12LP Box
4 x 3LP albums in triple gatefold sleeves and slipcase

The Anthology Collection 12LP set includes the three groundbreaking Anthology albums from the mid-1990s, remastered in 2025 by Giles Martin, plus a new compilation, Anthology 4. Containing 191 tracks, the collection’s studio outtakes, live performances, broadcasts and demos reveal the musical development of The Beatles from 1958 to the final single ‘Now And Then’ released in 2023.

Anthology 4 features 13 previously unreleased tracks and 17 songs selected from Super Deluxe versions of five classic albums. In addition to fascinating outtakes dating from 1963 to 1969, the album includes new 2025 mixes by Jeff Lynne of ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’.

Furthermore, Anthology 4 presents 26 tracks that have never previously been released on vinyl.

Pressed on 180g black vinyl, each 3LP album will be housed within a triple gatefold sleeve, featuring the original art, sleevenotes by Mark Lewisohn, and restored photos for Anthology 1-3; Anthology 4 has brand new sleevenotes written by Kevin Howlett alongside photos. The outer slipcase features the original Klaus Voorman triptych art, and a 3/4 O-Card image of the band with detailed track listing.

8CD Box
4 x 2CD albums in gatefold digisleeves with booklets in slipcase

The Anthology Collection 8CD set includes the three groundbreaking Anthology albums from the mid-1990s, remastered in 2025 by Giles Martin, plus a new compilation, Anthology 4. Containing 191 tracks, the collection’s studio outtakes, live performances, broadcasts and demos reveal the musical development of The Beatles from 1958 to the final single ‘Now And Then’ released in 2023.

Anthology 4 features 13 previously unreleased tracks and 17 songs selected from Super Deluxe versions of five classic albums. In addition to fascinating outtakes dating from 1963 to 1969, the album includes new 2025 mixes by Jeff Lynne of ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’. Furthermore, Anthology 4 presents 17 tracks that were previously unavailable on CD.

Each 2CD album in the set is housed in a gatefold digisleeve, with a 40+ page booklet featuring the original art, sleevenotes by Mark Lewisohn, and restored photos for Anthology 1-3; Anthology 4 has brand new sleevenotes written by Kevin Howlett alongside photos. The outer slipcase features the original Klaus Voorman triptych art, and a 3/4 O-Card image of the band with track listing.

TRACK LISTING

Anthology 1

LP1 – Side 1
1: Free As A Bird (1995 Mix)
2: John Lennon Speech 1
3: That’ll Be The Day
4: In Spite Of All The Danger
5: Paul McCartney Speech 1
6: Hallelujah, I Love Her So (Home Demo)
7: You’ll Be Mine (Home Demo)
8: Cayenne (Home Demo)
9: Paul McCartney Speech 2
10: My Bonnie
11: Ain’t She Sweet
12: Cry For A Shadow
LP1 – Side 2
1: John Lennon Speech 2
2: Brian Epstein Speech 1
3: Searchin’ (Decca Audition)
4: Three Cool Cats (Decca Audition)
5: The Sheik Of Araby (Decca Audition)
6: Like Dreamers Do (Decca Audition)
7: Hello Little Girl (Decca Audition)
8: Brian Epstein Speech 2
9: Besame Mucho (June 1962 Version)
10: Love Me Do (First Version)
11: How Do You Do It
12: Please Please Me (First Version)
LP2 – Side 3
1: One After 909 (Takes 3, 4 And 5)
2: One After 909 (Edit Of Takes 4 And 5)
3: Lend Me Your Comb (BBC Recording)
4: I’ll Get You (Sunday Night At The London Palladium)
5: John Lennon Speech 3
6: I Saw Her Standing There (Live In Stockholm)
7: From Me To You (Live In Stockholm)
8: Money (That’s What I Want) (Live In Stockholm)
9: You Really Got A Hold On Me (Live In Stockholm)
10: Roll Over Beethoven (Live In Stockholm)
LP2 – Side 4
1: She Loves You (Royal Variety Performance)
2: Till There Was You (Royal Variety Performance)
3: Twist And Shout (Royal Variety Performance)
4: This Boy (The Morecambe And Wise Show)
5: I Want To Hold Your Hand (The Morecambe And Wise Show)
6: Speech From The Morecambe And Wise Show
7: Moonlight Bay (The Morecambe And Wise Show)
8: Can’t Buy Me Love (Take 2 With Solo From Take 1)
LP3 – Side 5
1: All My Loving (The Ed Sullivan Show)
2: You Can’t Do That (Take 6)
3: And I Love Her (Take 2)
4: A Hard Day’s Night (Take 1)
5: I Wanna Be Your Man (Around The Beatles)
6: Long Tall Sally (Around The Beatles)
7: Boys (Around The Beatles Session)
8: Shout (Around The Beatles)
9: I’ll Be Back (Take 2)
10: I’ll Be Back (Take 3)
LP3 – Side 6
1: You Know What To Do (Demo)
2: No Reply (Demo)
3: Mr Moonlight (Takes 1 And 4)
4: Leave My Kitten Alone (Take 5)
5: No Reply (Take 2)
6: Eight Days A Week (Takes 1, 2 And 4)
7: Eight Days A Week (Take 5)
8: Kansas City / Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Take 2)

