Beatles For Sale

Today they released the entire Beatles catalog again on CD, entirely remixed and remastered from the original recording tapes. I remember it was a big deal when they first released the catalog in the late 80s, but right from the start there was criticism that the mixing was muddy and the music sounded flat compared to the vinyl predecessors. I've never considered myself to be much of an audiophile. I've always enjoyed music whether it was coming out of my crappy Toyota car speakers or through my bose headphones. I recognize the difference, but I don't obsess over it. Today I bought one of the new CDs at the local record store. I purchased Beatles for Sale as it was one of the few albums that I didn't already have in one format or another. I put it on the player at home and it really is unbelievable. It's like sitting in the room with them as they recorded it. I've read about the big Beatles re-release for a couple years now and at this point I suspect it's going to be the compact disc's last hurrah. It signified the legitimacy of the compact discs when they were first released and now they will ultimately put the format to bed for good. The funny thing is that many people will simply rip/compress the cds to their itunes and lose a lot of the vibrancy that makes the re-release so vital. I just thought I'd say that if you of the likelihood to still buy a CD, pick up you favorite Beatles CD and put it on a decent stereo. It lives up to the hype.

I've always been happy to line up for the latest Beatles marketing push. I simply don't listen to the Beatles as much these days and it's a good reminder to pull out Abby Road or Revolver and listen to what are just a few of many perfect albums. Start to Finish. Along with the CD, the album format is also a soon-to-be-lost art form. Of course the artists will still be out there making albums, but the mindset of listening to an album from beginning to end is already gone . It's generational and it's technological. It's a singles/itunes world and you just grab the song you like for a buck. If you do have the whole album it's never been easier to skip to the next song. I find myself sometimes skipping the 1 or 2 second pause in between songs on my ipod. Even with cassettes, it was such a pain in the ass to skip or search for a song, you basically just let it play out.

I remember liking the Beatles as a kid. I couldn't tell them apart, but I liked everything about them. I was 12 when John Lennon was shot and I think it was then that I started wondering what the big deal was. I've always remembered the song Gotta Get You Into my Life as a song from my childhood. This didn't make sense though. I always remembered it as a single on the radio from the 70s. I eventually read somewhere that they re-released that particular song in 1976, 10 years after it's first release. After a quick google I was able to confirm it.

I was talking to my niece Ella while she was staying with us this summer. We got to chatting about the Beatles and I had her memorize the names of the Beatles. I don't know why, I just thought it would be something cool that a 12 year old could rattle off at some point and time in the future. I showed her a couple pictures of the Beatles and she seemed to think they all pretty much looked the same too. Ella's been asking for a puppy for the last year or so, but she couldn't decide whether she prefered a Chihuahua or a Dachhund (hot dog). Last week my sister and Bill got her a mix of both breeds from their local no-kill shelter. Ella named him Ringo.