Will remixing the Beatles’ catalogue keep their music relevant in the coming years?

The Beatles have managed to stay in the public consciousness for over 50 years. But we live in an age of streaming, where many people don’t really LISTEN to music anymore. The music is just in the background. Also, the streaming apps also allow you to easily flip past songs or albums, so the Beatles music has more competition than ever when it comes to people discovering them. The Beatles catalogue also sounds dated, which is the way it should sound. However, with today’s music sounding very modern, would remixing the catalogue in modern stereo keep the music relevant in the coming years?

 

The Beatles 1 remix sounds very modern. So does the new Sgt Pepper remix. I could imagine kids listening to those albums because they do sound really good. Are Apple Corps going to remix the rest of the albums?

 

I think, for the most part, the actual as-it-was-recorded music itself will primarily be responsible for their music staying relevant.

 

Remixes are fun but for the most part the original mixes are pretty timeless (with a few stereo exceptions).

 

I love the original mixes myself but I’m a fan of the Beatles. Are kids or future generations really going to want to listen to the ‘old’ sounding Beatles? Would they not be inclined to listen to the louder, modern Beatles?

 

Isn't this just another "will any other albums be remixed?" thread?

Basically, I like the options, I like the effort... I assume most people will gravitate to what sounds "best" to them. That's quite subjective.... although I would say the 1+ and Sgt Pepper releases do sound more "loud" albeit with other positive changes

It's a tricky area in one sense - how far should a remix go before it's against the original intent? (And am I being square being practically obsessed with "author intent"? Oh, we will always have mono....)

I don't in all honesty think anyone can answer per-generation! If you get into a band, you get into their best stuff... and as familiarity kicks in, you will get accustomed to what you find.

If newer remixes are all that's available easily - then, yes, more newcomers will hear 'em!

But what about Generation X? What about Z?

 

I think the remixes DO help to make The Beatles sound good to millenials. Next year's White Album will probably help make their music more accessible.
I think the bulk of the material that works for a modern audience when it comes to The Beatles (and The Stones, for that matter), starts around 1968.

 

Kids in the future, as well as kids today, generally don’t know or care about the Beatles. Mixes don’t matter...it’s old people music.

 

Follow the money.

 

“The Beatles catalogue also sounds dated, which is the way it should sound. However, with today’s music sounding very modern, would remixing the catalogue in modern stereo keep the music relevant in the coming years?”

Sorry, I’m not quite sure what this means...

 

I guess this might be true for those that prefer to watch Leave It To Beaver or other TV shows from that era colorized. Yet they're still in syndication and have been for years in original b&w.

 

The question answers itself. It is The Beatles' excellence which keeps their music relevant. There is no need to mess with it.


Music of that quality will never sound old, dated, irrelevant to those with ears to hear.

 

They need to put in "hip-hop" and reffrences to "Pack man"

 

The original mixes really don't sound 'old' though. And I doubt that most 'kids' would notice the difference in mixing. It's more about the music itself - if they like the music, they'll like the music, regardless if it's a 1960 mix or a 2017 mix. If they don't like the music, a different mix probably won't matter.

 

I think the boat was missed.
Ideally, fiftieth anniversary versions of all of their studio albums would have been the way to go.
However, there would also have been a spike in the number of personal bankruptcy filings.
Re: The Beatles catalogue.
It will stand.

 

I was in the Verizon phone store- the wife needed some information updated, and I asked about the price of a flip top phone, which was 167.00!! No fluckin' way. Anyways, there was Beatles blasting in the store, and it was Hey Jude, but it most definitely a re-mix. Towards the end during the vocal chorus it breaks down to almost a stop, stomps for a bit and it picks back up. Which album is this from? I haven't pulled out 1+ yet to check that one. Could this of been on the "Love" album (which I don't have)? It sounds like it could be from that. I didn't mind it. I have never been a big Hey Jude guy anyway. I thought it was just as fine as the original. I have not heard the radical remixes yet or my favourite Beatles songs...

 

The answer is no

 

Sounds like the "Love" mix. I love the breakdown bit.

 

Thank you. It was not bad I can tell you. I didn't mind it at all.

 

So THAT's what's wrong with them!

On a serious note, remixes of Beatles material is pointless in regards to keeping their music relevant. A potential new, young fan isn't going to like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" more by listening to the remix over an original mix.

 

Relevance is a choice word.

Timeless music is always relevant. Popular, no. There isn't a flawless formula for popular anyway, and I'd argue it isn't inherently a positive state without other factors

Their popularity has long peaked and we are past the stage where opening the vaults and compiling will create a great wave of interest again, though.

IMO you'll always get people getting into the Beatles. They're such a touchstone for so much else. The timeless elements work - the production IMO is generally fine; guitars whirr in and out of fashion, but unless something unforseeable happens I doubt , say, "Help" will be difficult to "get" for the average listener in terms of understanding and therefore appreciating the music.

If you are dead-set on true mass-market permanent Beatlemania.... it happened once, it was historic. Why so greedy?

I wonder if fans of classical music fans wonder this about Beethoven...!

 

The Beatles will always be relevant as long as their recorded output and footage never gets lost. Have they sent copies of everything into space just in case the world blows up?

I'm personally one where older mixing styles and recording techniques happen to have more legs and longevity than a lot of stuff being put out today. The remixes will become irrelevant in time while the originals will still be the best way to listen to it. Do I want a Van Gogh computer enhanced image or the real thing that came out while the artist was still around? Which one will always be the most relevant?

 

There is no 'always'

 

"Pack man"?

 

The Beatles will always be relevant.