Anthology 2
LP1 – Side 1
1: Real Love (1996 Mix)
2: Yes It Is (Takes 2 And 14)
3: I’m Down (Take 1)
4: You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (Take 5)
5: If You’ve Got Trouble (Take 1)
6: That Means A Lot (Take 1)
7: Yesterday (Take 1)
8: It’s Only Love (Takes 3 And 2)
LP1 – Side 2
1: I Feel Fine (Blackpool Night Out)
2: Ticket To Ride (Blackpool Night Out)
3: Yesterday (Blackpool Night Out)
4: Help! (Blackpool Night Out)
5: Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby (Live At Shea Stadium, New York)
6: Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Take 1)
7: I’m Looking Through You (Take 1)
8: 12-Bar Original (Take 2 Edited)
LP2 – Side 3
1: Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)
2: Got To Get You Into My Life (Take 5)
3: And Your Bird Can Sing (Take 2)
4: Taxman (Take 11)
5: Eleanor Rigby (Take 14 – Strings Only)
6: I’m Only Sleeping (Rehearsal)
7: I’m Only Sleeping (Take 1)
8: Rock And Roll Music (Live In Tokyo)
9: She’s A Woman (Live In Tokyo)
LP2 – Side 4
1: Strawberry Fields Forever (Home Demo Sequence)
2: Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 1)
3: Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 7 And Edit Piece)
4: Penny Lane (Remix)
5: A Day In The Life (Takes 1, 2, 6 And Orchestra)
6: Good Morning Good Morning (Take 8)
7: Only A Northern Song (Takes 3 And 12)
LP3 – Side 5
1: Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite! (Takes 1 And 2)
2: Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite! (Take 7)
3: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Takes 6, 7 And 8)
4: Within You Without You (Instrumental)
5: Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) (Take 5)
6: You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) (Stereo Remix)
LP3 – Side 6
1: I Am The Walrus (Take 16)
2: The Fool On The Hill (Demo)
3: Your Mother Should Know (Take 27)
4: The Fool On The Hill (Take 4)
5: Hello, Goodbye (Take 16)
6: Lady Madonna (Takes 3 And 4)
7: Across The Universe (Take 2)

Anthology 3
LP1 – Side 1
1: A Beginning
2: Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Esher Demo With False Start)
3: Helter Skelter (Take 2 Edited)
4: Mean Mr Mustard (Esher Demo)
5: Polythene Pam (Esher Demo)
6: Glass Onion (Esher Demo)
7: Junk (Esher Demo)
8: Piggies (Esher Demo)
9: Honey Pie (Esher Demo Edited)
10: Don’t Pass Me By (Take 3 With Take 5 Vocal)
11: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (First Version - Take 5)
12: Good Night (Rehearsal And Take 34)
LP1 – Side 2
1: Cry Baby Cry (Take 1)
2: Blackbird (Take 4)
3: Sexy Sadie (Take 6)
4: While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Acoustic Version - Take 1)
5: Hey Jude (Take 2)
6: Not Guilty (Take 102 Edited)
7: Mother Nature’s Son (Take 2)
LP2 – Side 3
1: Glass Onion (Original Mono Mix)
2: Rocky Raccoon (Take 8)
3: What’s The New Mary Jane (Take 4)
4: Step Inside Love / Los Paranoias (Studio Jam)
5: I’m So Tired (Edit Of Takes 3, 6 And 9)
6: I Will (Take 1)
7: Why Don’t We Do It In The Road (Take 4)
8: Julia (Take 2)
LP2 – Side 4
1: I’ve Got A Feeling (Apple Studio)
2: She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (Apple Studio)
3: Dig A Pony (Apple Studio)
4: Two Of Us (Apple Studio)
5: For You Blue (Apple Studio)
6: Teddy Boy (Apple Studio)
7: Medley: Rip It Up / Shake, Rattle And Roll / Blue Suede Shoes (Apple Studio Jam)
LP3 – Side 5
1: The Long And Winding Road (Apple Studio)
2: Oh! Darling (Apple Studio)
3: All Things Must Pass (Demo)
4: Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues (Apple Studio Jam)
5: Get Back (Third Rooftop Performance)
6: Old Brown Shoe (Demo)
7: Octopus’s Garden (Take 2)
8: Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (Take 5)
LP3 – Side 6
1: Something (Demo)
2: Come Together (Take 1)
3 Come And Get It (Demo – 1996 Remix)
4: Ain’t She Sweet (Studio Jam)
5: Because (Vocals Only)
6: Let It Be (Apple Studio)
7: I Me Mine (Take 16)
8: The End (Remix With The Final Chord Of A Day In The Life)

