U2 have just released three never before seen interview clips on MySpace Music, AOL’s Spinner, and The Wall Street Journal to coincide with the 25th anniversary of their creative breakthrough release, The Unforgettable Fire.
The largest rock band in the world sat down to discuss their favorite tracks from the album, what they really thought of their biggest single at the time, “Pride (In the Name of Love),” and what it was like working with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois for the first time at Ireland’s Slane Castle for the making of this landmark album.
The recently re-mastered version of The Unforgettable Fire is now available everywhere in limited edition 2CD+DVD box set, 2CD deluxe edition, single CD and LP vinyl.
Watch each video in its entirety to learn something new about the band and make sure to check out www.U2.com for the band’s most recent tour dates.
Underlining their timeless appeal and unique status in music, The Beatles have broken multiple chart records around the world following the September 9, 2009 (9-9-09) CD release of their digitally re-mastered catalogue. In the major music markets of North America, Japan and the UK, consumers purchased more than 2.25 million copies of The Beatles’ re-mastered albums, individually and in two multiple-CD boxed sets, one in stereo and one in mono, during the first five days of release (excluding non-traditional retail outlets whose sales are not tracked by the chart compilers).
The Beatles’ original UK studio albums were re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release.
The most popular band of the 20th century, The Beatles are beloved by music fans in the 21st century, as evidenced by their current unparalleled global chart performance:
US: During the first five days of release, consumers purchased more than one million copies of re-mastered Beatles titles, and the individual CD and boxed sets debuted strongly across multiple Billboard charts.
- On Billboard’s Comprehensive Albums chart, which lists the most popular album releases in the US, including current and catalogue titles, The Beatles set a new record for the most simultaneous titles by a single artist (18), including five of the top 10 and nine of the top 20.
- On the Pop Catalog chart, The Beatles achieved another new Billboard chart first for the most simultaneous titles in the top 50 (16), a record they previously set themselves with 12 titles in December 1995. The Beatles have nine of the chart’s top 10 titles, and all 14 re-mastered CDs are in the top 20, led by ‘Abbey Road’ at number one and ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ at number two.
- On the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, ‘The Beatles’ stereo boxed set debuted at number 15, and ‘The Beatles in Mono’ limited edition boxed set debuted at number 40.
UK: In last week’s chart, The Beatles had four titles in the top 10, seven in the top 40 and 16 in the top 75, including both the stereo and mono boxes, as well as 2000’s ‘Beatles 1’ compilation. This set a new record for the most simultaneous albums in the UK charts according to the UK Official Charts Company. In this week’s UK chart, The Beatles have 13 albums in the top 75. A further 84,000 CDs were sold last week, bringing their total sales of the re-masters to more than 354,000 in 11 days and their total UK sales this decade to 6,755,000.
Japan: All 14 re-mastered titles and boxed sets debuted in the top 25 of the international chart, including seven of the top 10, led by the stereo boxed set at number two, the mono boxed set at number three, ‘Abbey Road’ at four and ‘Let It Be’ at six. Across all titles and box sets, more than 840,000 albums were purchased by consumers in Japan in the first three days of sales.
Canada: The Beatles have 15 of the top 20 catalogue titles including all of the top 11. The stereo boxed set is a new entry in the current albums chart at number four, the highest debut for a boxed set in Canada since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking sales. Cumulative sales across all titles were just under 160,000 over the counter.
France: All 14 of the re-mastered titles and boxed sets entered the latest album chart, including three in the top 10, led by ‘Abbey Road’ at number four, a new record for the most original studio albums in the French album chart in one week.
Italy: The Beatles have 17 titles in the current chart – all 14 re-mastered titles, the two boxed sets, plus the ‘1’ compilation, a record for the most simultaneous entries in the album chart.
Belgium: With 17 entries in the current chart - the 14 re-mastered titles, two boxed sets and ‘1’ compilation – The Beatles have set a new record for the most simultaneous albums in the Belgian chart as confirmed by chart compiler Ultrapop.
Official Site:
Before digging into the info on The Beatles digital remasters be sure to check out WatchMojo’s new video, 7 Things You Didn’t Know about The Beatles: Rock Band
Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music are delighted to announce the release of the original Beatles catalogue, which has been digitally re-mastered for the first time, for worldwide CD release on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (9-9-09), the same date as the release of the widely anticipated “The Beatles: Rock Band” video game. 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 utilizing 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.
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.
A severely underrated band… Nice to see them getting some attention!
Big Star released two albums in the early ‘70s, neither of which set sales records. Yet in the 35 years that have ensued, artists like R.E.M., Wilco, The Replacements, Teenage Fanclub, Primal Scream, Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey, The Bangles and Steve Wynn have enthusiastically acknowledged the band’s influence. On June 16, Ardent/Stax Records through Concord Music Group will reissue Big Star’s #1 Record (1972) and Radio City (1974) albums, completely remastered with the never-before-released single mix of “In the Street” and single edit of “O My Soul.”
