Beatles Reissue Everything
Just when Beatles fans thought they had everything they could possibly own by the band, along comes EMI and Apple Corps with yet another reason to repurchase the Fab Four’s spectacular music catalog, including not one, but two box sets.
This time the carrot dangling in front of fans is the phrase “digitally remastered,” as in the first time the original Beatles catalog has been digitally remastered.
September 9 is the release date, which coincidentally is the same day “The Beatles: Rock Band” video game will be released.
Aside from remastering the catalog, EMI and Apple Corps are including several value-added features to sweeten the pot for fans wondering if they need more versions of the songs they’ve already been listening to over the years.
For starters, each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original United Kingdom cover art. Included are expanded booklets containing original and new liner notes and rare photos. Furthermore, for a limited time only, each CD will include a short documentary about the album.
All 12 Beatles albums are in the digitally remastered collection, including track listings and artwork as originally released in the U.K. The set also includes Magical Mystery Tour, which was originally released in the U.K. as the soundtrack to the TV film of the same name, and wasn’t fleshed out to album size until it was released in the States. Plus, the group’s Past Masters Vol. I and II are being combined into one title, resulting in 14 titles in all – the original 12 albums, Magical Mystery Tour and Past Masters. The collecton will also be available as a box set.
EMI and Apple Corps have been working on the project for the past four years, utilizing state-of-the-art technology along with old recording equipment from the ‘60s. The claim is that the digitally remastered albums represent the highest fidelity any Beatles songs have enjoyed since the original releases.
Each CD booklet contains historical and recording notes. With the exception of the Past Masters release, the CDs will also contain mini-documentaries on the making of each album and will include archival footage, rare photos and never-before-heard studio chat.
The second box set – The Beatles In Mono – pretty much functions as the name implies and contains all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for mono release, resulting in mono versions of 10 albums. Included are two additional mono master discs containing material similar to the stereo tracks on Past Masters.
But if that’s not enough to grab your attention (and your wallet), the mono versions of Help and Rubber Soul also include the original 1965 stereo mixes never released before on CD, and will be packaged in min-vinyl CD replicas, including original inserts and label designs.
Although the reissues are all about the music, Apple Corps and EMI have done an excellent job providing additional, value-added content. One of the often-expressed criticisms of online music is that, other than legal threats, the labels have failed to give music fans reasons to legitimately purchase music that they can already get for free.
By beefing up the reissues with plenty of photos, films and artwork, both companies have given fans that already have the songs reasons to purchase the newly remastered CDs. That’s something the rest of the recording industry should consider when trying to convince consumers it’s better to buy than to steal. (courtesy of pollstar.com)
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