Anthology 4
LP1 – Side 1
1: I Saw Her Standing There (Take 2)
2: Money (That’s What I Want) (RM7 Undubbed)
3: This Boy (Takes 12 And 13)
4: Tell Me Why (Takes 4 And 5)
5: If I Fell (Take 11)
6: Matchbox (Take 1)
7: Every Little Thing (Takes 6 And 7)
8: I Need You (Take 1)
LP1 – Side 2
1: I’ve Just Seen A Face (Take 3)
2: In My Life (Take 1)
3: Nowhere Man (First Version – Take 2)
4: Got To Get You Into My Life (Second Version – Unnumbered Mix)
5: Love You To (Take 7)
6: Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 26)
7: She’s Leaving Home (Take 1 – Instrumental)
LP2 – Side 3
1: Baby, You’re A Rich Man (Takes 11 And 12)
2: All You Need Is Love (Rehearsal For BBC Broadcast)
3: The Fool On The Hill (Take 5 – Instrumental)
4: I Am The Walrus (Take 19 – Strings, Brass, Clarinet Overdub)
LP2 – Side 4
1: Hey Bulldog (Take 4 – Instrumental)
2: Good Night (Take 10 With A Guitar Part From Take 5)
3: While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Third Version – Take 27)
4: (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care (Studio Jam)
5: Helter Skelter (Second Version – Take 17)
6: I Will (Take 29)
7: Can You Take Me Back? (Take 1)
8: Julia (Two Rehearsals)
LP3 – Side 5
1: Get Back (Take 8)
2: Octopus's Garden (Rehearsal)
3: Don't Let Me Down (First Rooftop Performance)
4: You Never Give Me Your Money (Take 36)
5: Here Comes The Sun (Take 9)
6: Something (Take 39 – Instrumental – Strings Only)
LP3 – Side 6
1: Free As A Bird (2025 Mix)
2: Real Love (2025 Mix)
3: Now And Then

Anthology 4, is newly curated by Giles Martin, including 13 previously unreleased demos, plus fascinating session and other rare recordings dating from 1963 to 1969. It also includes the band’s final single, ‘Now And Then’, released in 2023, and new mixes of The Beatles’ Anthology-associated hit singles: the GRAMMY-winning ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’, given new life by their original producer, Jeff Lynne, using de-mixed John Lennon vocals. 

The track notes are written by Kevin Howlett with an introduction compiled from 1996 interviews recorded with The Beatles’ close friend and adviser Derek Taylor.

TRACK LISTING

1. I Saw Her Standing There (Take 2)
2. Money (That’s What I Want) (RM7 Undubbed)
3. This Boy (Takes 12 And 13)
4. Tell Me Why (Takes 4 And 5)
5. If I Fell (Take 11)
6. Matchbox (Take 1)
7. Every Little Thing (Takes 6 And 7)
8. I Need You (Take 1)
9. I’ve Just Seen A Face (Take 3)
10. In My Life (Take 1)
11. Nowhere Man (First Version – Take 2)
12. Got To Get You Into My Life (Second Version – Unnumbered Mix)
13. Love You To (Take 7)
14. Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 26)
15. She’s Leaving Home (Take 1 – Instrumental)
16. Baby, You’re A Rich Man (Takes 11 And 12)
17. All You Need Is Love (Rehearsal For BBC Broadcast)
18. The Fool On The Hill (Take 5 – Instrumental)
19. I Am The Walrus (Take 19 – Strings, Brass, Clarinet Overdub)
20. Hey Bulldog (Take 4 – Instrumental)
21. Good Night (Take 10 With A Guitar Part From Take 5)
22. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Third Version – Take 27)
23. (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care (Studio Jam)
24. Helter Skelter (Second Version – Take 17)
25. I Will (Take 29)
26. Can You Take Me Back? (Take 1)
27. Julia (Two Rehearsals)
28. Get Back (Take 8)
29. Octopus's Garden (Rehearsal)
30. Don't Let Me Down (First Rooftop Performance)
31. You Never Give Me Your Money (Take 36)
32. Here Comes The Sun (Take 9)
33. Something (Take 39 – Instrumental – Strings Only)
34. Free As A Bird (2025 Mix)
35. Real Love (2025 Mix)
36. Now And Then

All You Need is Love is a ground-breaking oral history of the Beatles and how it all came to an end. Based on never-before-published or heard interviews with Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and their families, friends, and business associates, this is a landmark book, containing stunning new revelations, about the biggest band the world has ever seen. In 1980-1981 former COO of Apple Corp, Peter Brown and author Steven Gaines interviewed everyone in the Beatles' inner circle and included a small portion of the transcripts in their international bestselling book The Love You Make, which spent four months on the New York Times bestseller list.

