian.co.uk]

The long-awaited, remastered Beatles' catalogue may finally be making its way to your computer sometime this year. But don't bet on it being on iTunes.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with the estates of the late John Lennon and George Harrison, are said to be looking into the possibility of releasing the material on their own website.

Talks between Apple and The Beatles to resolve royalty disputes have been on-again and off-again for years, and according to Harrison's son Dhani, the situation has reached a tipping point.

Harrison, 30, told Blender magazine that The Beatles' camp still isn't satisfied with what they're being offered by Apple, and they may go elsewhere to release the remastered catalogue.

:"We're losing money every day," said Harrison. "So what do you do? You have to have your own delivery system, or you have to do a good deal with Steve Jobs.

:"But he says that a download is worth 99 cents, and we disagree."

It appears as though Dhani Harrison, who has his own band called thenewno2, is having increasing pull in how The Beatles' business is conducted. Just recently he revealed that he convinced the surviving Beatles and Yoko Ono to agree to the upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band project.

"The game blows my mind," said Harrison. "It's infinitely better than Rock Band 2."

===January 5, 2009===

'''The Beatles’ Catalog Finally Goes Digital Thanks To Norwegian Podcasts'''

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/05/the-beatles-catalog-finally-goes-digital-thanks-to-norwegian-podcasts/ Rolling Stone magazine online reports] that the Beatles' entire catalog will become available via a Norwegian podcast series:

:The Beatles will reportedly make a bulk of their musical catalog available as a free, legal download thanks to a series of Norwegian podcasts. In 2001, the Fab Four were the subject of a documentary series entitled “Vår daglige Beatles,” or “Our Daily Beatles,” in which Norwegian journalists told the stories behind every track in the Beatles official catalog in chronological order, with the tracks themselves being played after the story was told. Now, for the first time ever, the series is available as a downloadable podcast, marking the first time the Beatles music in any form has been legally available via download. Despite efforts to finally bring the Beatles to iTunes, Paul McCartney said talks between Apple Corps. and EMI Records have “stalled.”

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/05/the-beatles-catalog-finally-goes-digital-thanks-to-norwegian-podcasts/ Read the entire article...]

===December 2008===

On Murmurs.com, there's a reprint of a December 26, 2008 [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/arts/music/27beat.html?_r=1&ref=technology ''New York Times'' article] on what's going on with the remasters, by Allan Kozinn. It discusses what's going on (although no light is shed on the issues between the Beatles and EMI), the Purple Chick series, and the fans. [http://www.murmurs.com/forum/showthread.php?s=5bca8880b328b2099975c770330ec81e&p=2012636#post2012636 Check it out...]. It also references an addition to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles#2009_CD_remasters The Beatles entry on Wikipedia]:

:All albums by the Beatles (including Past Masters, Volume One and Past Masters, Volume Two) will be released newly remastered sometime in 2009 on CD. The 2009 remasters will replace the infamously poor quality 1987 remasters. Mojo Magazine's Mat Snow was invited to hear 10 remastered tracks from 1968's The White Album and stated that they were "Better even than we'd hoped."

The [http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49803 Audioholics Forum] has a good thread discussing the remasters, mentioning MOJO magazine's teaser about "sometime in 2009" and speculating on sound quality etc. Worth checking out.

===November 2008===

From [http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/11/26/sgt-pepper-stuck-in-nowhere-land.aspx The Motley Fool Financial Website] 
Nov 26, 2008

If Apple Corps is Sgt. Pepper, then EMI is the Nowhere Man.

On Monday, rocker Paul McCartney said that negotiations between the Beatles' record company and label EMI, which owns the rights to the group's recordings, have stalled. Each has a say in how and when The Beatles will publish to iTunes.

"The last word I got back was it's stalled at the whole moment, the whole process," McCartney told the Associated Press. "I really hope it will happen, because I think it should."

Us, too, Sir Paul. Apple Corps and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) became embroiled in a [http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2006/03/30/apple-cant-let-it-be.aspx trademark dispute] in 2006 that lasted [http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2007/02/05/apple-beatles-let-it-be.aspx about a year]. We've been waiting for the White Album on iTunes -- or maybe Help!, a personal favorite of mine -- ever since both sides decided to come together and work it out.

Do EMI and Apple Corps. know what they're missing? Certainly McCartney sees the value in digital sales, as do other labels. Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) recently reported a 28% year-over-year gain in digital sales. Universal Music, the largest label in the biz, said its digital take was up 33% for the first nine months of the year.

Perhaps EMI is the stumbling block. Apple Corps and Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Harmonix, the makers of Rock Band, last week struck a deal to create a Beatles version of the game, VentureBeat reports.

===October 2008===
There's quite a bit of noise now about The Beatles remasters, and [http://s3.zetaboards.com/Strawberry_Fields/topic/7038111/1/ this website] has a good thread on developments. Apparently, The Beatles music will be finding a digital home on MTV Games' Rock Band, according to [http://www.pcworld.com/article/153053/beatles_to_make_digital_debut_on_rockband.html this news article]. "MTV Games, creator of the hit game Rock Band, and Apple Corps, which owns the rights to The Beatles' music catalogue, announced Thursday (Oct 30, 2008) that they plan to create a title that will feature only music from the Fab Four."

===June 2007===
Beatles fans will probably have to wait until next year before they can buy the [[Fab Four's]] tunes from online retailers such as Apple's iTunes store, [[George Harrison's]] widow has said.

A recent settlement to a lengthy trademark dispute between Apple and the Beatles' company, Apple Corps, has cleared the way for the band to distribute its catalogue in cyberspace.

But [[Olivia Harrison]] told Reuters, 'We just have a few things to work out elsewhere.'

Specifically, all the Beatles CDs have been remastered - good news for fans who have long complained about the poor sound quality - and the organisation wants to get the artwork ready for the physical packages.

Asked if the catalogue would be available online by the end of next year, she said, 'Oh God, yeah. Hope so ... I don't know if it would be the end of this year, but it would be nice. Imminent, let's put it that way.'

[[Paul McCartney]], who has adopted an aggressive digital marketing strategy for the release next week of his solo album, Memory Almost Full, said last month that an online deal for the Beatles catalogue was 'virtually settled' - perhaps over the cheesecake he delivered to Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. But he, too, shied away from saying that anything would happen in the short term.

The Beatles are the highest-profile omission from digital retailers. While the dispute with Apple did not help, the band's organisation has traditionally adopted a conservative approach to new technology, including CDs.

'I think we're a little bit behind,' Harrison said, noting that it was 'ridiculous' that properly remastered CDs of the band's catalogue were not yet available.

'We [the band's members and widows] all agree. It's been done. It's just trying to now get it out there.'

She said that [[Neil Aspinall]], the recently retired [now deceased] businessman who oversaw the group's complex business affairs, had been busy in recent years on the remastering project.

'That's a big job. That means you have to go back through all the archives and find great photographs and really give a nice package to the fans.'

Aspinall retired in April and was replaced by Jeff Jones, an American music industry executive who specialises in deluxe reissues of classic albums. Harrison said Aspinall's departure was voluntary, dispelling fan speculation to the contrary.

But she said Jones would 'pick up the pace' now that the most recent project, a Beatle-inspired [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque_du_Soleil Cirque du Soleil] stage show in Las Vegas, was underway after years of preparation initiated by her husband before he died in 2001.

''Reuters and Simon'' Aughton[http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/114590/remastered-beatles-on-itunes-in-2008.html]

==The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1==

The Capitol Records LP's issued in 1964 were resurrected with the issue of this boxed set. Remastered from the original Capitol Records master tapes, these records were best known to American audiences before EMI's initial CD issue of the first four Parlophone LP's in 1987, causing their deletion. The initial effort to internationally unify the catalogue caused some state-side confusion, as the song programs and monaural sound deviated from the familiar product.

''[[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]]'' includes four CD's packaged in mini-album sleeves that mimic their vinyl counterparts. The titles are: [[Meet The Beatles!]], [[The Beatles' Second Album]], [[Something New]], and [[Beatles '65]].

[[Meet The Beatles!]], the group's iconic Capitol debut, was initially distinctive in its originality, featuring eleven Beatles compositions out of a program of twelve songs. [[The Beatles' Second Album]] relied somewhat more on covers and includes two of their best: John's landmark vocal on Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)", and Paul's one-take-to-glory shot of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally". [[Something New]] was culled from recording sessions for the Parlophone LP [[A Hard Day's Night]] and offers the cleverly constructed "Any Time at All", with its overlapping couplets, and "If I Fell", with one of John and Paul's best two-part harmonies.

The set is rounded out with [[Beatles '65]], perhaps the most notable inclusion for its underscoring of programming and artistic differences between EMI and Capitol. The corresponding Parlophone LP, Beatles For Sale features the most underrated cover photo in the history of rock with the Beatles staring in utter bewilderment. This is clearly intended to be a silent statement by the artists that the mania was taking its toll. Capitol replaced this display of candor for [[Beatles '65]] with a series of group photos that did nothing to alter their "happy moptop" image. The music, on the other hand, deceived no one who really listened: "No Reply", "I'm A Loser", and "Baby's In Black" left no question that the mood had darkened.

Although prepared from master tapes at least one generation removed from the original masters, [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]] offers some sonic improvements over the 1987 CD's. Each CD in the set includes both the early four-track stereo and mono mixes of the time for each song. The stereo versions in this set are audibly brighter with greater bass definition and vocal presence as compared to the previously available material, especially true on [[Something New]] and [[Beatles '65]], and are recommended at least until the remastered British catalogue becomes available.

==The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2==

The Capitol Albums Vol. 2 offers reissues of the group's four American LP's originally released in 1965: [[The Early Beatles]], [[Beatles VI]], [[Help! Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]] and [[Rubber Soul]]. As presented in the preceding box-set, all discs are packaged in sleeves that recall the original jacket designs and include stereo and mono mixes of each song. [[The Early Beatles]] is made up of eleven tracks from their British debut LP [[Please Please Me]] not previously released in album form. One of the disc's highlights is perhaps the Beatles' most popular cover of all time, "Twist and Shout". Capitol's choice to program "Twist and Shout" as the album's second track is somewhat curious in retrospect as this song was so often their concert finale, effectively taking down whatever was left up of the house. In comparison to the sound on the previously available Parlophone CD [[Please Please Me]] from 1987, it is worth hearing this remastered track (and several others on the disc) in stereo.

[[Beatles VI]] is derived from the greatest number of sources including two Parlophone LP's, [[Beatles For Sale]] and [[Help! (album)]], a B-side single, "[Yes It Is]", and a cover version of Larry Williams' "[Bad Boy]", which was intended only for American release. Although [[Beatles VI]] reached number one on the Billboard Charts and appeared for a total of 41 weeks, it is conceivable that by this point, Capitol's slicing and dicing of the Beatles' discography was becoming irritating to the artists themselves.

The incidental film background music on [[Help! Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]] is of interest only to hard-core completists and, unfortunately, makes up the majority of this set's third disc. Listeners who have purchased the [[Help! DVD]] from 2007 will have rendered this instrumental material completely inessential. From a standpoint of content, the Parlophone [[Help! (album)]] CD from 1987 is still far superior.

It is perhaps ironic that the last of the Beatles 1965 releases, [[Rubber Soul]], arguably benefitted from Capitol Record's programming changes. For it's American incarnation, [[Rubber Soul]] kicks off with Paul's "I've Just Seen a Face", raised in prominence from the B-side of the British [[Help! (album)]] LP. This, along with several other programming changes effectively set the tone for a subtley different, yet just as enjoyable listening experience compared with the Parlophone version of the album, as pointed out by [[Mark Lewisohn]] in the boxed-set's included liner-note book. It is notable that the version of [[Rubber Soul]] included here provided competitive inspiration for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson Brian Wilson] to create and produce The Beach Boys' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sounds ''Pet Sounds''], one of rock history's greatest achievements. In terms of sonics, listeners will note a clearer high end in the instrumentation, as well as improved bass definition as compared to the same tracks on the 1987 [[Rubber Soul]] CD.

==External Links==

* [http://www.thebeatles.com/core/news/ TheBeatles.com news release on 9.9.09 remasters]
* [http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/07/the-beatles-remastered-albums-due-september-9-2009/ RollingStone.com article on 9.9.09 remasters]
* [http://www.cnet.com/8301-13645_1-9869772-47.html Interview with Mastering Engineer Greg Calbi]
* [http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1196032146/ DM's Beatles Forums - Repackaging the Remasters Thread]
* [http://yourmothershouldknow03.blogspot.com Strawberry Lane - Awesome Beatles Sonics Resource]
* [http://www.bootlegzone.com/ BootlegZone - Documents most Beatle bootlegs]
* [http://threesrepeating.blogspot.com/2009/03/beatles-unauthorized-remasters.html Download Purple Chick Remasters].
* [http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Where-Are-Beatles-Reissues-316/ Gibson.com Article on Remasters - Mar 16, 2009]

Beatles Remastered

2009-10-24T21:33:58Z

Beatleboy: /* Oct 23, 2009: Review & Analysis of the Beatles Remasters */

<seo metak="beatles remastered remasters remastering" metad="The Beatles remastered catalog were released in September 2009. This page tracks the news and information about Beatles remasters." />

===Oct 23, 2009: Review & Analysis of the Beatles Remasters===
James N. Perlman's [[Review:_Beatles_Mono_and_Stereo_Remasters_Box_Sets|detailed analysis]] of the audio quality and musicality of the new mono and stereo Beatles remasters is a must read. [[Review:_Beatles_Mono_and_Stereo_Remasters_Box_Sets|Check it out...]].

===Oct 20, 2009: Amazon.com Discussion About the ''So-Called'' "Limited Edition" Mono Box Set===

Tim Ware stirred up a hornet's nest when he questioned EMI's and Apple's motives in marketing the Beatles Mono Remasters Box Set as a "limited edition" and leaking the quantity to be 10,000 copies while retaining Plausible Deniability as to that amount, as it appears there will be as many manufactured as the market demands. [http://www.amazon.com/review/R1UXDFOP0T6I67 Read the whole sordid tale....]

===August 7, 2009: Interview with Beatles Remastering Engineer Allan Rouse===

Here’s [http://www.examiner.com/x-2082-Beatles-Examiner~y2009m8d5-SPECIAL-Engineer-Allan-Rouse-discusses-the-Beatles-remasters an interview of Abbey Road engineer Allan Rouse] by Steve Marinucci. Rouse talks - fairly boringly and begrudgingly - about the process of remastering the Beatles albums.

===July 15, 2009: Box of Vision ===

If you plan on buying both the Stereo and Mono box sets, but still feel the need to blow even more cash, why not invest in the 'Box of Vision': a box to store the contents of your box sets it. Includes a 200 page, LP-sized book with reproductions of Beatles album covers and artwork.

[[Image:Box_of_Vision.jpg]]

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/07/13/all-beatles-artwork-available-in-reissue-companion-set-box-of-vision Beatles artwork comes to Reissue Storage Set]

===June 10, 2009: US Apple Store 'Remasterded' Blunder ===

It's to be hoped that the wording blunder on the US Apple Store is not an indication of a general sloppiness we can expect to bedevil these releases.

[[Image:Beatles_Remasterded_sic.jpg]]

===June 10, 2009: Pictures of Remaster Box Sets at Beatles.com UK Store===

You can view images of the Mono and Stereo Remaster Box Sets at [http://www.digitalstores.co.uk/beatles/ the Beatles.com UK Store].

[[image:beatles_stereo_boxset.jpg|caption|Beatles Stereo Box Set|175px|thumb|right]]
[[image:beatles_mono_boxset.jpg|caption|Beatles Mono Box Set|175px|thumb|left]]

The first clear pictures of the remastered box sets are now up on the Beatles website UK store. The stereo set is listed at £199.99, which translates to $326.30 at current exchange rates.

The mono set is listed for £209.99, which is $342.97 roughly in U.S. dollars.

(N.B. It has been pointed out that the CD's spread out in front of these boxes do not look like the individual remastered CD's as advertised on Amazon etc. The CD's shown with the box sets do not have the distinctive sidebars with the Apple logo on them.)

===Apr 8, 2009: New York Times Article===

As has been [http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=beatles+remastered widely reported], EMI will be releasing remasters of [[#list|all 12 Beatles UK albums]] on 09.09.09. However, there is as yet no decision on their availability on iTunes or other etailers.

[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/arts/music/08beat.html?_r=2&hpw New York Times article...]

[http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2009/04/the_beatles_remastered.html Mojo Magazine article...]

===Apr 7, 2009: Beatles Remasters Announced for Sept 9, 2009 Release!===

[[image:Sgt-Pepper-Remastered.jpg|thumb|caption|Remastered CD - Cover Art|175px|right]]If you search [http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Beatles%20Original%20recording%20remastered&tag=hyperartspynch07&index=music&linkCode=ur2&camp=1634&creative=6738 Beatles Original Recording Remastered] at Amazon.co.uk, you will be pleasantly surprised to see many of the Beatles releases '''available for pre-order'''! The release date is set for September 9, 2009. OK, that's 09.09.09 (get it?) They are also listed at the UK online retailer [http://hmv.com/hmvweb/simpleSearch.do?searchUID=-6921789425232557408&pGroupID=-1&adultFlag=false&primaryID=-1&simpleSearchString=beatles+remastered&btnSubmitSearch.x=0&btnSubmitSearch.y=0 HMV]. It will be released simultaneously with "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game.

You can check to see if they're available for [http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=beatles%20original%20recording%20remastered&tag=hyperartspynchon&index=music&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 pre-order at Amazon.com USA], but as of 7:30pm PST on April 7, 2009, they weren't.

====Beatles.com News Release====
TheBeatles.com (the "official" site) has [http://www.thebeatles.com/core/news/ a news release] with details. Here are highlights:

:Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

:The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and 'Magical Mystery Tour,' which became part of The Beatles' core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987.

:A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. 'The Beatles in Mono' gathers together, in one place, all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release.

There's no mention of alternate takes or unreleased tracks.

====RollingStone.com Article====

RollingStone.com has [http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/07/the-beatles-remastered-albums-due-september-9-2009/ an article on the Beatles remasters]. Highlights:

:The press release didn’t include news regarding a possible deal with iTunes or another digital-music vendor to distribute the catalog digitally: “Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalog will continue. There is no further information available at this time,” the press release reads. Both Apple Corps. and Paul McCartney have expressed reluctance to release the Beatles’ music digitally until all the albums had been remastered. The solo work of each of the four Beatles is available on iTunes.

<div id="list"></div>

:The Beatles Remasters:

::*''Please Please Me''
::*''With the Beatles''
::*''A Hard Day’s Night''
::*''Beatles for Sale''
::*''Help!''
::*''Rubber Soul''
::*''Revolver''
::*''Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band''
::*''Magical Mystery Tour''
::*''The Beatles (The White Album)''
::*''Abbey Road''
::*''Let It Be''
::*''Past Masters''
::*''Yellow Submarine''

====All the Online News, via Google News====

[http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=beatles+remastered Just click here!]

===Beatles Remasters - When???===

Currently, the only Beatles tunes available in remixed and/or remastered from the original master tapes are on two CDs:

* ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' (1999)
* ''Love'' (2007)

Remixed at [[Abbey Road Studios]], the tracks of ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' feature many alterations and adjustments from the original stereo recordings. All of The Beatles songs included in the film are on ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'', with the exception of "A Day in the Life", which was not put in because EMI did not want too many songs from [[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]] to be included.

The ''Love'' album is a stunner and, as a teaser, shows what might be in store when the entire catalog is finally released. George Martin and his son managed to create an amazing "new" collection of Beatles material from the rich store of masters at EMI.

There are also two four-disc boxed sets that sound somewhat better than the late-1980s CDs:

* [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]] (2004)
* [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 2]] (2006)

However, the CDs in these two boxed sets do not contain the original George Martin mixes released in Britain in the 1960s. Instead, the CDs were mastered from mixes prepared by Capitol A&R executive Dave Dexter, Jr., who, in 1965 took the submaster tapes from Capitol Records' vaults and added reverb to several tracks and simulated stereo on mono tracks (the proof that these are Dexter's mixes being the false start on "I'm Looking Through You"). Initially, however, the CDs only used Dexter's stereo mixes, with the mono tracks consisting of the two stereo channels folded into a single channel. Dexter's mono mixes were made available on the second pressings of these albums. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Capitol_Albums,_Volume_2]

==The latest news on the remastering==

===March 18, 2009===

From: [http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/mar/18/beatles-digital-music-store guardian.co.uk]

The long-awaited, remastered Beatles' catalogue may finally be making its way to your computer sometime this year. But don't bet on it being on iTunes.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with the estates of the late John Lennon and George Harrison, are said to be looking into the possibility of releasing the material on their own website.

Talks between Apple and The Beatles to resolve royalty disputes have been on-again and off-again for years, and according to Harrison's son Dhani, the situation has reached a tipping point.

Harrison, 30, told Blender magazine that The Beatles' camp still isn't satisfied with what they're being offered by Apple, and they may go elsewhere to release the remastered catalogue.

:"We're losing money every day," said Harrison. "So what do you do? You have to have your own delivery system, or you have to do a good deal with Steve Jobs.

:"But he says that a download is worth 99 cents, and we disagree."

It appears as though Dhani Harrison, who has his own band called thenewno2, is having increasing pull in how The Beatles' business is conducted. Just recently he revealed that he convinced the surviving Beatles and Yoko Ono to agree to the upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band project.

"The game blows my mind," said Harrison. "It's infinitely better than Rock Band 2."

===January 5, 2009===

'''The Beatles’ Catalog Finally Goes Digital Thanks To Norwegian Podcasts'''

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/05/the-beatles-catalog-finally-goes-digital-thanks-to-norwegian-podcasts/ Rolling Stone magazine online reports] that the Beatles' entire catalog will become available via a Norwegian podcast series:

:The Beatles will reportedly make a bulk of their musical catalog available as a free, legal download thanks to a series of Norwegian podcasts. In 2001, the Fab Four were the subject of a documentary series entitled “Vår daglige Beatles,” or “Our Daily Beatles,” in which Norwegian journalists told the stories behind every track in the Beatles official catalog in chronological order, with the tracks themselves being played after the story was told. Now, for the first time ever, the series is available as a downloadable podcast, marking the first time the Beatles music in any form has been legally available via download. Despite efforts to finally bring the Beatles to iTunes, Paul McCartney said talks between Apple Corps. and EMI Records have “stalled.”

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/05/the-beatles-catalog-finally-goes-digital-thanks-to-norwegian-podcasts/ Read the entire article...]

