To say that November 22, 1963 is a day that has been burned into history is putting it mildly.

Not only was November 22, 1963 the day that The Beatles issued their second long-player in the United Kingdom, an album that truly ignited Beatlemania, it was also the day that President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.

Looking back it seems like such a weird juxtaposition of joy and terror. Kids in Britain were exploding with anticipation of the latest Beatles release while people in the States were greeted with a tidal wave of horror and disillusionment that sadly has permeated the political and social landscape to this very day in my opinion.

How odd to have the candle of youth and vitality and hope distinguished so brutally by the winds of change (and an assassin) whilst in another breath the youth of the 1960s was galvanized by four lads from Liverpool that took the mantle of hope that JFK represented and began breaking down barriers socially and politically which led a generation on a quest for meaning and a desire for personal freedom.

Heady stuff certainly. And certainly low these sixty years later that powder keg of excitement and vitality that was lit by the music on “With the Beatles” still reverberates with all the energy and power it possessed on that far away day in November.

As a second generation fan who was born in 1966, it was ironically the early Beatles and the “Meet the Beatles” album (the American version of “With the Beatles”) that drew me toward the group and made me a fan.

I distinctly remember walking around the record section of a local Sears store in 1975, yes Sears sold records back then, and spending about an hour gazing at the cover of “Meet the Beatles” and “The Beatles’ Second Album” while my mother was shopping and being transfixed by images on the covers.

By this time in 1975 long hair was the norm yet their was still something different about these guys. They had an aura of excitement and yet an oddness that reached out to me even twelve years after these songs were originally recorded.

I had never seen this unique mixture of cool and strangeness (the suits and long hair was weird to me in 1975) plus there was just a magnetism that leap off of these record covers that drew to discover what the music was inside.

Shortly thereafter a few weeks later I received both albums, courtesy of my grandmother, and thus began my life-long love, some would say obsession, with The Beatles’ music.

Sure I was already familiar with The Beatles hits like “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You”, both on these records, but the pure power and force of Lennon’s vocals on songs like “It Won’t Be Long”, “You Really Got a Hold on Me” and especially “Money (That’s What I Want)” were even by 1975 standards so gutsy and vital that I had to hear more.

In the next few years I obtained most of The Beatles US albums followed a few years later by the British pressings. As they say it was the beginning of it all for me as far as my love of The Beatles music was concerned. Because I started listening to the early Beatles first I never felt like a second generation fan as I was discovering their music almost in order of release and marveling at each new twist and turn their music would make on the later albums.

So even after listening to “With the Beatles” and its US cousin “Meet the Beatles” for well over forty years myself I still find the music on them fresh and vital and something that stands outside of time for me.

So in celebration, above and below are some photos of the favorite issues I own of the “With the Beatles” album. The tattered and well-loved copy mono of this album pictured here is a first issue UK mono copy that I found in a flea market in the early 1980s and the first original UK pressing of any Beatles album I ever owned.

Despite the cover looking like it has been chewed up and spit out the vinyl itself sounds great and beyond a few pops and clicks retains all the energy and power as the day it was bought in the UK back in 1963.

There is a slight skip on “Roll Over Beethoven” but I have read that these first 1N copies (the number stamped in the matrix on the inner groove of the record) had this same skip on some or most copies so it was quickly withdrawn and redone. I see no visible scratch on any of the tracks on this album so I’m guessing it was one of the bad copies from this first issue.

I’ve also pictured my first CD pressing of “With the Beatles” that was made in West Germany plus my favorite stereo version of this album on CD the SHM-CD mini-lp version made in Japan.

And last but not least I have a photo of my favorite sounding US pressing of “Meet the Beatles” as this US version of the album was the start of Beatlemania in the States after its release in December of 1963 on Capitol Records.

Anyway, so happy 60th anniversary to one monumental record and to one of my all-time favorite records not only by The Beatles but by anyone.

Take some time and reflect on or maybe discover some of the truly wonderful music that’s contained in this album and maybe you can find a minute or tow of pleasure that will take you away ever so briefly from the troubled world of 2023.

As usual take a gander at the photos above and below and until next time I hope you are healthy and well and have a most Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow if you’re reading from this somewhere in the United States.

See you soon!

Well these past two weeks have certainly been a celebration for Beatles fans around the world!

Last week we had the premiere of The Beatles last new song “Now and Then” which has now ascended to the top of the UK charts becoming the Fabs 18th UK number one single (there are 20 US number one singles) and has become somewhat of an Internet sensation judging by the overwhelming proliferation of YouTube reviews.

