Beatles albums remastered soon?

[riceboy]

I just saw this article and I remembered reading it last year. Has anyone heard any news of when the remastered Beatles album might be coming out?

Remastered Beatles on iTunes in 2008 7:26AM, Monday 4th 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 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 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

[aardvark baguette]

Beatles and iTunes have been chasing each other's tails for a while. I wouldnt hold my breath. Just get the CDs and be done with it.

[riceboy]

Beatles and iTunes have been chasing each other's tails for a while. I wouldnt hold my breath. Just get the CDs and be done with it.

Thanks Chris . I've had the CDs for around 15 years, but I've been waiting for them to do a remaster on them for a while. Well hopefully it happens sooner than later. Cheers.

[deepak]

The negotiations have been going on for over five years (or something like that), so I don't think we'll see them any time soon.

[Dusty Chalk]

Nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom...

[riceboy]

The negotiations have been going on for over five years (or something like that), so I don't think we'll see them any time soon.

Wow I didn't know it was that long

Nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom...

Ain't that the truth Dusty

[aardvark baguette]

The best Beatles I've heard (mono and stereo) has come from LFF. That includes Diament.

[deepak]

Pre-order of remastered Beatles albums on Amazon (UK) and HMV websites! - SH Forums

... 55 pages of posts in one day

More official information: http://beatles.com/core/home/

[Dusty Chalk]

Pre-order of remastered Beatles albums on Amazon (UK) and HMV websites! - SH Forums

... 55 pages of posts in one day

They ought to just rename the forum.

[riceboy]

Pre-order of remastered Beatles albums on Amazon (UK) and HMV websites! - SH Forums

... 55 pages of posts in one day

More official information: The Beatles

No way. That's awesome. Thanks for posting it up Deepak

[Dreadhead]

I am stoked about this. I wonder who did the mastering.... I just looked and it looks like Abby road mostly uses Rosetta 200s in their mastering rooms. hmmmm....

There will be mono masters too (not for me)

[riceboy]

Got some info from this link:http://www.shorefire.com/index.php?a...release&o=2872

The Beatles' Entire Original Recorded Catalogue Remastered By Apple Corps Ltd. And EMI Music For Worldwide Release On September 9, 2009

Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music are delighted to announce the release of the original Beatles catalogue, which has been digitally re-mastered for the first time, for worldwide CD release on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (9-9-09), the same date as the release of the widely anticipated “The Beatles: Rock Band” video game. 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 albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release.

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. In addition, the collections 'Past Masters Vol. I and II' are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs. This will mark the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc. These 14 albums, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available for purchase together in a stereo boxed set.

Within each CD’s new packaging, booklets include detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. With the exception of the 'Past Masters' set, newly produced mini-documentaries on the making of each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, are included as QuickTime files on each album. The documentaries contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere.

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. It will contain 10 of the albums with their original mono mixes, plus two further discs of mono masters (covering similar ground to the stereo tracks on 'Past Masters'). As an added bonus, the mono “Help!” and “Rubber Soul” discs also include the original 1965 stereo mixes, which have not been previously released on CD. These albums will be packaged in mini-vinyl CD replicas of the original sleeves with all original inserts and label designs retained.

Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalogue will continue. There is no further information available at this time.

http://www.thebeatles.com

U.S. Media Contacts UK Media Contact

For Apple Corps Ltd.: For Apple Corps Ltd.:

Shore Fire Media MBC PR

Matt Hanks Moira Bellas

(718) 522-7171 / [email protected] 0 20 7483 9205 / [email protected]

Brendan Gilmartin

(718) 522-7171 / [email protected]

For EMI:

Jennifer Ballantyne - EMI Music North America

(323) 871-5494 / [email protected]

The Stereo Albums (available individually and collected in a stereo boxed set)

The stereo albums have been remastered by Guy Massey, Steve Rooke, Sam Okell with Paul Hicks and Sean Magee

All CD packages contain original vinyl artwork and liner notes

Extensive archival photos

Additional historical notes by Kevin Howlett and Mike Heatley

Additional recording notes by Allan Rouse and Kevin Howlett

* = CD includes QuickTime mini-doc about the album

Please Please Me* (CD debut in stereo)

With The Beatles* (CD debut in stereo)

A Hard Day's Night* (CD debut in stereo)

Beatles For Sale* (CD debut in stereo)

Help!*

Rubber Soul*

Revolver*

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band* (also includes 1987 notes, updated, and new intro by Paul McCartney)

Magical Mystery Tour*

The Beatles*

Yellow Submarine* (also includes original US liner notes)

Abbey Road*

Let It Be*

Past Masters (contains new liner notes written by Kevin Howlett)

‘The Beatles in Mono’ (boxed set only)

The mono albums have been remastered by Paul Hicks, Sean Magee with Guy Massey and Steve Rooke

Presented together in box with an essay written by Kevin Howlett

+ = mono mix CD debut

Please Please Me

With The Beatles

A Hard Day's Night

Beatles For Sale

Help! (CD also includes original 1965 stereo mix)+

Rubber Soul (CD also include original 1965 stereo mix)+

Revolver+

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band+

Magical Mystery Tour+

The Beatles+

Mono Masters

Re-mastering the Beatles catalogue

The re-mastering process commenced with an extensive period conducting tests before finally copying the analogue master tapes into the digital medium. When this was completed, the transfer was achieved using a Pro Tools workstation operating at 24 bit 192 kHz resolution via a Prism A-D converter. Transferring was a lengthy procedure done a track at a time. Although EMI tape does not suffer the oxide loss associated with some later analogue tapes, there was nevertheless a slight build up of dust, which was removed from the tape machine heads between each title.

From the onset, considerable thought was given to what audio restorative processes were going to be allowed. It was agreed that electrical clicks, microphone vocal pops, excessive sibilance and bad edits should be improved where possible, so long as it didn’t impact on the original integrity of the songs.

In addition, de-noising technology, which is often associated with re-mastering, was to be used, but subtly and sparingly. Eventually, less than five of the 525 minutes of Beatles music was subjected to this process. Finally, as is common with today’s music, overall limiting - to increase the volume level of the CD - has been used, but on the stereo versions only. However, it was unanimously agreed that because of the importance of The Beatles’ music, limiting would be used moderately, so as to retain the original dynamics of the recordings.

When all of the albums had been transferred, each song was then listened to several times to locate any of the agreed imperfections. These were then addressed by Guy Massey, working with Audio Restoration engineer Simon Gibson.

Mastering could now take place, once the earliest vinyl pressings, along with the existing CDs, were loaded into Pro Tools, thus allowing comparisons to be made with the original master tapes during the equalization process. When an album had been completed, it was auditioned the next day in studio three – a room familiar to the engineers, as all of the recent Beatles mixing projects had taken place in there – and any further alteration of EQ could be addressed back in the mastering room. Following the initial satisfaction of Guy and Steve, Allan Rouse and Mike Heatley then checked each new re-master in yet another location and offered any further suggestions. This continued until all 13 albums were completed to the team’s satisfaction.

New Notes/Documentaries Team

Kevin Howlett (Historical and Recording Notes)

Kevin Howlett’s career as an award-winning radio producer spans three decades. His music programmes for the BBC have included many documentaries about The Beatles, including 'The Beeb's Lost Beatles Tapes.' He received a Grammy nomination for his involvement with The Beatles’ album 'Live At The BBC' and, in 2003, produced the 'Fly On The Wall' bonus disc for 'Let It Be… Naked.'

Mike Heatley (Historical Notes)

Mike entered the music business via HMV Record Stores in 1970, transferring to EMI Records' International Division three years later. He eventually headed up that division in the early Eighties before joining the company's newly created Strategic Marketing Division in 1984. In 1988, he returned to International, where he undertook a number of catalogue marketing roles until he retired in December 2008.

During his career he worked with many of EMI's major artists, including Pink Floyd, Queen, Kate Bush and Iron Maiden. However, during the last 30 years he has formed a particularly strong relationship with Apple, and has been closely involved in the origination and promotion of the Beatles catalogue, besides solo releases from John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Bob Smeaton (Director, Mini-Documentaries)

Bob Smeaton was series director and writer on the Grammy award winning 'Beatles Anthology' TV series which aired in the UK and the USA in 1995. In 1998 he received his second Grammy for his ‘Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys’ documentary. In 2004 he gained his first feature film credit, as director on the feature documentary ‘Festival Express.' He subsequently went on to direct documentaries on many of the world's biggest music acts including The Who, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Elton John, Nirvana and the Spice Girls.

Julian Caiden (Editor, Mini-Documentaries)

Julian has worked with Bob Smeaton on numerous music documentaries including 'Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys' and the 'Classic Albums' series, featuring The Who, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Elton John and Nirvana among others. He has worked on documentary profiles from Richard Pryor to Dr. John to Sir Ian McKellen, Herbie Hancock and Damien Hirst and on live music shows including the New York Dolls and Club Tropicana.

The Abbey Road Team

Allan Rouse (Project Coordinator)

Allan joined EMI straight from school in 1971 at their Manchester Square head office, working as an assistant engineer in the demo studio. During this time he frequently worked with Norman (Hurricane) Smith, The Beatles’ first recording engineer.

In 1991, he had his first involvement with The Beatles, copy

[deepak]

I'm skeptical that they'll sound better than the vinyl, especially if they master by modern standards (compress/maximize).

[riceboy]

There will be mono masters too (not for me)

There will be a mono box set too

[Dreadhead]

Got some info from this link:http://www.shorefire.com/index.php?a...release&o=2872

Thanks for the info. Looks like they used the Prism ADA-8XR because that and the Orpheus are there only 192 ADs that prism sells and I see the ADA-8XR on the Abby Road website.

Damnit now I want the CD's and the Prism DA

[DigiPete]

Abbey Road might use those, but they are known for doing shitty jobs. the equipment is the last thing that's important on a remaster.

Need Hoffman/Grey to get involved...

[LFF]

Need Hoffman/Grey to get involved...

X 2!

The few samples I have heard from the new remasters sound much like "LOVE". The team who remastered these are rather good too. I just hope the limiting was light and that the NR was indeed light handed.

[postjack]

i'm sure the sound will be "modern".

[DigiPete]

Love LOVE

[Torpedo]

If the remaster goes in the direction of Love and Let it Be, I think I can enjoy that

[riceboy]

I just noticed you could order the mono and stereo Beatles box sets on Amazon. I just put my order for the mono box set

I liked the mono tracks when they released them on Capital a while back.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Beatles-Mono-Box-Set-LIMITED/dp/B002BSHXJA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1247366630&sr=1-4]Beatles Mono box set[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Beatles-Stereo-Box-Set/dp/B002BSHWUU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1247366427&sr=1-2]Stereo box set[/ame]

I do notice that the mono box set is more expensive than the stereo. Not sure if they are making more stereo box sets? Does anyone know how much they are making for both?

[Sherwood]

Mono is supposed to be 10,000. No limit on stereo. Mono's the way to go, except of course for those albums that are only stereo.

[riceboy]

Mono is supposed to be 10,000. No limit on stereo. Mono's the way to go, except of course for those albums that are only stereo.

Thanks Tyler. I agree. I love Mono for the Beatles. To me it just sounds right.

[MASantos]

What makes people prefer the monos so much over stereo versions?

[LFF]

What makes people prefer the monos so much over stereo versions?

Quick answer - it depends.

The mono versions were the versions that the Beatles actually heard and gave their ok on. The stereo versions were an after thought. Also, the mono's have better sound quality than the stereo versions up until Sgt. Pepper for most audiophiles. Moreover, EMI claims that the mono remasters have not been altered in any way.