===December 2008===

On Murmurs.com, there's a reprint of a December 26, 2008 [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/arts/music/27beat.html?_r=1&ref=technology ''New York Times'' article] on what's going on with the remasters, by Allan Kozinn. It discusses what's going on (although no light is shed on the issues between the Beatles and EMI), the Purple Chick series, and the fans. [http://www.murmurs.com/forum/showthread.php?s=5bca8880b328b2099975c770330ec81e&p=2012636#post2012636 Check it out...]. It also references an addition to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles#2009_CD_remasters The Beatles entry on Wikipedia]:

:All albums by the Beatles (including Past Masters, Volume One and Past Masters, Volume Two) will be released newly remastered sometime in 2009 on CD. The 2009 remasters will replace the infamously poor quality 1987 remasters. Mojo Magazine's Mat Snow was invited to hear 10 remastered tracks from 1968's The White Album and stated that they were "Better even than we'd hoped."

The [http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49803 Audioholics Forum] has a good thread discussing the remasters, mentioning MOJO magazine's teaser about "sometime in 2009" and speculating on sound quality etc. Worth checking out.

===November 2008===

From [http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/11/26/sgt-pepper-stuck-in-nowhere-land.aspx The Motley Fool Financial Website] 
Nov 26, 2008

If Apple Corps is Sgt. Pepper, then EMI is the Nowhere Man.

On Monday, rocker Paul McCartney said that negotiations between the Beatles' record company and label EMI, which owns the rights to the group's recordings, have stalled. Each has a say in how and when The Beatles will publish to iTunes.

"The last word I got back was it's stalled at the whole moment, the whole process," McCartney told the Associated Press. "I really hope it will happen, because I think it should."

Us, too, Sir Paul. Apple Corps and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) became embroiled in a [http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2006/03/30/apple-cant-let-it-be.aspx trademark dispute] in 2006 that lasted [http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2007/02/05/apple-beatles-let-it-be.aspx about a year]. We've been waiting for the White Album on iTunes -- or maybe Help!, a personal favorite of mine -- ever since both sides decided to come together and work it out.

Do EMI and Apple Corps. know what they're missing? Certainly McCartney sees the value in digital sales, as do other labels. Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) recently reported a 28% year-over-year gain in digital sales. Universal Music, the largest label in the biz, said its digital take was up 33% for the first nine months of the year.

Perhaps EMI is the stumbling block. Apple Corps and Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Harmonix, the makers of Rock Band, last week struck a deal to create a Beatles version of the game, VentureBeat reports.

===October 2008===
There's quite a bit of noise now about The Beatles remasters, and [http://s3.zetaboards.com/Strawberry_Fields/topic/7038111/1/ this website] has a good thread on developments. Apparently, The Beatles music will be finding a digital home on MTV Games' Rock Band, according to [http://www.pcworld.com/article/153053/beatles_to_make_digital_debut_on_rockband.html this news article]. "MTV Games, creator of the hit game Rock Band, and Apple Corps, which owns the rights to The Beatles' music catalogue, announced Thursday (Oct 30, 2008) that they plan to create a title that will feature only music from the Fab Four."

===June 2007===
Beatles fans will probably have to wait until next year before they can buy the [[Fab Four's]] tunes from online retailers such as Apple's iTunes store, [[George Harrison's]] widow has said.

A recent settlement to a lengthy trademark dispute between Apple and the Beatles' company, Apple Corps, has cleared the way for the band to distribute its catalogue in cyberspace.

But [[Olivia Harrison]] told Reuters, 'We just have a few things to work out elsewhere.'

Specifically, all the Beatles CDs have been remastered - good news for fans who have long complained about the poor sound quality - and the organisation wants to get the artwork ready for the physical packages.

Asked if the catalogue would be available online by the end of next year, she said, 'Oh God, yeah. Hope so ... I don't know if it would be the end of this year, but it would be nice. Imminent, let's put it that way.'

[[Paul McCartney]], who has adopted an aggressive digital marketing strategy for the release next week of his solo album, Memory Almost Full, said last month that an online deal for the Beatles catalogue was 'virtually settled' - perhaps over the cheesecake he delivered to Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. But he, too, shied away from saying that anything would happen in the short term.

The Beatles are the highest-profile omission from digital retailers. While the dispute with Apple did not help, the band's organisation has traditionally adopted a conservative approach to new technology, including CDs.

'I think we're a little bit behind,' Harrison said, noting that it was 'ridiculous' that properly remastered CDs of the band's catalogue were not yet available.

'We [the band's members and widows] all agree. It's been done. It's just trying to now get it out there.'

She said that [[Neil Aspinall]], the recently retired [now deceased] businessman who oversaw the group's complex business affairs, had been busy in recent years on the remastering project.

'That's a big job. That means you have to go back through all the archives and find great photographs and really give a nice package to the fans.'

Aspinall retired in April and was replaced by Jeff Jones, an American music industry executive who specialises in deluxe reissues of classic albums. Harrison said Aspinall's departure was voluntary, dispelling fan speculation to the contrary.

But she said Jones would 'pick up the pace' now that the most recent project, a Beatle-inspired [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque_du_Soleil Cirque du Soleil] stage show in Las Vegas, was underway after years of preparation initiated by her husband before he died in 2001.

''Reuters and Simon'' Aughton[http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/114590/remastered-beatles-on-itunes-in-2008.html]

==The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1==

The Capitol Records LP's issued in 1964 were resurrected with the issue of this boxed set. Remastered from the original Capitol Records master tapes, these records were best known to American audiences before EMI's initial CD issue of the first four Parlophone LP's in 1987, causing their deletion. The initial effort to internationally unify the catalogue caused some state-side confusion, as the song programs and monaural sound deviated from the familiar product.

''[[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]]'' includes four CD's packaged in mini-album sleeves that mimic their vinyl counterparts. The titles are: [[Meet The Beatles!]], [[The Beatles' Second Album]], [[Something New]], and [[Beatles '65]].

[[Meet The Beatles!]], the group's iconic Capitol debut, was initially distinctive in its originality, featuring eleven Beatles compositions out of a program of twelve songs. [[The Beatles' Second Album]] relied somewhat more on covers and includes two of their best: John's landmark vocal on Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)", and Paul's one-take-to-glory shot of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally". [[Something New]] was culled from recording sessions for the Parlophone LP [[A Hard Day's Night]] and offers the cleverly constructed "Any Time at All", with its overlapping couplets, and "If I Fell", with one of John and Paul's best two-part harmonies.

The set is rounded out with [[Beatles '65]], perhaps the most notable inclusion for its underscoring of programming and artistic differences between EMI and Capitol. The corresponding Parlophone LP, Beatles For Sale features the most underrated cover photo in the history of rock with the Beatles staring in utter bewilderment. This is clearly intended to be a silent statement by the artists that the mania was taking its toll. Capitol replaced this display of candor for [[Beatles '65]] with a series of group photos that did nothing to alter their "happy moptop" image. The music, on the other hand, deceived no one who really listened: "No Reply", "I'm A Loser", and "Baby's In Black" left no question that the mood had darkened.

Although prepared from master tapes at least one generation removed from the original masters, [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]] offers some sonic improvements over the 1987 CD's. Each CD in the set includes both the early four-track stereo and mono mixes of the time for each song. The stereo versions in this set are audibly brighter with greater bass definition and vocal presence as compared to the previously available material, especially true on [[Something New]] and [[Beatles '65]], and are recommended at least until the remastered British catalogue becomes available.

==The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2==

The Capitol Albums Vol. 2 offers reissues of the group's four American LP's originally released in 1965: [[The Early Beatles]], [[Beatles VI]], [[Help! Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]] and [[Rubber Soul]]. As presented in the preceding box-set, all discs are packaged in sleeves that recall the original jacket designs and include stereo and mono mixes of each song. [[The Early Beatles]] is made up of eleven tracks from their British debut LP [[Please Please Me]] not previously released in album form. One of the disc's highlights is perhaps the Beatles' most popular cover of all time, "Twist and Shout". Capitol's choice to program "Twist and Shout" as the album's second track is somewhat curious in retrospect as this song was so often their concert finale, effectively taking down whatever was left up of the house. In comparison to the sound on the previously available Parlophone CD [[Please Please Me]] from 1987, it is worth hearing this remastered track (and several others on the disc) in stereo.

[[Beatles VI]] is derived from the greatest number of sources including two Parlophone LP's, [[Beatles For Sale]] and [[Help! (album)]], a B-side single, "[Yes It Is]", and a cover version of Larry Williams' "[Bad Boy]", which was intended only for American release. Although [[Beatles VI]] reached number one on the Billboard Charts and appeared for a total of 41 weeks, it is conceivable that by this point, Capitol's slicing and dicing of the Beatles' discography was becoming irritating to the artists themselves.

The incidental film background music on [[Help! Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]] is of interest only to hard-core completists and, unfortunately, makes up the majority of this set's third disc. Listeners who have purchased the [[Help! DVD]] from 2007 will have rendered this instrumental material completely inessential. From a standpoint of content, the Parlophone [[Help! (album)]] CD from 1987 is still far superior.

It is perhaps ironic that the last of the Beatles 1965 releases, [[Rubber Soul]], arguably benefitted from Capitol Record's programming changes. For it's American incarnation, [[Rubber Soul]] kicks off with Paul's "I've Just Seen a Face", raised in prominence from the B-side of the British [[Help! (album)]] LP. This, along with several other programming changes effectively set the tone for a subtley different, yet just as enjoyable listening experience compared with the Parlophone version of the album, as pointed out by [[Mark Lewisohn]] in the boxed-set's included liner-note book. It is notable that the version of [[Rubber Soul]] included here provided competitive inspiration for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson Brian Wilson] to create and produce The Beach Boys' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sounds ''Pet Sounds''], one of rock history's greatest achievements. In terms of sonics, listeners will note a clearer high end in the instrumentation, as well as improved bass definition as compared to the same tracks on the 1987 [[Rubber Soul]] CD.

==External Links==

* [http://www.thebeatles.com/core/news/ TheBeatles.com news release on 9.9.09 remasters]
* [http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/07/the-beatles-remastered-albums-due-september-9-2009/ RollingStone.com article on 9.9.09 remasters]
* [http://www.cnet.com/8301-13645_1-9869772-47.html Interview with Mastering Engineer Greg Calbi]
* [http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1196032146/ DM's Beatles Forums - Repackaging the Remasters Thread]
* [http://yourmothershouldknow03.blogspot.com Strawberry Lane - Awesome Beatles Sonics Resource]
* [http://www.bootlegzone.com/ BootlegZone - Documents most Beatle bootlegs]
* [http://threesrepeating.blogspot.com/2009/03/beatles-unauthorized-remasters.html Download Purple Chick Remasters].
* [http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Where-Are-Beatles-Reissues-316/ Gibson.com Article on Remasters - Mar 16, 2009]

Beatles Bootlegs

2009-07-09T15:58:47Z

Beatleboy:

==July 8, 2009: Dr. Ebbetts - Creater of Many Beatles Remasters from Vinyl - is Retiring!==

Dr. Ebbetts sent out [[Dr. Ebbetts Retires from the Beatles Remastering Business|an email]] to his many fans, stating that he'd heard some of the new Beatles remasters coming out on September 9, 2009, that they are far superior to his remasters from pristine vinyl, and that he'd no longer be offering his remasters and was abandoning his years-long project. As he said, he only initiated his project of creating remasters because the Beatles CDs on the market, produced in 1988, were inferior.

Dr Ebbetts took The Beatles blue box releases, which many believe is the best vinyl representation of the original Beatles recordings, and put on a beautiful polish. Digitally transfered from virgin vinyl and remastered with meticulous attention to detail, Dr. Ebbetts brought out the warmth and shine sorely lacking from the official EMI releases. The blue box collection of re-masters is considered by many to be the best versions of The Beatles albums available.

[[Dr. Ebbetts Retires from the Beatles Remastering Business|Read Dr. Ebbetts' email...]]

==Beatles Revolution Take 20 Surfaces==

===February 24, 2009===

A long rumoured "Take 20" of the Beatles' ''Revolution'' has surfaced. Mark Lewisohn had described it in his exhaustive and detailed ''The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years 1962-1970'' from 1988. Since word got out on this in late February 2009, the YouTube version has been yanked due to a complaint from [[EMI]]. I had a chance to download the MP3 and give it a listen, and it's amazing! Well worth the wait. '''Listen to it [http://nevergetoutoftheboat.blogspot.com/2009/02/beatles.html here.]'''

One source speculates Fred Seaman stole the tapes from Yoko's Dakota digs after Lennon was murdered. [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/GIS.Servlets.HTMLTemplate?tf=tgam/common/FullStory.html&cf=tgam/common/FullStory.cfg&configFileLoc=tgam/config&vg=BigAdVariableGenerator&date=20020316&dateOffset=&hub=headdex&title=Headlines&cache_key=headdexEnviro The Fred Seaman story...]

[http://riprense.com/Revolution.htm Great article on the track and the sessions by Rip Rense]

From [http://www.examiner.com/x-2082-Beatles-Examiner~y2009m2d24-You-say-you-wanna-revolution-New-Beatles-outtake-spurs-discussion-and-analysis-on-the-net Beatles Examiner]:

:A newly surfaced outtake of the Beatles' song "Revolution" from a bootleg CD is causing much discussion and buzz among Beatle fans on the internet.

:The song, RM1 of take 20, recorded June 4, 1968, clocks in at around 11 minutes and starts with an engineer announcing the take then John Lennon saying, "Take your knickers off and let's go." It also gives sonic evidence, as was documented by Mark Lewisohn in "The Complete Beatles Recording Session," that a lot of experimentation and improvisation went into "Revolution" before it was trimmed to the tighter version that was released on the White Album.

:The song then begins as "Revolution 1" does on the White Album, but the guitar strumming is extended. The differences continue with Lennon vocal experimentation and previously unheard sound effects. The end of the track features an almost comic chorus of "Mama, Dada, Mama, Dada" sung by Paul McCartney and George Harrison. None of this, of course, appeared on the White Album.

===Purple Chick Downloads===

You can download high-res versions of the Purple Chick remasters [http://threesrepeating.blogspot.com/2009/03/beatles-unauthorized-remasters.html here].

Dr. Ebbetts Retires from the Beatles Remastering Business

2009-07-09T15:53:20Z

Beatleboy: New page: Dear friends, I sincerely hope all is well with you and yours. Indeed, this is an unexpected mass-mailer. Please forgive the unsolicited rambles that follow. To start, there are many of...

Dear friends,

I sincerely hope all is well with you and yours.

Indeed, this is an unexpected mass-mailer. Please forgive the
unsolicited rambles that follow.

To start, there are many of you who have outstanding orders with me at
this time. Some of you have been waiting for a while, and I wish to
apologize for that. Please don't worry. Each and every one of these
outstanding orders will be tended to this week. You have my word.

I appreciate your patience and understanding.

Second, there has been considerable buzz surrounding the new Beatles
remasters, due for release in September. There should be. We have all
been waiting for this day, and it is about to arrive - finally! Thanks
to a long-time supporter and friend to this project, I have had the
opportunity to hear genuine samples of the new remasters due out in two
months.

They are good.

Very good.

Those of you who will be buying them - and those of you who have already
preordered - will not be disappointed.

In fact, I will venture to guess than many of you will be more than
pleasantly surprised at how good they sound.

And with what promises to be outstanding packaging all around, it will
be a collector's nirvana.

From the outset of the Dr. Ebbetts Sound Systems project, I swore that
once EMI did the right thing and released remasters to be proud of, I
would not continue doing what I was doing. After all, the only reason I
did this was because Apple/EMI/Capitol would not - and because I so very
much love the Beatles.

While my love for the band has not changed, everything else has.

EMI/Capitol began their release of the American LPs on compact disc a
few years ago, and now EMI has tackled the British catalogue in fullest
detail.

It's what we all wanted. As Beatles fans, it's what we've prayed for.

To that end - and with the heaviest of hearts - effective immediately,
Dr. Ebbetts Sound Systems will cease operations.

Many of you will recall that the entire purpose of the Dr. Ebbetts
project was to make available to the public the best sounding versions
of the Beatles' original LP releases - with emphasis on the American and
British catalogues. Believe me, it wasn't a hard thing to do considering
the substandard quality of the original CD catalogue from 1987 onward.

The fact of the matter is, the Dr. Ebbetts material does not - and will
not - sound better than what is coming commercially in September. People
I trust agree with me. The remasters sound remarkably well balanced,
with solid, punchy bass, smooth mids and not-to-harsh, yet crisp highs.
In comparison, many of the Ebbetts masters fall short - weaker bass,
dimished mids, and often too-bright highs.

It's a given that the remasters will not please everyone, but they will
be good enough to make the Ebbetts catalogue solidly inferior.

The artwork and packaging of the EMI material will prove to make current
Dr. Ebbetts releases look like Xerox machine fodder.

It pains me, seeing as I have invested so much time in this thing, but I
humbly and officially put this nearly-fourteen year project to bed.

I have outlived my usefulness in this hobby.

I know there are many who will ask why I just don't continue releasing
titles that are NOT being put out by Apple/EMI - foreign releases, rare
pressings, etc..

My reasons are complicated, but they are what they are. In short, if the
Dr. Ebbetts BLUE BOX set is not the definitive sounding version of the
original UK stereo LPs, then why issue them at all?

Many will remember the original BEAT CDs of the 1990s that presented the
Beatles US LPs sourced from cassettes. I surely do. They became
immediately obsolete with the advent of Dr. Ebbetts. No one bought those
BEAT CDs anymore when I came along. Why would they? At the time, my
material was far superior.

The Ebbetts BLUE BOX series was only issued because Apple/EMI's versions
were substantially inferior to anything I - or any number of
needledroppers - were putting out. The Ebbetts BLUE BOX set is at THE
HEART of the Dr. Ebbetts Sound Systems collection, in my estimation. If
that set is now inferior to the commercial release, then it has no
business existing. Suffice to say, I would not release the BLUE BOX set
today if new remasters were already commercially available.

I would have no need.

And if my CORE SET is inferior, I don't wish to have the rest of the
catalogue branded as such either.

Therefore, it is time to put it all on the shelf.

I am requesting that all of you who have LPs with me contact me as soon
as possible and let me know which ones are yours so that I might send
them back to you. I promise I will get those to you in short order.

So that your return LP requests will not be lost in what promises to be
a hectic e-mail shuffle, please put "MY LPs" somewhere in the subject
line.

Your generosity, kindness and willingness to share your treasured
possessions with me is something I shall never forget.

To each and every one of you who has supported me and befriended me
throughout the years, I wish to extend my deepest gratitude. Your
loyalty has moved me beyond words. This entire project began as a
fanciful hobby many years ago and has mushroomed into something far
beyond anything I could have imagined.

From every corner of the entire world, I have been blessed to meet some
of the best Beatle people out there. I will never forget you.

But now it is time to make way for the "big boys."

Please be sure to secure your copies of the remasters. I guarantee they
will replace your Dr. Ebbetts CDs in your rotations and playlists - as
they should. Display them proudly and let people know who the greatest
band of all time is.

Remember, quoting my project motto from all those years ago, it is ONLY
about the music.

That is why I do what I do today.

Now go put your hard-earned money to good use!

God Bless.

Drew

Revolution in the head

2009-06-28T06:28:42Z

Beatleboy: Revolution in the head moved to Revolution in the Head: Correct capitalization error.

#REDIRECT [[Revolution in the Head]]

Revolution in the Head

2009-06-28T06:28:42Z

Beatleboy: Revolution in the head moved to Revolution in the Head: Correct capitalization error.

{{Infobox book |
| name = Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties
| image = [[Image:RevolutionHead.jpg|230px]]
| image_caption = U.S. Paperback Edition, January 6, 2009
| author = Ian MacDonald
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| genre = Biog
| publisher = Vantage (USA)
| release_date = 1994
| media_type = Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
| pages = 544
| isbn = 0099526794 / 978-0099526797
}}

'''Synopsis'''

This book hit the mid-1990s pop-cultural scene like a bolt from the blue. Well over a quarter of a century since they was Fab, it might have seemed that everything worth saying about the Beatles had already been said, several times. At that stage, the suggestion that someone could produce a genuinely fresh perspective on this most catergorised, analysed, and anthologised of pop groups seemed only marginally less unlikely than the idea that a new band might emerge from the pop field whose music could hold a candle to the imperviously incomparable legacy of the world's best-loved Liverpudlians.

But MacDonald's words leap off the page with a freshness and sense of excitment reminiscent of, say, the opening seconds of 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'. A chronological song-by-song analysis of the Beatles' output, 'Revolution in the Head' manages to make that rarest of leaps: to transcend merely being an excellent study of its subject, and instead emerge as a worthwhile cultural artefact in its own right. Scholarly yet irreverent, highly serious but always richly entertaining, the book not only sends the reader back to the music it describes, but also repays repeated readings.

The worth, and impact, of Macdonald's work was summarised by UK newspaper The Guardian:

<blockquote>
In his book Revolution In The Head, first published in 1994, MacDonald carefully anatomised every record the Beatles made, drawing attention to broad themes, particular examples of inspiration and moments of human frailty alike. 

What could have been a dry task instead produced a volume so engagingly readable, so fresh in its perceptions and so enjoyable to argue with that, in an already overcrowded field, it became an immediate hit. Without a hint of sycophancy, MacDonald had managed to describe the magic created by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in such a way as to reacquaint those who were around at the time with their own original enthusiasm, while alerting listeners of later generations to the precise qualities that had made the Beatles so exceptional. Its introduction alone provides something close to a definitive evocation of the factors that turned the 1960s into 'the sixties'. 
</blockquote>

----

'''Focus'''

Oddly for a Beatles book, MacDonald focuses on the music, or - as he invariably puts it - the 'records' the group made. Every official Beatles recording is covered, some songs' entries rolling on for a number of pages, some dismissed with just one desultory paragraph. MacDonald achieves a remarkable blend of concision with comprehensiveness, offering up a range of thematic perspectives, from musical theory to socio-cultural analysis, to fleeting biographical vignettes which, by combining penetrating insight with elegantly vivacious language, add up to far more than the sum of their parts.

----

'''Structure'''

----

'''Style'''

MacDonald's style is, in a word, stylish. If you insisted on trying to unpick it, you could say it encompasses elements of academic, musicological, and - pace Frank Zappa - what might best be described as 'classic rock critical' modes. It's actually quite a difficult writing style to satisfactorily describe, but any adequate attempt would surely include such words as 'elegant', 'laconic', 'intelligent', 'direct', and 'precise'. It's simultaneously refined and gritty, often poetic, occasionally flamboyant. MacDonald, basically, writes the way you wish you did, Jack, if only you'd been born with an abundance of talent and then honed your skills for a couple of decades.

----

'''Content'''

Amid a slew of biographies, memoirs, chronologies, and cut-and-paste hack jobs, this book stands out as a lamentably rare study of the Beatles' music. It's a book written by someone who is a Beatles fan but who is also, above all, a critic: MacDonald's passion for the music of the Beatles resonates throughout, but he brings plentiful amounts of objective appraisal to bear upon what he considers to be their lesser achievements. If, when asessing the recorded output of the Beatles, 'lesser achievement' must always be considered a highly qualified term, MacDonald doesn't waste any time dwelling on such relativistic nicities: he routinely states his opinions as though they were incontravertable facts. Which is just as it should be; who wants to read a book full of caveats and imho's? MacDonald has a lot to say about this music, most sensible readers will probably agree with a good deal of it, and in any case half the fun is in having your own preconceptions challenged. The better the critic, the more the reader is likely to find himself equally enjoying agreeing or disagreeing with him.