To top off this monumental two week celebration we now have the 50th anniversary reissues of The Beatles classic hits collections “1962-1966” (The Red Album) and “1967-1970” (The Blue Album) which have both been expanded and filled with remixes of all the songs on each.

In the case of the “1962-1966” set most of the collection has been newly remixed in 2023 and there are several first-time stereo mixes of such Beatles gems as “Love Me Do” and “She Loves You”.

Both of these new sets officially come out tomorrow but as luck would have it I got ahold of them early and have done a quick overview of each set.

First off overall these two sets sound superb! I’m hit or miss with modern remixes of ’60s classics, especially The Beatles, but I have to say both of these sets are ninety percent wonderful with an occasional miss now and then (no pun intended) not spoiling the party (pun intended lol).

The first set, “1962-1966”, is an especially great sounding collection as for the most part these new stereo mixes are just wonderful. The highlights of this set for me are the early numbers from 1963 as well as the 1965 “Rubber Soul” mixes which are quite frankly the best stereo mixes of these tracks I’ve ever heard.

Songs like “She Loves You” (a convincing stereo mix), “Please Please Me”, “And I Love Her” and the highlight of the set “If I Needed Someone” are all worth the price of admission as they all sound so lively and crisp and an improvement on previous attempts to mix these tracks into stereo.

There are of course a few clickers, what in the heck happened to the first note of “A Hard Day’s Night”? (yikes), but overall this set is a winner.

(Note: having listened again this remix is not quite as weird sounding as I first thought it was. This is one of the tracks that makes the Beatles sound a little bit more punky, more aggressive than the original mix. Still not my favorite mix of this song but not bad.)

The newer MAL technology developed by director Peter Jackson, which also enabled the completion of the new “Now and Then” single, has permitted these early tracks to take on a new life and spark that is a true joy to listen to and enjoy.

The second set “1967-1970” is highlighted by the inclusion of the new Beatle single “Now and Then” (in my mind already a Beatles classic) but is also filled to the rim with recent remixes as well as six brand new remixes including 2023 remixes of songs like “I Am the Walrus”, “Magical Mystery Tour” and “Revolution”.

Again mostly this new set is a pleasure to listen to (thank goodness the 2017 remixes of the songs from “Sgt. Pepper” sound a bit less compressed) but the occasional clunker aside I’m very happy.

One mix in particular, the new 2023 mix of “I Am the Walrus”, is just downright odd sounding. It’s not terrible but it is very different from the original stereo mix as well as previous remixes from the recent past. I don’t hate it but I don’t quite love it either. 

It sounds like Giles Martin who remixed both sets has taken the mono fake stereo section of the later half of the song and applied the MAL technology with just bizarre results. Not great but still nice to have a different sounding version.

Oh and as for loudness, yes these sets are a tad louder than I would prefer but really they sound fine. Some of the new stereo mixes like “Twist and Shout” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand” burst though with such energy that they have the punch of mono with nice stereo separation. As usual online I see a lot of negative reactions to these remixes already but I really enjoy the early maternal most as these stereo mixes really pop – in a good way.

I’ll have to give both sets a more through listen but on first blush I love what I’m hearing and these sets are nice sampler collections of not only The Beatles musical output but a nice sampling of remixes of this material for those who’ve never dipped their toes in the remix pool.

As usual take a look at these new sets above and I can’t say enough how good these two sets sound and whether you find them online to stream or you go out and buy them I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results.

I’m hoping that these lovely new stereo mixes of the early Beatles material prompts future remixes of all the pre-1966 Beatles studio albums in their entirety. And of course in physical media please. You never know when Apple will decide to go online only so I’m just hoping they finish The Beatles catalog before they make that decision.

Just a quick note at the end of this two-week Beatles bonanza. 

Be well and until next time I hope you are healthy and happy and that you go out and play some Beatles!

See you here soon.

Today is the official release date for the physical media of the last Beatles single “Now and Then” – yay, I say.

Like I said in yesterday’s post, I already own two of the colored vinyl 45’s that I got a day early but there’s also a red colored vinyl issue (a Target exclusive) as well as black vinyl issue of a 12-inch version of the single plus a cassette version (available exclusively from http://www.thebeatles.com Website) and upcoming in a couple of weeks (in the States that is, already available in Europe) a CD single.

Whew, I think that’s all the versions out there so far but I may have missed one. In this day and age there is no end to the many variations of physical media being issued but as usual I was sucked in by the joyous celebration worldwide of this last Beatles single and I broke down and added the black vinyl 12-inch version of the “Now and Then” single to my stash of Beatles items.