But left in their archives was a treasure trove of unique and candid interviews that they chose not to publish, until now. A powerful work assembled through honest, intimate, sometimes contradictory and always fascinating testimony, All You Need is Love is a one-of-a-kind insight into the final days, weeks, months and years of the Beatles phenomenon.

'Lucinda Williams Sings The Beatles From Abbey Road' features 12 Beatles songs that include classic hits such as 'Can’t Buy Me Love,' 'With A Little Help From My Friends' and 'Something.' Williams and her band also take on beloved deeper tracks such as 'I’m So Tired,' 'I’ve Got A Feeling,' and 'Yer Blues.' Being raised on the blues in the South, the latter is a song Williams was clearly meant to sing. Recorded at The Beatles' legendary studio in London, the new collection serves as Vol. 7 of her celebrated Lu’s Jukebox series and is the first new volume in almost four years.

While many great artists have recorded in the hallowed Abbey Road Studios, as it turns out, Williams is the first major artist to actually record Beatles’ songs there aside from the Fab Four themselves.

As an acclaimed, award-winning singer/songwriter for more than four decades, Williams’ music has been highly influential and covered by a multitude of artists. Williams is also an extraordinary interpreter who, like all great interpreters, has the ability to inhabit a song and make it her own. She does just that throughout this selection of Beatles tracks, as she has done on each Lu’s Jukebox volume.

TRACK LISTING

1 Don't Let Me Down
2 I'm Looking Through You
3 Can't Buy Me Love
4 Rain
5 While My Guitar Gently Weeps
6 Let It Be
7 Yer Blues
8 I've Got A Feeling
9 I'm So Tired
10 Something
11 With A Little Help From My Friends
12 The Long And Winding Road

Using the original 1964 mono master, new lacquers have been cut all-analogue by Kevin Reeves at Nashville’s East Iris Studios. By constantly referring to the original first pressing, the album is faithful to the original release while also enabling more musical information to be heard than was possible before. Featuring faithfully replicated artwork and a new four-panel insert with essay by American Beatles historian, Bruce Spizer. 180gram audiophile pressing.

TRACK LISTING

1. I Want To Hold Your Hand
2. I Saw Her Standing There
3. This Boy
4. It Won’t Be Long
5. All I’ve Got To Do
6. All My Loving
7. Don’t Bother Me
8. Little Child
9. Till There Was You
10. Hold Me Tight
11. I Wanna Be Your Man
12. Not A Second Time

Using the original 1964 mono master, new lacquers have been cut all-analogue by Kevin Reeves at Nashville’s East Iris Studios. By constantly referring to the original first pressing, the album is faithful to the original release while also enabling more musical information to be heard than was possible before. Featuring faithfully replicated artwork and a new four-panel insert with essay by American Beatles historian, Bruce Spizer. 180gram audiophile pressing.

TRACK LISTING

1. Roll Over Beethoven
2. Thank You Girl
3. You Really Got A Hold On Me
4. Devil In Her Heart
5. Money
6. You Can’t Do That
7. Long Tall Sally
8. I Call Your Name
9. Please Mister Postman
10. I’ll Get You
11. She Loves You

Using the original 1964 mono master, new lacquers have been cut all-analogue by Kevin Reeves at Nashville’s East Iris Studios. By constantly referring to the original first pressing, the album is are faithful to the original release while also enabling more musical information to be heard than was possible before. Featuring faithfully replicated artwork and a new four-panel insert with essay by American Beatles historian, Bruce Spizer. 180gram audiophile pressing.

TRACK LISTING

1. A Hard Day’s Night
2. Tell Me Why
3. I’ll Cry Instead
4. I Should Have Known Better (Instrumental)
5. I’m Happy Just To Dance With You
6. And I Love Her (Instrumental)
7. I Should Have Known Better
8. If I Fell
9. And I Love Her
10. Ringo’s Theme (This Boy) (Instrumental)
11. Can’t Buy Me Love
12. A Hard Day’s Night (Instrumental)

Using the original 1964 mono master, new lacquers have been cut all-analogue by Kevin Reeves at Nashville’s East Iris Studios. By constantly referring to the original first pressing, the album is faithful to the original release while also enabling more musical information to be heard than was possible before. Featuring faithfully replicated artwork and a new four-panel insert with essay by American Beatles historian, Bruce Spizer. 180gram audiophile pressing.