Some examples? Starting with an easy one, how might the average reader rate 'A Day in the Life'? Great? Just so-so? MacDonald's assessment of the song's importance within the Beatles' canon, and his intriguingly incisive dissection of (some of) its layers of meaning, is preceded by a warning that "more nonesense has been written about this recording than anything else The Beatles produced." MacDonald refutes a number of myths surrounding the song, including the idea that it represents "a sober return to the real world after the drunken fantasy of 'Pepperland'", or "an evocation of a bad trip", or even "a morbid celebration of death".

Rather, this sometimes sombre but always ethereally beautiful work - which Macdonald hails as the Beatles' "finest single achievement" - is, essentially, a "song about perception":

<blockquote>
A song not of disillusionment with life itself but of disenchantment with the limits of mundane perception, A DAY IN THE LIFE depicts the 'real' world as an unenlightened construct that reduces, depresses, and ultimately destroys. In the first verse - based, like the last, on a report in the Daily Mail for 17th January 1967 - Lennon refers to the death of Tara Browne, a young millionaire friend of The Beatles and other leading English groups. On 18th December 1966, Browne, an enthusiast of the London counterculture and, like all its members, a user of mind-expanding drugs, drove his light blue Lotus Elan at high speed through red lights in South Kensington, smashing into a parked mini-van and killing himself. Whether or not he was tripping at the time is unknown, though Lennon clearly thought so. Reading te report of the coroner's verdict, he recorded it in the opening verses of A DAY IN THE LIFE, taking the detatched view of the onlookers whose only interest was in the dead man's celebrity. Thus travestied as a spectacle, Browne's tragedy became meaningless - and the weary sadness of the music which Lennon found for his lyric displays a distacne that veers from the dispassionate to the unfeeling.


On the next page in the same newspaper, he found an item whose absurdity perfectly complemented the Tara Browne story: 'There are 4,000 holes in the road in Blackburn, Lancashire, or one twenty-sixth of a hole per peron, according to a council survey.' This - intensified by a surreal reference to the circular Victorian concert venue the Albert Hall (also in South Kensington) - became the last verse. In between, Lennon inserted a verse in which his jaded spectator looks on as the English army wins the war. Prompted by his part in the film How I Won The War three months earlier, this may have been a veiled allusion to Vietnam which, though a real issue to Lennon, would have overheated the song if stated directly.



At one level, A DAY IN THE LIFE concerns the alienating effects of 'the media'. On another, it looks beyond what the Situationists called 'the society of the Spectacle' to the poetic consciousness invoked by the anarchic wall-slogans of May 1968 in Paris (e.g., 'Beneath the pavement, the beach'). Hence the sighing tragedy of the verses is redeemed by the line 'I'd love to turn you on', which becomes the focus of the song. The message is that life is a dream and we have the power, as dreamers, to make it beautiful. In this perspective, the two rising orchestral glissandi may be seen as symbolising simultaneously the moment of awakening from sleep and a spiritual ascent from fragmentation to wholeness, achieved in the resolving E major chord. How the group themselves pictured these passages is unclear, though Lennon seems to have had something cosmic in mind, requesting from Martin, 'a sound like the end of the world' and later describing it as 'a bit of a 2001'. All that is certain is that the final chord was not, as many have since claimed, meant as an ironic gesture of banality or defeat. (It was originally conceived and recorded - Beach Boys style - as a hummed vocal chord.) In early 1967, deflation was the last thing on The Beatles' minds - or anyone else's, with the exception of Frank Zappa or Lou Reed. Though clouded with sorrow and sarcasm, A DAY IN THE LIFE is as much an expression of mystic-psychedelic optimism as the rest of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The fact that it achieves its transcendent goal via a potentially dissillusioning confrontation with the 'real' world is precisely what meakes it so moving.


</blockquote>

Few in number are the Beatles fans who wouldn't rank that song highly. Even so, lodging the straight-faced claim that it's "their finest single achievement", is still a bold statement. And using unqualified terms such as 'the message is...' always runs the risk of seeming arrogant, didactic, or just plain wrong. It's a testament to the strength of MacDonald's work that such robust opinions never stick in the reader's throat. It should be made clear, also, that the above passage is just a few paragraphs excerpted from several pages on 'A Day in the Life'. The entry for that song alone is so rich and varied, so liberally studded with telling details and points for potential discussion, that it probably contains more wisdom and contention than the average critic could pack into an entire book. It's not so much food for thought as an intellectual banquet, to be returned to and picked over for weeks, if not years, to come.

On the other hand, consider MacDonald's opinion on 'Across the Universe':

<blockquote>

After the agressive sarcasm of I AM THE WALRUS, it is sad to find Lennon, some months and several hundred acid trips later, chanting this plaintively babyish incantation. [...] Lennon was impressed with this lyric, trying on several later occasions to write in the same metre. Sadly, its amorphous pretensions and listless melody are rather too obviously the products of acid grandiosity rendered gentle by sheer exhaustion. [...] While a Beatle, Lennon was rarely boring. He made an unwanted exception with this track.

</blockquote>

It's a characteristically trenchant dismissal of a song many readers might wish to defend. But, crucially, even the most indulgent tolerator of the Let It Be album's many over-eggings, will at least grant MacDonald a fair hearing. It's a sign of how persuasive a critic he is that the impulse is not to scoff at his harsh assessment, but to feel impelled to at least think twice before moving on.

MacDonald's song-by-song analysis of the Beatles' records takes up the bulk of the book. But it is preceded by an introductory essay, 'Fabled Foursome, Disappearing Decade', which sets the Beatles in historical and cultural context, and represents an attempt at resolving a central paradox arising from the group's relationship to the decade they did so much to define: with the passing of time, The Beatles' reputation has only become more and more enshrined and unimpeachable, yet the decade which they were so much a part of, has become reviled, despised and so misunderstood that it has effectively become 'lost'.

At the time, MacDonald says, "the spirit of that era disseminated itself across generations, suffusing the Western world with a sense of rejuvenating freedom comparable to the joy of being let out of school early on a sunny afternoon." But the decade has since become a key battleground for what are sometimes known as the 'Culture Wars', right-wing politicians and commentators tending to blame all of modern society's ills on the 'permissive' 1960s. Conversely, many on the Left have long sought exmplanations for how (and why) the various 'revolutions' and 'movements' of the Sixties failed, and these questions have fuelled some of the most insightful political fiction written about the era, notably Thomas Pynchon's 1990 novel 'Vineland', which shares many of MacDonald's themes.

It's obvious that MacDonald has very little sympathy for the Right's reductive and revisionist view of the Sixties, but readers looking for a robust defence of the idealistic impulses of the hippies and radicals whose sensibilities came to be seen as broadly representative of the generational spirit of the times, may also be disappointed. He certainly has plenty of positive things to say about them, especially when considered next to later social groups who looked on them with agressive disdain:

<blockquote>

The hippie outlook, if so hererogeneous a group can be said to have cleaved to one position, was by no measn flippant. Theirs was a kaleidoscopically inventive culture, actively devoted to the acquisition of self-knowledge and the promotion of fundamental social change. In rejecting the hippies, the punks of 1976-7 discarded only a caricature, coming nowhere near an adequate grasp of what they imagined they were rebelling against.

</blockquote>

As with his assessments of the Beatles' records, he doesn't hesitate to decry the more negative aspects of the young radicals of the era, noting that "the late Sixties' youth rebellion declined into an ugly farce of right-on rhetoric and aimless violence". But he also reminds us that "it would be a gross distortion to pretend that this was not substantially provoked by the stone-faced repressive arrogance of the establishment in those days."

MacDonald's thesis is a complex one, and can't be easily summarised. At its heart is his assertion that the "real movers and shakers" of the Sixties were not the student demonstrators, flower children, and 'beautiful people', but the greater mass of "ordinary people". The "true revolution" of the 1960s was "an inner one of feeling and assumption: a revolution in the head." The Sixties were, MacDonald points out, a transitional phase, rife with paradoxes and contradictions, not least that the social trends which seemed to sustain the more radical elements, were the very same forces which led to a fragmentation of consensus and rise of materilistic indiviualism, paving the way for "Margaret Thatcher's deregulated anti-society" in the 1980s.

<blockquote>

The truth is that the Sixties inaugurated a post-religious age in which neither Jesus nor Marx is of interest to a society now functionong mostly below the level of the rational mind in an emotional/physical dimension of personal appetite and private insecurity."

</blockquote>

A more bitter irony is that the Punks of the late 70s, and indeed the Thatcherites and Reaganites who dominated the zeitgest of the 1980s, had a lot more in common with the real spirit of the decade they so despised than they could ever bring themselves to realise:

<blockquote>

The irony of modern right-wing antipathy to the Sixties is that this much-misunderstood decade was, in all but the most superficial senses, the creation of the very people who voted for Thatcher and Reagan in the Eighties. It is, to put it mildly, curious to hear Thatcherites condemn a decade in which ordinary folk for the first time aspired to individual self-determination and a life of material security within an economy of high employment and low inflation. The social fragmentation of the Nineties which rightly alarms conservatives was created neither by the hippies (who wanted us to 'be together') nor by the New Left radicals (all of whom were socialists of some description).


So far as anything in the Sixties can be blamed for the demise of the compound entity of society it was the natural desire of the 'masses' to lead easier, pleasanter lives, own their own homes, follow their own fancies and, as far as possible, move out of the communal collective completely. The truth is that, once the obsolete Christian compact of the Fifties had broken down, there was nothing - apart from, in the last resort, money - holding Western civilisation together. Indeed, the very labour-saving domestic appliances launched onto the market by the Sixties' consumer boom speeded the melt-down of communality by allowing people to function in a private world, segregated from each other by TVs, telephones, hi-fi systems, washing-machines and home cookers. (The popularity in the Eighties of the answering machine - the phone-call you don't have to reply to - is another sign of ongoing desocialisation by gadgetry.)

</blockquote>

It's a persuasive view, though perhaps not one to win MacDonald any friends on either side of the ideological divide. One of the subtlest strands of his argument concerns the relationship between the way social and cultural changes were accellerated, and even brought about by, modern technologies of convenience, and the impact of musical and recording technology on the art of popular music, all of which are depicted as part of a steady cultural decline:

<blockquote>

"A malignant rot has spread through the Western mind since the mid-Seventies: the virus of meaninglessness. Yet this infection threatens all ideologies, Left or Right, being at root no more than a levelling crusade on behalf of the aesthetically deprived - a Bad Taste Liberation Front. The reason why cultural relativism has caught on is not because ordinary people read Derrida but because the trickle-down essence of Deconstruction suits both the trash aesthetic of media-hounds and the philistinism of Essex Man.


The destabilising social and psychological evolution witnessed since the Sixties stems chiefly from the success of affluence and technology in realising the desires of ordinary people. The countercultural elements usually blamed for this were in fact resisting an endemic process of disintegration with its roots in scientific materialism. Far from adding to this fragmentation, they aimed to replace it with a new social order based on either love-and-peace or a vague anarchistic European version of revolutionary Maoism. When contemporary right-wing pundits attack the Sixties, the identify a momentous overall development but ascribe it to the very forces which most strongly reacted against it. The counterculture was less an agent of chaos than a marginal commentary, a passing attempt to propose alternatives to a waning civilisation.


Ironically, the harshest critics of the Sixties are its most direct beneficiaries: the political voices of materialistic individualism. Their recent contribution to the accelerated social breakdown inaugurated around 1963 - economic Darwinism wrapped in self-contradictory socio-cultural prejudices - hasn't helped matters, yet even the New Right can't be held responsible for the multifocal and fragmented techno-decadence into which the First World is currently sinking as if into a babbling, twinkling, microelectronically pulsing quicksand. In the Nineties, the fashion is to reprove others for our own faults; yet even if we take the blame for ignoring our limitations and eroding our own norms over the last thirty years, it is hard to imagine much, short of fascism or a Second Coming, that will put Humpty back together again.

</blockquote>

It's not a cheerful outlook, but it would be hard to argue that it is not based on certain irrefutable truths.

That the twin phenomena of 'The Beatles' and 'The Sixties' were integral to one another is a theme which runs right through MacDonald's book. With subtle forcefulness, he uses the records the group made to illustrate how in tune with their times they were, and how they also played a role which was broadly similar to that played in America by Bob Dylan, in that they had a significant hand in shaping those times (although they had a much more globally pervasive effect). The Beatles changed the world; sometimes - indeed, maybe even mostly - when they weren't even trying to:

<blockquote>

Indeed, the American folk-protest movement had thrust plain speaking so obtrusively into the pop domain that every transient youth idol was then routinely interrogated concerning his or her 'message' to humanity. If it has any message at all, that of I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND is 'Let go - feel how good it is'. This though (as conservative commentators knew very well) implied a fundamental break with the Christian bourgeois status quo. Harbouring no conscious subversive intent, The Beatles, with this potent record, perpetrated a culturally revolutionary act. As the decade wore on and they began to realise the position they were in, they began to do the same thing more deliberately.

</blockquote>

It would be a mistake, though, to portray this as a 'political' book, or even one whose central concern was pop-cultural theorising. The vast majority of the text is made up of concise yet wide-ranging descriptions of the Beatles' music. The reader is compelled to come back and re-read any number of entries, not just to soak up more of the facts and insights, but to enjoy the elegance of the writing, to nod in heartfelt agreement (and, now and then, to reluctantly dissent), or just to indulge in the reveries this truly great book inspires.

It's a book that has to be read, and its many pleasures cannot be adequately summed up. A fairly representative sample might be this, the final paragraph in MacDonald's description of 'Happiness is a Warm Gun':

<blockquote>

In the end, the most purely Lennonian aspect of HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN is its extreme ambiguity. From an initial mood of depression, it ascends through irony, self-destructive despair, and obscurely renewed energy to a finale that wrests exhausted fulfilment from anguish. Grippingly uneasy listening, the track's tense blend of sarcasm and sincerity stays unresolved until its final detumescent downbeat.

</blockquote>

Elsewhere, in the entry for 'Help!', what MacDonald has to say about the finishing touches made to the song by The Beatles could, without too much adjustment, be taken as a pretty accurate metaphor for what MacDonald himself does:

<blockquote>

To finish, Starr overdubbed tambourine, and Harrison taped his guitar part, descending at the end of each chorus on a cross-rythm arpeggio run in the style of Nashville guitarist Chet Atkins. (This, and Starr's straight-quaver fills against the song's fast shuffle beat, are good examples of the group's care in painting characterful touches into every corner of their best work.)

</blockquote>

Every corner of this book is filled with characterful touches. You can look, but you will not find this level of writing in any other Beatles book.

----

'''Criticism'''

----

'''Editions'''

----

'''References'''

[http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2003/sep/08/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries Guardian Obituary]

[http://blog.ctrlbreak.co.uk/?p=86 Our Word is Our Weapon: Tribute to Ian MacDonald]

[[Category:Books About The Beatles]]

Main Page

2009-06-28T06:25:24Z

Beatleboy: /* A word about the individual song pages */

[[image:Sgt-Pepper-Remastered.jpg|thumb|175px|right|caption|[[Beatles Remastered]]]]

==Beatles Remasters Listed on Amazon.co.uk for 09.09.09 Release!==

If you search [http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Beatles%20Original%20recording%20remastered&tag=hyperartspynch07&index=music&linkCode=ur2&camp=1634&creative=6738 Beatles Original Recording Remastered] at Amazon.co.uk, you will be pleasantly surprised to see many of the Beatles releases '''available for pre-order'''!

[[Beatles Remastered|More info ...]]

==We're looking for Beatle fans who can write!==

'''If you'd like to become a contributor to this new Beatles wiki, [http://www.beatleswiki.com/mycaptcha/captcha-page.php we'd love to hear from you]. We need folks who are ''mildly'' tech savvy (can work in the Wiki format), can write well, and love the Beatles, particularly the obscure. A splendid time is guaranteed for all!'''

The immediate focus of this website is on the '''[[Beatles_Remastered|Beatles remasters]]''', whenever they may arrive in all their glory. Currently, all we Beatles fans have is the [[Love]] and [[Yellow Submarine Songtrack]] CDs; and there are the various fan-generated remasters (Dr Ebbetts and Purple Chick, and others) which are pretty amazing, but not nearly the final word.

Currently, this is a moderated wiki, and in order to become an editor/contributor, you'll need to request registration. [http://www.beatleswiki.com/mycaptcha/captcha-page.php '''Create an account.''']

We can help folks with the technical aspects of contributing to this wiki.

==A word about the individual song pages==

The approach is to have, on each song's main page, quotes from the Beatles (including George Martin, as well as other directly involved with the song at time), about the specific song, as well as the "infobox" (cribbed from Wikipedia), and the best-quality video available for that song.

We will be adding separate pages for each song for comment, interpretation, etc.

We hope there are some Beatles fans out there who'd like to be a part of this project.

Cheers!

==External Links==

* [http://fab4lyrics.stonegauge.com/about.htm Beatles & Copyrights]

Dear Prudence

2009-06-28T06:22:35Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Song
| Name = Dear Prudence
| Artist = [[The Beatles]]
| Album = [[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]
| Released = 22 November 1968
| track_no = 2 of disc 1
| Recorded = 28-30 August 1968
| Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]]
| Length = 3:56
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Label = [[Apple Records]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Tracks =
'''Side one'''
#"[[Back in the U.S.S.R.]]"
#"Dear Prudence"
#"[[Glass Onion]]"
#"[[Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da]]"
#"[[Wild Honey Pie]]"
#"[[The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill]]"
#"[[While My Guitar Gently Weeps]]"
#"[[Happiness Is a Warm Gun]]"
'''Side two'''

#"[[Martha My Dear]]"
#"[[I'm So Tired]]"
#"[[Blackbird (song)|Blackbird]]"
#"[[Piggies]]"
#"[[Rocky Raccoon]]"
#"[[Don't Pass Me By]]"
#"[[Why Don't We Do It in the Road?]]"
#"[[I Will (The Beatles song)|I Will]]"
#"[[Julia (The Beatles song)|Julia]]"
'''Side three'''
#"[[Birthday (The Beatles song)|Birthday]]"
#"[[Yer Blues]]"
#"[[Mother Nature's Son]]"
#"[[Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey]]"
#"[[Sexy Sadie (song)|Sexy Sadie]]"
#"[[Helter Skelter (song)|Helter Skelter]]"
#"[[Long, Long, Long]]"
'''Side four'''
#"[[Revolution (song)#Revolution 1|Revolution 1]]"
#"[[Honey Pie]]"
#"[[Savoy Truffle]]"
#"[[Cry Baby Cry]]"
#"[[Revolution 9]]"
#"[[Good Night (song)|Good Night]]"
}}

==Quotes==

{{cquote|Written in India. A song about Mia Farrow's sister, who seemed to go slightly balmy, meditating too long, and couldn't come out of the little hut that we were living in. They selected George and me to try and bring her out, because she would trust us.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1968}}

{{cquote|Prudence Farrow got an attack of the horrors, paranoia, an identity crisis and wouldn't come out of her Butlins chalet. We all got a little bit worried about her, so went up there and knocked., 'Hi Prudence. We all love you. You're wonderful!' But nobody could persuade her out.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1968}}

{{cquote|If she had been in the West, they would have put her away. She'd been locked in for three weeks and was trying to reach God quicker than anybody else. That was the competition in Maharishi's camp, who was going to get cosmic first. What I didn't know was that I was already cosmic.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1968}}

{{cquote|I'd been meditating since 1966 and had tried to get on the course in 1967, so it was like a dream come true for me. Being on that course was more important to me than anything in the world. I was very focused on getting in as much meditation as possible, so that I could gain enough experience to teach it myself. I knew that I must have stuck out because I would always rush straight back to my room after lectures and meals so that I could meditate. It was all so fascinating. John, George and Paul would all want to sit around jamming and having a good time and I'd be flying into my room. They were all serious about what they were doing but they just weren't as fanatical as me. The song that wrote was just saying, 'Come out and play with us. Come out and have fun.' We talked about the things we were all going through. We were questioning reality, asking questions about who we were and what was going on. I liked them and I think they liked me.|quotewidth=500px|Prudence Farrow}}

{{cquote| George was the one who told me about the song. At the end of the meditation course in India, just as we were leaving, he mentioned that they had written a song about me, but I didn't hear it until it came out on the album. I was flattered by it. It was a beautiful thing to have done.|quotewidth=500px|Prudence Farrow}}

[[Category:Songs]][[Category:Songs by John Lennon]]

Dear Prudence

2009-06-28T02:31:12Z

Beatleboy: add categories

{{Infobox Song
| Name = Dear Prudence
| Artist = [[The Beatles]]
| Album = [[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]
| Released = 22 November 1968
| track_no = 2 of disc 1
| Recorded = 28-30 August 1968
| Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]]
| Length = 3:56
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Label = [[Apple Records]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Tracks =
'''Side one'''
#"[[Back in the U.S.S.R.]]"
#"Dear Prudence"
#"[[Glass Onion]]"
#"[[Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da]]"
#"[[Wild Honey Pie]]"
#"[[The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill]]"
#"[[While My Guitar Gently Weeps]]"
#"[[Happiness Is a Warm Gun]]"
'''Side two'''

#"[[Martha My Dear]]"
#"[[I'm So Tired]]"
#"[[Blackbird (song)|Blackbird]]"
#"[[Piggies]]"
#"[[Rocky Raccoon]]"
#"[[Don't Pass Me By]]"
#"[[Why Don't We Do It in the Road?]]"
#"[[I Will (The Beatles song)|I Will]]"
#"[[Julia (The Beatles song)|Julia]]"
'''Side three'''
#"[[Birthday (The Beatles song)|Birthday]]"
#"[[Yer Blues]]"
#"[[Mother Nature's Son]]"
#"[[Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey]]"
#"[[Sexy Sadie (song)|Sexy Sadie]]"
#"[[Helter Skelter (song)|Helter Skelter]]"
#"[[Long, Long, Long]]"
'''Side four'''
#"[[Revolution (song)#Revolution 1|Revolution 1]]"
#"[[Honey Pie]]"
#"[[Savoy Truffle]]"
#"[[Cry Baby Cry]]"
#"[[Revolution 9]]"
#"[[Good Night (song)|Good Night]]"
}}

==Quotes==

{{cquote|Written in India. A song about Mia Farrow's sister, who seemed to go slightly balmy, meditating too long, and couldn't come out of the little hut that we were living in. They selected George and me to try and bring her out, because she would trust us.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1968}}

{{cquote|Prudence Farrow got an attack of the horrors, paranoia, an identity crisis and wouldn't come out of her Butlins chalet. We all got a little bit worried about her, so went up there and knocked., 'Hi Prudence. We all love you. You're wonderful!' But nobody could persuade her out.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1968}}

{{cquote|If she had been in the West, they would have put her away. She'd been locked in for three weeks and was trying to reach God quicker than anybody else. That was the competition in Maharishi's camp, who was going to get cosmic first. What I didn't know was that I was already cosmic.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1968}}

{{cquote|George was the one who told me about the song. At the end of the meditation course in India, just as we were leaving, he mentioned that they had written a song about me, but I didn't hear it until it came out on the album. I was flattered by it. It was a beautiful thing to have done.|quotewidth=500px|Prudence Farrow}}

[[Category:Songs]][[Category:Songs by John Lennon]]

Dear Prudence

2009-06-28T00:33:53Z

Beatleboy: New page: {{Infobox Song | Name = Dear Prudence | Artist = The Beatles | Album = The Beatles | Released = 22 November 1968 | track_no ...

