Today, as I strolled through Manhattan, with not a care or destination, I imagined a scenario where I'd meet the Gossip Girl cast, and get to ask one question (am I watching to much TMZ?). I came up with a great question though, to ask Taylor Momsen if her band is "Taylor Momsen & The Pretty Reckless" or just "The Pretty Reckless."
I couldn't give a hoot about her answer, personally, but the question itself is a good one. It reminds me of a story about the Doors. They were introduced one night as "Jim Morrison & The Doors" and Morrison emphatically claimed that it was just "The Doors."
Attaching one's name ahead of the band implies that the person is not in the band, but instead they are two entities collaborating. By just having the band name, there is a sense of togetherness, and a lack of ego. Imagine "Hayley Williams & Paramore" or "Paul McCartney & Wings" (ok, bad example on the second one.)
Although, actually, that does lead me into where the use if the name ahead of the band makes sense. Paul McCartney was a performer before and after Wings. Wings themselves were a backing band, made of rotating talent (aside from the constant presence of wife Linda, and Denny Laine.) Paul wrote the material, and aside from 1975-76, when Wings was a more conventional and democratic band, it was really just Paul and musicians.
Anywho, this goes into the real topic of today's post: Selena Gomez. She has an album in the pipelines, called "Kiss And Tell". It is due out September 29th. The tracklisting is still unknown, but a bonus track has been talked about, a new recording of "Tell Me Something I Don't Know," which in original form came out last year, but was probably recorded much earlier. The album is to be by "Selena Gomez & The Scene." That's right, unlike Miley or Demi, Selena has a band name. Now, I already discussed the implications with having a name tagged ahead, but I wonder if perhaps Selena did not want to have her name there. I say that because when she first talked about making an album, she said she wanted to not have her name attached. So, I'm guess label Hollywood Records had the final say. By the way, the name is The Scene, because Selena says people jab at her by saying "she thinks she is scene" and the like. I'm just glad it rolls off the tongue nicely. Has that alliteration to it.
Then there is Miley. What a week. She stirred the pot a bit with her Teen Choice Awards performance. While singing her new single, "Party In the USA," part of her routine had her on a pole. Like a stripper. That, plus her argueably age-inappropiate attire got her some bad reviews, but also wound up stirring support from her fans, evidenced in the Twitter Trending Topic "#weloveyoumiley". Okay, not the best evidence. I concur.
I already posted about how the press likes to play up her sexual undertones (okay, overtones), and adds perception that is not necessarily there (I think that is what I said...). Either way, her new song is a hit, and she has her new EP coming out August 31st (with 7 songs, including "Before The Storm" live with the Jonas Brothers, and her song from the film "The Last Song.")
Miranda Cosgrove has a new song called "Raining Sunshine," which will be played during the credits of the film "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs."
Emily Osment is taking over Radio Disney tomorrow. What a coup! Heads will roll! Wait, nevermind. Anyway, she will premiere "All The Way Up," and discuss an new EP. (My guess is that the EP will contain songs that will later be on her 2010 album, but that is yet to be seen.)
And finally, "Send It On" and the Wizards Soundtrack were released. "Send It On" sounds like a lost eighties charity single, with its' gospel/hip hop beat. Except the singers were not born in the eighties. (Well, Kevin Jonas was. Maybe Joe too?)
The Wizards soundtrack was cool for the Selena songs (althought the absence of "Make It Happen" is a slap). Selena had good songs to work with. Sure, this is the equivilant of Hannah Montana, in that Selena had no creative imput. But she sure can sing, and these tracks make the best of that!
Showing posts with label Emily Osment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emily Osment. Show all posts
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
2010: A Space Oddessy
Well, Jennette McCurdy has finally made some public comments about her album. She has been signed to Capitol Nashville. This is exciting news, because with the backing of a major label, I'm positive Jennette will be able to reach a wide range of fans. As Jennette noted, however, this will mean a delay in releasing her record. But it seems well worth it.
Meanwhile, a potential release date has been given for Emily Osment's debut effort. I had my money down on an Autumn release, but it turns out the prospective date is March 9th, 2010! It is hard to believe that I first heard about Emily working on an album almost a year ago. And that last Christmas, I learned two songs from her album were leaked (one, "All The Way Up," is apparently set as the first single, with plans for it to premiere on Radio Disney next month, as a music video has been filmed behind it)
Well, at least if it isn't coming out until March, I'll have time to save up after buying all the other albums coming out!
Meanwhile, a potential release date has been given for Emily Osment's debut effort. I had my money down on an Autumn release, but it turns out the prospective date is March 9th, 2010! It is hard to believe that I first heard about Emily working on an album almost a year ago. And that last Christmas, I learned two songs from her album were leaked (one, "All The Way Up," is apparently set as the first single, with plans for it to premiere on Radio Disney next month, as a music video has been filmed behind it)
Well, at least if it isn't coming out until March, I'll have time to save up after buying all the other albums coming out!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Summertime, Summertime, Sum Sum Summertime
So, now that summer is here, let's take a look at the new releases you can listen to while you're at the beach, or bike riding, or massaging senior citizens (you can do that all year round!)
June 30th - Jennette McCurdy's debut album? McCurdy once stated her album could come out on the 30th, but since that is tomorrow, it seems very unlikely. No Amazon.com spot. No direct message from McCurdy (she only mentioned the 30th in interviews once or twice). Stranger things have happened, but it looks like we will have to wait a bit longer for this one.
July 3rd? - Klaus Voormann, artist/bass guitarist has spent his career as a great session man, most notably with Apple Records, where he played alongside George, John, Ringo, and was even rumored to replace Paul McCartney in a never formed Beatles-follow up band the Ladders. Now, he is releasing his first solo album, a collection of collaborations with artists like Yusuf Islam and Bonnie Bramlett (or Sheridan, as she goes by now.) Notable is "I'm In Love Again," a Fats Domino cover, with Klaus on bass, Ringo on drums, and Paul on vocals.
