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All You Need is LUV

jherring
Explorer A

June 6, 1962 saw this band's historic first visit to EMI Studios at 3 Abbey Road, St. John’s Wood, London.  During the next eight years, they pushed the boundaries of recording music to unparalleled heights to create what is regarded by countless music fans (including me) and musicians as the greatest collection of studio recordings in Rock ‘n’ Roll history.  Note to our younger blog readers:  I’m referring to the one and only...The Beatles.   

Each generation listens to their favorite music via the format of the day, and technology has always dictated what that format will be.  When I was younger, I listened to music on vinyl, cassette tapes, and eight-track tapes.  Cassettes and eight-tracks dropped out of the market many years ago; vinyl was replaced with the Compact Disc (CD); and now it looks like downloading music online will eventually make the CD obsolete.  (Surprisingly, vinyl is making a bit of a comeback lately for those serious audiophiles who actually own a turntable.)

In 1987, The Beatles' albums made the move from vinyl to CD, and most serious Beatles fans will agree that the sound is somewhat thin and "tinny," not nearly as rich and full as what came out of your speakers when you listened to the lads in the days of vinyl.  Since that time, technology has made leaps and bounds, and the sonic improvements you'll hear on CDs today are astounding.

Now, after 22 long years of waiting, the time is finally here!  The Beatles catalog has been digitally remastered and repackaged and is ready for rediscovery.  A team of engineers spent over four years at Abbey Road Studios (where the Beatles recorded almost all of their songs) painstakingly remastering each and every Beatles song from the original stereo analog master tapes.  I’m thrilled to report that the results are magnificent!   

I've heard these songs literally hundreds of times, and they've never sounded as rich, warm, full, crisp, and vibrant.  Truly, the sound is spectacular—feels like you are actually in the studio with John, Paul, George, and Ringo as the sounds are being recorded. 

All 13 Beatles albums include a mini-documentary attached to each disc and are available in stereo—for sale individually or as a box set.  Also, there's a box set containing the Beatles albums that were recorded in mono—these mono versions will not be released separately.  Good luck finding a mono box set—only 10,000 were made, and there are no plans to produce more.

Each album comes with a deluxe booklet which includes historical notes, recording notes, and many pictures (some previously unpublished) of the group at the time the record was being made.  The earlier records also include original liner notes.  The historical notes of each album chronicle the Beatles' chart action that the album generated, and in some cases, the decision behind the album cover is also revealed.  The recording notes help to uncover the process by which the Beatles, led by their producer, Sir George Martin, laid down the sound in the studio.

Listening to Beatles music has brought me such joy, hope, and inspiration over the years, and I'm thrilled that these albums (really historical documents of the turbulent 60's) have at long last received such a well-deserved upgrade.