On one hand, the newly remastered Beatles seem like a great repackage of their music, especially for the younger generation of buyers who never bought the original Beatles on vinyl. On another hand, there are some disappointing aspects about the remasters. For some reason it seems like part of the "wall of sound" aspects of the original Capital and Apple recordings are gone and the sound seems a little more naked with a greater empathsis on the vocals and some instrument aspects. Part of what made the old Beatles recordings so great was that slick "wall of sound" production.
There is also that nasty little packaging problem. While the cardboard covers are like miniatures of the original UK album releases of the old vinyl, the Cd's simply fit way too snuggly into the sleeves and are very difficult to remove without putting your fingers onto the discs. At some point, you just know that the discs are only going to suffer damage because of all of this abuse. And because removing the discs is such a chore, you'll be more than unlikely not to play the discs as often as usual because of all of the hassle to remove them.
On the bright side, at moments on songs like "Let It Be" the sound is pretty crisp and dynamic. But other songs sometimes seem less brilliant than you might expect. The remastering job is a bit of a mixed bag.
Yet as a Christmas gift package for someone, what could make a better gift than this. This is quite a great package despite some real serious short comings. Who can't help but recommend the Beatles. +++1/2
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The Beatles
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Comments (2)
I received the remastered R... (Below threshold)1. Posted by bryanD | November 27, 2009 2:47 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I received the remastered Rubber Soul and White Album as a gift but I haven't listened to them yet. Remasters CAN be dissappointing, but then again CDs often lack the aural warmth of the original LPs, or sometimes the sonic presence is overwhelmed toward middle frequencies. Perhaps the search for a "close" sound a'la rap and pop to suit GenX sound tastes is the culprit.
I know Genesis' "Trick of the Tail" remaster is rather booming during some Wall of Sound sections. But the track "Mad Man Moon" is fine, and that's the whole reason for having the album IMO! Great song.
Back to The Beatles. If Ringo's drumming is un-buried, I'll consider the enterprise an automatic improvement. From early-1964 to early-i968 (Hey Jude) it seems that George Martin was literally trying to bury Ringo's playing. Ticket To Ride is the rare exception.
1. Posted by bryanD | November 27, 2009 2:47 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 27, 2009 14:47
2. Posted by Tango | November 29, 2009 11:31 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I have the 1st "box set" from a number of years ago. While the sound "fits" with todays technology, I find myself several times a year pulling out my original vinyls. Anyone who heard the Boys back in the day on that beautifull plastic disc in glorious mono knows what i'm talking about. When your heard the early Beatles, you were listening to them live!
But i digress....of course, i'll be purchasing the new & improved remasters.
2. Posted by Tango | November 29, 2009 11:31 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 29, 2009 11:31