“In The Street” stream:
Additionally, Ardent/Stax has released #1 Record and Radio City on two separate vinyl LPs featuring faithfully reproduced artwork, including the original Ardent Records labels.
Big Star’s legacy has long outlasted its short tenure as a band. Led by ex-Box Tops singer Alex Chilton and including Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Andy Hummel (bass) and Jody Stephens (drums), the group’s inspired mixture of ‘60s pop, powered interplay and irresistible melody was exciting and special: it was out of step with the mainstream rock sounds of 1972. Though Chilton had come off of a #1 blue-eyed soul hit, the Box Tops’ “The Letter,” Big Star’s music was a glorious mesh of British-influenced pop, Byrds-esque harmonies, taut edginess and studio expertise. Traces of the Beatles, the Kinks and Badfinger pulsate through their repertoire.
Big Star began as Alex Chilton, having left the Box Tops to forge a solo folk career in New York, returned to his hometown of Memphis, encouraged by guitarist and engineer Chris Bell, who led a local trio called Ice Water. Chilton joined the band, which immediately set up camp at the city’s Ardent Studio with aid from the studio’s owners/in-house producers John Fry and Terry Manning. The band’s name was changed to Big Star, after the supermarket chain prevalent in the South.
The band’s debut album, #1 Record, flew in the face of 1972’s abounding folk-rock and progressive-rock sounds. The album’s greatness was not lost on rock critics of the day, but in the end it did not sell particularly well, attributed in part to the piecemeal distribution network of Ardent’s distributor, Stax. Still, songs like “In the Street,” “Don’t Lie to Me, “Feel” and “The Ballad of El Goodo” became cult classics.
Tension began to mount within the band’s ranks as Bell saw his role as leader eclipsed by Chilton’s dominant personality. Bell preferred that Big Star remain a studio entity while Chilton was eager for the band to hit the live circuit. Around Christmas 1972, Bell quit his own band and Big Star soldiered onward as a trio.
In 1974, Ardent released Radio City, the second and (for the moment) final Big Star album. Its best-known song, “September Gurls,” remains one of pop’s classic songs with its mesmerizing chorus and Chilton’s ringing guitar break sounding like the Byrds fused with the venom of the Kinks. “O My Soul,” “Back of a Car” and “Mod Lang” are cut from a similar cloth while “Life Is White” and “Way Out West” show the band’s slower side. And as liner note writer Brian Hogg observed, there are times on this album that the tension within the group is plainly audible: “The ever-present aura of something gradually becoming unhinged, combined with masterly songs, somehow jells to create a remarkable collection and makes Radio City one of rock’s seminal albums,” he writes.
After Radio City, Hummel quit the band and was replaced by John Lightman on what was to become Big Star 3, shelved for years until the myth surrounding the band grew to titanic proportions. Tragically, Chris Bell died in a car crash in Memphis in December, 1979. Chilton went on to record inspired if sporadic solo albums while producing records by the Cramps and Chris Stamey. Jody Stephens works at Ardent Studio to this day and has been the sparkplug behind Big Star’s reunion tours, during which the band played on both The Tonight Show and The Late Show With David Letterman.
As the reissue’s other liner note writer Rick Clark observed, “It has been said that art should create the sense that time has stopped. Big Star transcended normal escapist pop convention by creating music that somehow froze moments that were concurrently vibrant and startlingly brilliant, yet oddly spent. Somehow Big Star could make you feel good in the face of dashed expectations and decay. It’s that realness, in the band’s lyrics and urgently bright sound, which has allowed Big Star’s vision to endure way beyond its brief lifespan.”
Tracklisting:
1. Feel
2. The Ballad Of El Goodo
3. In The Street
4. Thirteen
5. Don’t Lie To Me
6. The India Song
7. When My Baby’s Beside Me
8. My Life Is Right
9. Give Me Another Chance
10. Try Again
11. Watch The Sunrise
12. St 110/6
13. In The Street
14. O My Soul
15. Life Is White
16. Way Out West
17. What’s Going Ahn
18. You Get What You Deserve
19. Mod Lang
20. Back Of A Car
21. Daisy Glaze
22. She’s A Mover
23. September Gurls
24. Morpha Too
25. I’m In Love With A Girl
26. O My Soul
Official Site Link:
http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/artists/Big-Star
The deaf, dumb and blind boy is 40 years old this summer! And to commemorate this unforgettable event, Ode Records presents the London Symphony Orchestra joined by The Who and other distinguished guests performing this classic album.
Considered the first album to be recognized as a “Rock opera,” Tommy is celebrating its 40th with this all-star production featuring; Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Rod Stewart, John Entwistle, Merry Clayton, Steve Winwood, Richie Havens, Richard Harris, Ringo Starr, Maggie Bell, Graham Bell and Sandy Denny.
