Can't we stop the Beatles catalog from getting hacked up??

I was thinking about how when there is an intense pollitical issue, people will circulate petitions, write letters, make calls, etc. Why can't we do that with the remastering of the Beatles catalog? For example, what would happen if we flooded the appropriate office with phone calls and correspondence expressing shock and horror at the possibility of Peter Mew doing the work or something like that? Can't we make a difference??

 

I think we could somehow.

For one, we would need someone else besides Neil Aspinall to listen to our concerns.

Seems everthing directed his way has fallen on deaf ears.

 

For anything else, yes or maybe. For The Beatles catalog? Fat chance.

 

Peter Mew is really getting a raw deal around here.

As I pointed out on the Kevin Ayers thread, Peter Mew did an amazing job on the recent Ayers reissues. Mew is certainly capable of doing great work, so if his Beatles disc is compressed and distorted, it must be because someone higher-up (Apple, no doubt - don't tell me that McCartney, et al doesn't have the final - if not the only - say in the end result) is compelling him to do so.

In other words, it doesn't matter who they get to master the catalog, they know what they want it to sound like ("modern"); they're going to end up with a made-to-order screwed up sound.

 

It seems that with the membership here at over 2000 and growing, we should be able to organize somehow to attempt to save the music that we all love. I mean, how many times can we just complain about it in posts?

The next logical step is some sort af action, but where to start??

 

deleted

 

Exactly.

 

CAMRA was a very successful campaign in the UK, the campaign for REAl ALE people have managed to stave off the threat to the British pint and preserve cask drawn ales....

Campaign for Real 'AUDIO' anyone...
I thought a website with an introduction to what we oppose in CD mastereing and a simple hitlist/sh1tlist of record companies/remasterers and their CD work would be a good start.

I'm not especially bothered about the Beatles catalogue as good sounding vinyl needledrops circulate freely in the Beatles community, their loss if they choose to put out inferior stuff. Its artists with little or no fanbases that suffer the most.

 

Has there been some news about the Beatles catalog today? Where did this come from all of a sudden?

Howcome we're still hearing this as if the remastering hasn't been done yet?

It's too late - the remastering is in the can, man!

 

What do you mean?

 

As well as 1 did, they're not going to suddenly shift gears and go purist/audiophile on us. If and whenever they upgrade, I'll bet it's going to be more of whatever was done to 1, and more surround mixes like the YELLOW SUBMARINE SONGTRACK.

 

I agree with you, Gary. Although I spent $700+ on my system doesn't mean that most people would be willing to do that.

 

Don't forget THE BEATLES REMASTER PETITION from about a year and a half ago. I know a bunch of forum members here signed and left comments.

 

According to Peter Cobbin, he spent two years remixing the catalog for the Anthology DVD.

 

One of the problems with a grass roots campaign is the lack of consensus as to what should be done with the catalogue. There is no agreement as to whether original mono mixes, original stereo mixes, 5.1 mixes, stereo re-mixes or some combination should be used.

Also, there is no consensus as to which format should be used.

The main problem, however, is that most Beatle fans outside of this site are quite pleased with the sound of the "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" and "1". This is not meant as a put-down. In fact, these CDs sounded fine to me, until I compared them to British and German LPs.

If these albums are remastered, they will probably end up sounding either like "1" or the "Yellow Submarine Songtrack."

Personally, I've decided not to wait for the Beatles catalogue to be remastered and focus on getting the best sounding mono and stereo LPs I can afford. In fact, I've already got all their stereo material and about half their mono material on British or German LPs.

 

Beatles.Vinyl.Steve Hoffman.

 

Sigh.

Best Pressings-->Hi-End Playback System-->Someone Who Knows What They're Doing-->CD-R's

 

The problem is that the average person either A.) has never heard how great the Beatles can sound or B.) don't overly care. In the seventie's and early eightie's I was , I thought at least, an audiophile. I read the mainstream trade rags, mainly Stereo Review and Audio. Hell, I was probably the first guy on my block with a Cd player! I thought Mo-Fi Lps were the best thing ever! I never knew any better until I found this place and the original DCC board about two years ago. I think Apple knows about their audio sins, but they are worried only about the great majority of consumers,and not a small block of audiophiles. We are a minority!

 

[Strike]My wife talked me into buying[/Strike] I bought "1" because we had no Beatles CD at all. I don't remember her playing that disc since the day we bought it. The old and scratchy MFSL "Abbey Road" has been "requested" several times though (she doesn't touch the WTRP herself since it has no arm lift).

Arne

 

Sadly I think this is your best bet and I have been doing the same thing. The only thing I am still looking for is a good mono copy of the White Album. They are very high priced on E-bay and they are impossible to find locally. If these remasters do ever hit the street I will tread cautiously. The days are gone when I will go out and drop $200 on a pile of discs when I can make a better CD-R at home.

 

You're probably correct. It was likely all remastered when Beatles 1 was done. They are just waiting for the right time to release it.

Or...

It's all being tweaked up and ruined for surround as we speak (a la Yellow Submarine).

I don't think there's much we, as a small community, can do. It's like health fanatics trying to get KFC to change it's recipe.

 

The Anthology DVD came out, not too long ago - remember?

5.1 mixes on that one. I wouldn't say 'ruined' - they're glorious.

 

Beatles Remastered

I attended a Beatle Convention in Liverpool last August and had the pleasure of riding in an elevator with Mark Lewisohn. Mark as most will know had the amazing luck of reviewing and documenting in a book all the Abbey Road master recordings of the Beatles at EMI in the 70's. I asked Mark about the Beatle catalog and whether there were any plans for a remastered edition. He told me that is was involved in the remastering project and that they were being mixed for a DVD-A release. He was sure about timing of the release but assured me that we should be seeing activity in a year or so. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope we see releases before the end of the year.