Sorry about that, Dad.
So from an early age I have been listening to and enjoying the four lads from Liverpool, and never really outgrew their music. In 1987 when the Beatles catalog was released on CD, I liked it, but as with many early CDs back in those days the sound was a little iffy. Compared to cassette and scratchy vinyl it was quite good, everything on CD seemed like an improvement back then, but audiophile friends of mine have often commented about how something great was lost during the digital mastering process.
It was with great excitement that I heard the completely remastered Beatles catalog this week. It’s not for sale yet (not until 9/9/09 – true fans get the significance of that) but being in radio has its privileges. Let me just say that the music brought me to my knees.
I had never heard such clarity. As I listened, each album got successively better, and fuller, with a more clearly defined stereo space. By the time I listened to Abbey Road, I couldn’t distinguish the sound quality as less than anything done today. It was state of the art in 1969, and now, with today’s technology, it sounded as if I was listening to a live performance right there in the Abbey Road studios.
After listening to the CDs from beginning to end one night this week, I have compiled my Top 10 favorite Beatles tracks, in no particular order. This is a purely subjective list, based almost on which songs I haven’t over-listened to through the years, but which made the biggest impression on me after listening to the remasters.
1)
A Day In The Life,
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. So many things going on in this tune! I love Ringo’s drum fills, Paul’s middle eight, and the jarring orchestral crescendo leading up to that final note, held out for so long that a studio musician creaked his chair, causing the other musicians to “shoosh” him. Yes, now you can hear it on this track.
2) Here Comes The Sun, Abbey Road. I always loved this song on the radio, but I never noticed how full the synthesized backing track sounds, or the crisp hand claps, or the high frequency synth that kicks in near the end. This is much more than just a simple acoustic guitar and vocal.
3) Words Of Love, Beatles For Sale. Just a nice, tight, pop song with typical early 60s guitar work by George, and trademark polished Beatles harmonies. 2 minutes and 4 seconds!
4) I Am The Walrus, Magical Mystery Tour. Man, what a strange, trippy song. Now you can clearly hear John’s lyrics, which were hard to decipher before, and all the bizarre sound clips interwoven into the mix. Check it out in headphones for the full effect.
5)
Come Together, Abbey Road. One of the best, well-crafted rock songs ever. John’s vocals are biting, Ringo’s drums are heavy and thumping, some gritty guitar work from John and George, there’s even a Billy Preston keyboard solo, but Paul’s prominent bass is what makes this song so cool, especially in the remix. He anticipates each note from John, and hits it just a half beat before, making the song slink from measure to measure.
Aerosmith covered this tune, but couldn’t match its pure rock musicianship.
6) Mother Nature’s Son, The White Album. All of a sudden you can hear Paul tapping on a notepad, the brass section fading in from nothing, and subdued background vocals that were missing before.
7) Two Of Us, Let It Be. This song is on my list for purely sentimental reasons. When my son Connor was a toddler he and I would drive back from daycare every night, and often he’d want to hear this song, because Paul and John were singing “we’re going home” over and over. “We’re going home too, Daddy,” Connor would say. (Again, this is a purely Brian-centric list.)
Rain, Past Masters Disc 2. Ringo’s drumming on this track is so interesting. It’s more of a lead-drum, rather than the fills he normally played; front and center in this song with Paul’s bass, with John’s vocal in right channel, and harmony vocals on the left. A treat for the ears.
9)
For You Blue, Let It Be. I love John Lennon’s slide guitar, in which he used a shotgun shell, interestingly enough. Again the stereo space is enhanced dramatically in the remaster.
10) You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away, Help! You can hear Bob Dylan’s influence on John’s writing at this point in his career, but it’s more his vocal that stands out to me. At times wistful, then growling and confident; it’s something Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder couldn’t duplicate in their recent cover of this song.
So there is my Top 10, a list which is subject to change at any moment. Whatever your list may be, I urge you to buy your favorite Beatles album on the 9th, and listen to it as it was meant to be heard. Just phenomenal.
–Brian
My wife and I really want to get Beatles Rock Band, but we didn’t know if we wanted to pay all that money if we didn’t like the game – so we rented Guitar Hero: World Tour over the weekend. We played for hours between football games and had a blast. My fingers are actually a little sore!
different. If you’ve ever played either game, you know that you’re looking down the neck of a guitar, with colored lights coming at you telling you which buttons to press, and when – it’s really mesmerizing. So much so that after the songs were over, it kind of looked like the room was spinning.
different. If you’ve ever played either game, you know that you’re looking down the neck of a guitar, with colored lights coming at you telling you which buttons to press, and when – it’s really mesmerizing. So much so that after the songs were over, it kind of looked like the room was spinning.