{{Infobox Song
| Name = Dear Prudence
| Artist = [[The Beatles]]
| Album = [[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]
| Released = 22 November 1968
| track_no = 2 of disc 1
| Recorded = 28-30 August 1968
| Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]]
| Length = 3:56
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Label = [[Apple Records]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Tracks =
'''Side one'''
#"[[Back in the U.S.S.R.]]"
#"Dear Prudence"
#"[[Glass Onion]]"
#"[[Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da]]"
#"[[Wild Honey Pie]]"
#"[[The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill]]"
#"[[While My Guitar Gently Weeps]]"
#"[[Happiness Is a Warm Gun]]"
'''Side two'''

#"[[Martha My Dear]]"
#"[[I'm So Tired]]"
#"[[Blackbird (song)|Blackbird]]"
#"[[Piggies]]"
#"[[Rocky Raccoon]]"
#"[[Don't Pass Me By]]"
#"[[Why Don't We Do It in the Road?]]"
#"[[I Will (The Beatles song)|I Will]]"
#"[[Julia (The Beatles song)|Julia]]"
'''Side three'''
#"[[Birthday (The Beatles song)|Birthday]]"
#"[[Yer Blues]]"
#"[[Mother Nature's Son]]"
#"[[Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey]]"
#"[[Sexy Sadie (song)|Sexy Sadie]]"
#"[[Helter Skelter (song)|Helter Skelter]]"
#"[[Long, Long, Long]]"
'''Side four'''
#"[[Revolution (song)#Revolution 1|Revolution 1]]"
#"[[Honey Pie]]"
#"[[Savoy Truffle]]"
#"[[Cry Baby Cry]]"
#"[[Revolution 9]]"
#"[[Good Night (song)|Good Night]]"
}}

==Quotes==

{{cquote|Written in India. A song about Mia Farrow's sister, who seemed to go slightly balmy, meditating too long, and couldn't come out of the little hut that we were living in. They selected George and me to try and bring her out, because she would trust us.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1968}}

{{cquote|Prudence Farrow got an attack of the horrors, paranoia, an identity crisis and wouldn't come out of her Butlins chalet. We all got a little bit worried about her, so went up there and knocked., 'Hi Prudence. We all love you. You're wonderful!' But nobody could persuade her out.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1968}}

{{cquote|If she had been in the West, they would have put her away. She'd been locked in for three weeks and was trying to reach God quicker than anybody else. That was the competition in Maharishi's camp, who was going to get cosmic first. What I didn't know was that I was already cosmic.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1968}}

{{cquote|George was the one who told me about the song. At the end of the meditation course in India, just as we were leaving, he mentioned that they had written a song about me, but I didn't hear it until it came out on the album. I was flattered by it. It was a beautiful thing to have done.|quotewidth=500px|Prudence Farrow}}

Back in the U.S.S.R.

2009-06-28T00:25:34Z

Beatleboy: New page: {{Infobox Song | Name = Back in the U.S.S.R. | Cover = Back in the USSR.jpg | Artist = The Beatles | Album = The Beatles | B...

{{Infobox Song
| Name = Back in the U.S.S.R.
| Cover = Back in the USSR.jpg
| Artist = [[The Beatles]]
| Album = [[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]
| Border = yes
| track_no = 1 of disc 1
| Released = [[22 November]] [[1968]]
| Recorded = [[August 22|22]], [[23 August]] [[1968]]
| Genre = [[Rock and roll]], [[Surf rock]]
| Length = 2:43
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Label = [[Apple Records]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Tracks =
'''Side one'''
#"Back in the U.S.S.R."
#"[[Dear Prudence]]"
#"[[Glass Onion]]"
#"[[Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da]]"
#"[[Wild Honey Pie]]"
#"[[The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill]]"
#"[[While My Guitar Gently Weeps]]"
#"[[Happiness Is a Warm Gun]]"
'''Side two'''

#"[[Martha My Dear]]"
#"[[I'm So Tired]]"
#"[[Blackbird (song)|Blackbird]]"
#"[[Piggies]]"
#"[[Rocky Raccoon]]"
#"[[Don't Pass Me By]]"
#"[[Why Don't We Do It in the Road?]]"
#"[[I Will (The Beatles song)|I Will]]"
#"[[Julia (The Beatles song)|Julia]]"
'''Side three'''
#"[[Birthday (The Beatles song)|Birthday]]"
#"[[Yer Blues]]"
#"[[Mother Nature's Son]]"
#"[[Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey]]"
#"[[Sexy Sadie (song)|Sexy Sadie]]"
#"[[Helter Skelter (song)|Helter Skelter]]"
#"[[Long, Long, Long]]"
'''Side four'''
#"[[Revolution (song)#Revolution 1|Revolution 1]]"
#"[[Honey Pie]]"
#"[[Savoy Truffle]]"
#"[[Cry Baby Cry]]"
#"[[Revolution 9]]"
#"[[Good Night (song)|Good Night]]"
}}

==Quotes==

{{cquote|This just, sort of, came. Chuck Berry once did a song called 'Back In The USA,' which is very American, very Chuck Berry, you know. He was 'serving in the army and, when I get back home, I'm gonna kiss the ground,' you know, 'can't wait to get back to the States.' It's very much an American thing, I always thought. So, this one, 'Back In The USSR', was about, in my mind, a spy who has been in America for a long, long time. Some fellow who's been in America for a long time and he's picked up and he's very American, but he gets back to the USSR, and he's, sort of, saying 'Leave it till tomorrow, honey to disconnect the phone,' and 'come here, honey,' with Russian women, and all that. It concerns the attributes of Russian women, a sole element created by George's guitar and heavy brass.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1968}}

File:Back in the USSR.jpg

2009-06-28T00:17:24Z

Beatleboy:

Helter Skelter

2009-06-28T00:06:00Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Song 
| Name = Helter Skelter
| Artist = [[The Beatles]]
| Album = [[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]
| Released = 22 November 1968
| track_no = 6 of disc 2
| Recorded = [[Abbey Road Studios]] 9 September 1968
| Genre = [[Hard rock]]
| Length = 4:30 (Stereo LP) 3:38 (Mono LP)
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Label = [[Apple Records]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Tracks =
'''Side one'''
#"[[Back in the U.S.S.R.]]"
#"[[Dear Prudence]]"
#"[[Glass Onion]]"
#"[[Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da]]"
#"[[Wild Honey Pie]]"
#"[[The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill]]"
#"[[While My Guitar Gently Weeps]]"
#"[[Happiness Is a Warm Gun]]"
'''Side two'''
#<li value=9>"[[Martha My Dear]]"
#"[[I'm So Tired]]"
#"[[Blackbird (song)|Blackbird]]"
#"[[Piggies]]"
#"[[Rocky Raccoon]]"
#"[[Don't Pass Me By]]"
#"[[Why Don't We Do It in the Road?]]"
#"[[I Will (The Beatles song)|I Will]]"
#"[[Julia (The Beatles song)|Julia]]"
'''Side three'''
#"[[Birthday (The Beatles song)|Birthday]]"
#"[[Yer Blues]]"
#"[[Mother Nature's Son]]"
#"[[Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey]]"
#"[[Sexy Sadie (song)|Sexy Sadie]]"
#"Helter Skelter"
#"[[Long, Long, Long]]"
'''Side four'''
#<li value=8>"[[Revolution (song)#Revolution 1|Revolution 1]]"
#"[[Honey Pie]]"
#"[[Savoy Truffle]]"
#"[[Cry Baby Cry]]"
#"[[Revolution 9]]"
#"[[Good Night (song)|Good Night]]"
}}

==Quotes==
{{cquote|Umm, that came about just 'cuz I'd read a review of a record which said, "And this group really got us wild, there's echo on everything, they're screaming their heads off." And I just remember thinking, "Oh, it'd be great to do one. Pity they've done it. Must be great--really screaming record." And then I heard their record and it was quite straight and it was very sort of sophisticated. It wasn't rough and screaming and tape echo at all. So I thought, "Oh, well, ''we'll'' do one like that, then." And I had this song called "Helter Skelter", which is just a ridiculous song. So we did it like that 'cuz I like noise.|quotewidth=500px|[[Paul McCartney]]|1968}}

{{cquote|Helter Skelter means confusion. Literally. It doesn't mean any war with anyone. It doesn't mean that those people are going to kill other people. It only means what it means. Helter Skelter is confusion. Confusion is coming down fast. If you don't see the confusion coming down fast, you can call it what you wish. It's not my conspiracy. It is not my music. I hear what it relates. It says, 'Rise!' It says 'Kill!' Why blame it on me? I didn't write the music. I am not the person who projected it into your social consciousness.
Charles Manson, 1970|quotewidth=500px|[[Charles Manson]], on trial for mass-murder|1970}}

{{cquote|We used to have a laugh about this, that or the other, in a light-hearted way, and some intellectual would read us, some symbolic youth generation wants to see something in it. We also took seriously some parts of the role, but I don't know what Helter Skelter has to do with knifing someone. I've never listened to it properly, it was just a noise.|quotewidth=500px|[[John Lennon]], ''Rolling Stone''|1970}}

{{cquote|That's Paul completely. All that [Charles] Manson stuff was built 'round George's song about pigs and this one... Paul's song about an English fairground. It has nothing to do with anything and, least of all, to do with me.|quotewidth=500px|[[John Lennon]]|1980}}

{{cquote|The Who had made some track that was the loudest, the most raucous rock 'n' roll, the dirtiest thing they'd ever done. It made me think, "Right. Got to do it." I like that kind of geeking up. And we decided to do the loudest, nastiest, sweatiest rock number we could.|quotewidth=500px|[[Paul McCartney]]|1985}}

{{cquote|I was in Scotland and I read in Melody Maker that Pete Townshend had said: 'We've just made the raunchiest, loudest, most ridiculous rock 'n' roll record you've ever heard.' I never actually found out what track it was that The Who had made, but that got me going; just hearing him talk about it. So I said to the guys, 'I think we should do a song like that; something really wild.' And I wrote Helter Skelter.
You can hear the voices cracking, and we played it so long and so often that by the end of it you can hear Ringo saying,'I've got blisters on my fingers'. We just tried to get it louder: 'Can't we make the drums sound louder?' That was really all I wanted to do - to make a very loud, raunchy rock 'n' roll record with The Beatles. And I think it's a pretty good one.|quotewidth=500px|[[Paul McCartney]], ''[[Anthology]]''}}

{{cquote|Charles Manson interpreted that Helter Skelter was something to to with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. I still don't know what all that stuff is; it's from the Bible, Revelation - I haven't read it so I wouldn't know. But he interpreted the whole thing - that we were the four horsemen, Helter Skelter was the song - and arrived at having to go out and kill everyone.|quotewidth=500px|[[Paul McCartney]], ''[[Anthology]]''}}

{{cquote|I was using the symbol of a helter skelter as a ride from the top to the bottom - the rise and fall of the Roman Empire - and this was the fall, the demise, the going down. You could have thought of it as a rather cute title but it's since taken on all sorts of ominous overtones because Manson picked it up as an anthem, and since then quite a few punk bands have done it because it is a raunchy rocker.|quotewidth=500px|[[Paul McCartney]], ''[[Many Years From Now]]'' by Barry Miles}}

 
==Musicians==
[[Paul McCartney]]: vocals, lead guitar, bass 
[[John Lennon]]: backing vocals, lead guitar, bass, tenor saxophone 
[[George Harrison]]: backing vocals, rhythm guitar 
[[Ringo Starr]]: drums 
[[Mal Evans]]: trumpet 

==See also==
*[[Anthology 3]]
*[[Love]]

[[Category:The Beatles (The White Album)]][[Category:Lennon/McCartney]][[Category:Paul McCartney]][[Category:Singles]][[Category:Songs]][[Category:1968]][[Category:Songs]]

The Beatles: Rock Band

2009-06-23T20:34:03Z

Beatleboy: /* Release date */

==Development==
THE BEATLES INSPIRE NEW MUSIC VIDEO GAME; APPLE CORPS LTD., MTV AND HARMONIX COME TOGETHER FOR UNPRECEDENTED DEAL

30th October 2008

[[image:beatles-rock-band-1.jpg|thumb|250px|right]]Exclusive Agreement Set to Bring The Beatles Music to Fans for the First Time in Interactive Form Here, There and Everywhere in 2009

New York, NY - October 30, 2008 - The Beatles' extraordinary music and phenomenal legacy is set to rock across the universe in the form of a video game through an exclusive partnership between Apple Corps Ltd., Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

This partnership marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. Published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world's premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band, the game will be an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles. The game was creatively conceived with input from Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, and enjoys their full blessing. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE project, will provide his expertise and serve as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.

"The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out," Sir Paul McCartney said.

"It gives me great pleasure to be part of The Beatles / Apple and Harmonix / Rock Band partnership," said Ringo Starr. "The Beatles continue to evolve with the passing of time and how wonderful that The Beatles' legacy will find its natural progression into the 21st century through the computerized world we live in. Let the games commence."

"It's cool. I love it and hope it will keep inspiring and encouraging the young generation for many decades," said Yoko Ono Lennon.

[[image:beatles-rock-band-2.jpg|thumb|250px|right]]"People are having so much fun playing Rock Band. Combined with The Beatles tracks, it is a great way to either listen or participate," said Olivia Harrison. "If you like the music, it doesn't take much persuasion to get you to play."

"Introducing the genius of The Beatles to a whole new generation of music lovers through original and inspired ways is extremely exciting to us at Apple Corps," stated Jeff Jones, CEO, Apple Corps. "We are truly pleased to be working with the innovative forces at MTV and Harmonix as they embody our mutual passions for music and creativity."

"Many of us have been part of a generation that has long enjoyed an enduring love affair with The Beatles and now we're looking to extend that love affair for future generations to enjoy," said Van Toffler." "Our inspiration for this project comes from a keen sense of history and a place of utmost reverence and respect for the band, their music and their heritage."

"The impact of The Beatles is forever ingrained in the hearts, minds and souls of millions the world over," said Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks. "The Beatles are the reason many of us are WHERE we are, and some of us are WHO we are."

"We are honored to be part of this new way for people to discover the timeless music and art of The Beatles - the most creatively and commercially successful, critically acclaimed, and influential band in the history of popular music," stated Paul DeGooyer, MTV's Senior Vice President of Electronic Games & Music.

"By presenting their music and artistry through the creative filter of a groundbreaking video game, we are giving legions of fans and music lovers all over the world a profound, new way to experience The Beatles," said Alex Rigopulos, CEO and Co-Founder, Harmonix. "This game will be a celebration of the Beatles undeniable legacy."

==Release date==
PPLE CORPS LTD., MTV AND HARMONIX ANNOUNCE "THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND", WORLDWIDE RELEASE SET FOR 9/9/09

5th March 2009

[[image:beatles-rock-band-3.jpg|thumb|250px|right]]New York, NY - March 5, 2009 - Apple Corps, Ltd., Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), today announced the 9/9/09 worldwide release of The Beatles: Rock Band (http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com). The music-based video game, an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles, will be available simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Wii home videogame console from Nintendo.

The Beatles: Rock Band will allow fans to pick up the guitar, bass, mic or drums and experience The Beatles extraordinary catalogue of music through gameplay that takes players on a journey through the legacy and evolution of the band's legendary career. In addition, The Beatles: Rock Band will offer a limited number of new hardware offerings modeled after instruments used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr throughout their career.

The Beatles: Rock Band will be offered as standalone software and hardware as well as a limited edition bundle. The game will be compatible with all Rock Band instrument controllers and other current music-based video game peripherals.

Available on 9/9/09:
The Beatles: Rock Band Software - Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $59.99 MSRP
The Beatles: Rock Band Standalone Guitars - Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $99.99 MSRP
The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle: Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $249.99 MSRP
Please note: Pricing outside of the US to be announced at a later date.

The Beatles: Rock Band marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. The Beatles: Rock Band will be published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world's premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band. Electronic Arts will serve as distribution partner for the game. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album project, is providing his expertise and serving as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.

Exclusive content created by Apple Corps, MTV Games and Harmonix will be made available to fans over the next few months who participate in a pre-order campaign through major retailers. More details on The Beatles: Rock Band game and pre-order will be revealed in the coming months.

==World premiere==
WORLD PREMIERE OF THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND

1st June 2009

Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison Come Together for World Premiere of "The Beatles: Rock Band"

Unique Experiential Journey Through The Beatles' Career to Feature Introduction of Three-Part Vocal Harmonies, 45 Songs On-Disc and Reveal of First Downloadable Album, Abbey Road

"All You Need Is Love" To Be Released Exclusively as Downloadable Song Through Xbox LIVE on 9/9/09 with Charity Proceeds to Benefit Doctors Without Borders

Paul, Ringo, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison today came to the E3 conference in Los Angeles for the world premiere of The Beatles: Rock Band.

The game was revealed at Microsoft's E3 press conference, and represents the first time fans will be able to experience The Beatles' musical career for themselves. From the early touring days in 1963 Liverpool to the immortal, final performance on the Apple Corps rooftop, fans can follow in the band's footsteps as they traverse the globe during the height of Beatlemania.

Adding to the experience is the introduction of three-part vocal harmonies to game play, allowing gamers to revel in the unparalleled vocal stylings of the Fab Four. Beatles fans will also be thrilled to hear previously unreleased authentic voice recordings from John, Paul, George and Ringo chatting between takes during studio sessions recorded at Abbey Road more than four decades ago.

Of The Beatles' epic catalogue, 45 songs will be available on-disc. Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album project and Music Supervisor / Creative Producer for The Beatles: Rock Band, unveiled the first ten songs that will be available on the game-disc: "I Saw Her Standing There," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "I Feel Fine," "Taxman," "Day Tripper," "Back In The USSR," "I Am The Walrus," "Octopus's Garden," "Here Comes The Sun," and "Get Back." Additional songs will be announced at a later date. Along with these 45 songs, the entire Abbey Road album will be available for future download purchase, as will additional music from The Beatles' catalogue.

It was also announced today that "All You Need Is Love," will be released exclusively on Xbox 360video game and entertainment system from Microsoft as a downloadable song for The Beatles: Rock Band through Xbox LIVE on September 9, 2009 with all Apple Corps Ltd, MTV Games and Microsoft proceeds benefitting Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, personally selected the international emergency medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971 as the beneficiary of the proceeds from the sales of "All You Need Is Love" for The Beatles: Rock Band. Doctors Without Borders provides aid in more than 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. The organization is committed to bringing quality medical care to people caught in crisis regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation.

The Beatles: Rock Band story mode will take fans on an interactive, experiential journey through The Beatles career. Along the way, venues, set lists, clothing and instruments will replicate the band's rise to fame, represented in The Beatles' touring period from 1963 to1966 and their studio days from 1966 to 1969.

Pre-order Rockband From the Official Stores.

The game begins during the band's earliest days at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. Gamers will then travel across the Atlantic to experience the band's unforgettable 1964 performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the sold-out concert at New York's Shea Stadium in 1965, and conclude at The Beatles' memorable concert at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan in 1966. The Beatles' studio years will come to life in legendary Studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios. Highlighting the studio years are inspired artistic visual expressions known as Dreamscapes, intended to transport players to imaginative environments that capture the essence of The Beatles' genre-busting musical and fashion transformations during their later years. The game follows The Beatles to 1969 where story mode culminates with their final performance on the rooftop of the Apple Corps Headquarters.

The Beatles: Rock Band will offer a new set of hardware replicas representing the instruments made famous by John, Paul, George and Ringo. Featured in the set are the Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet guitars -hailed as two of the celebrated, signature instruments played by John Lennon and George Harrison throughout their careers. Also included is a Hofner bass controller - a large-scale replica of the bass famously used by Sir Paul McCartney. Rounding out the set is a Ringo Starr inspired, Ludwig - branded Rock Band 2 drum set with a classic pearl finish and vintage replica Beatles kick drum head.

The Beatles: Rock Band will be available simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories for the Xbox360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION3 computer entertainment system from Sony, and the Wii home videogame console from Nintendo on September 9, 2009. The game will be compatible with all Rock Band instrument controllers, as well as most Guitar Hero and other third party music video game peripherals and microphone.

==External links==
*[http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com/trailer.php Trailer]
*[http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com] TheBeatlesRockBand.com]

The Beatles: Rock Band

2009-06-23T20:33:45Z

Beatleboy: /* Development */

==Development==
THE BEATLES INSPIRE NEW MUSIC VIDEO GAME; APPLE CORPS LTD., MTV AND HARMONIX COME TOGETHER FOR UNPRECEDENTED DEAL

30th October 2008

[[image:beatles-rock-band-1.jpg|thumb|250px|right]]Exclusive Agreement Set to Bring The Beatles Music to Fans for the First Time in Interactive Form Here, There and Everywhere in 2009

New York, NY - October 30, 2008 - The Beatles' extraordinary music and phenomenal legacy is set to rock across the universe in the form of a video game through an exclusive partnership between Apple Corps Ltd., Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

This partnership marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. Published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world's premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band, the game will be an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles. The game was creatively conceived with input from Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, and enjoys their full blessing. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE project, will provide his expertise and serve as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.

"The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out," Sir Paul McCartney said.

"It gives me great pleasure to be part of The Beatles / Apple and Harmonix / Rock Band partnership," said Ringo Starr. "The Beatles continue to evolve with the passing of time and how wonderful that The Beatles' legacy will find its natural progression into the 21st century through the computerized world we live in. Let the games commence."

"It's cool. I love it and hope it will keep inspiring and encouraging the young generation for many decades," said Yoko Ono Lennon.

[[image:beatles-rock-band-2.jpg|thumb|250px|right]]"People are having so much fun playing Rock Band. Combined with The Beatles tracks, it is a great way to either listen or participate," said Olivia Harrison. "If you like the music, it doesn't take much persuasion to get you to play."

"Introducing the genius of The Beatles to a whole new generation of music lovers through original and inspired ways is extremely exciting to us at Apple Corps," stated Jeff Jones, CEO, Apple Corps. "We are truly pleased to be working with the innovative forces at MTV and Harmonix as they embody our mutual passions for music and creativity."