Tommy was originally released in 1969 as the first concept album in the history of rock & roll and went straight to #2 in the UK charts. In 1972 entrepreneur Lou Reizner presented the concert version of Tommy backed up by The London Symphony Orchestra and Chambre Choir with guest appearances. The piece landed Pete Townshend’s support because he saw it as the realization of what he had visualized when he wrote the original piece, with multiple instruments in mind.
This release of Tommy was performed by a 100-piece orchestra and was one of the more elaborately conceived albums of its era. It became a gold record, selling in excess of 500,000 units. Tommy hits all digital stores next week, but is available one week early on iTunes, so grab it now!
Download and share “I’m Free” (feat. Roger Daltrey) from the London Symphony Orchestra’s Tommy
TOMMY Tracklist (all tracks performed by LSO):
01 Overture
02 It’s A Boy – feat. Sandy Denny
03 1921 – feat. Graham Bell, Steve Winwood, Maggie Bell, Roger Daltry
04 Amazing Journey – feat. Pete Townshend
05 Sparks
06 Eyesight to The Blind – feat. Richie Havens
07 Christmas – feat. Steve Winwood, Roger Daltry
08 Cousin Kevin – feat. John Entwhistle
09 The Acid Queen – feat. Merry Clayton
10 Underture
11 Do You Think It’s Alright? – feat. Maggie Bell, Steve Winwood
12 Fiddle About – feat. Ringo Starr
13 Pin Ball Wizard – feat. Rod Stewart
14 There’s A Doctor I’ve Found – feat. Steve Winwood
15 Go To The Mirror Boy – feat. Richard Harris, Roger Daltry, Steve Winwood
16 Tommy Can You Hear Me? – feat. Maggie Bell
17 Smash The Mirror – feat. Maggie Bell
18 I’m Free – feat. Roger Daltrey
19 Miracle Cure – feat. Chambre Choir
20 Sensation – feat. Roger Daltrey
21 Sally Simpson – feat. Pete Townshend
22 Welcome – feat. Roger Daltrey
23 Tommy’s Holiday Camp – feat. Ringo Starr
24 We’re Not Gonna Take It – feat. Roger Daltrey
25 See Me, Feel Me – feat. Roger Daltrey
For More Information:
From NME.com:
Pixies have confirmed the release of ‘Minotaur’ after speculation mounted earlier today (April 21) that a new release by the reformed band was imminent.
Available to pre-order from June 15, ‘Minotaur’ is a luxury collector’s box set featuring a wealth of material spanning the band’s entire career.
The albums featured in the release are ‘Come On Pilgrim’ (1987), ‘Surfer Rosa’ (1988), ‘Doolittle’ (1989), ‘Bossanova’ (1990), and ‘Trompe Le Monde’ (1991).
‘Minotaur’ will see all five albums re-released in on 24k layered CD and Blu-ray format. The deluxe version of the package includes a DVD of Pixies legendary 1991 Brixton Academy performance, all the band’s videos, a 54-page book and reinterpreted artwork by Vaughan Oliver.
Oliver helped to design much of the original artwork for Pixies, and for the ‘Minotaur’ collection he has re-shot much of the material, along with photographer Simon Larbalestier.
Now a teacher at the University of the Creative Arts in Epsom, Oliver says he asked his students to help out on the new designs.
“I selected a team of students under my direction to work with the titles in the track listing, in a three dimensional way,” he said of the project. “Cutting the track listing out of cards, shining light through it, making the track titles from nails - all very organic.”
Meanwhile, a limited edition version of ‘Minotaur’ features everything in the deluxe edition plus all five Pixies’ albums on 180-gram vinyl, a Giclee print of Oliver’s artwork and a 72-page hardcover book.
Fans can pre-order the collection from Ainr.com.
Beastie Boys may have only just recently reissued their Paul’s Boutique LP but already the group are planning to give the same treatment to its 1992 follow-up, Check Your Head.
Via Capitol/EMI, the Beasties’ third album will be remastered, expanded and released in a variety of formats, the most elaborate of which will be an “ultra-deluxe” four-LP, 180-gram vinyl version that will come in a fabric-wrapped hardcover coffee-table book case. All editions will include numerous B-sides and bonus tracks, and along with the four-LP box (which is limited to 2,000 copies), the reissue will also be available as a DRM-free digital download, a double CD and as less deluxified double-vinyl. There’s no word yet on which added tracks will be included on the reissue but the physical editions of Check Your Head will hit shops April 7.
As previously reported, this bit of Beasties news comes as the band prepare to release their new studio album, which is expected to drop sometime this year and has been given the working title Tadlock’s Glasses. According to what the group have said in recent interviews, the record is “political,” “bizarre” and “a combination of playing and sampling stuff.” Also, that title is inspired by one of the Beasties’ old bus drivers, who once received a pair of glasses from the King of Rock’n’Roll himself: Elvis Presley.
