We’ve been having The Beatles’ albums on CD. This time, EMI is bringing you a brilliant audio collection comprising the magical journey of the Fab Four with The Beatles Stereo Boxset distributed by PolyEast Records. This perfect gift is now exclusively available at all Odyssey outlets.

For the first time, their entire recorded output has been re-mastered for the 21st century, complete with unique liner notes and special digital packaging to boot. Plus, the boxset does include a bonus DVD featuring all of these short sequences together so you can enjoy it on your very own DVD player. You can also avail The Beatles Stereo Boxset in a limited edition 16G USB Flash Drive housed in a green aluminum apple which contains full contents of the Beatles Stereo Boxset; 13 mini-documentaries in MPEG 4 video format; and custom-designed Flash Player menu system with full booklet artwork, album cover wallpapers and photo gallery.

What you have here are the original British Beatles albums just like what had been released before; only now, listeners can enjoy the first four albums – “Please Please Me,” “With The Beatles,” “Hard Day’s Night,” “Beatles For Sale” – available in true stereo for the very first time. Combined with the remaining nine albums recorded by the group between 1965 and 1970, this is a masterpiece set, and a special treasure trove of timeless, classic songs that changed the entire structure of popular music as we know it today.

Each title also comes with a special CD booklet containing many unreleased photographs that represent the time each album was originally released, plus well-written liner notes (including the original notes from the first four albums). The “Yellow Submarine” booklet contains both the original UK and US back cover notes together for the very first time. And what a thrill it is to finally be able to have the photo/comic-strip booklet from “Magical Mystery Tour” that was initially issued in the American LP in 1967, in an official CD release for the very first time. The “White Album” packaging includes the original poster, in a CD sized reproduction, that features the photo collage on one side, and the album’s song-lyrics on the other side. This marks the second time that this poster was made available in a “White Album” CD release, following the 30th anniversary reissue from 1998.

“Love Me Do” (both versions), “P. S. I Love You,” “Only A Northern Song,” “She Loves You,” “I’ll Get You” and “You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)” are all represented in their original monaural mixes, whereas the remaining songs are all in true stereo. Even “I Am The Walrus” still has its original mix of half-stereo/half-duo phonic, just like the first time around.

And, the bonus DVD boasts a well-produced mini documentary. Each segment features audio comments from The Beatles themselves along with George Martin. This DVD gives a fascinating insight into why these classic albums have stood the test of time so well, and continues to be so popular, even into the 21st century.

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/237314/beatles-stereo-boxset-a-perfect-gift-all-time

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

A Sgt Pepper souvenir poster bearing the signatures of all four Beatles has sold for $52,500 (£31,720) at a pop memorabilia auction in New York.

Among an array of 300 musical items that went under the hammer were a set of Bob Dylan’s handwritten lyrics, which made $25,000 (£15,090).

A bass guitar owned by late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was snapped up for $43,750 (£26,415).

In total, the auction fetched more than $650,000 (£392,200), said Christie’s.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

A 41 piece orchestra played on this. The musicians were told to attend the session dressed formally. When they got there, they were presented with party novelties (false noses, party hats, gorilla-paw glove) to wear, which made it clear this was not going to be a typical session. The orchestra was conducted by Paul McCartney, who told them to start with the lowest note of their instruments and gradually play to the highest. (thanks, Jes – Mason City, IA)

This was recorded in 3 sessions: First the basic track, then the orchestra, then the last note was dubbed in.

The beginning was based on 2 stories John Lennon read in the Daily Mail newspaper: Guinness heir Tara Browne dying when he smashed his lotus into a parked van, and an article in the UK Daily Express in early 1967 which told of how the Blackburn Roads Surveyor had counted 4000 holes in the roads of Blackburn and commented that the volume of material needed to fill them in was enough to fill the Albert Hall. Lennon took some liberties with the Tara Browne story – he changed it so he “Blew his mind out in the car.” (thanks, Ed – Perth, Australia)

McCartney contributed the line “I’d love to turn you on.” This was a drug reference, but the BBC banned it for the line about having a smoke and going into a dream, which they thought was about marijuana

McCartney’s middle section (Woke up, got out of bed…) was intended for another song.

The final chord was produced by all 4 Beatles and George Martin banging on 3 pianos simultaneously. As the sound diminished, the engineer boosted to faders. The resulting note lasts 42 seconds, and the studio air conditioners can be heard toward the end as the faders were pushed to the limit to record it.