(Note: I told you being a collector is a sickness lol)

As I said hearing this song on one of the vinyl versions is the way to go, so far for me anyway, as this new 12-inch version sounds even better than the 45 and makes the songs sound warmer and more engaging than the digital versions I’ve heard online.

Plus the jet black vinyl and the superb Apple and Red Parlophone labels look stunning on the larger format so it’s worth it to me to have it in my collection.

I was struck yesterday by the absolute outpouring of reaction videos to “Now and Then” that I saw on YouTube with generally positive feedback to the song as well as the production of the single. I’m glad to see that there’s a large swath of Beatledom that is indeed as happy about this release as I am so that warms my heart.

Again there are several really over the top haters out there but the feeling of event from the first viewing of the mini-documentary a couple of days ago as well as listening to the song for the first time yesterday on Sirius; all the negativity just vanishes. It’s just been a FABulous few days culminating today with the physical releases of the single AND the premiere of the video just this morning directed by famed filmmaker Peter Jackson.

As for the video I thought it was FANTASTIC! There was a lot of video footage of Paul, George and Ringo circa 1995 in the studio during their initial attempt at making a record out of Lennon’s home demo of “Now and Then”. Truly this stuff is superb and one day hopefully we’ll get more.

There is also some lovely footage of Paul and Giles Martin in the studio in 2022 adding strings to the new recording as well as lots of old Beatles footage from a range of sources from home movies to scenes from their films as well as their music clips – again terrific stuff.

Now truth be told right before I watched the video for the first time I read some absolutely scathing reviews of the new “Now and Then” video online and while I’m all for differences of opinion there’s no reason to rant and rave about what a travesty this video and song are and how low The Beatles have stooped, etc. Enough already, you hate it we know.

It’s a little dramatic to be so hyper negative but whatever I’ve enjoyed both the song and video tremendously. I think the fact that Peter Jackson added a bit of humor and wackiness to the video (see images above and below) has gotten some peoples knickers in a twist but that attitude of let’s not be too serious is a Beatles trademark so I can see both Paul and Ringo wholeheartedly approving of it. If they didn’t the video wouldn’t be here end of story.

Anyway, just a brief note from me on what I’m dubbing Beatles Day 2023.

I hope those of you out there who are enjoying the good vibes, yes they are out there, are having a great day and enjoying being a Beatles fan. Life is too short, enjoy or ignore but please spare me the “woe is me this shouldn’t have happened ever” tude – too late, it’s here and it’s top gear lol.

As usual enjoy photos of the 12-inch black vinyl and several screen shots from the new “Now and Then” that came out today.

Be well and happy and see you soon!

More to come …

Expectations – they’re a bear.

Today the so-called last Beatles song hits the airwaves for the first time with a few month’s worth of intense speculation and about a week’s worth of media hype.

I do love that the premiere of this song has been turned into an event but I also know that this level of media scrutiny has people sharpening their knifes if the song doesn’t hit them in 30 seconds as the next “Ticket to Ride” or “Hey Jude” or whatever.

I’ve seen a lot of good and a lot of fairly nasty reports on “Now and Then” so here’s my take on the song and the fun of the last two days.

Basically “Now and Then” strikes me as a sweet coda to a brilliant musical career and loving tribute to two fallen friends by tow other friends who speak the language of music. What better way then to say I love and miss you than through a song – and what an emotional and sweet journey this song has already taken me on – in the best way of course.

I’m going to do something a bit different today as I’ve posted below the last two days of my first impressions of the unfolding “Now and Then” saga as I saw it plus my thoughts on hearing the physical 45 for the first time as well.

November 1, 2023 – The Mini Documentary:

Now that the moment is almost here I have to say I’m excited. I feel that whether or not the song/performance is any good unfortunately we live in the culture of “nothing is what I thought it would be so let’s tear it down” which is the way it is.

I’m to a point in my life where I try to seek out the positivity in most things so whatever the situation may be I try to find the positive perspective especially in music.

For me the fact that there’s any last Beatles song is a major win. I like the melancholic nature of the song but “Now and Then” doesn’t set itself up as a radio kind of staple in this day and age which is fine. Personally I don’t think it’s meant to be hit I think it’s meant to be a coda to a long and illustrious career.

To me the song is a wink and a nod to a dear old friend who died over forty years ago whom you still love and respect and what better tribute to The Beatles than to create one last song.

Who cares if it hits number 1? I’m all in for a new Lennon/McCartney collaboration anyway I can get it as long as McCartney is in charge and it’s not an AI concoction.

I’m prepared for the backlash but again that’s not a biggie. If you don’t like it fine. I’m sure a lot of folks will.

