I have had it up to here waiting for the Beatles catalogue to be remastered

Allan Kozinn weighs in. He likes everything but a couple of tunes on Pepper, and wants to see a high-def Blu Ray edition.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/arts/music/06alla.html?ref=arts

Feeling like Rubber Soul stands out the most from the old 1987 issue. "The Word" just had its sinuses opened up. The clarity in all the percussion, and the deep bass sound, is fuckin' phenomenal!

"Sinuses opened up" is an apt metaphor.

the clarity in all the percussion

That reminds me, how has Ringo polished up?

He spent months practicing so he could re-record his parts for the reissues.

The cello on "Eleanor Rigby" grew a pair of balls!

The Beatles, now with gonads and no snot!

Listening to the new Rubber Soul now. So far I'd say the quality improved massively. Hearing all sorts of new detail and 'color'. It's so strange to hear the crystal clear sitar in Norwegian Wood now, as if it's another added instrument to the song! Amazing.

When the guitar comes in at 0.08 on Nowhere Man, it sounds as it's a just a bit too early, very odd (or I just have never noticed in the previous mix...)

brief thoughts on what i've heard so far; HOW FUCKING AMAZING is ringo?

Is there anyway someone can communicate discreetly to me where the HELL you are getting these? Directions please!

look into your soul

Seek into your soul, you'll find it

xp oh shi...

that made me chuckle, but i am on a mac--why didn't i wait until 9/10 to switch over from pc! thanks though

Aren't they in the shops this week? Just wait a few days then get them. People have so little patience it's unbelievable.

The White Album is the greatest record ever made.

― Sickamous (Scik Mouthy), Saturday, September 5, 2009 9:14 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark

^^^^ this

When the guitar comes in at 0.08 on Nowhere Man, it sounds as it's a just a bit too early, very odd (or I just have never noticed in the previous mix...)
Nope, always been there. I always thought it strange they let that go, too, but that's part of the charm.

Yeah I can definitely see that. I'm baffled that I have not noticed this before, thanks!

Aren't they in the shops this week? Just wait a few days then get them. People have so little patience it's unbelievable.

― DavidM, Saturday, September 5, 2009 2:41 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

And get off my lawn!

I Wanna Be Your Man!! The guitar!

The fuzztone on the single version of "Revolution" is so sick.

Sooooo happy these are remasters and not remixes. I've listened to these albums so much I have grown accustomed to the eccentricities in the original mixes. First thing I did to test this was listen to "Good Day Sunshine" to see if I could hear that split second of ambient sound before the cymbal fades in and sure enough it's there!

that made me chuckle, but i am on a mac--why didn't i wait until 9/10 to switch over from pc! thanks though

http://chris.schleifer.net/ssX/index.cgi/project/downloads.html

Thanks alot Alba, I found it elsewhere--I appreciate it though

The stereo remasters are all I could have hoped for. White Album is mind blowing.

the ones I found on the pirate bay have to be fake...they sound good but heavy in the left channel on every album?

Sooooo happy these are remasters and not remixes.

I was thinking just the opposite. I've heard these songs so often that I can't imagine remastering them will have any positive impact for me. We'll see.

I was thinking just the opposite. I've heard these songs so often that I can't imagine remastering them will have any positive impact for me. We'll see.

― Daniel, Esq., Saturday, September 5, 2009 11:15 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

I can't imagine you will be disappointed after hearing them--i felt the same way until i heard them. they are incredible, it really is like night and day, like removing centuries of grime from an old master painting or something. they are wild

like removing centuries of grime from an old master painting or something.

iago OTM. wasn't expecting much out of them besides some added clarity, maybe as good as Love. this is mind-numbing.

has the mono set leaked yet?

i'm buying these both anyway next week so for once I'm not really that jazzed about leaks, but still

I didn't want to buy these until I downloaded them and listened. Now I plan on buying most of them. I was sold after hearing the download. Can't wait to hear the mono mixes, then i'll decide which to get in stereo and which to get in mono. These truly are fantastic. Double OTM's to above accolades.

I'm not going to read through the whole thread to see if it's been mentioned already, but according to Amazon, they're going to make more than 10,000 copies of the mono set due to demand.

One of the songs that really benefits is "Birthday", which is one few Beatles songs that I've found skippable, at least until now. It's still been kind of ruined because I can't listen to it without visualizing a morning newscaster listing off famous people who have been born in the same day, but at least I have a newfound appreciation for the piano work in the song.

the mono box set is apparently limited and already scarce online for preorder, I think. not that I really believe anything beatles related is going to be a so limited emi can't sell a skidillion of them and make majillions of dollars.

The White Album sounds remarkable. Can't wait to listen to the rest of these.

i can't wait for the polls for most improved album, song, part--this is gonna go on a long time!

"Got to get you into my life" is just incredible in this new glorious mono.

Everything I'm reading so far says the White Album enjoys the most dramatic improvement, with Abbey Road close behind. Would have figured the remastering would have benefitted the earlier ones most, like Beatles for Sale. They sounded like total crap on the 87s.

i certainly dont think the white album sounds best. pepper, rubber soul, the 1963 stuff sounds better.

i agree with mr. frog, white album isn't knockin my socks off...so far, rubber soul is the revelation (for me)

I remember the rave reviews about the new-found clarity of 'Blackbird' back in 87. I'm going to take some convincing before parting with hard cash.

I unburied Paul.

Listening to these is making me sad. They are gorgeous and full of clarity, it's not that. But wishing all these old things were new reminds me that despite their being a center of mass attention again, they are old and the beauty died and all beauty dies and now I am going to sound ridiculous so let me just say again that they are making me sad and I cannot turn away.

I was going to make a sarcastic comment, but then i listened to Golden Slumbers and omg I know what you mean. These remasters are making me not hate Paul. That's how good they are.

still, I pity the guy who had to painstakingly remaster You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) and Maxwell's Silver Hammer over many years.

yeah I deserve snark for getting sappy but I've always kinda hated Rubber Soul and I don't anymore...the low end theory has worked wonders.

This is as good a job as the Dylan SACD's from a few years back, which i thought were the best 'remasters' i'd ever heard at the time. Similar thing with these of hearing new instruments in songs you've heard a thousand times.

Paul was always awesome, don't let his later product or occasional douchery ever make you forget that. And wasn't Maxwell's Silver Hammer a sly reference to playwright Joe Orton's murder, if true that makes the song kind of twisted and sick, a jolly novelty song about killing your lover with a hammer.

"even more twisted and sick,"