Tag: #50thAnniversary

  • Never Mind Trump, Here’s Abbey Road

    Today, I needed a change of pace, though I have not forgotten what is happening in the world.

    When I looked at my Spotify account this morning, FINALLY!!! The 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition of Abbey Road was released! (I am listening to it as I write… and as you read?) This isn’t a review, but I sure can tell you that even with my shitty computer headphones, the sound quality is sharp, and the instruments have been separated on their own tracks, giving a fuller sound that avoids becoming artificial, and too “studio.” I have always liked the fact that the Abbey Road studio was an instrument in The Beatles’ recordings. They used the space to capture echoes, and live mixed in the studio as they recorded, like a band would do “live.”

    Either way, this album was what I needed today. I have written about The Beatles, and all their albums often, and I have read books, and dissected all their songs.

    But Abbey Road… man, it is still an album that’s exciting, and fun to listen too, but more importantly, just makes me feel better if I’m having a shitty day. And I have been listening to this album since I was 16. Logically, I know that this album has nothing to do with me, recorded before I was born, but it is completely personal. Such a part of my life.

    Here comes the sun, everyone!

  • The Beatles (The White Album) Super Deluxe Edition

    I listened to the 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition of The White Album yesterday and today. I have been waiting for this to come out for some time, as I am a super Beatles fan. Over all, I am very happy with what they put out in this edition.

    My first impression is that the remixing of the original album is great. The music on this mix is much sharper, clearer, and also, they pulled forward sounds that had been lost in the background due to the use of a four track in the initial recording.

    The other treasure is the Esher Demos on the third disk, which were recordings made at George Harrison’s house of the songs that John, Paul and George had been working on for the new album. Some of these tracks had been released on the Anthology Three way back in the 90’s, but on this edition, 27 tracks were included. In these demos, we are given an amazing insight to the first drafts of some of these songs; some songs evolved, while others were pretty much complete and ready to go.

    The final three disks are outtakes from the studio, a few jams, and instrumental tracks. It is interesting to get a glimpse of the building of these songs, but in this presentation of this material, a false reality is created. These outtakes leave one feeling that The Beatles were having a great time recording in the studio, when the reality was quite different.

    Of the 30 original songs on The White Album, only 16 tracks had all four playing on them. The real sessions had arguments, and walk outs, and lots and lots of tension that would start the process of the band’s eventual breakup. I know the recording exists, as I have heard stories about it, and I wanted to hear the tape where John calls Paul a “fucking idiot,” because they were a band that was making great music while they didn’t like each other. That is an amazing accomplishment as well, and I want to hear how they did that, but that is not what is being presented. What we have is a celebration of a great album, and not a historical document.