July 7th- Hannah Montana 3. In a strange marketing scheme, Disney will release 11 singles to promote this album. That mostly means showing Miley sing these songs live on a special concert (more on that in a moment) along with playing the song on Radio Disney. Anyway, the album is out next week, and features 14 songs, including a duet with Corbin Bleu ("If We Were A Movie," and this version is actually from season 2), and a duet with David Archuleta ("I Wanna Know You," also featured in a solo version.) Mitchel Musso has one song on the disc. "Let's Do This," and "Let's Get Crazy" are recycled from the movie soundtrack. A little dissapointing, but no biggie. The concert Miley did was a special taping, to make music videos out of, and will somehow be included on this album (probably enhanced CD).
July 21st - Demi Lovato's sophomore album, "Here We Go Again." Demi's new disc will feature John Mayer, Jon McLaughlin, and William Beckett. It is to be less of the power-pop of "Don't Forget," and closer to Demi's taste ("Don't Forget" was, in some ways, very much a mix of then beginner Demi being shown the ropes by the more experienced Jonas Brothers, whose flavor definatly comes across.) Expect there to be many foreign edition bonus tracks, itunes bonus tracks, and other things down the line for this one. Especially a track only on an Australian 7" steel vinyl, played at 12 rpm, backwards, on a Tuesday, if it is sunny, at exactly 6 o'clock, with a mouse, in a house, on a plane, near a train, I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them Sam I Am. Two songs were cut from the original tracklisting. They are "For The Love Of A Daughter," and "Shut Up and Love Me." (there is no Australian 7'', by the way.) All editions are set to include 2 bonus tracks already: "A Gift From A Friend", a song from an upcoming Tinkerbell movie, and "So Far So Great," the Sonny With A Chance theme song, already released on "Disney Channel Playlist."
August 4th- Wizards of Waverly Place Soundtrack. This album only features 5 songs by Selena, and oddly excludes her song "Make It Happen" from the series. And, one of those 5 songs is "Everything Is Not What It Seems", the shows theme song, already released on "Disney Channel Playlist" (wierdly still only 50 second long.) The album is filled out with other Disney artists, and features 4 different songs all titled "Magic." Selena has more output here than any other album, but it is surprisingly little.
September 9th - Beatles Remasters. 'Nuff said.
September 15th- Between My Head And The Sky. Yoko Ono is back, and she is bringing back the conceptual Plastic Ono Band! Yoko has released an EP already called "Don't Stop Me!" on itunes, which has an alternate version of a new track, a remix of another new one, a two other songs. It is great to see Yoko, and in full experimental unleashed mode.
Autumn? - Emily Osment and Selena Gomez both have debut albums currently set for a Fall release. Selena already has a place holder on Amazon.com. Emily is on a smaller label, so expect less promotion. That said, she does have a music video done (or is still working on it.) Selena already had the Demi duet from Princess Protection Program "One And The Same", and Emily had the Dadnapped song "Hero In Me", both on the album "Diseny Channel Playlist."
Then there is "Send It On." This song is part of Disney's environmental campaign, trying to raise 1 million dollars, and then offering viewers to decide what environmental projects the money should go to. This track, still unreleased, plays in the background during the TV spots, and even has a music video filmed, but also unreleased. It is an all-star recording with Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and the Jonas Brothers. I would have traded the JoBros for Jimmy Page, Jack Bruce, and Ringo Starr, but that is not the point. The point is that it must have been awkward with Miley, Nick, and Selena? No, the point is that I want to know the release date.
Also in the loop are a possible new Paul McCartney album, and a box-set of outtakes and unreleased material. Ringo has hinted at a new album too.
And that leaves Miranda Cosgrove. She has stated she that is working on a new album, and once hinted at a summer release, but has been mum since, leaving me to wonder. Even Autumn releases are getting nods now, so if she doesn't speak up soon, we may not have a new album until at least late Fall/Winter.
I look forward to all of these (well, honestly, I don't have very high hopes for the Wizards soundtrack, but that is mainly due to quantity, not quality. At least there is a new Wizards movie, which the soundtrack ties into.)
June 30th - Jennette McCurdy's debut album? McCurdy once stated her album could come out on the 30th, but since that is tomorrow, it seems very unlikely. No Amazon.com spot. No direct message from McCurdy (she only mentioned the 30th in interviews once or twice). Stranger things have happened, but it looks like we will have to wait a bit longer for this one.
July 3rd? - Klaus Voormann, artist/bass guitarist has spent his career as a great session man, most notably with Apple Records, where he played alongside George, John, Ringo, and was even rumored to replace Paul McCartney in a never formed Beatles-follow up band the Ladders. Now, he is releasing his first solo album, a collection of collaborations with artists like Yusuf Islam and Bonnie Bramlett (or Sheridan, as she goes by now.) Notable is "I'm In Love Again," a Fats Domino cover, with Klaus on bass, Ringo on drums, and Paul on vocals.
July 7th- Hannah Montana 3. In a strange marketing scheme, Disney will release 11 singles to promote this album. That mostly means showing Miley sing these songs live on a special concert (more on that in a moment) along with playing the song on Radio Disney. Anyway, the album is out next week, and features 14 songs, including a duet with Corbin Bleu ("If We Were A Movie," and this version is actually from season 2), and a duet with David Archuleta ("I Wanna Know You," also featured in a solo version.) Mitchel Musso has one song on the disc. "Let's Do This," and "Let's Get Crazy" are recycled from the movie soundtrack. A little dissapointing, but no biggie. The concert Miley did was a special taping, to make music videos out of, and will somehow be included on this album (probably enhanced CD).
