The Beatles' big announcement on Tuesday caused an explosion of reaction among Beatle fans.
(Copyright Apple Corps Ltd., 2009.)
We were just barely awake this morning when our eyes hit the press release from EMI about the Beatles remasters CDs. As Gomer Pyle would have said, "Surprise! Surprise!"
But actually, it wasn't. Not completely, anyway.
If you subscribe to Vanity Fair, take a look at Lisa Robinson's column in the May issue. It mentions the possibility of the remastered CDs tied to a September release.
But you might have figured it out even if you weren't a Vanity Fair subscriber. Some sharp-eyed fans noticed listings for the remastered CDs were already up on Amazon.co.uk yesterday for "A Hard Day's Night", "Abbey Road", "Beatles For Sale", "With The Beatles", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Help!", "Please Please Me", "Revolver", "Magical Mystery Tour", "Let It Be", "Rubber Soul", "Past Masters", "Yellow Submarine" and "The Beatles (White Album)". Interestingly enough, though, these were separate listings, not a boxed set, as mentioned in the EMI announcement on Tuesday.
We couldn't find the remastered CDs on Amazon.com, but instead, what we did find were a couple of import CD singles on Parlophone for release on Jan. 5, 2010. They are "Something" and "Help/I'm Down."
Update: We found the remastered CDs on Amazon.com for advance order, but just as single items, not the box sets. The listings on Amazon.com: Beatles For Sale (Remastered), Yellow Submarine (Remastered), Let It Be (Remastered), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Remastered), Rubber Soul (Remastered), A Hard Day's Night (Remastered), Help! (Remastered), With The Beatles (Remastered), Abbey Road (Remastered), Past Masters (Remastered), Revolver (Remastered), Magical Mystery Tour (Remastered), The Beatles (Remastered)
If you liked this story, you'll like:
- BREAKING NEWS!!: EMI announces Beatles remasters to be released in September
- Number 9, number 9, number 9: Beatles fans will empty their wallets on 9/9/09
- Have our Beatles Examiner columns delivered conveniently to your inbox. Click SUBSCRIBE on the button below this column. It's free. (And we promise we'll never send spam or give out your information.)
- Our previous columns are available below.
- Write to us at beatlesexaminer@gmail.com
- NEW! Follow us on Twitter.
- For more Beatle news and history, see my Beatle website Abbeyrd's Beatles Page.
Comments
Amazon UK is taking pre-orders for the remastered single albums for £11.69 and the doubles (White Album & Past Masters) for £17.59
HMV UK also listed the new remasters today:
single discs at £8.99 and doubles for £15.99
Steve, does this mean we will finally be able to uncover the REAL hidden meanings in Beatles songs, such as the haunting fadeout on "Strawberry Fields Forever"?
Ironically, I saw the post Monday about the Rolling Stones' remasters coming and I thought it said Beatles remasters. Then I checked Musictap.net and saw some Twitter postings that the catalogue was being remastered and now it's confirmed! Sept. 9 is going to have to be renamed Beatles day!.
Steve, I too saw the curious Amazon listing for the audio c.d. singles "Something"(no mention of "Come Together") and "Help"/"I'm Down" for $11.99 each! Ouch!
I still have the complete set of the mini-c.d. U.K. singles available individually in the late 1980's. Those were like $5.99 it seems.
We have been so use to being deceivd that the Vanity Fair bit(which you reported back when) was like another, "Oh right."
I think that I am getting excited. We need to know the prices though.
All we need after these are the 5.1 versions to make our lives complete!
I think that just remastering the tapes, it´s not enough. Those songs needed a REMIX, because of the improvement in sound and in the correct balance of stereo. Some songs are very bad balanced, and with the remasters, those old (and odd) mixes are still there.
I´m thinking in the GREAT sound of "Let It Be Naked" and "Yellow Submarine Songtrack". Those CDs contain REMIXED songs and they sound so perfect.