TRACK LISTING

1. I’ll Cry Instead
2. Things We Said Today
3. Any Time At All
4. When I Get Home
5. Slow Down
6. Matchbox
7. Tell Me Why
8. And I Love Her
9. I’m Happy Just To Dance With You
10. If I Fell

Using the original 1965 mono master, new lacquers have been cut all-analogue by Kevin Reeves at Nashville’s East Iris Studios. By constantly referring to the original first pressing, the album is faithful to the original release while also enabling more musical information to be heard than was possible before. Featuring faithfully replicated artwork and a new four-panel insert with essay by American Beatles historian, Bruce Spizer. 180gram audiophile pressing.

TRACK LISTING

1. Love Me Do
2. Twist And Shout
3. Anna
4. Chains
5. Boys
6. Ask Me Why
7. Please Please Me
8. PS I Love You
9 .Baby It’s You
10. A Taste Of Honey
11. Do You Want To Know A Secret

Using the original 1964 mono master, new lacquers have been cut all-analogue by Kevin Reeves at Nashville’s East Iris Studios. By constantly referring to the original first pressing, the album is faithful to the original release while also enabling more musical information to be heard than was possible before. Featuring faithfully replicated artwork and a new four-panel insert with essay by American Beatles historian, Bruce Spizer. 180gram audiophile pressing.

TRACK LISTING

1. No Reply
2. I’m A Loser
3. Baby’s In Black
4. Rock And Roll Music
5. I’ll Follow The Sun
6. Mr. Moonlight
7. Honey Don’t
8. I’ll Be Back
9. She’s A Woman
10. I Feel Fine
11. Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby

Originally released in 1982, ‘They Could Have Been Bigger Than The Beatles’ was the influential band’s third album. A collection of singles, demos, outtakes and rarities that was intended to mark the band's breakup in 1982, had they not got back together again so soon. This 2024 reissue comes with faithfully restored artwork, from one the album’s original hand painted sleeves.

The record features ‘David Hockney's Diaries’, ‘The Boy In The Paisley Shirt’ and ‘Psychedelic Holiday’. With the formidable Daniel Treacy at its core, Television Personalities remain one of new wave’s longest serving and seminal artists, with a career spanning over three decades. The indie pop visionaries have influenced many people across the industry including Pavement, The Lemonheads, Fat White Family, MGMT and Creation Records’ Alan McGee.

“Its scope is incredible, its ambition outstanding and its heart damn near broken.” Melody Maker.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
A1. Three Wishes
A2. David Hockney's Diary
A3. In A Perfumed Garden
A4. Flowers For Abigail
A5. King And Country
A6. The Boy In The Paisley Shirt
A7. Games For Boys

Side B
B1. Painter Men
B2. Psychedelic Holiday
B3. 14th Floor
B4. Sooty's Disco Party
B5. Makin' Time
B6. When Emily Cries
B7. The Glittering Prizes
B8. Anxiety Block
B9. Mysterious Ways 

The recording sessions for Let It Be were actually begun as rehearsals for a proposed return to live stage work for the Beatles, to be inaugurated in a concert at a Roman amphitheatre in Tunisia. Here, Steve Matteo delves deep into the complex history of these recording sessions. He talks to many of the people involved in the recording of these songs, and the accompanying documentary.

These landmark compilations have introduced generations of fans to the incredible history of the most storied band in music. For its 50th anniversary, the collections have been expanded: ‘Red’ has 12 additional tracks, including for the first time some of George Harrison’s earliest songs and some classic Beatles versions of R&B and rock ‘n’ roll hits that were so influential on the band. ‘Blue’ has 9 additional tracks including “Blackbird” and “Glass Onion” including the last new Beatles song, “Now And Then” for a total of 21 new additions which are all compiled onto the 3rd disc, effectively creating a ‘new’ LP for each set.

Together the 6LP’s contain 75 tracks, 36 of which have new mixes for 2023. The inserts contains new sleeve notes by journalist and author John Harris. For current fans and future generations alike, the new 1962 – 1966 & 1967 - 1970 collections are a joyous celebration of The Beatles’ timeless musical legacy.

This landmark compilation has introduced generations of fans to the incredible history of the most storied band in music. For its 50th anniversary, the collection has been expanded with 12 additional tracks, including for the first time some of George Harrison’s earliest songs and some classic Beatles versions of R&B and rock ‘n’ roll hits that were so influential on the band. 

The 3LP collection now contains 38 tracks, 30 of which have new mixes for 2023. The set’s 12 newly added tracks are collected on its 3rd LP. An insert contains new sleeve notes by journalist and author John Harris. For current fans and future generations alike, the new 1962 – 1966 collection is a joyous celebration of The Beatles’ timeless musical legacy.

The 2CD collection now contains 38 tracks, 30 of which have new mixes for 2023. The booklet contains new sleeve notes by journalist and author John Harris. For current fans and future generations alike, the new 1962 – 1966 collection is a joyous celebration of The Beatles’ timeless musical legacy.

This landmark compilation has introduced generations of fans to the incredible history of the most storied band in music. For its 50th anniversary, the collection has been expanded with 9 additional tracks added chronologically, including “Blackbird”, “Glass Onion” and the new song, “Now And Then”. The last Beatles song, “Now And Then” completes John Lennon’s 1970s vocal and piano demo recording with parts played by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, as well as a new arrangement for strings.

The 3LP collection now features 37 tracks, 6 of which have new mixes for 2023. The set’s 9 newly added tracks are collected on its 3rd LP. An insert contains new sleeve notes by journalist and author John Harris. For current fans and future generations alike, the new 1966 – 1970 collection is a joyous celebration of The Beatles’ timeless musical legacy.

The 2CD collection now features 37 tracks, 6 of which have new mixes for 2023. The booklet contains new sleeve notes by journalist and author John Harris. For current fans and future generations alike, the new 1966 – 1970 collection is a joyous celebration of The Beatles’ timeless musical legacy.

the remarkable account of Paul McCartney's time in Wings and ascent into solo stardom, by renowned music biographer Lesley-Ann JonesNo comprehensive biography of the time Paul McCartney spent with Wings has ever been published, until now. A period often dismissed as McCartney's 'missing' years, in fact the band lasted for a decade: two years longer than the Beatles, and wielded such impact and influence that they at one point achieved the status as the biggest live band in the world. Band on the Run sold over 6 million copies worldwide and became EMI's biggest selling album of the 1970s in the UK.

Music biographer Lesley-Ann Jones has met McCartney many times and knew his late wife Linda. Here she shows how crucial Linda was to the evolution of Wings - at great cost to herself given the ridicule she was to encounter. But Linda saw that McCartney needed the band in the wake of the break up of the Beatles.

Drawing on extensive interviews and her trademark meticulous research, the author shows how this period in Paul McCartney's career was to become crucial not only to his development as an artist, but to his very survival.

Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream…

London - September 7, 2022 – Revolver: The Beatles’ 1966 album that changed everything. Spinning popular music off its axis and ushering in a vibrant new era of experimental, avant-garde sonic psychedelia, Revolver brought about a cultural sea change and marked an important turn in The Beatles’ own creative evolution. With Revolver, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr set sail together across a new musical sea.

The Revolver album’s 14 tracks have been newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell in stereo and Dolby Atmos, and the album’s original mono mix is sourced from its 1966 mono master tape. Revolver’s sweeping new Special Edition follows the universally acclaimed remixed and expanded Special Editions of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (2017), The BEATLES (‘White Album’) (2018), Abbey Road (2019), and Let It Be (2021).

All the new Revolver releases feature the album’s new stereo mix, sourced directly from the original four-track master tapes. The audio is brought forth in stunning clarity with the help of cutting edge de-mixing technology developed by the award-winning sound team led by Emile de la Rey at Peter Jackson’s WingNut Films Productions Ltd. The physical and digital Super Deluxe collections also feature the album’s original mono mix, 28 early takes from the sessions and three home demos, and a four-track EP with new stereo mixes and remastered original mono mixes for “Paperback Writer” and “Rain”. The album’s new Dolby Atmos mix will be released digitally.

Revolver Special Edition Super Deluxe 5CD
This Special Edition of The Beatles’ REVOLVER features a new mix by Giles Martin and Sam Okell, plus the original mono mix, a 4-track EP, 31 session takes and home demos, a 100-page book with a foreword by Paul McCartney, an essay by Questlove, detailed track notes, photos and ephemera including handwritten lyrics, tape boxes and extracts from Klaus Voormann’s graphic novel on the making of the cover art. On 5 CDs in a 12.56” x 12.36” slipcase.

Revolver Special Edition Super Deluxe 4LP + 7” Vinyl EP
This Special Edition of The Beatles’ REVOLVER features a new mix by Giles Martin and Sam Okell, the original mono mix, a 4-track EP, 31 session takes and home demos, a 100-page book with a foreword by Paul McCartney, an essay by Questlove, detailed track notes, photos and ephemera including handwritten lyrics, tape boxes and extracts from Klaus Voormann’s graphic novel on the making of the cover art. Half-speed-mastered 180g LPs + 7-inch vinyl EP in a 12.56” x 12.36” slipcase.

Revolver Special Edition Deluxe 2CD
This 2CD Special Edition of The Beatles’ REVOLVER features a new mix by Giles Martin and Sam Okell, plus a disc of highlights from the album sessions that includes early versions of songs that deepen and expand the story of the album, as well as new stereo mixes of the non-album single, “Paperback Writer” and “Rain,” and a 40-page booklet with detailed info and rare photos.

Revolver Special Edition 1CD
From “Taxman” to “Tomorrow Never Knows,” The Beatles’ REVOLVER has been newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and Sam Okell, and sourced directly from the original four-track master tapes with audio brought forth in stunning clarity with the help of cutting-edge technology developed by the award-winning sound team at Peter Jackson’s WingNut Films Productions Ltd.

Revolver Special Edition 1LP Vinyl
From “Taxman” to “Tomorrow Never Knows,” The Beatles’ REVOLVER has been newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and Sam Okell, and sourced directly from the original four-track master tapes with audio brought forth in stunning clarity with the help of cutting-edge technology developed by the award-winning sound team at Peter Jackson’s WingNut Films Productions Ltd. Now available on 180g vinyl.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Revolver is the moment where the Beatles turned their back on the hysteria and announced they weren't going to tour anymore, but instead were going to concentrate solely on The Music. Out went boy-meets-girl and any country or rock'n'roll songs, in came psychedelic pop with deep or abstract words and a dizzying array of styles. The influence of drugs can't be ignored when appreciating these new sounds, and what we have is basically a band actually creating the zeitgeist, up in the crow's nest of what was suddenly the great ship Counter Culture, sailing to who knows where. It's their best album.

Following on from the global success of ‘Abbey Road’, Apple Corps and USM are proud to present the next multi-format Beatles album reissue of ‘Let It Be’.

January 1969 – The Beatles planned to return to live performance, setting up in Twickenham Film Studios, London, for 21 days of rehearsals. They then decamped to their new studio in their Apple office building in Saville Row and on January 30th performed their last ever live group performance on the rooftop. All of this was filmed for a proposed documentary (eventually released in 1970). During the rehearsal process, they asked Glyn Johns, who had been hired to help with the live sound, to attempt a mix to create an album. This was never released, becoming known as one of the great ‘lost’ albums in rock history and is now included in this Super Deluxe Set. The album was delayed further and in fact became their 12th and final official album release on 8th May 1970 following additional production by American producer Phil Spector.

London – August 8, 2019 – It was 50 years ago today, on August 8, 1969, that the world’s most famous band stepped out from London’s EMI Recording Studios to stride, single-file, across the black and white stripes of Abbey Road’s nearby zebra crossing. With photographer Iain Macmillan balanced on a stepladder and one policeman stopping the street’s light traffic, The Beatles crossed back and forth three times, led by John Lennon, followed by Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison. Just six photos were taken, with the fifth selected as the cover shot for The Beatles’ penultimate studio album, Abbey Road, named after the tree-lined street in which the studios are located. Released September 26, 1969, Abbey Road was not The Beatles’ final album, as Let It Be followed in 1970, but it was the last one John, Paul, George, and Ringo recorded together as a band. The Beatles will celebrate Abbey Road’s anniversary with a suite of beautifully presented packages to be released worldwide on September 27 by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe.

This is the first time Abbey Road has been remixed and presented with additional session recordings and demos. The album’s sweeping new edition follows the universally acclaimed remixed and expanded anniversary editions of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and The BEATLES (‘White Album’) released in 2017 and 2018, respectively. To create Abbey Road’s new stereo, 5.1 surround, and Dolby Atmos mixes, Martin and Okell worked with an expert team of engineers and audio restoration specialists at Abbey Road Studios. All the new Abbey Road releases feature the new stereo album mix, sourced directly from the original eight-track session tapes. To produce the mix, Giles was guided by the album’s original stereo mix supervised by his father, George Martin.

“The magic comes from the hands playing the instruments, the blend of The Beatles’ voices, the beauty of the arrangements,” Giles Martin explains in his written introduction for the new edition. “Our quest is simply to ensure everything sounds as fresh and hits you as hard as it would have on the day it was recorded.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Their final album, and it's a beauty! This is a gorgeous, opulent, warm rock record that set the tone for FM seventies music. And for its 50th Anniversary, ‘Abbey Road’ gets remixed and presented with additional session recordings and demos across six different formats.