The rising orchestra-glissando and the thundering sound are reminiscent of “Entry of the Gods into Valhalla” from Richard Wagner’s opera “Das Rheingold,” where after the rising glissando, Thor beats with his hammer. George Martin said in his 1979 book All You Need is Ears that the glissando was Lennon’s idea. After Lennon’s death, Martin seems to have changed his mind. In his 1995 book Summer of Love: The Making of Sgt. Pepper, he states that the rising orchestra-glissando was McCartney’s idea. (thanks to Johan Cavalli, who is a music historian in Stockholm)

After the final note, Lennon had producer George Martin dub in a high pitched tone, which most humans can’t hear, but drives dogs crazy.

In 2004, McCartney did an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper where he said he was doing cocaine around this time along with marijuana: “I’d been introduced to it, and at first it seemed OK, like anything that’s new and stimulating. When you start working your way through it, you start thinking, ‘This is not so cool and idea,’ especially when you start getting those terrible comedowns.”

The movie reference is to a film Lennon acted in called How I Won The War.

Keith Richards named his second son Tara after Tara Brown, the Guinness heir who smashes his car in Lennon’s first verse. Richard’s son was premature and died soon after birth.

The Beatles started this with the working title “In The Life of…”

A few seconds after this ends, at the end of the album, there is a loop of incomprehensible Beatles studio chatter that was spliced together. This was put there so vinyl copies would play this continuously in the run-out groove, sounding like something went horribly wrong with the record. Kids, ask your parents about vinyl.

That’s Mal Evans doing the counting during the first transition from John to Paul. He set the alarm clock (heard on the recording) to go off at the end of his 24-bar count. Evans also helped with the composition of a couple of songs on the Sgt. Pepper album. Although he never received composer’s credit, the Beatles did pay his estate a lump sum in the 1990s for his contributions. Evans died January 5, 1976 after a misunderstanding with the police. (thanks, Brad Wind – Miami, FL)

A car dealer and Beatle friend Terry Doran helped come up with the lyric, “Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.” (thanks, Jes – Mason City, IA)

In the original take, a 41 piece orchestra was not used. Instead, Lennon had roadie Mal Evans count to 21 in a very trippy manner and set off an alarm clock after the 21 counts. This version is on the 2nd Anthology CD, and is a very different version than the one on Sgt. Pepper. (thanks, Emery – San Jose, CA)

David Crosby was at Abbey Road studios when The Beatles were recording this. In an interview with Filter magazine, he said: “I was, as near as I know, the first human being besides them and George Martin and the engineers to hear A Day In The Life. I was high as a kite – so high I was hunting geese with a rake. They sat me down; they had huge speakers like coffins with wheels on that they rolled up on either side of the stool. By the time it got the end of that piano chord, man my brains were on the floor.” (thanks, Brian – Williamsburg, VA)

The orchestral bit was used in the Yellow Submarine movie. Photos of different geographical areas were shown as The Beatles were apparently traveling in the submarine to try and find Pepperland. (thanks, donald – as, KY)

When asked by Rolling Stone magazine what songs of his dad’s constantly surprise him, Sean Lennon said: “I’ve listened so much to that stuff that there are very few surprises. But I do think ‘A Day In The Life’ is always inspiring.”

George Martin (from Q Magazine, July 2007): “John’s voice – which he hated – was the kind of thing that would send shivers down your spine. If you hear those opening chords with the guitar and piano, and then his voice comes in, ‘I heard the news today, oh boy’ It’s just so evocative of that time. He always played his songs to me on the guitar and I would sit on a stool as he strummed. The orchestral section was Paul’s idea. We put two pieces of songs together that weren’t connected in any way. Then we had that 24-bars-of-nothing in between. I had to write a score, but in the climax, I gave each instrument different little waypoints at each bar, so they would know roughly where they should be when they were sliding up. Just so they didn’t reach the climax too quickly. With A Day In The Life, I wondered whether we were losing our audience and I was scared. But I stopped being scared when I played it to the head of Capitol Records in America and he was gob smacked. He said, That’s fantastic. And of course, it was.” (thanks, Edward Pearce – Ashford, Kent, England)

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Anyway, I noticed that the last few of my post are all about selling Beatles memorabilia and Beatles stuff… And now, here’s what I’ve read… Sgt. Pepper’s Drum Skin Sells for more that A million dollar on a july 10 Auction!

Here’s the details:

The drum skin which appears on the famous front cover of The Beatles’ 1967 album ‘Sgt Pepper’ has sold for a massive £541,250 (over $1million) at an auction in London.

The skin was sold at Christie’s Auction House in the capital yesterday (July 10) for almost four times the estimated price. It was part of a large rock memorabilia auction which also featured Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Ella Fitzgerald lots.

The second highest bid of the day was for the lyrics to ‘Give Piece A Chance’ handwritten by John Lennon which sold for £421,250. They were originally given to writer Gail Renard when Lennon and Yoko Ono were staging their ‘bed-in’ in Montreal in 1969.