When I go to the Something single link in Amazon.com and change the URL to amazon.ca, I get this (it's in French in my case...):
Les détails du produit
Audio CD (Oct. 4 2004)
Date de sortie de la version originale: Oct. 6 1969
Quantité de disques: 1
Format : Import, Single
ASIN : B00004ZLB8
Évaluation du client type : Aucun commentaire client existant. Soyez le premier.
Souhaitez-vous compléter ou améliorer les informations sur ce produit ? Ou faire modifier les images?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liste des titres
1. Something
2. Come Together
So obviously the January 2010 release could be a re-release of the 2004 singles
Luc: I'm not sure whether the singles listings are mistakes or what, but my source said they didn't know anything about a reissue of the singles. Notice, by the way, the Amazon.com listing for the single albums. They are on Amazon.com.
SUBSCRIBE
Only if you can play it backwards, Chris.
Wouldn't it be nice if the remastered "Sgt. Pepper" was released in 2007, in time for the album's 40th anniversary? As good and important as "Pet Sounds" is, let's face it, "Pepper" had more of an impact at the time, and deserved the upmost attention and reissue treatment when it turned 40 years old. Maybe put BOTH mono and stereo mixes on one CD and have an additional DVD disc containing material such as the 1992 doc, "The Making Of 'Sgt. Pepper'", the "Day In The Life" promo, maybe even the album in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound. If they can treat "Pet Sounds" this way, why the heck leave "Pepper" high and dry?
Last year, 2008, it was the White Album's 40th anniversary, they could've reissued that album at that point. Maybe release two different versions, one in stereo and the other in mono. Now, it's 2009, "Abbey Road" turns 40, give that one the reissue treatment.
My point in general here is, with the recession being what it is, can anyone afford to purchase not just one, but TWO box sets containing over 5 or 10 discs? We saw how much the "extra special edition" of the "Help!" DVD was (literally over $100), I can just imagine what these sets will go for. Could be logical to reissue the Beatles' catalogue one at a time instead of all at once. It's totally unfair to the consumer, more now than ever before.
Example: Bruce Springsteen a few years back reissued "Born To Run" in time for THAT album's special anniversary, and it was quite a nice, put together set (at a rather reasonable price too). It contained the remastered album in a replica / minature album sleeve (like the vinyl version of it was, only alot bigger of course), even making the CD look like a vinyl disc with the playing side colored in black (first time I ever saw that), a booklet containing previously unseen photos, plus not one but TWO DVD discs (one being a doc on the making of the album along with two rarely seen filmed performances from The Boss' early days, and the other being a previously unreleased film of Bruce and the E Street Band's first performance in England during the "Born To Run" tour). The anniversary for "Darkness On The Edge Of Town" was last year and there were plans to reissue that album the same way as BTR, but so far it hasn't been released, but Bruce's manager claims that it is still in the works. See, what Bruce is doing is actually a GOOD thing. Reissuing his albums not all in one shot, but one by one. If only EMI and Apple and whoever it is that's behind the remastering of the Beatles' catalogue could've taken notice. I know it's best to not be like everyone else, but in this case, it could be pleasing to the fans' current financial stresses. (preferably mine. ha)
Hey you think they would finish releasing the U.S. Capitol albums first like where is Yesterday & Today & Revolver & Rareties how many times can they remaster something anyway? What is out on Cd sounds as good if not better than my old RECORDS. There not prying any more money out of my pockets and how about the Mini LP Cd format I love that.
Seems like the other day that I heard Paul play a rough mix of the Beatles first album at Peter Asher's house in Wimpole St London . It was actually 1963. He was keen for Jane (Asher) to hear it and since they had just been in the charts big time ,I thought "...maybe this could be BIG".Paul went on to write a couple of songs for Peter and my best mate Gordon Waller and the rest is as they say.......... is history. Great to see the remastered back catalogue and a whole new generation able to access the material in a refreshed format .
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!