"Many of us have been part of a generation that has long enjoyed an enduring love affair with The Beatles and now we're looking to extend that love affair for future generations to enjoy," said Van Toffler." "Our inspiration for this project comes from a keen sense of history and a place of utmost reverence and respect for the band, their music and their heritage."

"The impact of The Beatles is forever ingrained in the hearts, minds and souls of millions the world over," said Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks. "The Beatles are the reason many of us are WHERE we are, and some of us are WHO we are."

"We are honored to be part of this new way for people to discover the timeless music and art of The Beatles - the most creatively and commercially successful, critically acclaimed, and influential band in the history of popular music," stated Paul DeGooyer, MTV's Senior Vice President of Electronic Games & Music.

"By presenting their music and artistry through the creative filter of a groundbreaking video game, we are giving legions of fans and music lovers all over the world a profound, new way to experience The Beatles," said Alex Rigopulos, CEO and Co-Founder, Harmonix. "This game will be a celebration of the Beatles undeniable legacy."

==Release date==
PPLE CORPS LTD., MTV AND HARMONIX ANNOUNCE "THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND", WORLDWIDE RELEASE SET FOR 9/9/09

5th March 2009

[[image:beatles-rock-band-3.jpg|thumb|250px|left]]New York, NY - March 5, 2009 - Apple Corps, Ltd., Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), today announced the 9/9/09 worldwide release of The Beatles: Rock Band (http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com). The music-based video game, an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles, will be available simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Wii home videogame console from Nintendo.

The Beatles: Rock Band will allow fans to pick up the guitar, bass, mic or drums and experience The Beatles extraordinary catalogue of music through gameplay that takes players on a journey through the legacy and evolution of the band's legendary career. In addition, The Beatles: Rock Band will offer a limited number of new hardware offerings modeled after instruments used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr throughout their career.

The Beatles: Rock Band will be offered as standalone software and hardware as well as a limited edition bundle. The game will be compatible with all Rock Band instrument controllers and other current music-based video game peripherals.

Available on 9/9/09:
The Beatles: Rock Band Software - Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $59.99 MSRP
The Beatles: Rock Band Standalone Guitars - Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $99.99 MSRP
The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle: Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $249.99 MSRP
Please note: Pricing outside of the US to be announced at a later date.

The Beatles: Rock Band marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. The Beatles: Rock Band will be published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world's premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band. Electronic Arts will serve as distribution partner for the game. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album project, is providing his expertise and serving as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.

Exclusive content created by Apple Corps, MTV Games and Harmonix will be made available to fans over the next few months who participate in a pre-order campaign through major retailers. More details on The Beatles: Rock Band game and pre-order will be revealed in the coming months.

==World premiere==
WORLD PREMIERE OF THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND

1st June 2009

Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison Come Together for World Premiere of "The Beatles: Rock Band"

Unique Experiential Journey Through The Beatles' Career to Feature Introduction of Three-Part Vocal Harmonies, 45 Songs On-Disc and Reveal of First Downloadable Album, Abbey Road

"All You Need Is Love" To Be Released Exclusively as Downloadable Song Through Xbox LIVE on 9/9/09 with Charity Proceeds to Benefit Doctors Without Borders

Paul, Ringo, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison today came to the E3 conference in Los Angeles for the world premiere of The Beatles: Rock Band.

The game was revealed at Microsoft's E3 press conference, and represents the first time fans will be able to experience The Beatles' musical career for themselves. From the early touring days in 1963 Liverpool to the immortal, final performance on the Apple Corps rooftop, fans can follow in the band's footsteps as they traverse the globe during the height of Beatlemania.

Adding to the experience is the introduction of three-part vocal harmonies to game play, allowing gamers to revel in the unparalleled vocal stylings of the Fab Four. Beatles fans will also be thrilled to hear previously unreleased authentic voice recordings from John, Paul, George and Ringo chatting between takes during studio sessions recorded at Abbey Road more than four decades ago.

Of The Beatles' epic catalogue, 45 songs will be available on-disc. Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album project and Music Supervisor / Creative Producer for The Beatles: Rock Band, unveiled the first ten songs that will be available on the game-disc: "I Saw Her Standing There," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "I Feel Fine," "Taxman," "Day Tripper," "Back In The USSR," "I Am The Walrus," "Octopus's Garden," "Here Comes The Sun," and "Get Back." Additional songs will be announced at a later date. Along with these 45 songs, the entire Abbey Road album will be available for future download purchase, as will additional music from The Beatles' catalogue.

It was also announced today that "All You Need Is Love," will be released exclusively on Xbox 360video game and entertainment system from Microsoft as a downloadable song for The Beatles: Rock Band through Xbox LIVE on September 9, 2009 with all Apple Corps Ltd, MTV Games and Microsoft proceeds benefitting Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, personally selected the international emergency medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971 as the beneficiary of the proceeds from the sales of "All You Need Is Love" for The Beatles: Rock Band. Doctors Without Borders provides aid in more than 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. The organization is committed to bringing quality medical care to people caught in crisis regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation.

The Beatles: Rock Band story mode will take fans on an interactive, experiential journey through The Beatles career. Along the way, venues, set lists, clothing and instruments will replicate the band's rise to fame, represented in The Beatles' touring period from 1963 to1966 and their studio days from 1966 to 1969.

Pre-order Rockband From the Official Stores.

The game begins during the band's earliest days at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. Gamers will then travel across the Atlantic to experience the band's unforgettable 1964 performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the sold-out concert at New York's Shea Stadium in 1965, and conclude at The Beatles' memorable concert at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan in 1966. The Beatles' studio years will come to life in legendary Studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios. Highlighting the studio years are inspired artistic visual expressions known as Dreamscapes, intended to transport players to imaginative environments that capture the essence of The Beatles' genre-busting musical and fashion transformations during their later years. The game follows The Beatles to 1969 where story mode culminates with their final performance on the rooftop of the Apple Corps Headquarters.

The Beatles: Rock Band will offer a new set of hardware replicas representing the instruments made famous by John, Paul, George and Ringo. Featured in the set are the Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet guitars -hailed as two of the celebrated, signature instruments played by John Lennon and George Harrison throughout their careers. Also included is a Hofner bass controller - a large-scale replica of the bass famously used by Sir Paul McCartney. Rounding out the set is a Ringo Starr inspired, Ludwig - branded Rock Band 2 drum set with a classic pearl finish and vintage replica Beatles kick drum head.

The Beatles: Rock Band will be available simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories for the Xbox360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION3 computer entertainment system from Sony, and the Wii home videogame console from Nintendo on September 9, 2009. The game will be compatible with all Rock Band instrument controllers, as well as most Guitar Hero and other third party music video game peripherals and microphone.

==External links==
*[http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com/trailer.php Trailer]
*[http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com] TheBeatlesRockBand.com]

The Beatles: Rock Band

2009-06-23T20:11:26Z

Beatleboy:

==Development==
THE BEATLES INSPIRE NEW MUSIC VIDEO GAME; APPLE CORPS LTD., MTV AND HARMONIX COME TOGETHER FOR UNPRECEDENTED DEAL

30th October 2008

[[image:beatles-rock-band-1.jpg|thumb|250px|left]]Exclusive Agreement Set to Bring The Beatles Music to Fans for the First Time in Interactive Form Here, There and Everywhere in 2009

New York, NY - October 30, 2008 - The Beatles' extraordinary music and phenomenal legacy is set to rock across the universe in the form of a video game through an exclusive partnership between Apple Corps Ltd., Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

This partnership marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. Published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world's premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band, the game will be an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles. The game was creatively conceived with input from Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, and enjoys their full blessing. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE project, will provide his expertise and serve as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.

"The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out," Sir Paul McCartney said.

"It gives me great pleasure to be part of The Beatles / Apple and Harmonix / Rock Band partnership," said Ringo Starr. "The Beatles continue to evolve with the passing of time and how wonderful that The Beatles' legacy will find its natural progression into the 21st century through the computerized world we live in. Let the games commence."

"It's cool. I love it and hope it will keep inspiring and encouraging the young generation for many decades," said Yoko Ono Lennon.

[[image:beatles-rock-band-2.jpg|thumb|250px|left]]"People are having so much fun playing Rock Band. Combined with The Beatles tracks, it is a great way to either listen or participate," said Olivia Harrison. "If you like the music, it doesn't take much persuasion to get you to play."

"Introducing the genius of The Beatles to a whole new generation of music lovers through original and inspired ways is extremely exciting to us at Apple Corps," stated Jeff Jones, CEO, Apple Corps. "We are truly pleased to be working with the innovative forces at MTV and Harmonix as they embody our mutual passions for music and creativity."

"Many of us have been part of a generation that has long enjoyed an enduring love affair with The Beatles and now we're looking to extend that love affair for future generations to enjoy," said Van Toffler." "Our inspiration for this project comes from a keen sense of history and a place of utmost reverence and respect for the band, their music and their heritage."

"The impact of The Beatles is forever ingrained in the hearts, minds and souls of millions the world over," said Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks. "The Beatles are the reason many of us are WHERE we are, and some of us are WHO we are."

"We are honored to be part of this new way for people to discover the timeless music and art of The Beatles - the most creatively and commercially successful, critically acclaimed, and influential band in the history of popular music," stated Paul DeGooyer, MTV's Senior Vice President of Electronic Games & Music.

"By presenting their music and artistry through the creative filter of a groundbreaking video game, we are giving legions of fans and music lovers all over the world a profound, new way to experience The Beatles," said Alex Rigopulos, CEO and Co-Founder, Harmonix. "This game will be a celebration of the Beatles undeniable legacy."

==Release date==
PPLE CORPS LTD., MTV AND HARMONIX ANNOUNCE "THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND", WORLDWIDE RELEASE SET FOR 9/9/09

5th March 2009

[[image:beatles-rock-band-3.jpg|thumb|250px|left]]New York, NY - March 5, 2009 - Apple Corps, Ltd., Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), today announced the 9/9/09 worldwide release of The Beatles: Rock Band (http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com). The music-based video game, an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles, will be available simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Wii home videogame console from Nintendo.

The Beatles: Rock Band will allow fans to pick up the guitar, bass, mic or drums and experience The Beatles extraordinary catalogue of music through gameplay that takes players on a journey through the legacy and evolution of the band's legendary career. In addition, The Beatles: Rock Band will offer a limited number of new hardware offerings modeled after instruments used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr throughout their career.

The Beatles: Rock Band will be offered as standalone software and hardware as well as a limited edition bundle. The game will be compatible with all Rock Band instrument controllers and other current music-based video game peripherals.

Available on 9/9/09:
The Beatles: Rock Band Software - Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $59.99 MSRP
The Beatles: Rock Band Standalone Guitars - Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $99.99 MSRP
The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle: Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $249.99 MSRP
Please note: Pricing outside of the US to be announced at a later date.

The Beatles: Rock Band marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. The Beatles: Rock Band will be published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world's premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band. Electronic Arts will serve as distribution partner for the game. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album project, is providing his expertise and serving as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.

Exclusive content created by Apple Corps, MTV Games and Harmonix will be made available to fans over the next few months who participate in a pre-order campaign through major retailers. More details on The Beatles: Rock Band game and pre-order will be revealed in the coming months.

==World premiere==
WORLD PREMIERE OF THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND

1st June 2009

Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison Come Together for World Premiere of "The Beatles: Rock Band"

Unique Experiential Journey Through The Beatles' Career to Feature Introduction of Three-Part Vocal Harmonies, 45 Songs On-Disc and Reveal of First Downloadable Album, Abbey Road

"All You Need Is Love" To Be Released Exclusively as Downloadable Song Through Xbox LIVE on 9/9/09 with Charity Proceeds to Benefit Doctors Without Borders

Paul, Ringo, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison today came to the E3 conference in Los Angeles for the world premiere of The Beatles: Rock Band.

The game was revealed at Microsoft's E3 press conference, and represents the first time fans will be able to experience The Beatles' musical career for themselves. From the early touring days in 1963 Liverpool to the immortal, final performance on the Apple Corps rooftop, fans can follow in the band's footsteps as they traverse the globe during the height of Beatlemania.

Adding to the experience is the introduction of three-part vocal harmonies to game play, allowing gamers to revel in the unparalleled vocal stylings of the Fab Four. Beatles fans will also be thrilled to hear previously unreleased authentic voice recordings from John, Paul, George and Ringo chatting between takes during studio sessions recorded at Abbey Road more than four decades ago.

Of The Beatles' epic catalogue, 45 songs will be available on-disc. Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album project and Music Supervisor / Creative Producer for The Beatles: Rock Band, unveiled the first ten songs that will be available on the game-disc: "I Saw Her Standing There," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "I Feel Fine," "Taxman," "Day Tripper," "Back In The USSR," "I Am The Walrus," "Octopus's Garden," "Here Comes The Sun," and "Get Back." Additional songs will be announced at a later date. Along with these 45 songs, the entire Abbey Road album will be available for future download purchase, as will additional music from The Beatles' catalogue.

It was also announced today that "All You Need Is Love," will be released exclusively on Xbox 360video game and entertainment system from Microsoft as a downloadable song for The Beatles: Rock Band through Xbox LIVE on September 9, 2009 with all Apple Corps Ltd, MTV Games and Microsoft proceeds benefitting Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, personally selected the international emergency medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971 as the beneficiary of the proceeds from the sales of "All You Need Is Love" for The Beatles: Rock Band. Doctors Without Borders provides aid in more than 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. The organization is committed to bringing quality medical care to people caught in crisis regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation.

The Beatles: Rock Band story mode will take fans on an interactive, experiential journey through The Beatles career. Along the way, venues, set lists, clothing and instruments will replicate the band's rise to fame, represented in The Beatles' touring period from 1963 to1966 and their studio days from 1966 to 1969.

Pre-order Rockband From the Official Stores.

The game begins during the band's earliest days at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. Gamers will then travel across the Atlantic to experience the band's unforgettable 1964 performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the sold-out concert at New York's Shea Stadium in 1965, and conclude at The Beatles' memorable concert at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan in 1966. The Beatles' studio years will come to life in legendary Studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios. Highlighting the studio years are inspired artistic visual expressions known as Dreamscapes, intended to transport players to imaginative environments that capture the essence of The Beatles' genre-busting musical and fashion transformations during their later years. The game follows The Beatles to 1969 where story mode culminates with their final performance on the rooftop of the Apple Corps Headquarters.

The Beatles: Rock Band will offer a new set of hardware replicas representing the instruments made famous by John, Paul, George and Ringo. Featured in the set are the Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet guitars -hailed as two of the celebrated, signature instruments played by John Lennon and George Harrison throughout their careers. Also included is a Hofner bass controller - a large-scale replica of the bass famously used by Sir Paul McCartney. Rounding out the set is a Ringo Starr inspired, Ludwig - branded Rock Band 2 drum set with a classic pearl finish and vintage replica Beatles kick drum head.

The Beatles: Rock Band will be available simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories for the Xbox360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION3 computer entertainment system from Sony, and the Wii home videogame console from Nintendo on September 9, 2009. The game will be compatible with all Rock Band instrument controllers, as well as most Guitar Hero and other third party music video game peripherals and microphone.

==External links==
*[http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com/trailer.php Trailer]
*[http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com] TheBeatlesRockBand.com]

File:Beatles-rock-band-3.jpg

2009-06-23T20:11:18Z

Beatleboy: Image from [http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com/trailer.php Beatles Rock Band Trailer]

Image from [http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com/trailer.php Beatles Rock Band Trailer]

File:Beatles-rock-band-2.jpg

2009-06-23T20:10:50Z

Beatleboy: Image from [http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com/trailer.php Beatles Rock Band Trailer]

Image from [http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com/trailer.php Beatles Rock Band Trailer]

File:Beatles-rock-band-1.jpg

2009-06-23T20:08:21Z

Beatleboy: Image from Beatles Rock Band Trailer

Image from Beatles Rock Band Trailer

Ask Me Why

2009-06-13T15:50:26Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single |
| Name = Ask Me Why
| Cover =Please Please Me 45.jpg
| Caption =
| Artist = [[The Beatles]]
| Album = [[Please Please Me]]
| A-side = "[[Please Please Me (song)|Please Please Me]]"
| Released = [[11 January]], [[1963]] (UK) [[25 February]], [[1963]] (US)
| Recorded = [[26 November]] [[1962]]
| Genre = [[Beat music|Beat]], [[Rock and roll]]
| Length = 2:24
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney|McCartney/Lennon]]
| Label = [[Parlophone]] R4983 (UK) [[Vee-Jay Records|Vee-Jay]] 498 (US)
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Misc = {{Extra track listing
| Album = [[Please Please Me]]
| Type = studio
| Tracks = ;Side one
# "[[I Saw Her Standing There]]"
# "[[Misery (The Beatles song)|Misery]]"
# "[[Anna (Go to Him)]]"
# "[[Chains (song)|Chains]]"
# "[[Boys (Dixon/Farrell song)|Boys]]"
# "'''Ask Me Why'''"
# "[[Please Please Me (song)|Please Please Me]]"
;Side two
# "[[Love Me Do]]"
# "[[P.S. I Love You (The Beatles song)|P.S. I Love You]]"
# "[[Baby It's You]]"
# "[[Do You Want to Know a Secret]]"
# "[[A Taste of Honey (song)|A Taste of Honey]]"
# "[[There's a Place]]"
# "[[Twist and Shout]]"}}
}}

{{cquote|It was John's original idea and we both sat down and wrote it together, just did a job on it. It was mostly John's.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney, ''Many Years From Now''|1997}}

"Ask Me Why" was first presented to a national audience via the BBC, on a show entitled "Teenagers Turn (Here We Go)", recorded on June 11, 1962, and broadcast on June 15, 1962.

It features Pete Best as the drummer in the broadcast, although Ringo Starr had replaced him by the time the song was actually recorded in Abbey Road Studios on November 26, 1962, at approximately nine o'clock pm.

Six takes of Ask Me Why were recorded,the sixth deemed as the best. This is a live version, with no overdubs or edits.

The song also appears on the Hamburg Star Club Tapes 1962 (the US version released in 1977 named "The Beatles Live! At the Star-Club in Hamburg Germany 1962")

It is a very obscure song, only mentioned by any of the Beatles in passing, most notably in reference to choosing a B-Side for "Please Please Me". It was between "Ask Me Why" and another Lennon-McCartney penned song named "Tip Of My Tongue" for this B-side, the latter ultimately being rejected by producer George Martin, citing it needed more work. "Tip Of My Tongue" was finally handed off to Tommy Quickly to record, which he did in July of 1963.

[[Category:Songs]][[Category:Singles]]

Beatles Remastered

2009-06-10T20:52:58Z

Beatleboy:

<seo metak="beatles remastered remasters remastering" metad="The Beatles remastered catalog will be released in September 2009. This page tracks the news about Beatles remasters." />

===June 10, 2009: Pictures of Remaster Box Sets at Beatles.com UK Store===

You can view images of the Mono and Stereo Remaster Box Sets at [http://www.digitalstores.co.uk/beatles/ the Beatles.com UK Store].

[[image:beatles_stereo_boxset.jpg|caption|Beatles Stereo Box Set|175px|thumb|right]]
[[image:beatles_mono_boxset.jpg|caption|Beatles Mono Box Set|175px|thumb|left]]

The first clear pictures of the remastered box sets are now up on the Beatles website UK store. The stereo set is listed at £199.99, which translates to $326.30 at current exchange rates.

The mono set is listed for £209.99, which is $342.97 roughly in U.S. dollars.

(N.B. It has been pointed out that the CD's spread out in front of these boxes do not look like the individual remastered CD's as advertised on Amazon etc. The CD's shown with the box sets do not have the distinctive sidebars with the Apple logo on them.)

===Apr 8, 2009: New York Times Article===

As has been [http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=beatles+remastered widely reported], EMI will be releasing remasters of [[#list|all 12 Beatles UK albums]] on 09.09.09. However, there is as yet no decision on their availability on iTunes or other etailers.

[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/arts/music/08beat.html?_r=2&hpw New York Times article...]

[http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2009/04/the_beatles_remastered.html Mojo Magazine article...]

===Apr 7, 2009: Beatles Remasters Announced for Sept 9, 2009 Release!===

[[image:Sgt-Pepper-Remastered.jpg|thumb|caption|Remastered CD - Cover Art|175px|right]]If you search [http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Beatles%20Original%20recording%20remastered&tag=hyperartspynch07&index=music&linkCode=ur2&camp=1634&creative=6738 Beatles Original Recording Remastered] at Amazon.co.uk, you will be pleasantly surprised to see many of the Beatles releases '''available for pre-order'''! The release date is set for September 9, 2009. OK, that's 09.09.09 (get it?) They are also listed at the UK online retailer [http://hmv.com/hmvweb/simpleSearch.do?searchUID=-6921789425232557408&pGroupID=-1&adultFlag=false&primaryID=-1&simpleSearchString=beatles+remastered&btnSubmitSearch.x=0&btnSubmitSearch.y=0 HMV]. It will be released simultaneously with "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game.

You can check to see if they're available for [http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=beatles%20original%20recording%20remastered&tag=hyperartspynchon&index=music&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 pre-order at Amazon.com USA], but as of 7:30pm PST on April 7, 2009, they weren't.

====Beatles.com News Release====
TheBeatles.com (the "official" site) has [http://www.thebeatles.com/core/news/ a news release] with details. Here are highlights:

:Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

:The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and 'Magical Mystery Tour,' which became part of The Beatles' core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987.

:A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. 'The Beatles in Mono' gathers together, in one place, all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release.

There's no mention of alternate takes or unreleased tracks.

====RollingStone.com Article====

RollingStone.com has [http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/07/the-beatles-remastered-albums-due-september-9-2009/ an article on the Beatles remasters]. Highlights:

:The press release didn’t include news regarding a possible deal with iTunes or another digital-music vendor to distribute the catalog digitally: “Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalog will continue. There is no further information available at this time,” the press release reads. Both Apple Corps. and Paul McCartney have expressed reluctance to release the Beatles’ music digitally until all the albums had been remastered. The solo work of each of the four Beatles is available on iTunes.

<div id="list"></div>

:The Beatles Remasters:

::*''Please Please Me''
::*''With the Beatles''
::*''A Hard Day’s Night''
::*''Beatles for Sale''
::*''Help!''
::*''Rubber Soul''
::*''Revolver''
::*''Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band''
::*''Magical Mystery Tour''
::*''The Beatles (The White Album)''
::*''Abbey Road''
::*''Let It Be''
::*''Past Masters''
::*''Yellow Submarine''

====All the Online News, via Google News====

[http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=beatles+remastered Just click here!]

===Beatles Remasters - When???===

Currently, the only Beatles tunes available in remixed and/or remastered from the original master tapes are on two CDs:

* ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' (1999)
* ''Love'' (2007)

Remixed at [[Abbey Road Studios]], the tracks of ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' feature many alterations and adjustments from the original stereo recordings. All of The Beatles songs included in the film are on ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'', with the exception of "A Day in the Life", which was not put in because EMI did not want too many songs from [[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]] to be included.

