Beatles - Remastered
- Thread starter andyoz
- Start date
Cheese
Bitter lover
Me no understand Tony, by musicianship you probably mean technical ability here ? To my understanding, actual musicianship (Keef being my archetype of a dreadful technician but great musician) is very important if you want to make 'popular music'. It's this very factor that ultimately gets people to move their arses.
It is a mixture of a concert there in 1964 and 1965.
According to the sleeve notes there has been no redubbing of the show.
Got a good bootleg of them in Paris too.
I bought the last Beatles remastering in 1987 when they were first released. I didn't have a CD played then but bought them on CD and went to a hi-fi shop to use them to demo CD players. I was so disappointed that I decided to put off buying a CD player until they had worked out how to make them properly. I took the CD's back and swapped them for the vinyl versions.
However, every time I've upgraded my turntable set up, the albums have sounded worse and worse. I only keep them for the curiosity value of red and blue vinyl pressings.
Maybe now if they have remastered them properly it will be time to give the CDs another crack.
However, every time I've upgraded my turntable set up, the albums have sounded worse and worse. I only keep them for the curiosity value of red and blue vinyl pressings.
Maybe now if they have remastered them properly it will be time to give the CDs another crack.
Nic Robinson
Moderator
Interesting comments re-the group's influence. I commend (if you can find it) Howard Goodall's Big Bang documentary on them from a few years back. Arguably their influence and achievements are greater than any musician save, perhaps, the JS Bachs of this world.
It's certainly my belief that the band would have been too unpolished without George Martin, however, anyone with any doubt over the musicianship of Macca should analyse the use of tonality in Penny Lane or the symmetry of the Dorian melody of Eleanor Rigby. Anyone who doubts the raw genius of Lennon should do a harmonic analysis of I Am The Walrus. These two were some of the greatest composers ever. Goodall puts them (in their own genre) up there with Mozart. Aside from pure music they integrated music technology (musique concrete, loops, reversed sounds, metamorphosis by high/low speed tape) into pop, as well as classical, Indian influences and even invented flanging! Just listen to how the elements in Tomorrow Never Knows combine even just from a rhythmic perspective to make a coherent whole. Absolutely stunning given the limited technology of the day.
IIRC “Something” was Sinatra’s favourite ballad – not bad for the third best songwriter in a group of 4.
As many will know I have little time for much music in the popular idiom finding it too repetitive for my taste (to quote Hiram K. Hackenbacker). However, my own admiration for The Beatles is up there with that for almost any classical composer.
Cheers,
Nic.
It's certainly my belief that the band would have been too unpolished without George Martin, however, anyone with any doubt over the musicianship of Macca should analyse the use of tonality in Penny Lane or the symmetry of the Dorian melody of Eleanor Rigby. Anyone who doubts the raw genius of Lennon should do a harmonic analysis of I Am The Walrus. These two were some of the greatest composers ever. Goodall puts them (in their own genre) up there with Mozart. Aside from pure music they integrated music technology (musique concrete, loops, reversed sounds, metamorphosis by high/low speed tape) into pop, as well as classical, Indian influences and even invented flanging! Just listen to how the elements in Tomorrow Never Knows combine even just from a rhythmic perspective to make a coherent whole. Absolutely stunning given the limited technology of the day.
IIRC “Something” was Sinatra’s favourite ballad – not bad for the third best songwriter in a group of 4.
As many will know I have little time for much music in the popular idiom finding it too repetitive for my taste (to quote Hiram K. Hackenbacker). However, my own admiration for The Beatles is up there with that for almost any classical composer.
Cheers,
Nic.
SteveS1
I heard that, pardon?
Good post Nic. George's contribution to the song writing is interesting. Few songs but most of them make it into people's favourite ten or twenty tracks. I certainly count three of them in my top six.
Technical proficiency never guarantees great music but they were pretty good even bashing out Chuck Berry numbers, and they could rock. "Get Back" and "Back in The USSR" never fail to stir things up. Very talented people rate the playing of Paul and George, the latter improving incredibly over a short period.
Not liking them is fine. Denying their place at the very top of modern culture and music is wide of the mark and undermines intelligent criticism, imo.
Steve
Spot on Nic, couldnt have put it better myself. I think the Beatles sometimes demonstrated an exceptional understanding of music. The key change on the second chord at the start of If I fell is a great example of the imaginative of key changes they used. Also the picked chords and booming bass at the end of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" would sound right at home with a full orchestra which I sure many a composer would have been happy to have written.
There have been many bands Ive liked over the years, but the Beatles are the only band Ive liked from a child up to the present day.
Ptah
pfm Member
Not really.
I can remember - in a former lifetime - watching Juke Box Jury (David Jacobs)in February 1967. There were a few records which were in the Take That mould.
Then they played Strawberry Fields Forever.
sideshowbob
Champagne fascia aficionado
Spot on. The most important group in western pop music history, they changed everything that followed. And their music is tirelessly great, which is why, wherever you go in the world, people know and love so many of the songs.
billo
pfm Member
Thanks for that, it looks like I'm back in 1965......saving all my pocket money for a Beatles release. I wonder in N.E.M.s in County Road is still open
seagullsnacker
iGull
That mono set does look awfully tempting...I wonder if it'll come down in price any?
Mike Hanson
Trying to understand...
Hmmm. As I prefer the later albums, I'm going for the Stereo version. I know I'll probably be marginally irked by the forced stereo mix on the earlier albums, but not nearly as much as I would be listening to Sergeant Pepper's in mono.
joel
Painter of Dragons, Maker of Mirrors
Beatles are the Real Thing ;-)
cooky1257
pfm Member
Their meteoric development and prodigious output over such a short period marks them out as truly exceptional talents and to claim otherwise is just silly.
George Martin remarked that early on he would demonstrate chords on piano but the band being guitarists struggled with that so he learnt to play guitar, meanwhile the band had bought themselves pianos and very quickly had taught themselves to play better than he could.
Picked up Rubber Soul and Revolver on cd today-by far the best quality releases I've heard and that includes some rare/special vinyl pressings via my old mate Fraser King.They were only £9.50 each too which came as a pleasant surprise.
George Martin remarked that early on he would demonstrate chords on piano but the band being guitarists struggled with that so he learnt to play guitar, meanwhile the band had bought themselves pianos and very quickly had taught themselves to play better than he could.
Picked up Rubber Soul and Revolver on cd today-by far the best quality releases I've heard and that includes some rare/special vinyl pressings via my old mate Fraser King.They were only £9.50 each too which came as a pleasant surprise.