Also up for sale was a series of never-seen-before Beatles photographs and a pair of sunglasses worn by John Lennon on the sleeve to ‘Mind Games’ which went for £39,000.

Elsewhere, a Gibson guitar once owned by Pete Townshend shifted for £32,450, a rare live recording of Jimi Hendrix in 1968 went for £48,050.

I wonder if any of the event can be viewed on Utube… Beatles lyrics or should I say John Lennon’s “Give peace a chance” lyrics also sold out for $833,654 something.. wow!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

(Sugarplum Fairy, Sugarplum Fairy)
I read the news today oh boy
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well I just had to laugh
I saw the photograph
He blew his mind out in a car
He didn’t notice that the lights had changed
A crowd of people stood and stared
They’d seen his face before
Nobody was really sure
If he was from the House of Lords.

I saw a film today oh boy
The English Army had just won the war
A crowd of people turned away
but I just had to look
Having read the book
I’d love to turn you on

Woke up, fell out of bed,
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup,
And looking up I noticed I was late.
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke,
and Somebody spoke and I went into a dream

I read the news today oh boy
Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.
I’d love to turn you on

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

We’re Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
We hope you have enjoyed the show
Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
We’re sorry but its time to go.
Sergeant Pepper’s lonely.
Sergeant Pepper’s lonely.
Sergeant Pepper’s lonely.
Sergeant Pepper’s lonely.
Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
We’d like to thank you once again,
Sergeant Pepper’s one and only lovely hearts club band,
It’s getting very near the end,
Sergeant Pepper’s lonely.
Sergeant Pepper’s lonely.
Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
WWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Nothing to do to save his life call his wife in
Nothing to say but what a day how’s your boy been
Nothing to do it’s up to you
I’ve got nothing to say but it’s O.K.
Good morning, good morning…
Going to work don’t want to go feeling low down
Heading for home you start to roam then you’re in town
Everybody knows there’s nothing doing
Everything is closed it’s like a ruin
Everyone you see is half asleep.
And you’re on your own you’re in the street
After a while you start to smile now you feel cool.
Then you decide to take a walk by the old school.
Nothing has changed it’s still the same
I’ve got nothing to say but it’s O.K.
Good morning, good morning…
People running round it’s five o’clock.
Everywhere in town is getting dark.
Everyone you see is full of life.
It’s time for tea and meet the wife.
Somebody needs to know the time, glad that I’m here.
Watching the skirts you start to flirt now you’re in gear.
Go to a show you hope she goes.
I’ve got nothing to say but it’s O.K.
Good morning, good morning…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Lovely Rita meter maid.
Lovely Rita meter maid.
Lovely Rita meter maid.
Nothing can come between us,
When it gets dark I tow your heart away.
Standing by a parking meter,
When I caught a glimpse of Rita,
Filling in a ticket in her little white book.
In a cap she looked much older,
And the bag across her shoulder
Made her look a little like a military man.
Lovely Rita meter maid,
May I inquire discreetly,
When are you free,
To take some tea with me.
Took her out and tried to win her,
Had a laugh and over dinner,
Told her I would really like to see her again,
Got the bill and Rita paid it,
Took her home I nearly made it,
Sitting on the sofa with a sister or two.
Oh, lovely Rita meter maid,
Where would I be without you,
Give us a wink and make me think of you.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

When I get older losing my hair,
Many years from now.
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine.
If I’d been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door,
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I’m sixty-four.

oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oooo
You’ll be older too, (ah ah ah ah ah)
And if you say the word,
I could stay with you.

I could be handy, mending a fuse
When your lights have gone.
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
Sunday mornings go for a ride,
Doing the garden, digging the weeds,
Who could ask for more.
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I’m sixty-four.

Every summer we can rent a cottage
In the isle of wight, if it’s not too dear
We shall scrimp and save
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera, Chuck, & Dave

Send me a postcard, drop me a line,
Stating point of view
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Yours sincerely, wasting away
Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I’m sixty-four.

WHOO!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

We were talking-about the space between us all
And the people-who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion
Never glimpse the truth-then it’s far too late-when they pass away.
We were talking-about the love we all could share-when we find it
To try our best to hold it there-with our love
With our love-we could save the world-if they only knew.
Try to realize it’s all within yourself
No-one else can make you change
And to see you’re really only very small,
And life flows ON within you and without you.
We were talking-about the love that’s gone so cold and the people,
Who gain the world and lose their soul-
They don’t know-they can’t see-are you one of them?
When you’ve seen beyond yourself-then you may find, peace of mind,
Is waiting there-
And the time will come when you see
we’re all one, and life flows on within you and without you.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites