BeatleBlog

I have something to say to all those who are bitching and moaning about "Love" and what a travesty it is and how the songs shouldn't have been touched -- and I say this with all the love and respect in the world, from one Beatles fan to another: Shut up. Seriously. You are making yourselves look like complete asses. Look -- Paul likes it. Ringo likes it. Yoko and Olivia like it. That's the end of the argument right there. Now, you don't have to like the finished product. But the whining about the treatment of the songs? QUIT. It is no longer your business. The Beatles have said it's okay.....so IT'S OKAY. You do not have to defend the original recordings when the people who made the original recordings have given their blessing for this. You are defending Paul from.....himself. Now THAT'S productive!

And it's not like this is some young, upstart, hotshot producer who's come along and thought he could improve upon the Beatles. It's George Martin. Yeah, you know, George Martin? In case you have been asleep for the past forty years you ought to know that George is THE fifth Beatle. All that good stuff you hear when you listen to a Beatles album? It wouldn't sound anywhere close to the same if Sir George hadn't been a part of it. So if anybody has the right to tweak these songs; to take a new look at them, it is he. And it's sure as hell not your place to question him. Like I said, you don't have to like it. If you want to keep your original Beatles albums up on that pedestal and sit in the corner with your love beads on, rocking back and forth and pretending it's still 1968, that's your prerogative. But shut up all the boo-hooing about they shouldn't have done this and how could they do that. If they had added a bunch of newly-recorded material furnished by non-Beatles I'd be up in arms, too. But this album is pure, 100% Beatle material. Where's the harm in that? Why are you so afraid to look at the songs from a different perspective? Are you afraid you might actually like it? No one is trying to replace the originals; only to see them in a different light. Liking a new version of these songs does not make you disloyal to John, Paul, George or Ringo. They don't place their own work on an altar and worship it. Have you ever read John's remarks about his various Beatle songs? He was just as likely, if not more likely, to rip something he'd written as any music critic. While he appreciated many of the songs he did not hold them in such high esteem that he'd have been mortally offended that someone, least of all George Martin, wanted to try to alter them a little. John doesn't need you to stick up for him on this one, and neither do the other boys.

In closing I want to register my own opinion: this album is brilliant. Strawberry Fields progressing from the demo version to the end result all in the space of a few minutes is fab. The a capella Because is positively gorgeous and makes me want to cry every time I hear it. And Within You Without You set to the music of Tomorrow Never Knows? Genius! If George and Giles Martin don't win a Grammy for producing this then I will begin a campaign to have complete idiocy made a felony and have every last Music Academy voter imprisoned for a considerable amount of time.

Posted by Mary at 11:12 AM | Permalink

OMG OMG OMG!!!!

It's official.....the entire Beatles catalogue is being remastered!!! I could CRY, I'm so happy! I can't wait to hear the new and improved sound. The last time they were remastered was 1986, so imagine how inferior the technology was compared to what we have now.

I really hope they put all the albums in a box set for those of us who want to upgrade our libraries. I've already told Madalyn when I replace my current CDs with new ones that she can have the old ones.

Also on the schedule is making all the remastered versions available for download online. That's not terribly important to me right now since I have not given in to the dark side yet and am stubbornly clinging to my CDs. However, it will make the Beatles that much more accessible, especially to the younger set who are entirely digital.

Read about it here if you haven't already.

Posted by Mary at 12:41 AM | Permalink

I just heard the "Spectorized" version of "The Long and Winding Road" for the first time in ages.

For anyone who doesn't know, the "Let it Be" project was shelved for a year before the tapes were turned over to producer Phil Spector, who then gleaned an album from the tapes. For some unknown reason he felt it necessary to add full orchestration to both "The Long and Winding Road" and "Let it Be." For years these were the only versions available (apart from bootlegs, of course). The average person had only ever heard those versions because those were what played on radio.

A couple years ago "Let it Be.....Naked" was released. All the songs were remastered and the orchestration was removed. LIB and TLAWR were returned to their original state, as recorded by the Beatles. Now, more often than not (at least on the stations I listen to) you will hear the Naked version of either of these songs. It is also the album I listen to around home. I am not entirely sure where my original Let it Be album is, though it's around somewhere.

So this explains why it's been a while since I heard "The Long and Winding Road," Spectorized. I had honestly begun to forget what it sounded like, which gave me a bit of perspective. And from this perspective I now see what a travesty it was that he dressed the two songs up in that manner. There was absolutely NO need for any additional music and especially not a full orchestra. It just struck me that it sounds cheesy. Cheesy and overdone and common. It's like taking a Prime filet mignon and smothering it in mayonnaise and ketchup and mustard. That's fine if you have a weak song or weak singer that needs a little boost to draw focus away from the flaws. But there weren't any flaws in the two songs to begin with. The Naked versions, the authentic versions, are mainly Paul and the piano and very little else. And that is how they should be -- simple and clear and heartfelt, not scored like a Hollywood production.

Posted by Mary at 05:30 PM | Permalink

The kids unearthed my Beatles Live at the BBC CD! I had disc one in a CD wallet but the case, with disc two inside, had gone missing. It was making me insane because I have been really wanting to listen to disc two and haven't been able to find it. It's a good thing I didn't have any extra money because I'd have gone to Amazon and bought a new set.

It's funny; when I first bought the album (probably 8 years ago) I didn't listen to it much. As in, I probably only listened to it once or twice through and then didn't again for a very long time. I wasn't really into hearing the Beatles sing non-Beatle songs. But I've grown a deep appreciation for just that over the years and now I love the album. I guess that's because I now want to hear every single thing the Beatles ever recorded, whether it was a song or just them talking. (Speaking of which, the little bits of them being interviewed in between the songs are my favorite parts of the album! Favorite John quote: "I'm John and I too play the guitar. Sometimes I play the fool." LOL)

Also unearthed in the excavation was my alternate Revolver album so I plan to listen to it and BBC disc two this afternoon on my headphones. I can't think of a finer group of people to spend the day with.

Posted by Mary at 09:11 AM | Permalink