July 21st - Demi Lovato's sophomore album, "Here We Go Again." Demi's new disc will feature John Mayer, Jon McLaughlin, and William Beckett. It is to be less of the power-pop of "Don't Forget," and closer to Demi's taste ("Don't Forget" was, in some ways, very much a mix of then beginner Demi being shown the ropes by the more experienced Jonas Brothers, whose flavor definatly comes across.) Expect there to be many foreign edition bonus tracks, itunes bonus tracks, and other things down the line for this one. Especially a track only on an Australian 7" steel vinyl, played at 12 rpm, backwards, on a Tuesday, if it is sunny, at exactly 6 o'clock, with a mouse, in a house, on a plane, near a train, I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them Sam I Am. Two songs were cut from the original tracklisting. They are "For The Love Of A Daughter," and "Shut Up and Love Me." (there is no Australian 7'', by the way.) All editions are set to include 2 bonus tracks already: "A Gift From A Friend", a song from an upcoming Tinkerbell movie, and "So Far So Great," the Sonny With A Chance theme song, already released on "Disney Channel Playlist."
August 4th- Wizards of Waverly Place Soundtrack. This album only features 5 songs by Selena, and oddly excludes her song "Make It Happen" from the series. And, one of those 5 songs is "Everything Is Not What It Seems", the shows theme song, already released on "Disney Channel Playlist" (wierdly still only 50 second long.) The album is filled out with other Disney artists, and features 4 different songs all titled "Magic." Selena has more output here than any other album, but it is surprisingly little.
September 9th - Beatles Remasters. 'Nuff said.
September 15th- Between My Head And The Sky. Yoko Ono is back, and she is bringing back the conceptual Plastic Ono Band! Yoko has released an EP already called "Don't Stop Me!" on itunes, which has an alternate version of a new track, a remix of another new one, a two other songs. It is great to see Yoko, and in full experimental unleashed mode.
Autumn? - Emily Osment and Selena Gomez both have debut albums currently set for a Fall release. Selena already has a place holder on Amazon.com. Emily is on a smaller label, so expect less promotion. That said, she does have a music video done (or is still working on it.) Selena already had the Demi duet from Princess Protection Program "One And The Same", and Emily had the Dadnapped song "Hero In Me", both on the album "Diseny Channel Playlist."
Then there is "Send It On." This song is part of Disney's environmental campaign, trying to raise 1 million dollars, and then offering viewers to decide what environmental projects the money should go to. This track, still unreleased, plays in the background during the TV spots, and even has a music video filmed, but also unreleased. It is an all-star recording with Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and the Jonas Brothers. I would have traded the JoBros for Jimmy Page, Jack Bruce, and Ringo Starr, but that is not the point. The point is that it must have been awkward with Miley, Nick, and Selena? No, the point is that I want to know the release date.
Also in the loop are a possible new Paul McCartney album, and a box-set of outtakes and unreleased material. Ringo has hinted at a new album too.
And that leaves Miranda Cosgrove. She has stated she that is working on a new album, and once hinted at a summer release, but has been mum since, leaving me to wonder. Even Autumn releases are getting nods now, so if she doesn't speak up soon, we may not have a new album until at least late Fall/Winter.
I look forward to all of these (well, honestly, I don't have very high hopes for the Wizards soundtrack, but that is mainly due to quantity, not quality. At least there is a new Wizards movie, which the soundtrack ties into.)
Friday, May 1, 2009
Stella May Day
Well, I took to my blog last week complimenting and supporting Miley Cyrus after happening upon her Twitter comments @ Perez Hilton in regards to same-sex marriage and homosexuality. But now I feel even more compelled to soap-box it for a moment. Since Miley made her comments, she has been catching some negative responses from various organizations, who think Miley is "confused" and no longer a good influence. As I see it, Miley is the perfect scapegoat. Aside from the usual factor that she is so famous, and the easiest way to go through for publicity, she is not gay. Therefore, it comes off as less offensive to attack her. Had these organizations said nary a word against Perez Hilton, they would be in quite a stew.
It is not all bad news. Miley is going around the world, in promotion of her new movie. And, in an upcoming episode of "Hannah Montana," a duet between Hannah and American Idol runner-up (oh, I bet he wishes he could lose that epitaph) David Archuleta will be premiered (and on Radio Disney a day later.) I saw a clip of the two together on the show on youtube, and heard a bit of the song. Personally, I'm not a fan of Archuleta, but he does have a good voice, and I liked the duet. Hopefully, it will be on the long-delayed "Hannah Montana 3" soundtrack, which had been slated for January, but pushed back due to the movie soundtrack (and most confusingly, some season 3 songs were put on the movie soundtrack.)
Demi Lovato is busy to, doing some big concerts before her first headlining tour (with Archuleta as a supporting performer, by the way.) And, she has somehow managed to cut another album.. The girl works fast! She was already twittering to William Beckett of The Academy Is... that she is working on choosing a title (and may name the album after a song the two did together for it). She seems to be pretty confident on a July release, so, if that holds, I expect a single soon. I also learned that an International Edition of "Don't Forget" has been released, and carries an exclusive song, entitled "Back Around." It is a rock number that fits in with the rest of the albums heavier cuts.
Paul McCartney is very slowly popping up in the news in regards to a new album. A new album was hinted at when some reports claimed Paul and Ringo would play together on it, which would make it the first studio collaboration in over a decade. Now, it is said Paul has written a song about his girlfriend Nancy Shevall (who I think lives by my school, just to mention), and this song may appear on a new album. But before that, Paul appeared on a song "Boots And Sand", by Yusuf Islam (the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens.) Dolly Parton also appears on the song. Also, a deluxe edition of Paul's Fireman release "Electric Arguments" has been delayed since January, but finally, on the MPL website (MPL is McCartney's publishing company), short samples of new tracks are available. There will be seven new tracks. They are remixes of songs from the album, often with less instruments or no vocals. A track like this called "Sawain Ambient Accapella" has already been on iTunes. This song it the album track "Lifelong Passion" minus bass and drums.
All this is exciting, but I am left wondering about Paul's next classical album. In 2007, Paul had made a mention or two about a guitar concerto album. Nothing has developed since. Perhaps dealing with the divorce derailed the project a bit. The album would be a quite a departure from his other classical works, which have been very symphonic.
