When is hi-rez Beatles gonna happen?

[labjr]

It's the 50th anniversary of the Beatles arrival in the USA. Perfect time for them to do Hi-rez releases. What are they waiting for? There's gonna be a point in time when the fans base will be gone. It's probably already dwindling.

[firedog]

Well, technically it already has, as the USB stick with the catalog in 24/44.1 was released in 2009.

 

As far as 24/96 - doesn't look like it will happen.

 

Apparently any "new" Beatles releases (that includes any remasters) need the unanimous approval of the 4 principals: Paul, Ringo, Yoko, and Olivia. Such agreement is nearly impossible to obtain, as each one tends to approve or disapprove of different songs every time even one album is remastered. Supposedly this is the reason the recent vinyl releases were based on the 24/44.1 remaster from 2009 (before the slight volume compression was added) and not on the 24/192 digital transcription or even the master tapes themselves.

 

In short the 24/44.1 was used b/c it had already been "approved", and Apple/EMI didn't think a new remaster for vinyl would get approval.

 

That said, it is hard to believe the money/marketing machine that keeps the Beatles catalog producing a cash flow will give up on the potential sales of 24/96. Maybe they are just waiting to see if the hi-res market gets big enough.

[goldendarko]

[Teresa]

The Beatles Love 24/96 DVD-Audio is still available at Amazon.

 

In addition to that I have my favorite analog MFSL Beatles LPs saved at 24/96 on my hard drive. However it would still be worth checking out the 24/192 remasters that the 24/44.1 USB stick is from if they ever get released.

[beetlemania]

It seems beyond silly that they haven't released 24/192 versions. Good grief, the damned files have already been created - they merely need to be marketed and sold (and McCartney and Harrison both have 24/96 releases of their solo stuff).

 

That said, the 24/44 versions sound wonderful - the best I've heard on any format. I recently compared Sgt Peppers on vinyl and 24/44. The digital clearly sounded better - a lot better (my ears/system/room). Granted, the 24/44 is the re-master but there is no doubt which I prefer.

[Gary]

It seems beyond silly that they haven't released 24/192 versions.

 

I totally agree. I would buy 24/192 versions without hesitation.

[labjr]

Nobody's buying the vinyl sets even with them discounted because the word is out. It's a joke. I don't understand why they wouldn't approve releasing a 192 version. It's the same material. Only the sample rate would change. And what does Yoko know about sample rates? Seems more like a corporate decision.

[ted_b]

I used to think I was a Beatles purist, but since such well-done remixes as The Yellow Submarine Songbook and the non-mashups in Beatles Love (Revolution, Day In The Life, Walrus, etc) I would love to hear both a well done hirez remix of most the catalog, as well as more multichannel. The 5.1's that Niles and George Martin did in Love, and to some extent the YS movie soundtrack, are terrific, and maybe these would strike the boys as "new projects" for approval, rather than having to all agree on another redo of the original hallowed 13 album canon (i.e EMI catalog).

 

On a similar note, have any of you sat in on Steve Hoffman's CES seminars he used to do? He had an original master tape snippet from the White Album (I'm So Tired) that was revelatory, especially Paul's bass. Amazing...nothing like the 24/44 USB. I'm not sure the 24/192 archived/saved stuff would approach that..dunno.

[firedog]

Nobody's buying the vinyl sets even with them discounted because the word is out. It's a joke. I don't understand why they wouldn't approve releasing a 192 version. It's the same material. Only the sample rate would change. And what does Yoko know about sample rates? Seems more like a corporate decision.

 

I also don't understand why they wouldn't allow out the 192 with some modest "fixes", as they already know what the fixes are (from the 2009 set). Or LPs based on the 192 masters, as they are digital transcriptions of the original final LP masters. Not sure how that would even qualify as a remaster.

[labjr]

I'm not a purist either. I'd love to hear the Beatles remixed and released in 24/192. Not After hearing how remixing improved The Doors Perception box. I almost fell of my chair when I listened to Yes - Close to the Edge 2013 remixes. Everything I've heard remixed was an improvement. There are many albums that would benefit from a remix. And I wouldn't say it's being non-purist to remix. The mixing consoles back in the day covered up so much detail. If they had better mixing, we would have heard the detail from the start.

 

Start with George Harrison - All Things must Pass. Maybe they can get Phil Spector out on work release.

[goldendarko]

 

Start with George Harrison - All Things must Pass. Maybe they can get Phil Spector out on work release.

 

+1, That is one album that could definately benefit from a new remaster, great album but the sound is so dense. Of course most Phil Spector albums are like that, but I would love to see this get a new remaster.

[Jud]

+1, That is one album that could definately benefit from a new remaster, great album but the sound is so dense. Of course most Phil Spector albums are like that, but I would love to see this get a new remaster.

 

Interesting. I still enjoy the sound from the original LP. The 24/96 version is a little difficult to evaluate, because it so lacks compression compared with anything put out recently that I find I really have to turn it up to hear it at the volumes at which I normally listen.

[labjr]

+1, That is one album that could definately benefit from a new remaster, great album but the sound is so dense. Of course most Phil Spector albums are like that, but I would love to see this get a new remaster.

 

I'd like to have a remix. Not just a remaster. Not sure if that could happen as Phil Spector's wall-of-sound technique probably had a to do with mixing and I think compression.

[firedog]

Phil Spector used so many tracks he had to "bounce down" tracks and then record more tracks on the empty tracks he had left, and then it was all compressed in order to "fit" on the vinyl This is one of the reasons the album sounds so compressed (audibly, not volume wise).

 

If George had done a remix it would have been nice. I love what Yoko did with Double Fantasy stripped down to the basic tracks - I prefer that version and John Lennon sounds wonderful singing on it. I also think the Harrison "Early Cuts" sounds wonderful. Too bad we can't get a version like that of All Things Must Pass.