As for the new Red and Blue sets it’s also probably the last big Beatles physical release so great. I for one LOVE physical releases. I do think that this set will appeal to the newer vinyl folks more as a set as it’s a great one stop Beatles dip in a physical media form.

This mini-documentary (approximately 12 minutes long) is filled with terrific footage of the three Beatles recording in 1994/95. Supposedly there is over 14 hours of this footage so here’s to a much larger dip into that particular video pool as this would be as interesting to watch as the recent Peter Jackson “Get Back” film.

This documentary was the perfect way to lead up to the full audio release of the song and by itself was worth the media hype.

Anyway, it’s all good IMHO. Haters hate if you want I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round and quite frankly even the negativity is nothing compared to a war or a broken democracy. Bring on some momentary glimpse of the past and a few words from Lennon reaching out from the beyond.

Maybe it’s Lennon’s spirit calling out to make love not war in protest to the times we live in. That works for me …

November 2, 2023 – The Sirius Debut:

I heard it this morning at 10 a.m. on Sirius. I loved it! After yesterday’s 12 minute documentary I was really excited to hear it and it doesn’t disappoint. To me though I find “Now and Then” to be an encore, a sort of bow to the audience and a nice way to tie up a majestic career.

I think some folks are getting the same reaction as when they bought the first Beatles Anthology and were miffed it was outtakes; I feel the hype is leading people to believe it’s a lost “Hey Jude” Part 2.

That’s not to say it’s not a good song, I think it is but it was created from an unfinished John Lennon demo that has been miraculously turned into a lovely song with a lot of emotional heft and punch.

I for one like the production. I like the strings and sure enough the song sticks in my head in a good way. I also like tune and the sadness fits. The song is about longing. Again, this song fits the times we live in now way better than if it had been completed in 1996 as The Beatles originally intended.

Everyone I know is longing for some comfort in an old friend or love these days. “Now and Then” seems made for 2023 and like I said previously it feels like Lennon is singing from beyond urging for people to hold onto love in hard times.

A Lovely nod and a wink from The Beatles to 2023. What more can you ask for?

Later That Day, the 45:

The physical release of “Now and Then” comes tomorrow, November 3rd, but I happened upon two different colored 45’s at my trusty local record shop so I snagged them and brought them home today.

I wasn’t going to buy both colors but as I am a rabid collector and Beatles fever took hold of me today I thought I’d go ahead and get both. It’s a good thing I did as the blue vinyl version was cup warped and had a warbly sounding “Love Me Do” on Side Two. while the marble version played and sounded great.

The slight warped misstep aside I love the labels on this 45 and the back cover. I honestly don’t love the front cover but am getting used to it. The back should be the front but oh well. It’s so nice to have a vinyl 45 of the last Beatles single as it would feel just plain weird as only a ghostly digital recording – The Beatles belong in a physical format.

As for the sound I think that “Now and Then” holds together a bit better on the 45 as it’s warmer sounding than what I heard on Sirius and YouTube and on a decent stereo system the vocals mesh together much better and the backing harmonies stand out more.

Don’t get me wrong I loved what I heard on the radio I just love the sound of the physical record better.

It actually reminded me of a Phil Spector record for some reason when I play the 45 tonight. The sound isn’t widely stereo as it sounds on the radio. I hear the bass more and it isn’t quite as loud as the digital version. I think the whole thing just hangs together much better on the vinyl version.

Damn, I know this is going to make me want the vinyl versions of the new Red and Blue sets alas but I’ll wait and see how the CD’s hold up when they come out next week.

As for the new stereo 2023 mix of “Love Me Do” on the B-Side of this 45 I really enjoyed that as well. It’s not a wide stereo mix mind you but it does sound nice. I’m curious to see how the digital version sounds as this 45 version isn’t as boldy stereo as I thought it would be but very good.

There’s also a groovy inner sleeve inside with the story of “Now and Then” on one side (the blue side) and the songs credits on the other side (see photos above).

Truly after listening to the song about six or seven times my reaction is that it’s the best, or most enjoyable, of the three reunion tracks for me anyway. I love the aching sound of Lennon’s voice and the production of this 45 screams both early and late Beatles to me.

Really this is the tonic I needed for the totally shit ridden 2023!

Well that’s all for now. I’ll update here on this blog my thoughts on the “Now and Then” music video that comes out tomorrow and the CD’s of the “1962-1966” and “1967-1970” sets that come out on November 10th.

Until next time be well and if you haven’t heard “Now and Then” what are you waiting for – it’s a must listen in my book.

See you soon.