Emily Osment has gotten a Twitter (so you can stop follow all the fakes now.) Her address is Twitter.com/emilyosment.
Speaking of Twitter, Miranda Cosgrove tweeted something about putting together a final tracklist for her full-length debut. For a while now, fans have been able to hear a song named "Adored", which was briefly on Miranda's myspace (probably by accident.) It, along with the two new songs from Miranda's EP "About You Now", show great promise for her album.
On a personal note, I met Lady Gaga. Well, sort of. I was at a performance at her alma mater in Manhattan, where her sister attends. Her sister played the bongo for a rather dada-esque take on the "Ave Maria" (also played on violin and piano.) Lady Gaga was standing like two feet away from me at one point, taking pictures. However, I didn't even see her. In fact, I didn't know she was there. She chose not to stay for refreshments later on.
Also, the Virgin Megastore is closing its' doors soon. I'd go on a rant about the death of CD's and such, but rather than do that, I'll just say that I will miss the store and its' slightly overpriced merchandise (but I will be there when they start slashing prices! They only cut CD's by 20% for now, but they will probably go down more eventually.) Tower Records closed for good three years ago, and that was really sad for me. Borders Bookstores are eliminating their CD sections (and I managed to hit one having a 50% sale, and picked up Cream's "BBC Sessions" and McCartney's "Ecce Cor Meum" there.)
If you're wondering what today's blog title refers to, "Stella May Day" is a song Paul McCartney recorded for daughter Stella to use on the runway while presenting some clothes she designed, while she was still in school. The song is on bootlegs only, but it is a cool track.
It is not all bad news. Miley is going around the world, in promotion of her new movie. And, in an upcoming episode of "Hannah Montana," a duet between Hannah and American Idol runner-up (oh, I bet he wishes he could lose that epitaph) David Archuleta will be premiered (and on Radio Disney a day later.) I saw a clip of the two together on the show on youtube, and heard a bit of the song. Personally, I'm not a fan of Archuleta, but he does have a good voice, and I liked the duet. Hopefully, it will be on the long-delayed "Hannah Montana 3" soundtrack, which had been slated for January, but pushed back due to the movie soundtrack (and most confusingly, some season 3 songs were put on the movie soundtrack.)
Demi Lovato is busy to, doing some big concerts before her first headlining tour (with Archuleta as a supporting performer, by the way.) And, she has somehow managed to cut another album.. The girl works fast! She was already twittering to William Beckett of The Academy Is... that she is working on choosing a title (and may name the album after a song the two did together for it). She seems to be pretty confident on a July release, so, if that holds, I expect a single soon. I also learned that an International Edition of "Don't Forget" has been released, and carries an exclusive song, entitled "Back Around." It is a rock number that fits in with the rest of the albums heavier cuts.
Paul McCartney is very slowly popping up in the news in regards to a new album. A new album was hinted at when some reports claimed Paul and Ringo would play together on it, which would make it the first studio collaboration in over a decade. Now, it is said Paul has written a song about his girlfriend Nancy Shevall (who I think lives by my school, just to mention), and this song may appear on a new album. But before that, Paul appeared on a song "Boots And Sand", by Yusuf Islam (the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens.) Dolly Parton also appears on the song. Also, a deluxe edition of Paul's Fireman release "Electric Arguments" has been delayed since January, but finally, on the MPL website (MPL is McCartney's publishing company), short samples of new tracks are available. There will be seven new tracks. They are remixes of songs from the album, often with less instruments or no vocals. A track like this called "Sawain Ambient Accapella" has already been on iTunes. This song it the album track "Lifelong Passion" minus bass and drums.
All this is exciting, but I am left wondering about Paul's next classical album. In 2007, Paul had made a mention or two about a guitar concerto album. Nothing has developed since. Perhaps dealing with the divorce derailed the project a bit. The album would be a quite a departure from his other classical works, which have been very symphonic.
Emily Osment has gotten a Twitter (so you can stop follow all the fakes now.) Her address is Twitter.com/emilyosment.
Speaking of Twitter, Miranda Cosgrove tweeted something about putting together a final tracklist for her full-length debut. For a while now, fans have been able to hear a song named "Adored", which was briefly on Miranda's myspace (probably by accident.) It, along with the two new songs from Miranda's EP "About You Now", show great promise for her album.
On a personal note, I met Lady Gaga. Well, sort of. I was at a performance at her alma mater in Manhattan, where her sister attends. Her sister played the bongo for a rather dada-esque take on the "Ave Maria" (also played on violin and piano.) Lady Gaga was standing like two feet away from me at one point, taking pictures. However, I didn't even see her. In fact, I didn't know she was there. She chose not to stay for refreshments later on.
Also, the Virgin Megastore is closing its' doors soon. I'd go on a rant about the death of CD's and such, but rather than do that, I'll just say that I will miss the store and its' slightly overpriced merchandise (but I will be there when they start slashing prices! They only cut CD's by 20% for now, but they will probably go down more eventually.) Tower Records closed for good three years ago, and that was really sad for me. Borders Bookstores are eliminating their CD sections (and I managed to hit one having a 50% sale, and picked up Cream's "BBC Sessions" and McCartney's "Ecce Cor Meum" there.)
If you're wondering what today's blog title refers to, "Stella May Day" is a song Paul McCartney recorded for daughter Stella to use on the runway while presenting some clothes she designed, while she was still in school. The song is on bootlegs only, but it is a cool track.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Things I Like
So, some things that I like are happening.
First off, check this link:
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/cyrus%20records%20imagine_1099984
Not only has Miley apparently recorded "Imagine," John Lennon's classic song from his sixth LP (2nd not counting collabs with Yoko), but it is also supposedly a duet with Emily Osment.
Each of these things would be good enough on their own, but together? Well, my head would have exploded from the excitement (please please please tell me this track will be released), but chunks of head matter had already been strewn all over my computer, because the Beatles are finally, after 22 years of sitting on them, are giving us remastered albums.