The ''Love'' album is a stunner and, as a teaser, shows what might be in store when the entire catalog is finally released. George Martin and his son managed to create an amazing "new" collection of Beatles material from the rich store of masters at EMI.

There are also two four-disc boxed sets that sound somewhat better than the late-1980s CDs:

* [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]] (2004)
* [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 2]] (2006)

However, the CDs in these two boxed sets do not contain the original George Martin mixes released in Britain in the 1960s. Instead, the CDs were mastered from mixes prepared by Capitol A&R executive Dave Dexter, Jr., who, in 1965 took the submaster tapes from Capitol Records' vaults and added reverb to several tracks and simulated stereo on mono tracks (the proof that these are Dexter's mixes being the false start on "I'm Looking Through You"). Initially, however, the CDs only used Dexter's stereo mixes, with the mono tracks consisting of the two stereo channels folded into a single channel. Dexter's mono mixes were made available on the second pressings of these albums. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Capitol_Albums,_Volume_2]

==The latest news on the remastering==

===March 18, 2009===

From: [http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/mar/18/beatles-digital-music-store guardian.co.uk]

The long-awaited, remastered Beatles' catalogue may finally be making its way to your computer sometime this year. But don't bet on it being on iTunes.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with the estates of the late John Lennon and George Harrison, are said to be looking into the possibility of releasing the material on their own website.

Talks between Apple and The Beatles to resolve royalty disputes have been on-again and off-again for years, and according to Harrison's son Dhani, the situation has reached a tipping point.

Harrison, 30, told Blender magazine that The Beatles' camp still isn't satisfied with what they're being offered by Apple, and they may go elsewhere to release the remastered catalogue.

:"We're losing money every day," said Harrison. "So what do you do? You have to have your own delivery system, or you have to do a good deal with Steve Jobs.

:"But he says that a download is worth 99 cents, and we disagree."

It appears as though Dhani Harrison, who has his own band called thenewno2, is having increasing pull in how The Beatles' business is conducted. Just recently he revealed that he convinced the surviving Beatles and Yoko Ono to agree to the upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band project.

"The game blows my mind," said Harrison. "It's infinitely better than Rock Band 2."

===January 5, 2009===

'''The Beatles’ Catalog Finally Goes Digital Thanks To Norwegian Podcasts'''

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/05/the-beatles-catalog-finally-goes-digital-thanks-to-norwegian-podcasts/ Rolling Stone magazine online reports] that the Beatles' entire catalog will become available via a Norwegian podcast series:

:The Beatles will reportedly make a bulk of their musical catalog available as a free, legal download thanks to a series of Norwegian podcasts. In 2001, the Fab Four were the subject of a documentary series entitled “Vår daglige Beatles,” or “Our Daily Beatles,” in which Norwegian journalists told the stories behind every track in the Beatles official catalog in chronological order, with the tracks themselves being played after the story was told. Now, for the first time ever, the series is available as a downloadable podcast, marking the first time the Beatles music in any form has been legally available via download. Despite efforts to finally bring the Beatles to iTunes, Paul McCartney said talks between Apple Corps. and EMI Records have “stalled.”

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/05/the-beatles-catalog-finally-goes-digital-thanks-to-norwegian-podcasts/ Read the entire article...]

===December 2008===

On Murmurs.com, there's a reprint of a December 26, 2008 [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/arts/music/27beat.html?_r=1&ref=technology ''New York Times'' article] on what's going on with the remasters, by Allan Kozinn. It discusses what's going on (although no light is shed on the issues between the Beatles and EMI), the Purple Chick series, and the fans. [http://www.murmurs.com/forum/showthread.php?s=5bca8880b328b2099975c770330ec81e&p=2012636#post2012636 Check it out...]. It also references an addition to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles#2009_CD_remasters The Beatles entry on Wikipedia]:

:All albums by the Beatles (including Past Masters, Volume One and Past Masters, Volume Two) will be released newly remastered sometime in 2009 on CD. The 2009 remasters will replace the infamously poor quality 1987 remasters. Mojo Magazine's Mat Snow was invited to hear 10 remastered tracks from 1968's The White Album and stated that they were "Better even than we'd hoped."

The [http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49803 Audioholics Forum] has a good thread discussing the remasters, mentioning MOJO magazine's teaser about "sometime in 2009" and speculating on sound quality etc. Worth checking out.

===November 2008===

From [http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/11/26/sgt-pepper-stuck-in-nowhere-land.aspx The Motley Fool Financial Website] 
Nov 26, 2008

If Apple Corps is Sgt. Pepper, then EMI is the Nowhere Man.

On Monday, rocker Paul McCartney said that negotiations between the Beatles' record company and label EMI, which owns the rights to the group's recordings, have stalled. Each has a say in how and when The Beatles will publish to iTunes.

"The last word I got back was it's stalled at the whole moment, the whole process," McCartney told the Associated Press. "I really hope it will happen, because I think it should."

Us, too, Sir Paul. Apple Corps and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) became embroiled in a [http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2006/03/30/apple-cant-let-it-be.aspx trademark dispute] in 2006 that lasted [http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2007/02/05/apple-beatles-let-it-be.aspx about a year]. We've been waiting for the White Album on iTunes -- or maybe Help!, a personal favorite of mine -- ever since both sides decided to come together and work it out.

Do EMI and Apple Corps. know what they're missing? Certainly McCartney sees the value in digital sales, as do other labels. Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) recently reported a 28% year-over-year gain in digital sales. Universal Music, the largest label in the biz, said its digital take was up 33% for the first nine months of the year.

Perhaps EMI is the stumbling block. Apple Corps and Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Harmonix, the makers of Rock Band, last week struck a deal to create a Beatles version of the game, VentureBeat reports.

===October 2008===
There's quite a bit of noise now about The Beatles remasters, and [http://s3.zetaboards.com/Strawberry_Fields/topic/7038111/1/ this website] has a good thread on developments. Apparently, The Beatles music will be finding a digital home on MTV Games' Rock Band, according to [http://www.pcworld.com/article/153053/beatles_to_make_digital_debut_on_rockband.html this news article]. "MTV Games, creator of the hit game Rock Band, and Apple Corps, which owns the rights to The Beatles' music catalogue, announced Thursday (Oct 30, 2008) that they plan to create a title that will feature only music from the Fab Four."

===June 2007===
Beatles fans will probably have to wait until next year before they can buy the [[Fab Four's]] tunes from online retailers such as Apple's iTunes store, [[George Harrison's]] widow has said.

A recent settlement to a lengthy trademark dispute between Apple and the Beatles' company, Apple Corps, has cleared the way for the band to distribute its catalogue in cyberspace.

But [[Olivia Harrison]] told Reuters, 'We just have a few things to work out elsewhere.'

Specifically, all the Beatles CDs have been remastered - good news for fans who have long complained about the poor sound quality - and the organisation wants to get the artwork ready for the physical packages.

Asked if the catalogue would be available online by the end of next year, she said, 'Oh God, yeah. Hope so ... I don't know if it would be the end of this year, but it would be nice. Imminent, let's put it that way.'

[[Paul McCartney]], who has adopted an aggressive digital marketing strategy for the release next week of his solo album, Memory Almost Full, said last month that an online deal for the Beatles catalogue was 'virtually settled' - perhaps over the cheesecake he delivered to Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. But he, too, shied away from saying that anything would happen in the short term.

The Beatles are the highest-profile omission from digital retailers. While the dispute with Apple did not help, the band's organisation has traditionally adopted a conservative approach to new technology, including CDs.

'I think we're a little bit behind,' Harrison said, noting that it was 'ridiculous' that properly remastered CDs of the band's catalogue were not yet available.

'We [the band's members and widows] all agree. It's been done. It's just trying to now get it out there.'

She said that [[Neil Aspinall]], the recently retired [now deceased] businessman who oversaw the group's complex business affairs, had been busy in recent years on the remastering project.

'That's a big job. That means you have to go back through all the archives and find great photographs and really give a nice package to the fans.'

Aspinall retired in April and was replaced by Jeff Jones, an American music industry executive who specialises in deluxe reissues of classic albums. Harrison said Aspinall's departure was voluntary, dispelling fan speculation to the contrary.

But she said Jones would 'pick up the pace' now that the most recent project, a Beatle-inspired [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque_du_Soleil Cirque du Soleil] stage show in Las Vegas, was underway after years of preparation initiated by her husband before he died in 2001.

''Reuters and Simon'' Aughton[http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/114590/remastered-beatles-on-itunes-in-2008.html]

==The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1==

The Capitol Records LP's issued in 1964 were resurrected with the issue of this boxed set. Remastered from the original Capitol Records master tapes, these records were best known to American audiences before EMI's initial CD issue of the first four Parlophone LP's in 1987, causing their deletion. The initial effort to internationally unify the catalogue caused some state-side confusion, as the song programs and monaural sound deviated from the familiar product.

''[[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]]'' includes four CD's packaged in mini-album sleeves that mimic their vinyl counterparts. The titles are: [[Meet The Beatles!]], [[The Beatles' Second Album]], [[Something New]], and [[Beatles '65]].

[[Meet The Beatles!]], the group's iconic Capitol debut, was initially distinctive in its originality, featuring eleven Beatles compositions out of a program of twelve songs. [[The Beatles' Second Album]] relied somewhat more on covers and includes two of their best: John's landmark vocal on Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)", and Paul's one-take-to-glory shot of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally". [[Something New]] was culled from recording sessions for the Parlophone LP [[A Hard Day's Night]] and offers the cleverly constructed "Any Time at All", with its overlapping couplets, and "If I Fell", with one of John and Paul's best two-part harmonies.

The set is rounded out with [[Beatles '65]], perhaps the most notable inclusion for its underscoring of programming and artistic differences between EMI and Capitol. The corresponding Parlophone LP, Beatles For Sale features the most underrated cover photo in the history of rock with the Beatles staring in utter bewilderment. This is clearly intended to be a silent statement by the artists that the mania was taking its toll. Capitol replaced this display of candor for [[Beatles '65]] with a series of group photos that did nothing to alter their "happy moptop" image. The music, on the other hand, deceived no one who really listened: "No Reply", "I'm A Loser", and "Baby's In Black" left no question that the mood had darkened.

Although prepared from master tapes at least one generation removed from the original masters, [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]] offers some sonic improvements over the 1987 CD's. Each CD in the set includes both the early four-track stereo and mono mixes of the time for each song. The stereo versions in this set are audibly brighter with greater bass definition and vocal presence as compared to the previously available material, especially true on [[Something New]] and [[Beatles '65]], and are recommended at least until the remastered British catalogue becomes available.

==The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2==

The Capitol Albums Vol. 2 offers reissues of the group's four American LP's originally released in 1965: [[The Early Beatles]], [[Beatles VI]], [[Help! Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]] and [[Rubber Soul]]. As presented in the preceding box-set, all discs are packaged in sleeves that recall the original jacket designs and include stereo and mono mixes of each song. [[The Early Beatles]] is made up of eleven tracks from their British debut LP [[Please Please Me]] not previously released in album form. One of the disc's highlights is perhaps the Beatles' most popular cover of all time, "Twist and Shout". Capitol's choice to program "Twist and Shout" as the album's second track is somewhat curious in retrospect as this song was so often their concert finale, effectively taking down whatever was left up of the house. In comparison to the sound on the previously available Parlophone CD [[Please Please Me]] from 1987, it is worth hearing this remastered track (and several others on the disc) in stereo.

[[Beatles VI]] is derived from the greatest number of sources including two Parlophone LP's, [[Beatles For Sale]] and [[Help! (album)]], a B-side single, "[Yes It Is]", and a cover version of Larry Williams' "[Bad Boy]", which was intended only for American release. Although [[Beatles VI]] reached number one on the Billboard Charts and appeared for a total of 41 weeks, it is conceivable that by this point, Capitol's slicing and dicing of the Beatles' discography was becoming irritating to the artists themselves.

The incidental film background music on [[Help! Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]] is of interest only to hard-core completists and, unfortunately, makes up the majority of this set's third disc. Listeners who have purchased the [[Help! DVD]] from 2007 will have rendered this instrumental material completely inessential. From a standpoint of content, the Parlophone [[Help! (album)]] CD from 1987 is still far superior.

It is perhaps ironic that the last of the Beatles 1965 releases, [[Rubber Soul]], arguably benefitted from Capitol Record's programming changes. For it's American incarnation, [[Rubber Soul]] kicks off with Paul's "I've Just Seen a Face", raised in prominence from the B-side of the British [[Help! (album)]] LP. This, along with several other programming changes effectively set the tone for a subtley different, yet just as enjoyable listening experience compared with the Parlophone version of the album, as pointed out by [[Mark Lewisohn]] in the boxed-set's included liner-note book. It is notable that the version of [[Rubber Soul]] included here provided competitive inspiration for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson Brian Wilson] to create and produce The Beach Boys' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sounds ''Pet Sounds''], one of rock history's greatest achievements. In terms of sonics, listeners will note a clearer high end in the instrumentation, as well as improved bass definition as compared to the same tracks on the 1987 [[Rubber Soul]] CD.

==External Links==

* [http://www.thebeatles.com/core/news/ TheBeatles.com news release on 9.9.09 remasters]
* [http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/07/the-beatles-remastered-albums-due-september-9-2009/ RollingStone.com article on 9.9.09 remasters]
* [http://www.cnet.com/8301-13645_1-9869772-47.html Interview with Mastering Engineer Greg Calbi]
* [http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1196032146/ DM's Beatles Forums - Repackaging the Remasters Thread]
* [http://yourmothershouldknow03.blogspot.com Strawberry Lane - Awesome Beatles Sonics Resource]
* [http://www.bootlegzone.com/ BootlegZone - Documents most Beatle bootlegs]
* [http://threesrepeating.blogspot.com/2009/03/beatles-unauthorized-remasters.html Download Purple Chick Remasters].
* [http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Where-Are-Beatles-Reissues-316/ Gibson.com Article on Remasters - Mar 16, 2009]

Beatles Remastered

2009-06-10T20:51:56Z

Beatleboy: /* June 10, 2009: Pictures of Remaster Box Sets at Beatles.com UK Store */

File:Beatles mono boxset.jpg

2009-06-10T20:51:23Z

Beatleboy:

File:Beatles stereo boxset.jpg

2009-06-10T20:50:06Z

Beatleboy:

Beatles Remastered

2009-06-10T19:29:55Z

Beatleboy:

<seo metak="beatles remastered remasters remastering" metad="The Beatles remastered catalog will be released in September 2009. This page tracks the news about Beatles remasters." />

===June 10, 2009: Pictures of Remaster Box Sets at Beatles.com UK Store===

You can view images of the Mono and Stereo Remaster Box Sets at [http://www.digitalstores.co.uk/beatles/ the Beatles.com UK Store].

[[image:beatles_stereo_boxset.jpg|caption|Beatles Stereo Box Set|175px|thumb|right]]

The first clear pictures of the remastered box sets are now up on the Beatles website UK store. The stereo set is listed at £199.99, which translates to $326.30 at current exchange rates.

[[image:beatles_stereo_boxset.jpg|caption|Beatles Stereo Box Set|175px|thumb|left]]

The mono set is listed for £209.99, which is $342.97 roughly in U.S. dollars.

===Apr 8, 2009: New York Times Article===

As has been [http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=beatles+remastered widely reported], EMI will be releasing remasters of [[#list|all 12 Beatles UK albums]] on 09.09.09. However, there is as yet no decision on their availability on iTunes or other etailers.

[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/arts/music/08beat.html?_r=2&hpw New York Times article...]

[http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2009/04/the_beatles_remastered.html Mojo Magazine article...]

===Apr 7, 2009: Beatles Remasters Announced for Sept 9, 2009 Release!===

[[image:Sgt-Pepper-Remastered.jpg|thumb|caption|Remastered CD - Cover Art|175px|right]]If you search [http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Beatles%20Original%20recording%20remastered&tag=hyperartspynch07&index=music&linkCode=ur2&camp=1634&creative=6738 Beatles Original Recording Remastered] at Amazon.co.uk, you will be pleasantly surprised to see many of the Beatles releases '''available for pre-order'''! The release date is set for September 9, 2009. OK, that's 09.09.09 (get it?) They are also listed at the UK online retailer [http://hmv.com/hmvweb/simpleSearch.do?searchUID=-6921789425232557408&pGroupID=-1&adultFlag=false&primaryID=-1&simpleSearchString=beatles+remastered&btnSubmitSearch.x=0&btnSubmitSearch.y=0 HMV]. It will be released simultaneously with "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game.

You can check to see if they're available for [http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=beatles%20original%20recording%20remastered&tag=hyperartspynchon&index=music&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 pre-order at Amazon.com USA], but as of 7:30pm PST on April 7, 2009, they weren't.

====Beatles.com News Release====
TheBeatles.com (the "official" site) has [http://www.thebeatles.com/core/news/ a news release] with details. Here are highlights:

:Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

:The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and 'Magical Mystery Tour,' which became part of The Beatles' core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987.

:A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. 'The Beatles in Mono' gathers together, in one place, all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release.

There's no mention of alternate takes or unreleased tracks.

====RollingStone.com Article====

RollingStone.com has [http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/07/the-beatles-remastered-albums-due-september-9-2009/ an article on the Beatles remasters]. Highlights:

:The press release didn’t include news regarding a possible deal with iTunes or another digital-music vendor to distribute the catalog digitally: “Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalog will continue. There is no further information available at this time,” the press release reads. Both Apple Corps. and Paul McCartney have expressed reluctance to release the Beatles’ music digitally until all the albums had been remastered. The solo work of each of the four Beatles is available on iTunes.

<div id="list"></div>

:The Beatles Remasters:

::*''Please Please Me''
::*''With the Beatles''
::*''A Hard Day’s Night''
::*''Beatles for Sale''
::*''Help!''
::*''Rubber Soul''
::*''Revolver''
::*''Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band''
::*''Magical Mystery Tour''
::*''The Beatles (The White Album)''
::*''Abbey Road''
::*''Let It Be''
::*''Past Masters''
::*''Yellow Submarine''

====All the Online News, via Google News====

[http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=beatles+remastered Just click here!]

===Beatles Remasters - When???===

Currently, the only Beatles tunes available in remixed and/or remastered from the original master tapes are on two CDs:

* ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' (1999)
* ''Love'' (2007)

Remixed at [[Abbey Road Studios]], the tracks of ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' feature many alterations and adjustments from the original stereo recordings. All of The Beatles songs included in the film are on ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'', with the exception of "A Day in the Life", which was not put in because EMI did not want too many songs from [[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]] to be included.

The ''Love'' album is a stunner and, as a teaser, shows what might be in store when the entire catalog is finally released. George Martin and his son managed to create an amazing "new" collection of Beatles material from the rich store of masters at EMI.

There are also two four-disc boxed sets that sound somewhat better than the late-1980s CDs:

* [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]] (2004)
* [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 2]] (2006)

However, the CDs in these two boxed sets do not contain the original George Martin mixes released in Britain in the 1960s. Instead, the CDs were mastered from mixes prepared by Capitol A&R executive Dave Dexter, Jr., who, in 1965 took the submaster tapes from Capitol Records' vaults and added reverb to several tracks and simulated stereo on mono tracks (the proof that these are Dexter's mixes being the false start on "I'm Looking Through You"). Initially, however, the CDs only used Dexter's stereo mixes, with the mono tracks consisting of the two stereo channels folded into a single channel. Dexter's mono mixes were made available on the second pressings of these albums. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Capitol_Albums,_Volume_2]

==The latest news on the remastering==

===March 18, 2009===

From: [http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/mar/18/beatles-digital-music-store guardian.co.uk]

The long-awaited, remastered Beatles' catalogue may finally be making its way to your computer sometime this year. But don't bet on it being on iTunes.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with the estates of the late John Lennon and George Harrison, are said to be looking into the possibility of releasing the material on their own website.

Talks between Apple and The Beatles to resolve royalty disputes have been on-again and off-again for years, and according to Harrison's son Dhani, the situation has reached a tipping point.

Harrison, 30, told Blender magazine that The Beatles' camp still isn't satisfied with what they're being offered by Apple, and they may go elsewhere to release the remastered catalogue.

:"We're losing money every day," said Harrison. "So what do you do? You have to have your own delivery system, or you have to do a good deal with Steve Jobs.

:"But he says that a download is worth 99 cents, and we disagree."

It appears as though Dhani Harrison, who has his own band called thenewno2, is having increasing pull in how The Beatles' business is conducted. Just recently he revealed that he convinced the surviving Beatles and Yoko Ono to agree to the upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band project.

"The game blows my mind," said Harrison. "It's infinitely better than Rock Band 2."

===January 5, 2009===

'''The Beatles’ Catalog Finally Goes Digital Thanks To Norwegian Podcasts'''

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/05/the-beatles-catalog-finally-goes-digital-thanks-to-norwegian-podcasts/ Rolling Stone magazine online reports] that the Beatles' entire catalog will become available via a Norwegian podcast series:

:The Beatles will reportedly make a bulk of their musical catalog available as a free, legal download thanks to a series of Norwegian podcasts. In 2001, the Fab Four were the subject of a documentary series entitled “Vår daglige Beatles,” or “Our Daily Beatles,” in which Norwegian journalists told the stories behind every track in the Beatles official catalog in chronological order, with the tracks themselves being played after the story was told. Now, for the first time ever, the series is available as a downloadable podcast, marking the first time the Beatles music in any form has been legally available via download. Despite efforts to finally bring the Beatles to iTunes, Paul McCartney said talks between Apple Corps. and EMI Records have “stalled.”

[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/05/the-beatles-catalog-finally-goes-digital-thanks-to-norwegian-podcasts/ Read the entire article...]

===December 2008===

On Murmurs.com, there's a reprint of a December 26, 2008 [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/arts/music/27beat.html?_r=1&ref=technology ''New York Times'' article] on what's going on with the remasters, by Allan Kozinn. It discusses what's going on (although no light is shed on the issues between the Beatles and EMI), the Purple Chick series, and the fans. [http://www.murmurs.com/forum/showthread.php?s=5bca8880b328b2099975c770330ec81e&p=2012636#post2012636 Check it out...]. It also references an addition to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles#2009_CD_remasters The Beatles entry on Wikipedia]:

:All albums by the Beatles (including Past Masters, Volume One and Past Masters, Volume Two) will be released newly remastered sometime in 2009 on CD. The 2009 remasters will replace the infamously poor quality 1987 remasters. Mojo Magazine's Mat Snow was invited to hear 10 remastered tracks from 1968's The White Album and stated that they were "Better even than we'd hoped."

The [http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49803 Audioholics Forum] has a good thread discussing the remasters, mentioning MOJO magazine's teaser about "sometime in 2009" and speculating on sound quality etc. Worth checking out.

===November 2008===

From [http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/11/26/sgt-pepper-stuck-in-nowhere-land.aspx The Motley Fool Financial Website] 
Nov 26, 2008

If Apple Corps is Sgt. Pepper, then EMI is the Nowhere Man.

On Monday, rocker Paul McCartney said that negotiations between the Beatles' record company and label EMI, which owns the rights to the group's recordings, have stalled. Each has a say in how and when The Beatles will publish to iTunes.

"The last word I got back was it's stalled at the whole moment, the whole process," McCartney told the Associated Press. "I really hope it will happen, because I think it should."

Us, too, Sir Paul. Apple Corps and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) became embroiled in a [http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2006/03/30/apple-cant-let-it-be.aspx trademark dispute] in 2006 that lasted [http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2007/02/05/apple-beatles-let-it-be.aspx about a year]. We've been waiting for the White Album on iTunes -- or maybe Help!, a personal favorite of mine -- ever since both sides decided to come together and work it out.

Do EMI and Apple Corps. know what they're missing? Certainly McCartney sees the value in digital sales, as do other labels. Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) recently reported a 28% year-over-year gain in digital sales. Universal Music, the largest label in the biz, said its digital take was up 33% for the first nine months of the year.

Perhaps EMI is the stumbling block. Apple Corps and Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Harmonix, the makers of Rock Band, last week struck a deal to create a Beatles version of the game, VentureBeat reports.

===October 2008===
There's quite a bit of noise now about The Beatles remasters, and [http://s3.zetaboards.com/Strawberry_Fields/topic/7038111/1/ this website] has a good thread on developments. Apparently, The Beatles music will be finding a digital home on MTV Games' Rock Band, according to [http://www.pcworld.com/article/153053/beatles_to_make_digital_debut_on_rockband.html this news article]. "MTV Games, creator of the hit game Rock Band, and Apple Corps, which owns the rights to The Beatles' music catalogue, announced Thursday (Oct 30, 2008) that they plan to create a title that will feature only music from the Fab Four."

===June 2007===
Beatles fans will probably have to wait until next year before they can buy the [[Fab Four's]] tunes from online retailers such as Apple's iTunes store, [[George Harrison's]] widow has said.

A recent settlement to a lengthy trademark dispute between Apple and the Beatles' company, Apple Corps, has cleared the way for the band to distribute its catalogue in cyberspace.

But [[Olivia Harrison]] told Reuters, 'We just have a few things to work out elsewhere.'

Specifically, all the Beatles CDs have been remastered - good news for fans who have long complained about the poor sound quality - and the organisation wants to get the artwork ready for the physical packages.

Asked if the catalogue would be available online by the end of next year, she said, 'Oh God, yeah. Hope so ... I don't know if it would be the end of this year, but it would be nice. Imminent, let's put it that way.'

[[Paul McCartney]], who has adopted an aggressive digital marketing strategy for the release next week of his solo album, Memory Almost Full, said last month that an online deal for the Beatles catalogue was 'virtually settled' - perhaps over the cheesecake he delivered to Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. But he, too, shied away from saying that anything would happen in the short term.

The Beatles are the highest-profile omission from digital retailers. While the dispute with Apple did not help, the band's organisation has traditionally adopted a conservative approach to new technology, including CDs.

'I think we're a little bit behind,' Harrison said, noting that it was 'ridiculous' that properly remastered CDs of the band's catalogue were not yet available.

'We [the band's members and widows] all agree. It's been done. It's just trying to now get it out there.'

She said that [[Neil Aspinall]], the recently retired [now deceased] businessman who oversaw the group's complex business affairs, had been busy in recent years on the remastering project.

'That's a big job. That means you have to go back through all the archives and find great photographs and really give a nice package to the fans.'

Aspinall retired in April and was replaced by Jeff Jones, an American music industry executive who specialises in deluxe reissues of classic albums. Harrison said Aspinall's departure was voluntary, dispelling fan speculation to the contrary.

But she said Jones would 'pick up the pace' now that the most recent project, a Beatle-inspired [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque_du_Soleil Cirque du Soleil] stage show in Las Vegas, was underway after years of preparation initiated by her husband before he died in 2001.

''Reuters and Simon'' Aughton[http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/114590/remastered-beatles-on-itunes-in-2008.html]

==The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1==

The Capitol Records LP's issued in 1964 were resurrected with the issue of this boxed set. Remastered from the original Capitol Records master tapes, these records were best known to American audiences before EMI's initial CD issue of the first four Parlophone LP's in 1987, causing their deletion. The initial effort to internationally unify the catalogue caused some state-side confusion, as the song programs and monaural sound deviated from the familiar product.

''[[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]]'' includes four CD's packaged in mini-album sleeves that mimic their vinyl counterparts. The titles are: [[Meet The Beatles!]], [[The Beatles' Second Album]], [[Something New]], and [[Beatles '65]].

[[Meet The Beatles!]], the group's iconic Capitol debut, was initially distinctive in its originality, featuring eleven Beatles compositions out of a program of twelve songs. [[The Beatles' Second Album]] relied somewhat more on covers and includes two of their best: John's landmark vocal on Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)", and Paul's one-take-to-glory shot of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally". [[Something New]] was culled from recording sessions for the Parlophone LP [[A Hard Day's Night]] and offers the cleverly constructed "Any Time at All", with its overlapping couplets, and "If I Fell", with one of John and Paul's best two-part harmonies.

The set is rounded out with [[Beatles '65]], perhaps the most notable inclusion for its underscoring of programming and artistic differences between EMI and Capitol. The corresponding Parlophone LP, Beatles For Sale features the most underrated cover photo in the history of rock with the Beatles staring in utter bewilderment. This is clearly intended to be a silent statement by the artists that the mania was taking its toll. Capitol replaced this display of candor for [[Beatles '65]] with a series of group photos that did nothing to alter their "happy moptop" image. The music, on the other hand, deceived no one who really listened: "No Reply", "I'm A Loser", and "Baby's In Black" left no question that the mood had darkened.

Although prepared from master tapes at least one generation removed from the original masters, [[The Capitol Albums Vol. 1]] offers some sonic improvements over the 1987 CD's. Each CD in the set includes both the early four-track stereo and mono mixes of the time for each song. The stereo versions in this set are audibly brighter with greater bass definition and vocal presence as compared to the previously available material, especially true on [[Something New]] and [[Beatles '65]], and are recommended at least until the remastered British catalogue becomes available.

==The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2==

The Capitol Albums Vol. 2 offers reissues of the group's four American LP's originally released in 1965: [[The Early Beatles]], [[Beatles VI]], [[Help! Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]] and [[Rubber Soul]]. As presented in the preceding box-set, all discs are packaged in sleeves that recall the original jacket designs and include stereo and mono mixes of each song. [[The Early Beatles]] is made up of eleven tracks from their British debut LP [[Please Please Me]] not previously released in album form. One of the disc's highlights is perhaps the Beatles' most popular cover of all time, "Twist and Shout". Capitol's choice to program "Twist and Shout" as the album's second track is somewhat curious in retrospect as this song was so often their concert finale, effectively taking down whatever was left up of the house. In comparison to the sound on the previously available Parlophone CD [[Please Please Me]] from 1987, it is worth hearing this remastered track (and several others on the disc) in stereo.

[[Beatles VI]] is derived from the greatest number of sources including two Parlophone LP's, [[Beatles For Sale]] and [[Help! (album)]], a B-side single, "[Yes It Is]", and a cover version of Larry Williams' "[Bad Boy]", which was intended only for American release. Although [[Beatles VI]] reached number one on the Billboard Charts and appeared for a total of 41 weeks, it is conceivable that by this point, Capitol's slicing and dicing of the Beatles' discography was becoming irritating to the artists themselves.

The incidental film background music on [[Help! Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]] is of interest only to hard-core completists and, unfortunately, makes up the majority of this set's third disc. Listeners who have purchased the [[Help! DVD]] from 2007 will have rendered this instrumental material completely inessential. From a standpoint of content, the Parlophone [[Help! (album)]] CD from 1987 is still far superior.

It is perhaps ironic that the last of the Beatles 1965 releases, [[Rubber Soul]], arguably benefitted from Capitol Record's programming changes. For it's American incarnation, [[Rubber Soul]] kicks off with Paul's "I've Just Seen a Face", raised in prominence from the B-side of the British [[Help! (album)]] LP. This, along with several other programming changes effectively set the tone for a subtley different, yet just as enjoyable listening experience compared with the Parlophone version of the album, as pointed out by [[Mark Lewisohn]] in the boxed-set's included liner-note book. It is notable that the version of [[Rubber Soul]] included here provided competitive inspiration for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson Brian Wilson] to create and produce The Beach Boys' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sounds ''Pet Sounds''], one of rock history's greatest achievements. In terms of sonics, listeners will note a clearer high end in the instrumentation, as well as improved bass definition as compared to the same tracks on the 1987 [[Rubber Soul]] CD.

==External Links==

* [http://www.thebeatles.com/core/news/ TheBeatles.com news release on 9.9.09 remasters]
* [http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/07/the-beatles-remastered-albums-due-september-9-2009/ RollingStone.com article on 9.9.09 remasters]
* [http://www.cnet.com/8301-13645_1-9869772-47.html Interview with Mastering Engineer Greg Calbi]
* [http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1196032146/ DM's Beatles Forums - Repackaging the Remasters Thread]
* [http://yourmothershouldknow03.blogspot.com Strawberry Lane - Awesome Beatles Sonics Resource]
* [http://www.bootlegzone.com/ BootlegZone - Documents most Beatle bootlegs]
* [http://threesrepeating.blogspot.com/2009/03/beatles-unauthorized-remasters.html Download Purple Chick Remasters].
* [http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Where-Are-Beatles-Reissues-316/ Gibson.com Article on Remasters - Mar 16, 2009]

All You Need Is Love

2009-05-17T01:53:25Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = All You Need Is Love
| Cover = All-You-Need-Is-Love.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| B-side = "[[Baby, You're a Rich Man]]"
| Released = 7 July 1967 (UK) 17 July 1967 (US)
| Format = [[gramophone record|7"]]
| Recorded = Olympic Studios: 14 June 1967
| Genre = Psychedelic rock / Experimental rock
| Length = 3:47
| Label = [[Parlophone]] (UK) [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] (U.S.)
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]" / "[[Penny Lane]]" (1966)
| This single = "All You Need Is Love" / "[[Baby, You're a Rich Man]]" (1967)
| Next single = "[[Hello, Goodbye]]" / "[[I Am The Walrus]]" (1967)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Magical Mystery Tour (album)|Magical Mystery Tour]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[Hello, Goodbye]]"
| prev_no = 7
| this_track = "Strawberry Fields Forever"
| track_no = 8
| next_track = "[[Penny Lane]]"
| next_no = 9}}
}}

{{cquote|'All You Need Is Love' was perfect if you're going to say any message. That's a fine and wonderful message to say, really. So we just put the track down and the we did the vocal. So we've still got mine, ready to do for the next one, which is of a similar nature in its simplicity, but with a different message.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1967}}

{{cquote|We just put a track down, because I knew the chords. I played a harpsichord and George played a violin, because we felt like doing it like that and Paul played a double bass. They can't play them, so we got some nice noises coming out and then you can hear it going on, because it sounded like an orchestra, but it's just those two playing the violin. So then we thought, 'Ah well, we'll have some more orchestra around this little three-piece with a drum.' There was no conception about how it should sound like at the end until we did it that day. Until the rehearsal, it still sounded a bit strange then.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1967}}

{{cquote|When it came to the end of their fade-away as the song closed, I asked them, 'How do you want to get out of it?' 'Write absolutely anything you like, George,' they said. 'Put together any tunes you fancy, and just play it out like that.'|quotewidth=500px|George Martin|1967}}

{{cquote|If you notice at the end of 'All You Need Is Love,' there's 'Greensleeves' and "In The Mood' and all sorts of different tunes coming over the end. I know Paul just thought of it at the time and then just started singing 'She Loves You.'|quotewidth=500px|George Harrison|1967}}

{{cquote|George Martin always has something to do with it, but sometimes more than others. For instance, he wrote the end of 'All You Need Is Love' and got into trouble because the 'In The Mood' bit was copyrighted. It was a hurried session and we said [to Martin], 'There's the end, we want it to go on and on.' Actually, what he wrote was much more disjointed, so when we put all the bits together, we said, 'Could we have "Greensleeves" right on top of that little Bach thing?' And on top of that, we had the 'In The Mood' bit. Sometimes, George [Martin] works with us, and sometimes against us. But he always looks after us. I don't think he does as much as people think. He sometimes does all the arrangement and we just change them.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1967}}

{{cquote|I think if you get down to basics, whatever the problem is, it's usually to do with love. So I think 'All You Need is Love' is a true statement. I'm not saying, 'All you have to do is...' because 'All You Need' came out in the Flower Power Generation time. It doesn't mean that all you have to do is put on a phoney smile or wear a flower dress and it's gonna be alright. Love is not just something that you stick on posters or stick on the back of your car, or on the back of your jacket or on a badge. I'm talking about real love, so I still believe that. Love is appreciation of other people and allowing them to be. Love is allowing somebody to be themselves and that's what we do need.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1971}}

{{cquote|We had been told we'd be seen recording it by the whole world at the same time. So we had one message for the world-- Love. We need more love in the world.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1967}}

{{cquote|''All You Need Is Love'' was John's song. I threw in a few ideas, as did other members of the group, but it was largely ad libs like singing "She Loves You" or "Greensleeves" or silly little things like that at the end, and we made those up on the spot.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1994}}

[[All You Need Is Love - Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch the live broadcast from Olympic Studios (June 14, 1967):'''

{{#ev:youtube|rLxTpsIVzzo}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:John Lennon]][[Category:Magical Mystery Tour (album)]]

Baby, You're a Rich Man

2009-05-17T01:34:00Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = Baby, You're A Rich Man
| Cover = All-You-Need-Is-Love.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| B-side = "[[All You Need Is Love]]"
| Released = 7 July 1967 (UK) 17 July 1967 (US)
| Format = [[gramophone record|7"]]
| Recorded = Olympic Studios: 11 May 1967
| Genre = Psychedelic rock / Experimental rock
| Length = 3:03
| Label = [[Parlophone]] (UK) [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] (U.S.)
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]" / "[[Penny Lane]]" (1966)
| This single = "All You Need Is Love" / "[[Baby, You're a Rich Man]]" (1967)
| Next single = "[[Hello, Goodbye]]" / "[[I Am The Walrus]]" (1967)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Magical Mystery Tour (album)|Magical Mystery Tour]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[Penny Lane]]"
| prev_no = 9
| this_track = "Baby, You're A Rich Man"
| track_no = 10
| next_track = "[[All You Need Is Love]]"
| next_no = 11}}
}}

{{cquote|In 'Baby You're a Rich Man' the point was, stop moaning. You're a rich man and we're all rich men, heh, heh, baby!|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1968}}

{{cquote|'Baby, You're A Rich Man' was co-written by John and me at Cavendish Avenue. There was lots of talk in the newspapers about the beautiful people. That was what they called them, so, we figured, 'Well, how does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?'|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1968}}

{{cquote|That's a combination of two seperate pieces, Paul's and mine, put together and forced into one song. One-half was all mine. (sings) 'How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people/ Now that you know who you are...' Then Paul comes in with, (sings) 'Baby you're a rich man,' which was a lick he had around."|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1980}}

[[Baby, You're A Rich Man - Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch a clip from "Magical Mystery Tour":'''

{{#ev:youtube|HgQqniYDjUs}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:John Lennon]][[Category:Magical Mystery Tour (album)]]

A Hard Day's Night

2009-05-17T01:12:45Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = A Hard Day's Night
| Cover = a-hard-days-night.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| B-side = "[[Things We Said Today]]" (UK) "[[I Should Have Known Better]]" (US)
| Released = 10 July 1964
| Format = [[gramophone record|7"]]
| Recorded = Abbey Road Studios: 16 April 1964
| Genre = Rock
| Length = 2:32
| Label = [[Parlophone]] (UK) R5160 [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] (U.S.) 5222| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[Can't Buy Me Love]]" (1964)
| This single = "A Hard Day's Night" (1964)
| Next single = "[[I Feel Fine]]" (1964)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Help! (album)|Help!]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[Hello, Goodbye]]"
| prev_no = 7
| this_track = "Strawberry Fields Forever"
| track_no = 8
| next_track = "[[Penny Lane]]"
| next_no = 9}}
}}

{{cquote|The only reason he [Paul] sang on 'A Hard Day's Night' was because I couldn't reach the notes, which is what we used to do sometimes. One of us couldn't reach a note but he wanted a different sound, so he'd get the other to do the harmony.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon}}

{{cquote|We went to do a job, and we'd worked all day and we happened to work all night. I came up still thinking it was day I suppose, and I said, 'It's been a hard day...' and I looked around and saw it was dark so I said, '...night!' So we came to ''A Hard Day's Night''.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon}}

{{cquote|Late one night, when we were all pretty tired after a heavy day, somebody said, 'We've had a hard day.' Ringo followed up with, 'A hard day? Look at the clock. Youmean a hard day's night, don't you? We all looked at each other and said, 'That's it. That's the title we've been after.'|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1964}}

{{cquote|I was going home in the car and Dick Lester suggested the title, 'Hard Day's Night' from something Ringo had said. I had used it in 'In His Own Write,' but it was an off-the-cuff remark by Ringo. You know, one of those malapropisms. A Ringo-ism, where he said it not to be funny... just said it. So Dick Lester said, 'We are going to use that title.' And the next morning I brought in the song... 'cuz there was a little competition between Paul and I as to who got the A-side-- who got the hits. If you notice, in the early days the majority of singles, in the movies and everything, were mine... in the early period I'm dominating the group. The only reason he sang on 'A Hard Day's Night' was because I couldn't reach the notes. (sings) 'When I'm home/ everything seems to be right/ when I'm home...' --which is what we'd do sometimes. One of us couldn't reach a note but he wanted a different sound, so he'd get the other to do the harmony.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1980}}

{{cquote|The title was Ringo's. We'd almost finished making the film, and this fun bit arrived that we'd not known about before, which was naming the film. So we were sitting around at Twickenham studios having a little brain-storming session... and we said, 'Well, there was something Ringo said the other day.' Ringo would do these little malapropisms, he would say things slightly wrong, like people do, but his were always wonderful, very lyrical... they were sort of magic even though he was just getting it wrong. And he said after a concert, 'Phew, it's been a hard day's night.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1994}}

{{cquote|John called me at 8:30 the next morning and said that he and Paul had jotted one [a title for the film] down on some scraps of paper. We recorded it that same night.|quotewidth=500px|Walter Shenson (Producer, ''A Hard Day's Night'')|1964}}

[[A Hard Day's Night - Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch a video of a "performance":'''

{{#ev:youtube|ShrdKHeAel0}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:John Lennon]][[Category:A Hard Day's Night (album)]]

Rain

2009-04-30T14:29:56Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = Rain
| Cover = paperback-writer.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| A-side = "[[Paperback Writer]]"
| Released = 30 May 1966 (US) 10 June 1966 (UK)
| Format = [[gramophone record|7"]]
| Recorded = Abbey Road Studios: 14 April 1966
| Genre = Rock
| Length = 2:59
| Label = [[Parlophone]] R5452 (UK) [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] 5651 (US)
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[We Can Work It Out]]" / "[[Day Tripper]]" (UK-1965) "[[Nowhere Man]]" (US-1965)
| This single = "Rain" (1966)
| Next single = "[[Eleanor Rigby]]" / "[[Yellow Submarine]]" (1966)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Help! (album)|Help!]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[Hello, Goodbye]]"
| prev_no = 7
| this_track = "Strawberry Fields Forever"
| track_no = 8
| next_track = "[[Penny Lane]]"
| next_no = 9}}
}}

{{cquote|After we'd done the session on that particular song-- it ended at about four or five in the morning-- I went home with a tape to see what else you could do with it. And I was sort of very tired, you know, not knowing what I was doing, and I just happened to put it on my own tape recorder and it came out backwards. And I liked it better. So that's how it happened.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1966}}

{{cquote|That's me again-- with the first backwards tape on record anywhere... I got home from the studio and I was stoned out of my mind on marijuana... and, as I usually do, I listened to what I'd recorded that day. Somehow it got on backwards and I sat there, transfixed, with the earphones on, with a big hash joint. I ran in the next day and said, 'I know what to do with it, I know... listen to this!' So I made them all play it backwards. The fade is me actually singing backwards with the guitars going backwards. (sings) 'Sharethsmnowthsmeanss!' That one was the gift of God... of Ja actually-- the god of marijuana, right? So Ja gave me that one.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1980}}

{{cquote|My favorite piece of me is what I did on 'Rain.' I think I just played amazing. I was into the snare and hi-hat. I think it was the first time I used the trick of starting a break by hitting the hi-hat first instead of going directly to a drum off the hi-hat. I think it's the best out of all the records I've ever made. 'Rain' blows me away. It's out in left field. I know me and I know my playing... and then there's 'Rain.'.|quotewidth=500px|Ringo Starr|1984}}

{{cquote|It was nice. I really enjoyed that one.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1994}}

[[Rain - Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch a video of a "performance":'''

{{#ev:youtube|V8NQRKxs2ko}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:John Lennon]]

This Boy

2009-04-27T19:02:30Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = This Boy
| Cover = i-want-to-hold-your-hand.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| A-side = "[[I Want to Hold Your Hand]]"
| Released =29 November 1963 
| Format = [[gramaphone|7"]]
| Recorded =Abbey Road Studios 17 October 1963
| Genre = Beat
| Length = 2:13
| Label = [[Parlophone]] R5084
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[She Loves You]]" / "[[I'll Get You]]" (1963)
| This single = "This Boy" / "[[I Want to Hold Your Hand]]"(1963)
| Next single = "[[Can't Buy Me Love]]"/ "[[You Can't Do That]]"(1964)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Magical Mystery Tour (album)|Magical Mystery Tour]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[I Am The Walrus]]"
| prev_no = 6
| this_track = "Hello, Goodbye"
| track_no = 7
| next_track = "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]"
| next_no = 8}}
}}

{{cquote|Just my attempt at writing one of those three-part harmony Smokey Robinson songs. Nothing in the lyrics... just a sound and a harmony. There was a period when I thought I didn't write melodies... that Paul wrote those and I just wrote straight, shouting rock 'n roll. But of course, when I think of some of my own songs-- 'In My Life,' or some of the early stuff-- 'This Boy,' I was writing melody with the best of them|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1980}}

{{cquote|Fabulous. And we just loved singing that three-part too. We'd learned that from: (sings) 'To know know know her is to love love love her...' We learned that in my dad's house in Liverpool.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1988}}

[[This Boy- Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch the Beatles performing This Boy:'''

{{#ev:youtube|Pxxp5e_CReo}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:John Lennon]][[Category:Meet The Beatles!]]