On the live front, the band only have a few dates lined up: one at this summer’s Bonnaroo festival and another at L.A.’s Hollywood Bowl on September 24. However, the press release says to expect a lot more shows in the run-up to that new full-length.
Here are all the buying options available for the Check Your Head reissue:
— Digital Download (album and B-sides)
— Deluxe Digital Option (also includes videos and video commentary)
— Deluxe, limited collector’s vinyl + Digital Download
— Standard double vinyl + Digital Download
— Ecopack double CD + Digital Download
— Deluxe Digital + shirt
— Standard Vinyl + shirt
— CD + shirt
— Deluxe, limited collector’s vinyl + shirt
Is it possible to rank the songs of the Beatles? The greatest band of all time? To actually decide which song was their worst, which was their best and every single song in between? Well, someone has done it. Its pretty amazing actually. Some you’ll agree with, some you’ll violently disagree with, some you’ll even discover for the first time.
Its an incredibly detailed look at all 189 of the songs that the Beatles recorded on studio albums. Many thanks and congratulations to JBev of the site JamsBio.com for tackling this nearly impossible task.
Find the entire list HERE.
Multi-Grammy Award winning artist James Brown, best known for his smoldering singing and revolutionary rhythmic style, is recognized worldwide as one of the most prolific figures in 20th century popular music. He remains a strong cultural influence as a newsmaker, musician, activist and peacemaker that transcends even the awesome celebrity he achieved as the “Godfather of Soul.” A whole new generation is discovering James Brown today through his music and his pivotal presence in American political affairs in the 1960s. DVD & music collectors and fans of the late James Brown will be treated to a whole new electrifying experience when I Got The Feelin’: James Brown in the ’60s 3-DVD box set arrives on August 5, 2008, exclusively from Shout! Factory.
I Got The Feelin’: James Brown in the ’60s features the director’s cut of The Night James Brown Saved Boston and the full-length concert performances James Brown Live at The Boston Garden from April 1968 and Man to Man - James Brown Live at The Apollo Theater 1968. This definitive 3-DVD collector’s box set is brimming with a special deluxe booklet and extensive bonus content such as James Brown’s legendary performance of “Out of Sight” from The T.A.M.I. Show, interviews with James Brown’s band members, friends and colleagues, additional audio from the radio simulcast of his Boston Garden Live performance 1968, rare performance footage culled from the archives and much more! A fitting tribute to the man and the times, this DVD collection pays homage not only to James Brown’s enormous contribution to American music, but also reveals his often overlooked impact on American race relations.
I Got The Feelin’: James Brown in the ‘60s Trailer Video Stream:
I Got The Feelin’: James Brown in the ‘60s Video Clip:
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Releasings “singles” collections seems like the thing to do for Classic Rock bands… Actually, this looks like a pretty cool boxset, nice job Beach Boys. This should tide fans over until the new Brian Wilson album drops.
U.S. Singles Collection – The Capitol Years listening party streams:
On June 10, Capitol/EMI will release the first complete collection of The Beach Boys’ early Capitol Records singles, spanning the years 1962 to 1965. The Beach Boys: U.S. Singles Collection – The Capitol Years (1962-1965) will be released in a highly-collectible, limited edition boxed set of 16 CDs and as a digital collection. Each of the deluxe boxed set’s CDs includes an original single’s A and B-sides, plus other versions of most tracks, from additional mono and stereo mixes to live recordings. Eight previously unreleased mixes are among the new collection’s 66 tracks.
The CD boxed set’s lavish packaging includes 16 individual CDs in digipaks with faithfully reproduced original single artwork, plus a 48-page hardbound photo book with faux sand finish, housed in a striking ‘60s hotrod and surfboard-inspired red and yellow box with wood inlay.
The hit-packed set begins with 1962’s “Surfin’ Safari” and its B-side, “409,” in their original mono mixes, paired with a 1965 concert recording of “409.” Also included are The Beach Boys’ timeless #1 smash Pop hits “I Get Around” and “Help Me Rhonda,” and Top 10 Pop hits “Surfin’ USA,” “Surfer Girl,” “Be True To Your School,” “Little Saint Nick,” “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “When I Grow Up To Be A Man,” “Dance, Dance, Dance,“ “The Man With All The Toys,” and “California Girls.” The new collection’s other hit sides include “Ten Little Indians,” “Shut Down,” “Little Deuce Coupe,” “In My Room,” “Why Do Fools Fall In Love?,” “Don’t Worry Baby,” “Wendy,” “Little Honda,” “Do You Wanna Dance?” and “Please Let Me Wonder.”
The Beach Boys Official Site:
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