Here is the news, compiled from articles from http://thebeatles.com/core/home/
"Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released. The albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release. The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and ‘Magical Mystery Tour,’ which became part of The Beatles’ core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987. In addition, the collections ‘Past Masters Vol. I and II’ are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs. This will mark the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc. These 14 albums, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available for purchase together in a stereo boxed set. Within each CD’s new packaging, booklets include detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. With the exception of the ‘Past Masters’ set, newly produced mini-documentaries on the making of each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, are included as QuickTime files on each album. The documentaries contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere. A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. ‘The Beatles in Mono’ gathers together, in one place, all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release. It will contain 10 of the albums with their original mono mixes, plus two further discs of mono masters (covering similar ground to the stereo tracks on ‘Past Masters’). As an added bonus, the mono “Help!” and “Rubber Soul” discs also include the original 1965 stereo mixes, which have not been previously released on CD. These albums will be packaged in mini-vinyl CD replicas of the original sleeves with all original inserts and label designs retained. For the latest news and information, go to: The Beatles Official Website Additional information: The Stereo Albums (available individually and collected in a stereo boxed set) The stereo albums have been remastered by Guy Massey, Steve Rooke, Sam Okell with Paul Hicks and Sean Magee All CD packages contain original vinyl artwork and liner notes Extensive archival photos Additional historical notes by Kevin Howlett and Mike Heatley Additional recording notes by Allan Rouse and Kevin Howlett * = CD includes QuickTime mini-doc about the album Please Please Me* (CD debut in stereo) With The Beatles* (CD debut in stereo) A Hard Day’s Night* (CD debut in stereo) Beatles For Sale* (CD debut in stereo) Help!* Rubber Soul* Revolver* Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band* (also includes 1987 notes, updated, and new intro by Paul McCartney) Magical Mystery Tour* The Beatles* Yellow Submarine* (also includes original US liner notes) Abbey Road* Let It Be* Past Masters (contains new liner notes written by Kevin Howlett) ‘The Beatles in Mono’ (boxed set only) The mono albums have been remastered by Paul Hicks, Sean Magee with Guy Massey and Steve Rooke Presented together in box with an essay written by Kevin Howlett + = mono mix CD debut Please Please Me With The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night Beatles For Sale Help! (CD also includes original 1965 stereo mix)+ Rubber Soul (CD also include original 1965 stereo mix)+ Revolver+ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band+ Magical Mystery Tour+ The Beatles+ Mono Masters Re-mastering the Beatles catalogue The re-mastering process commenced with an extensive period conducting tests before finally copying the analogue master tapes into the digital medium. When this was completed, the transfer was achieved using a Pro Tools workstation operating at 24 bit 192 kHz resolution via a Prism A-D converter. Transferring was a lengthy procedure done a track at a time. Although EMI tape does not suffer the oxide loss associated with some later analogue tapes, there was nevertheless a slight build up of dust, which was removed from the tape machine heads between each title. From the onset, considerable thought was given to what audio restorative processes were going to be allowed. It was agreed that electrical clicks, microphone vocal pops, excessive sibilance and bad edits should be improved where possible, so long as it didn’t impact on the original integrity of the songs. In addition, de-noising technology, which is often associated with re-mastering, was to be used, but subtly and sparingly. Eventually, less than five of the 525 minutes of Beatles music was subjected to this process. Finally, as is common with today’s music, overall limiting - to increase the volume level of the CD - has been used, but on the stereo versions only. However, it was unanimously agreed that because of the importance of The Beatles’ music, limiting would be used moderately, so as to retain the original dynamics of the recordings. When all of the albums had been transferred, each song was then listened to several times to locate any of the agreed imperfections. These were then addressed by Guy Massey, working with Audio Restoration engineer Simon Gibson. Mastering could now take place, once the earliest vinyl pressings, along with the existing CDs, were loaded into Pro Tools, thus allowing comparisons to be made with the original master tapes during the equalization process. When an album had been completed, it was auditioned the next day in studio three – a room familiar to the engineers, as all of the recent Beatles mixing projects had taken place in there – and any further alteration of EQ could be addressed back in the mastering room. Following the initial satisfaction of Guy and Steve, Allan Rouse and Mike Heatley then checked each new re-master in yet another location and offered any further suggestions. This continued until all 13 albums were completed to the team’s satisfaction. New Notes/Documentaries Team Kevin Howlett (Historical and Recording Notes) Kevin Howlett’s career as an award-winning radio producer spans three decades. His music programmes for the BBC have included many documentaries about The Beatles, including ‘The Beeb’s Lost Beatles Tapes.’ He received a Grammy nomination for his involvement with The Beatles’ album ‘Live At The BBC’ and, in 2003, produced the ‘Fly On The Wall’ bonus disc for ‘Let It Be… Naked.’ Mike Heatley (Historical Notes) Mike entered the music business via HMV Record Stores in 1970, transferring to EMI Records’ International Division three years later. He eventually headed up that division in the early Eighties before joining the company’s newly created Strategic Marketing Division in 1984. In 1988, he returned to International, where he undertook a number of catalogue marketing roles until he retired in December 2008. During his career he worked with many of EMI’s major artists, including Pink Floyd, Queen, Kate Bush and Iron Maiden. However, during the last 30 years he has formed a particularly strong relationship with Apple, and has been closely involved in the origination and promotion of the Beatles catalogue, besides solo releases from John, Paul, George and Ringo. Bob Smeaton (Director, Mini-Documentaries) Bob Smeaton was series director and writer on the Grammy award winning ‘Beatles Anthology’ TV series which aired in the UK and the USA in 1995. In 1998 he received his second Grammy for his ‘Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys’ documentary. In 2004 he gained his first feature film credit, as director on the feature documentary ‘Festival Express.’ He subsequently went on to direct documentaries on many of the world’s biggest music acts including The Who, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Elton John, Nirvana and the Spice Girls. Julian Caiden (Editor, Mini-Documentaries) Julian has worked with Bob Smeaton on numerous music documentaries including ‘Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys’ and the ‘Classic Albums’ series, featuring The Who, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Elton John and Nirvana among others. He has worked on documentary profiles from Richard Pryor to Dr. John to Sir Ian McKellen, Herbie Hancock and Damien Hirst and on live music shows including the New York Dolls and Club Tropicana. The Abbey Road Team Allan Rouse (Project Coordinator) Allan joined EMI straight from school in 1971 at their Manchester Square head office, working as an assistant engineer in the demo studio. During this time he frequently worked with Norman (Hurricane) Smith, The Beatles’ first recording engineer. In 1991, he had his first involvement with The Beatles, copying all of their master tapes (mono, stereo, 4-track and 8-track) to digital tape as a safety backup. This was followed by four years working with Sir George Martin as assistant and project coordinator on the TV documentary ‘The Making of Sgt. Pepper’s’ and the CDs ‘Live at the BBC’ and ‘The Anthology.’ In 1997, MGM/UA were preparing to reissue the film ‘Yellow Submarine’ and, with the permission of Apple, asked that all of The Beatles’ music be mixed for the film in 5.1 surround and stereo. Allan requested the services of Abbey Road’s senior engineer Peter Cobbin and assistant Guy Massey and, along with them, produced the new mixes. Two years later, he proposed an experimental stereo and surround mix of John Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’ engineered by Peter Cobbin. Following lengthy consultations with Yoko Ono, the album ‘Imagine’ was re-mixed in stereo and the Grammy award-winning film ‘Gimme Some Truth’ in surround and new stereo. This led to a further five of John’s albums being re-mastered with new stereo mixes and the DVD release of ‘Lennon Legend’ being re-mixed in 5.1 surround and new stereo. Further projects followed, including The Beatles ‘Anthology’, ‘The First US Visit’ and ‘Help’ DVD and the albums ‘Let It Be…Naked’ and ‘Love’ along with George Harrison’s ‘Concert for Bangladesh’ DVD and album. For a number of years now, Allan has worked exclusively on Beatles and related projects. Guy Massey (Recording Engineer) Guy joined Abbey Road in 1994, and five years later assisted on the surround remix for The Beatles film ‘Yellow Submarine.’ This led to The Beatles’ ‘Anthology’ DVD and later, along with Paul Hicks and Allan Rouse, they mixed and produced ‘Let It Be… Naked.’ In 2004 he left the studios to become freelance and has engineered The Divine Comedy: ‘Victory for the Comic Muse,’ Air Traffic: ‘Fractured Life,’ James Dean Bradfield: ‘The Great Western’ and Stephen Fretwell’s ‘Magpie,’ co-producing the last two. Since leaving, Guy is still a vital member of the team, and has been the senior engineer for the re-mastering project and was responsible for surround and new stereo mixes for the DVD release of ‘Help!’ Steve Rooke (Mastering Engineer) Steve joined Abbey Road in 1983 and is now the studio’s senior mastering engineer. He has been involved on all The Beatles’ projects since 1999. He has also been responsible for mastering releases by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Paul Hicks (Recording Engineer) Paul started at Abbey Road in 1994, and his first involvement with The Beatles was assisting engineer Geoff Emerick on the Anthology albums. This was followed by ‘Yellow Submarine Songtrack,’ ‘Anthology’ DVD and ‘Let It Be… Naked.’ Like Guy Massey, he has also become a freelance engineer and since leaving the studios he has been responsible for the surround mixing of Paul McCartney’s DVD ‘The McCartney Years’ and The Beatles’ ‘Love.’ Paul has been in charge of the mono re-masters. Sean Magee (Mastering Engineer) Sean began working at Abbey Road in 1995 with a diploma in sound engineering. With a wealth of knowledge in analog and digital mastering, he has worked alongside Paul Hicks on the mono re-masters. Sam Okell (Recording Engineer) Sam’s first job as a member of the team was in 2006, assisting Paul Hicks on Paul McCartney’s DVD ‘The McCartney Years,’ and during that same year he was responsible for the re-mastering of George Harrison’s ‘Living In The Material World’ CD along with Steve Rooke. This led to him restoring the soundtrack to the Beatles film ‘Help!’ in surround and stereo, in addition to assisting Guy Massey with the song remixes. Sam has re-mastered ‘With The Beatles’ and ‘Let It Be.’ Simon Gibson (Audio Restoration Engineer) Simon joined Abbey Road in 1990. He has progressed from mastering mostly classical recordings to include a much wider range of music, including pop and rock, with his specialized role as an audio restoration engineer. Apart from the re-mastering project, his other work includes George Harrison’s ‘Living In The Material World,’ John Lennon’s ‘Lennon Legend,’ The Beatles’ ‘Love’ and the ‘Help!’ DVD soundtrack. "
Well, I could not put it better myself. I was hoping for two rare Beatles' releases, their "Christmas Album" (comprised of seven fan club tracks for each year 1963-1969), and "The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl" (a live album mixed from two shows of the Beatles at the venue in 1964 and 1965.) Maybe soon.
Also, perhaps the worst packaging era of the old Beatles CDs was that the large book from "Let It Be" was not reproduced. I hope this is fixed.
I imagine the price will be steep. I'll have to save up (maybe I can get them all in one shot with the stereo Box-set.) I shant be going for the mono set. Too excessive, even for me.
Well, I'll push off that promised review of "Hannah Montana The Movie" soundtrack for now, as the idea of Miley and Emily singing from the book of John, and the Beatles being presented in the high fidelity they deserve, is just too much for me to take in at once.
And it is only Tuesday.
First off, check this link:
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/cyrus%20records%20imagine_1099984
Not only has Miley apparently recorded "Imagine," John Lennon's classic song from his sixth LP (2nd not counting collabs with Yoko), but it is also supposedly a duet with Emily Osment.