I Want to Hold Your Hand

2009-04-27T18:59:13Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = I Want to Hold Your Hand
| Cover = i-want-to-hold-your-hand.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| B-side = "[[This Boy]]" (UK) "[[I Saw Her Standing There]]"(US)
| Released =29 November 1963 (UK) 13 January 1964 (US)
| Format = [[gramaphone|7"]]
| Recorded =Abbey Road Studios 17 October 1963
| Genre = Rock
| Length = 2:24
| Label = [[Parlophone]] R5084 (UK) [[Capitol]] 5112 (US)
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[She Loves You]]" / "[[I'll Get You]]" (1963)
| This single = "I Want to Hold Your Hand" / "[[This Boy]]"(UK 1963) "[[I Saw Her Standing There]]" (US 1964)
| Next single = "[[Can't Buy Me Love]]"/ "[[You Can't Do That]]"(1964)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Magical Mystery Tour (album)|Magical Mystery Tour]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[I Am The Walrus]]"
| prev_no = 6
| this_track = "Hello, Goodbye"
| track_no = 7
| next_track = "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]"
| next_no = 8}}
}}

{{cquote|Let's see, we were told we had to get down to it. So we found this house when we were walking along one day. We knew we had to really get this song going, so we got down in the basement of this disused house and there was an old piano. It wasn't really disused, it was rooms to let. We found this old piano and started banging away. There was a little old organ too. So we were having this informal jam and we started banging away. Suddenly a little bit came to us, the catch line. So we started working on it from there. We got our pens and paper out and just wrote down the lyrics. Eventually, we had some sort of a song, so we played it for our recording manager and he seemed to like it. We recorded it the next day.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1964}}

{{cquote|We wrote alot of stuff together, one on one, eyeball to eyeball. Like in 'I Want To Hold Your Hand,' I remember when we got the chord that made the song. We were in Jane Asher's house, downstairs in the cellar playing on the piano at the same time. And we had, 'Oh you-u-u/ got that something...' And Paul hits this chord, and I turn to him and say, 'That's it!' I said, 'Do that again!' In those days, we really used to absolutely write like that-- both playing into each other's noses|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1980}}

{{cquote|'Eyeball to eyeball' is a very good description of it. That's exactly how it was. 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' was very co-written.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1994}}

[[I Want to Hold Your Hand - Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch the Beatles performing I Want to Hold Your Hand:'''

{{#ev:youtube|lfsvE4j4ExA}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:Songs by Lennon & McCartney]][[Category:Meet The Beatles]]

I Saw Her Standing There

2009-04-27T18:58:27Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = I Saw Her Standing There
| Cover = i-want-to-hold-your-hand.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| A-side = "[[I Want to Hold Your Hand]]"
| Released =29 November 1963 (UK) 13 January 1964 (US)
| Format = [[gramaphone|7"]]
| Recorded =Abbey Road Studios 17 October 1963
| Genre = Beat
| Length = 2:55
| Label = [[Parlophone]] R5084
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[She Loves You]]" / "[[I'll Get You]]" (1963)
| This single = "[[I Want to Hold Your Hand]]" / "I Saw Her Standing There" (US 1964) - "[[This Boy]]" (UK 1963)
| Next single = "[[Can't Buy Me Love]]"/ "[[You Can't Do That]]"(1964)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Magical Mystery Tour (album)|Magical Mystery Tour]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[I Am The Walrus]]"
| prev_no = 6
| this_track = "Hello, Goodbye"
| track_no = 7
| next_track = "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]"
| next_no = 8}}
}}

{{cquote|That's Paul doing his usual job of producing what George Martin used to call a 'potboiler.' I helped with a couple of the lyrics.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1980}}

{{cquote|I wrote it with John. We sagged off school and wrote it on guitars. I remember I had the lyrics, 'Just seventeen/Never been a beauty queen,' which John... it was one of the first times he ever went, 'What? Must change that!' And it became, 'you know what I mean.'|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1988}}

{{cquote|Sometimes we would just start a song from scratch, but one of us would nearly always have a germ of an idea, a title, or a rough little thing they were thinking about and we'd do it. 'I Saw Her Standing There' was my original. I'd started it and I had the first verse, which therefore gave me the tune, the tempo, and the key. It gave you the subject matter, alot of information, and then you had to fill in. So it was co-written... and we finished it that day.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1994}}

[[I Saw /her Standing There - Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch the Beatles performing I Saw Her Standing There:'''

{{#ev:youtube|8ZThkK7KjIo}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:Paul McCartney]][[Category:Meet the Beatles]]

Something

2009-04-27T18:56:35Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = Something
| Cover = something.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| B-side = "[[Come Together]]"
| Released = 31 October 1969 (UK)
| Format = [[gramaphone|7"]]
| Recorded =Abbey Road Studioes: 25 February 1969
| Genre = Rock
| Length = 3:00
| Label = [[Apple Records]]
| Writer = [[George Harrison]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[Ballad of John and Yoko]]" / "[[Old Brown Shoe]]" (1969)
| This single = "Something" / "[[Come Together]]" (1969)
| Next single = "[[Let It Be]]"/ "[[You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)]]" (1970)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Magical Mystery Tour (album)|Magical Mystery Tour]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[I Am The Walrus]]"
| prev_no = 6
| this_track = "Hello, Goodbye"
| track_no = 7
| next_track = "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]"
| next_no = 8}}
}}

{{cquote|I think that's about the best track on the album, actually.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1969}}

{{cquote|I like George's song 'Something.' For me I think it's the best he's written.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1969}}

{{cquote|I wrote the song 'Something' for the album before this one, but I never finished it off until just recently. I usually get the first few lines of words and music together, both at once... and then finish the rest of the melody. Then I have to write the words. It's like another song I wrote when we were in India. I wrote the whole first verse and just said everything I wanted to say, and so now I need to write a couple more verses. I find that much more difficult. But John gave me a handy tip. He said, 'Once you start to write a song, try to finish it straight away while you're still in the same mood.' Sometimes you go back to it and you're in a whole different state of mind. So now, I do try to finish them straight away.|quotewidth=500px|George Harrison|1969}}

{{cquote|I could never think of words for it. And also because there was a James Taylor song called 'Something In The Way She Moves' which is the first line of that. And so then I thought of trying to change the words, but they were the words that came when I first wrote it, so in the end I just left it as that, and just called it Something. When I wrote it, I imagined somebody like Ray Charles doing it. That's the feel I imagined, but because I'm not Ray Charles, you know, I'm sort of much more limited in what I can do, then it came out like this. It's nice. It's probably the nicest melody tune that I've written.|quotewidth=500px|George Harrison|1969}}

{{cquote|'Something' was written on the piano while we were making the White Album. I had a break while Paul was doing some overdubbing so I went into an empty studio and began to write. That's really all there is to it, except the middle took some time to sort out. It didn't go on the White Album because we'd already finished all the tracks.|quotewidth=500px|George Harrison|1980}}

[[Something - Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch the Beatles performing this song:'''

{{#ev:youtube|XDTi_La94Uo}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:George Harrison]][[Category:Abbey Road]]

Something

2009-04-27T18:56:08Z

Beatleboy:

The Long and Winding Road

2009-04-27T18:55:21Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = The Long and Winding Road
| Cover = the-long-and-winding-road.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| B-side = "[[For You Blue]]"
| Released = 11 May 1970 (US)
| Format = [[vinyl record|7"]]
| Recorded = 26 January 1969
| Genre = Rock
| Length = 3:37
| Label = Apple Records
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[Let It Be]]" / "[[You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)]]" (1970)
| This single = "The Long and Winding Road" / "[[For You Blue]]" (1970)
| Next single = "[[The Long and Winding Road]]" / "[[For You Blue]]" (1970)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Help! (album)|Help!]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[Hello, Goodbye]]"
| prev_no = 7
| this_track = "Strawberry Fields Forever"
| track_no = 8
| next_track = "[[Penny Lane]]"
| next_no = 9}}
}}

{{cquote|The album was finished a year ago, but a few months ago American record producer Phil Spector was called in by John Lennon to tidy up some of the tracks. But a few weeks ago, I was sent a re-mixed version of my song 'The Long And Winding Road' with harps, horns, an orchestra, and a women's choir added. No one had asked me what I thought. I couldn't believe it. The record came with a note from Allen Klein saying he thought the changes were necessary. I don't blame Phil Spector for doing it, but it just goes to show that it's no good me sitting here thinking I'm in control because obviously I'm not. Anyway, I've sent Klein a letter asking for some things to be altered, but I haven't received an answer yet."|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1988}}

{{cquote|Paul again. He had a little spurt just before we split.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1980}}

{{cquote|It's rather a sad song. I like writing sad songs, it's a good bag to get into because you can actually acknowledge some deeper feelings of your own and put them in it. It's a good vehicle, it saves having to go to a psychiatrist. Songwriting often performs that feat-- you say it, but you don't embarrass yourself because it's only a song, or is it? You are putting the things that are bothering you on the table and you are reviewing them, but because it's a song, you don't have to argue with anyone... It's a sad song because it's all about the unattainable; the door you never quite reach. This is the road that you never get to the end of.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1994}}

[[The Long and Winding Road - Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch a video of a "performance":'''

{{#ev:youtube|COMsKPeWAsw}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:Paul McCartney]][[Category:Let It Be (album)]]

Helter Skelter

2009-04-27T18:54:42Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = Helter Skelter
| Cover = got-to-get-you-into-my-life.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| A-side = "[[Got to Get You Into My Life]]"
| Released = 22 November 1968
| Format = [[gramaphone record|7"]]
| Recorded = Abbey Road Studios 9 September 1968
| Genre = Rock
| Length = 4:30 (Stereo LP) 3:38 (Mono LP)
| Label = Apple Records
| Writer = [[George Harrison]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[Yesterday]]" (UK-1976) - "[[The Long and Winding Road]]" / "[[For You Blue]]" (1970)
| This single = "[[Got to Get You Into My Life]]" / "Helter Skelter" (1976)
| Next single = "[[Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da]]" / "[[While My Guitar Gently Weeps]]" - "[[Julia]]" (US Edition) (1976)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Help! (album)|Help!]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[Hello, Goodbye]]"
| prev_no = 7
| this_track = "Strawberry Fields Forever"
| track_no = 8
| next_track = "[[Penny Lane]]"
| next_no = 9}}
}}

{{cquote|Umm, that came about just 'cuz I'd read a review of a record which said, 'And this group really got us wild, there's echo on everything, they're screaming their heads off.' And I just remember thinking, 'Oh, it'd be great to do one. Pity they've done it. Must be great-- really screaming record.' And then I heard their record and it was quite straight, and it was very sort of sophisticated. It wasn't rough and screaming and tape echo at all. So I thought, 'Oh well, we'll do one like that, then.' And I had this song called 'Helter Skelter' which is just a ridiculous song. So we did it like that, 'cuz I like noise.'|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1968}}

{{cquote|That's Paul completely. All that (Charles) Manson stuff was built 'round George's song about pigs and this one... Paul's song about an English fairground. It has nothing to do with anything, and least of all to do with me.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1980}}

{{cquote|The Who had made some track that was the loudest, the most raucous rock 'n roll, the dirtiest thing they'd ever done. It made me think, 'Right. Got to do it.' I like that kind of geeking up. And we decided to do the loudest, nastiest, sweatiest rock number we could.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1985}}

[[Helter Skelter- Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch a music video of Helter Skelter'''

{{#ev:youtube|rInMQWpGpYg}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:Paul McCartney]][[Category:The Beatles (White Album)]]

Got to Get You Into My Life

2009-04-27T18:53:48Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = Got to Get You Into My Life
| Cover = got-to-get-you-into-my-life.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| B-side = "[[Helter Skelter]]"
| Released = 31 May 1976 (US)
| Format = [[gramaphone record|7"]]
| Recorded = Abbey Road Studios 7 April, 17 June 1966
| Genre = Rock
| Length = 2:27
| Label = Capitol 4274 (US)
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[Yesterday]]" (UK-1976) - "[[The Long and Winding Road]]" / "[[For You Blue]]" (1970)
| This single = "[[Helter Skelter]]" / "Got to Get You Into My Life" (1976)
| Next single = "[[Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da]]" / "[[While My Guitar Gently Weeps]]" "[[Julia]]" (US Edition) (1976)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Help! (album)|Help!]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[Hello, Goodbye]]"
| prev_no = 7
| this_track = "Strawberry Fields Forever"
| track_no = 8
| next_track = "[[Penny Lane]]"
| next_no = 9}}
}}

{{cquote|'We were doing our Tamla Motown bit. You see, we're influenced by whatever's going. Even if we're not influenced, we're all going that way at a certain time.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1968}}

{{cquote|I think George and I helped with some of the lyrics. I'm not sure.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1972}}

{{cquote|Paul. I think that was one of his best songs, too, because the lyrics are good and I didn't write them. You see? When I say that he could write lyrics if he took the effort-- here's an example.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1980}}

{{cquote|That's mine-- I wrote it. It was the first one we used brass on, I think. One of the first times we used soul trumpets.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1984}}

{{cquote|I'd been a rather straight working class lad, but when we started to get into pot it seemed to me to be quite uplifting. It didn't seem to have too many side effects like alcohol or some of the other stuff, like pills, which I pretty much kept off. I kind of liked marijuana and to me it seemed it was mind-expanding, literally mind-expanding. So 'Got To Get You Into My Life' is really a song about that. It's not to a person, it's actually about pot. It's saying, 'I'm going to do this. This is not a bad idea.' So it's actually an ode to pot, like someone else might write an ode to chocolate or a good claret. I haven't really changed my opinion too much, except if anyone asks me for real advice, it would be stay straight. That is actually the best way, but in a stressful world I still would say that pot was one of the best of the tranquilizing drugs. I have drunk and smoked pot and of the two I think pot is less harmful. People tend to fall asleep on it rather than go out and commit murder, so it's always seemed to me to be a rather benign one|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1994}}

[[Got to Get You Into My Life - Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch a video of Got to Get You Into My Life'''

{{#ev:youtube|nOgeEMELX1I}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:Paul McCartney]][[Category:Revolver]]

Got to Get You Into My Life

2009-04-27T18:53:33Z

Beatleboy:

For You Blue

2009-04-27T18:52:34Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = For You Blue
| Cover = for-you-blue.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| A-side = "[[The Long and Winding Road]]"
| Released = 8 March 1970 (UK)
| Format = [[gramaphone record|7"]]
| Recorded = Apple Studios 25 January 1969
| Genre = Rock
| Length = 2:27
| Label = Apple Records, EMI
| Writer = [[George Harrison]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]] and [[Phil Spector]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[Let It Be]]" / "[[You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)]]" (1970)
| This single = "[[The Long and Winding Road]]" / "For You Blue" (1970)
| Next single = "[[Got to Get You Into My Life]]" / "[[Helter Skelter]]" (1976)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Help! (album)|Help!]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[Hello, Goodbye]]"
| prev_no = 7
| this_track = "Strawberry Fields Forever"
| track_no = 8
| next_track = "[[Penny Lane]]"
| next_no = 9}}
}}

{{cquote|'For You Blue' is a simple twelve-bar song following all the normal twelve-bar principles, except that it's happy-go-lucky!|quotewidth=500px|George Harrison|1980}}

[[For You Bluee - Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch a video of For You Blue'''

{{#ev:youtube|svFqdigfmDc}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:George Harrison]][[Category:Let It Be (album)]]

Let It Be (song)

2009-04-27T18:51:56Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = Let It Be
| Cover = let-it-be.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| B-side = "[[You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)]]"
| Released = 6 March 1970 (UK) 11 March 1970 (US)
| Format = [[vinyl record|7"]]
| Recorded = Apple Studios 31 January 1969
| Genre = Rock
| Length = 3:50
| Label = Apple Records
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]] and [[Chris Thomas]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[Something]]" / "[[Come Together]]" (1970)
| This single = "Let It Be" (1970)
| Next single = "[[The Long and Winding Road]]" / "[[For You Blue]]" (1970)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Help! (album)|Help!]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[Hello, Goodbye]]"
| prev_no = 7
| this_track = "Strawberry Fields Forever"
| track_no = 8
| next_track = "[[Penny Lane]]"
| next_no = 9}}
}}

{{cquote|That's Paul... I think it was inspired by 'Bridge Over Troubled Water.' That's my feeling, although I have nothing to go on. I know he wanted to write a 'Bridge Over Troubled Water.'|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1980}}

{{cquote|I had alot of bad times in the '60s. We used to lie in bed and wonder what was going on and feel quite paranoid. Probably all the drugs. I had a dream one night about my mother. She died when I was fourteen so I hadn't really heard from her in quite a while, and it was very good. It gave me some strength.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1986}}

{{cquote|One night during this tense time I had a dream I saw my mum, who'd been dead ten years or so. And it was great to see her because that's a wonderful thing about dreams, you actually are reunited with that person for a second... In the dream she said, 'It'll be alright.' I'm not sure if she used the words 'Let it be' but that was the gist of her advice, it was 'Don't worry too much, it will turn out okay.' It was such a sweet dream I woke up thinking, 'Oh, it was really great to visit with her again.' I felt very blessed to have that dream.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1994}}

[[Let It Be - Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch a video of a "performance":'''

{{#ev:youtube|67J_66hdN-I}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:Paul McCartney]][[Category:Let It Be (album)]]

Old Brown Shoe

2009-04-27T18:51:01Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = Old Brown Shoe
| Cover = ballad-of-john-and-yoko.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| A-side = "[[Ballad of John and Yoko]]"
| Released = 30 May 1969 (UK) 4 June 1969 (US)
| Format = [[gramaphone|7"]]
| Recorded =Abbey Road Studioes: 16 & 18 April 1969
| Genre = Rock
| Length = 3:16
| Label = [[Apple Records]]
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[Get Back]]" / "[[Don't Let Me Down]]" (1969)
| This single = "Old Brown Shoe" / "[[The Ballad of John and Yoko]]" (1969)
| Next single = "[[Something]]"/ "[[Come Together]]" (1969)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Get Back (album)|Get Back]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[I Am The Walrus]]"
| prev_no = 6
| this_track = "Hello, Goodbye"
| track_no = 7
| next_track = "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]"
| next_no = 8}}
}}

{{cquote|I started the chord sequences on the piano, which I don't really play, and then began writing ideas for the words from various opposites: ''I want a love that's right, But right is only half of what's wrong''. Again, it's the duality of things — yes-no, up-down, left-right, right-wrong, etc.|quotewidth=500px|George Harrison|1980}}

[[Old Brown Shoe - Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch the Beatles performing this song:'''

{{#ev:youtube| tSn3w_ZlJSo}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:George Harrison]][[Category:Hey Jude (album)]]

Ballad of John and Yoko

2009-04-27T18:49:34Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = Ballad of John and Yoko
| Cover = ballad-of-john-and-yoko.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| B-side = "[[Old Brown Shoe]]"
| Released = 30 May 1969 (UK) 4 June 1969 (US)
| Format = [[gramaphone|7"]]
| Recorded =Abbey Road Studioes: 14 April 1969
| Genre = Rock
| Length = 2:59
| Label = [[Apple Records]]
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[Get Back]]" / "[[Don't Let Me Down]]" (1969)
| This single = "The Ballad of John and Yoko" / "[[Old Brown Shoe]]" (1969)
| Next single = "[[Something]]"/ "[[Come Together]]" (1969)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Magical Mystery Tour (album)|Magical Mystery Tour]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[I Am The Walrus]]"
| prev_no = 6
| this_track = "Hello, Goodbye"
| track_no = 7
| next_track = "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]"
| next_no = 8}}
}}

{{cquote|It's something I wrote, and it's like an old-time ballad. It's the story of us going along getting married, going to Paris, going to Amsterdam, all that. It's 'Johnny B. Paperback Writer.' The story came out that only Paul and I were on the record, but I wouldn't have bothered publicizing that. It doesn't mean anything. It just so happened that there were only two of us there -- George was abroad and Ringo was on the film and he couldn't come that night. Because of that, it was a choice of either re-mixing or doing a new song -- and you always go for doing a new one instead of fiddling about with an old one. So we did and it turned out well.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1969}}

{{cquote|Well, guess who wrote that? I wrote that in Paris on our honeymoon. It's a piece of journalism. It's a folk song. That's why I called it, 'The Ballad Of...'|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1980}}

{{cquote|John came to me and said, 'I've got this song about our wedding and it's called The Ballad Of John And Yoko, Christ They're Gonna Crucify Me, and I said 'Jesus Christ, you're kidding aren't you? Someone really is going to get upset about it.' He said, 'Yeah, but let's do it.' I was a little worried for him because of the lyric but he was going through alot of terrible things. He came around to my house, wanting to do it really quick. He said, 'Let's just you and me run over to the studio.' I said 'Oh alright, I'll play drums, I'll play bass.' John played guitar. So we did it and stood back to see if the other guys would hate us for it-- which I'm not sure about. They probably never forgave us. John was on heat, so to speak. He needed to record it so we just ran in and did it.|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1988}}

[[Ballad of John and Yoko - Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch the Beatles performing this song:'''

{{#ev:youtube|Y2e-q6OXe1s}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:John Lennon]][[Category:Hey Jude (album)]]

I Want to Hold Your Hand

2009-04-27T18:41:54Z

Beatleboy:

I'm Down

2009-04-27T18:39:42Z

Beatleboy:

{{Infobox Single
| Name = I'm Down
| Cover = help.jpg
| Artist = The Beatles
| A-side = "[[Help!]]"
| Released = 6 August 1965 (UK) 13 August 1965 (US)
| Format = [[gramophone record|7"]]
| Recorded = Abbey Road Studios: 14 July 1965
| Genre = Rock
| Length = 2:18
| Label = [[Parlophone]] (UK) [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] (US)
| Writer = [[Lennon/McCartney]]
| Producer = [[George Martin]]
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[Ticket To Ride]]" (1965)
| This single = "I'm Down" (1965)
| Next single = "[[We Can Work It Out]]" / "[[Day Tripper]]" (UK-1965) "[[Yesterday]]" (US-1965)
| Misc = {{Extra musicsample |filename=Strawberryfields.ogg |title=Strawberry Fields Forever |format=[[OGG]] |Type=single}}
{{Extra tracklisting
| Album = [[Help! (album)|Help!]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[Hello, Goodbye]]"
| prev_no = 7
| this_track = "Strawberry Fields Forever"
| track_no = 8
| next_track = "[[Penny Lane]]"
| next_no = 9}}
}}

{{cquote|That's Paul... with a little help from me, I think.|quotewidth=500px|John Lennon|1980}}

{{cquote|I could do Little Richard's voice which is a wild, hoarse, screaming thing-- It's like an out-of-body experience. You have to leave your current sensibilities and go about a foot above your head to sing it. Alot of people were fans of Little Richard so I used to sing his stuff, but there came a point when I wanted to do one of my own, so I wrote 'I'm Down.'|quotewidth=500px|Paul McCartney|1994}}

[[I'm Down - Lyrics|'''Lyrics''']]

'''Watch a video of a "performance":'''

{{#ev:youtube|lmsTT9bvWIg}}

[[Category:Singles]][[Category:Paul McCartney]]