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THE
BEATLES |
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September
9th, 2009. Also known as, 09/09/09. Thats the day Capitol Records
here in the USA unveils the first ever simultaneous release of the
entire 14 album Beatles catalog in stereo on CDall made right
here in the USA. I still remember that special day, the date the first
ever Beatles CDs were released here in the US. That date, Thursday,
February 26, 1987 (2/26/87) was the day the first four Beatles CDs
made anywhere were finally released in America. I remember the date
exactly because that Thursday was the same day me and my brother drove
all the way from NYC to Philadelphia to see The Kinks play music from
their great, fantastic Think Visual album live at Philly's
Tower Theaterwith no heat in the car on the way back! Anyway,
earlier that day, before driving to Philly for that fantastic show,
I remember rushing home from Tower Records on 65th street in Manhattan,
on a blisteringly cold afternoon, with the first 4 Beatles albums
released by Parlophone on CD, in mono no less! Taking off the shrink
wrap from the old longboxes (remember those?) and opening them up
I still remember seeing the words, beautifully silk-screened prominently
on the middle of the Parlophone disc label. The words, Made In Germany.
Yes dear readers, thats how unprepared American music business
/ commerce and technology was at the onset of the digital revolution
during the '80s. Looking back over the past 20+ years, I gotta give
good old Capitol Records a lot of credit. They did release two masterpiece
collections for collectorsThe Beatles Capitol Albums Vol.
1 & 2back in 2006 or so. Each of those two, 4
CD box sets combined contained the first 8 American only
CD releases of the famous Beatles Capitol Records 1960's Lp releases,
with each CD represented in both mono and stereo versions. Sadly,
a much requested volume 3 never appeared but lo and behold now in
2009, specifically on 09/09/09, Capitol is set to unveil their latest
Beatles remastersbeing sold as a stereo box set and available
separately, but only as individual stereo remasters. A very pricey
mono box setnot each individual mono CDof all the Beatles
U.K. released albums will also be released on this same 09/09/09 day.
Now, this writer is firmly of the beliefand has been for at
least the past ten yearsthat the Beatles on record often sounded
superior in mono. Playing Capitols new 2009 stereo remaster
of Abbey Road versus my rare Pathe Original mono CD edition
of Abbey Road (PMCD 7088) bears that out at least to
my ears. This rare Pathe silver disc, I believe a master off a Brazilian
mono mix tape, and not a CDR mind you, version (released on Lp in
mono in Brazil) of the mono Abbey Road is still to my ears
the best way to hear the last fantastic musical work of art The Beatles
recorded in 1969. Collector's have been trading the Brazilian
mono Lp on Ebay for years. Capitols 2009 stereo remaster of
Abbey Road is still pretty good and you can just about hear
the Beatles as they intended the album to be heard. I A/Bd Come
Together off the 2009 Capitol stereo remaster against my Pathe
Original mono Abbey Road and the differences are pretty obvious.
Even on much vaulted yet bootleged mono CD, "Come Together"
and especially the album's greatest song "Here Comes The Sun"
just hits you harder with Ringo's drums like an express train right
down the center. To their credit, for the masses of Beatles fans,
Capitol / EMI / Parlophone / Apple does a pretty darn good job on
the sound of their 2009 stereo remasters of the original U.K. Beatles
albums...for stereo that is. The sound is decent, pretty crisp and
clear even as most of these albums feature the typical pattern of
stereo mixing back in the '60svocals on one side (speaker) and
various other instruments phasing in (and out) of the other speaker.
As good as it can be (if you have the propensity for stereo), its
not exactly the way the Fabs intended for their '60s music to be heard.
Even George Harrison said that Sgt. Pepper's sounds better
in mono! But those diehard stereo buffs and Beatles fans pining for
the golden days of the 1960s will lap up the individual stereo
pressings anyway. Capitol sweetens the deal on their 2009
stereo Beatles remasters with spiffy new cardboard packaging, repacking
each stereo CD remaster with eye catching artwork and excellently
detailed booklets filled with classic period piece photos
for each album, plus new liner notes written by a crack crew of Beatles
buffs over in the U.K. Also included on each of these new stereo 2009
remasters are new mini documentaries about each release, presented
in Quick time, that are easily playable on Mac and PC computers. Short
but sweet, these mini-docs are a definite perk. But all things considered,
these 14, 2009 stereo CD remasters of the original 60s Beatles
U.K. releases13 studio albums (including the Yellow Submarine
soundtrack) plus a double stereo CD combining the two contentious
and horribly packaged Past Masters setsare still made
in stereo. Beatles fans and those whove been waiting since 1987
for upgraded stereo versions, you remember, of the ones first made
in good old Deutschland, will want these 2009 stereo CDs as keepsakes
and for the price they are invaluable, attractive artifacts of days
gone by. But for those with ears, the original teenyboppers now aging
over 54 who remember the heyday of Beatlemania and the way Beatles
music was meant to be played...you better hope you can find Capitols
09/09/09 11 CD Beatles mono box set, (made in Japan and currently
sold out and not containing needed mono mixes, or even new
mono remixes of Abbey Road, the Yellow Submarine soundtrack
or Let It Be on CD). An MWE3.com review of the mono
box hopefully will follow. It better be good, right? Good night and
good luck. www.TheBeatles.com |
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