Each of these things would be good enough on their own, but together? Well, my head would have exploded from the excitement (please please please tell me this track will be released), but chunks of head matter had already been strewn all over my computer, because the Beatles are finally, after 22 years of sitting on them, are giving us remastered albums.
Here is the news, compiled from articles from http://thebeatles.com/core/home/
"Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released. The albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release. The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and ‘Magical Mystery Tour,’ which became part of The Beatles’ core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987. In addition, the collections ‘Past Masters Vol. I and II’ are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs. This will mark the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc. These 14 albums, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available for purchase together in a stereo boxed set. Within each CD’s new packaging, booklets include detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. With the exception of the ‘Past Masters’ set, newly produced mini-documentaries on the making of each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, are included as QuickTime files on each album. The documentaries contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere. A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. ‘The Beatles in Mono’ gathers together, in one place, all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release. It will contain 10 of the albums with their original mono mixes, plus two further discs of mono masters (covering similar ground to the stereo tracks on ‘Past Masters’). As an added bonus, the mono “Help!” and “Rubber Soul” discs also include the original 1965 stereo mixes, which have not been previously released on CD. These albums will be packaged in mini-vinyl CD replicas of the original sleeves with all original inserts and label designs retained. For the latest news and information, go to: The Beatles Official Website Additional information: The Stereo Albums (available individually and collected in a stereo boxed set) The stereo albums have been remastered by Guy Massey, Steve Rooke, Sam Okell with Paul Hicks and Sean Magee All CD packages contain original vinyl artwork and liner notes Extensive archival photos Additional historical notes by Kevin Howlett and Mike Heatley Additional recording notes by Allan Rouse and Kevin Howlett * = CD includes QuickTime mini-doc about the album Please Please Me* (CD debut in stereo) With The Beatles* (CD debut in stereo) A Hard Day’s Night* (CD debut in stereo) Beatles For Sale* (CD debut in stereo) Help!* Rubber Soul* Revolver* Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band* (also includes 1987 notes, updated, and new intro by Paul McCartney) Magical Mystery Tour* The Beatles* Yellow Submarine* (also includes original US liner notes) Abbey Road* Let It Be* Past Masters (contains new liner notes written by Kevin Howlett) ‘The Beatles in Mono’ (boxed set only) The mono albums have been remastered by Paul Hicks, Sean Magee with Guy Massey and Steve Rooke Presented together in box with an essay written by Kevin Howlett + = mono mix CD debut Please Please Me With The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night Beatles For Sale Help! (CD also includes original 1965 stereo mix)+ Rubber Soul (CD also include original 1965 stereo mix)+ Revolver+ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band+ Magical Mystery Tour+ The Beatles+ Mono Masters Re-mastering the Beatles catalogue The re-mastering process commenced with an extensive period conducting tests before finally copying the analogue master tapes into the digital medium. When this was completed, the transfer was achieved using a Pro Tools workstation operating at 24 bit 192 kHz resolution via a Prism A-D converter. Transferring was a lengthy procedure done a track at a time. Although EMI tape does not suffer the oxide loss associated with some later analogue tapes, there was nevertheless a slight build up of dust, which was removed from the tape machine heads between each title. From the onset, considerable thought was given to what audio restorative processes were going to be allowed. It was agreed that electrical clicks, microphone vocal pops, excessive sibilance and bad edits should be improved where possible, so long as it didn’t impact on the original integrity of the songs. In addition, de-noising technology, which is often associated with re-mastering, was to be used, but subtly and sparingly. Eventually, less than five of the 525 minutes of Beatles music was subjected to this process. Finally, as is common with today’s music, overall limiting - to increase the volume level of the CD - has been used, but on the stereo versions only. However, it was unanimously agreed that because of the importance of The Beatles’ music, limiting would be used moderately, so as to retain the original dynamics of the recordings. When all of the albums had been transferred, each song was then listened to several times to locate any of the agreed imperfections. These were then addressed by Guy Massey, working with Audio Restoration engineer Simon Gibson. Mastering could now take place, once the earliest vinyl pressings, along with the existing CDs, were loaded into Pro Tools, thus allowing comparisons to be made with the original master tapes during the equalization process. When an album had been completed, it was auditioned the next day in studio three – a room familiar to the engineers, as all of the recent Beatles mixing projects had taken place in there – and any further alteration of EQ could be addressed back in the mastering room. Following the initial satisfaction of Guy and Steve, Allan Rouse and Mike Heatley then checked each new re-master in yet another location and offered any further suggestions. This continued until all 13 albums were completed to the team’s satisfaction. New Notes/Documentaries Team Kevin Howlett (Historical and Recording Notes) Kevin Howlett’s career as an award-winning radio producer spans three decades. His music programmes for the BBC have included many documentaries about The Beatles, including ‘The Beeb’s Lost Beatles Tapes.’ He received a Grammy nomination for his involvement with The Beatles’ album ‘Live At The BBC’ and, in 2003, produced the ‘Fly On The Wall’ bonus disc for ‘Let It Be… Naked.’ Mike Heatley (Historical Notes) Mike entered the music business via HMV Record Stores in 1970, transferring to EMI Records’ International Division three years later. He eventually headed up that division in the early Eighties before joining the company’s newly created Strategic Marketing Division in 1984. In 1988, he returned to International, where he undertook a number of catalogue marketing roles until he retired in December 2008. During his career he worked with many of EMI’s major artists, including Pink Floyd, Queen, Kate Bush and Iron Maiden. However, during the last 30 years he has formed a particularly strong relationship with Apple, and has been closely involved in the origination and promotion of the Beatles catalogue, besides solo releases from John, Paul, George and Ringo. Bob Smeaton (Director, Mini-Documentaries) Bob Smeaton was series director and writer on the Grammy award winning ‘Beatles Anthology’ TV series which aired in the UK and the USA in 1995. In 1998 he received his second Grammy for his ‘Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys’ documentary. In 2004 he gained his first feature film credit, as director on the feature documentary ‘Festival Express.’ He subsequently went on to direct documentaries on many of the world’s biggest music acts including The Who, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Elton John, Nirvana and the Spice Girls. Julian Caiden (Editor, Mini-Documentaries) Julian has worked with Bob Smeaton on numerous music documentaries including ‘Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys’ and the ‘Classic Albums’ series, featuring The Who, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Elton John and Nirvana among others. He has worked on documentary profiles from Richard Pryor to Dr. John to Sir Ian McKellen, Herbie Hancock and Damien Hirst and on live music shows including the New York Dolls and Club Tropicana. The Abbey Road Team Allan Rouse (Project Coordinator) Allan joined EMI straight from school in 1971 at their Manchester Square head office, working as an assistant engineer in the demo studio. During this time he frequently worked with Norman (Hurricane) Smith, The Beatles’ first recording engineer. In 1991, he had his first involvement with The Beatles, copying all of their master tapes (mono, stereo, 4-track and 8-track) to digital tape as a safety backup. This was followed by four years working with Sir George Martin as assistant and project coordinator on the TV documentary ‘The Making of Sgt. Pepper’s’ and the CDs ‘Live at the BBC’ and ‘The Anthology.’ In 1997, MGM/UA were preparing to reissue the film ‘Yellow Submarine’ and, with the permission of Apple, asked that all of The Beatles’ music be mixed for the film in 5.1 surround and stereo. Allan requested the services of Abbey Road’s senior engineer Peter Cobbin and assistant Guy Massey and, along with them, produced the new mixes. Two years later, he proposed an experimental stereo and surround mix of John Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’ engineered by Peter Cobbin. Following lengthy consultations with Yoko Ono, the album ‘Imagine’ was re-mixed in stereo and the Grammy award-winning film ‘Gimme Some Truth’ in surround and new stereo. This led to a further five of John’s albums being re-mastered with new stereo mixes and the DVD release of ‘Lennon Legend’ being re-mixed in 5.1 surround and new stereo. Further projects followed, including The Beatles ‘Anthology’, ‘The First US Visit’ and ‘Help’ DVD and the albums ‘Let It Be…Naked’ and ‘Love’ along with George Harrison’s ‘Concert for Bangladesh’ DVD and album. For a number of years now, Allan has worked exclusively on Beatles and related projects. Guy Massey (Recording Engineer) Guy joined Abbey Road in 1994, and five years later assisted on the surround remix for The Beatles film ‘Yellow Submarine.’ This led to The Beatles’ ‘Anthology’ DVD and later, along with Paul Hicks and Allan Rouse, they mixed and produced ‘Let It Be… Naked.’ In 2004 he left the studios to become freelance and has engineered The Divine Comedy: ‘Victory for the Comic Muse,’ Air Traffic: ‘Fractured Life,’ James Dean Bradfield: ‘The Great Western’ and Stephen Fretwell’s ‘Magpie,’ co-producing the last two. Since leaving, Guy is still a vital member of the team, and has been the senior engineer for the re-mastering project and was responsible for surround and new stereo mixes for the DVD release of ‘Help!’ Steve Rooke (Mastering Engineer) Steve joined Abbey Road in 1983 and is now the studio’s senior mastering engineer. He has been involved on all The Beatles’ projects since 1999. He has also been responsible for mastering releases by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Paul Hicks (Recording Engineer) Paul started at Abbey Road in 1994, and his first involvement with The Beatles was assisting engineer Geoff Emerick on the Anthology albums. This was followed by ‘Yellow Submarine Songtrack,’ ‘Anthology’ DVD and ‘Let It Be… Naked.’ Like Guy Massey, he has also become a freelance engineer and since leaving the studios he has been responsible for the surround mixing of Paul McCartney’s DVD ‘The McCartney Years’ and The Beatles’ ‘Love.’ Paul has been in charge of the mono re-masters. Sean Magee (Mastering Engineer) Sean began working at Abbey Road in 1995 with a diploma in sound engineering. With a wealth of knowledge in analog and digital mastering, he has worked alongside Paul Hicks on the mono re-masters. Sam Okell (Recording Engineer) Sam’s first job as a member of the team was in 2006, assisting Paul Hicks on Paul McCartney’s DVD ‘The McCartney Years,’ and during that same year he was responsible for the re-mastering of George Harrison’s ‘Living In The Material World’ CD along with Steve Rooke. This led to him restoring the soundtrack to the Beatles film ‘Help!’ in surround and stereo, in addition to assisting Guy Massey with the song remixes. Sam has re-mastered ‘With The Beatles’ and ‘Let It Be.’ Simon Gibson (Audio Restoration Engineer) Simon joined Abbey Road in 1990. He has progressed from mastering mostly classical recordings to include a much wider range of music, including pop and rock, with his specialized role as an audio restoration engineer. Apart from the re-mastering project, his other work includes George Harrison’s ‘Living In The Material World,’ John Lennon’s ‘Lennon Legend,’ The Beatles’ ‘Love’ and the ‘Help!’ DVD soundtrack. "
Well, I could not put it better myself. I was hoping for two rare Beatles' releases, their "Christmas Album" (comprised of seven fan club tracks for each year 1963-1969), and "The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl" (a live album mixed from two shows of the Beatles at the venue in 1964 and 1965.) Maybe soon.
Also, perhaps the worst packaging era of the old Beatles CDs was that the large book from "Let It Be" was not reproduced. I hope this is fixed.
I imagine the price will be steep. I'll have to save up (maybe I can get them all in one shot with the stereo Box-set.) I shant be going for the mono set. Too excessive, even for me.
Well, I'll push off that promised review of "Hannah Montana The Movie" soundtrack for now, as the idea of Miley and Emily singing from the book of John, and the Beatles being presented in the high fidelity they deserve, is just too much for me to take in at once.
And it is only Tuesday.
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