TRACK LISTING

DELUXE 2CD

CD ONE: 2019 Stereo Mix
1. Come Together
2. Something
3. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
4. Oh! Darling
5. Octopus’s Garden
6. I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
7. Here Comes The Sun
8. Because
9. You Never Give Me Your Money
10. Sun King
11. Mean Mr Mustard
12. Polythene Pam
13. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
14. Golden Slumbers
15. Carry That Weight
16. The End
17. Her Majesty

CD TWO: Sessions
1. Come Together (Take 5)
2. Something (Studio Demo)
3. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (Take 12)
4. Oh! Darling (Take 4)
5. Octopus’s Garden (Take 9)
6. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (Trident Recording Session & Reduction Mix)
7. Here Comes The Sun (Take 9)
8. Because (Take 1 Instrumental)
9. You Never Give Me Your Money (Take 36)
10. Sun King (Take 20)
11. Mean Mr Mustard (Take 20)
12. Polythene Pam (Take 27)
13. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (Take 27)
14. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight (Takes 1–3 / Medley)
15. The End (Take 3)
16. Her Majesty (Takes 1–3)

STANDARD [1CD; Digital; 1LP Vinyl
2019 Stereo Mix
1. Come Together
2. Something
3. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
4. Oh! Darling
5. Octopus’s Garden
6. I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
7. Here Comes The Sun
8. Because
9. You Never Give Me Your Money
10. Sun King
11. Mean Mr Mustard
12. Polythene Pam
13. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
14. Golden Slumbers
15. Carry That Weight
16. The End
17. Her Majesty

In November 1968, millions of double LPs were shipped to record stores worldwide ahead of that tumultuous year’s most anticipated music event: the November 22nd release of The BEATLES (soon to be better known as ‘The White Album’). With their ninth studio album, The Beatles took the world on a whole new trip, side one blasting off with the exhilarating rush of a screaming jet escorting Paul McCartney’s punchy, exuberant vocals on “Back In The U.S.S.R.” “Dear Prudence” came next, John Lennon warmly beckoning his friend and all of us to “look around.” George Harrison imparted timeless wisdom in “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” singing, “With every mistake we must surely be learning.” Ringo Starr’s “Don’t Pass Me By” marked his first solo songwriting credit on a Beatles album. For 50 years, ‘The White Album’ has invited its listeners to venture forth and explore the breadth and ambition of its music, delighting and inspiring each new generation in turn.

For it’s 50th anniversary, The Beatles release a suite of lavishly presented ‘White Album’ packages. The album’s 30 tracks are newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and mix engineer Sam Okell in stereo and 5.1 surround audio, joined by 27 early acoustic demos and 50 session takes, most of which are previously unreleased in any form.

“We had left Sgt. Pepper’s band to play in his sunny Elysian Fields and were now striding out in new directions without a map,” says Paul McCartney in his written introduction for the new ‘White Album’ releases.

This is the first time The BEATLES (‘White Album’) has been remixed and presented with additional demos and session recordings. The album’s sweeping new edition follows 2017’s universally acclaimed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Anniversary Edition releases. To create the new stereo and 5.1 surround audio mixes for ‘The White Album,’ Martin and Okell worked with an expert team of engineers and audio restoration specialists at Abbey Road Studios in London. All the new ‘White Album’ releases include Martin’s new stereo album mix, sourced directly from the original four-track and eight-track session tapes. Martin’s new mix is guided by the album’s original stereo mix produced by his father, George Martin.

“In remixing ‘The White Album,’ we’ve tried to bring you as close as possible to The Beatles in the studio,” explains Giles Martin in his written introduction for the new edition. “We’ve peeled back the layers of the ‘Glass Onion’ with the hope of immersing old and new listeners into one of the most diverse and inspiring albums ever made.”

The minimalist artwork for ‘The White Album’ was created by artist Richard Hamilton, one of Britain’s leading figures in the creation and rise of pop art. The top-loading gatefold sleeve’s stark white exterior had ‘The BEATLES’ embossed on the front and printed on the spine with the album’s catalogue number. Early copies of ‘The White Album’ were also individually numbered on the front, which has also been done for the new edition’s Super Deluxe package. The set’s six CDs and Blu-ray disc are housed in a slipsleeved 164-page hardbound book, with pull-out reproductions of the original album’s four glossy color portrait photographs of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, as well as the album’s large fold-out poster with a photo collage on one side and lyrics on the other. The beautiful book is illustrated with rare photographs, reproductions of handwritten and notated lyrics, previously unpublished photos of recording sheets and tape boxes, and reproduced original ‘White Album’ print ads. The book’s comprehensive written pieces include new introductions by Paul McCartney and Giles Martin, and in-depth chapters covering track-by-track details and session notes reflecting The Beatles’ year between the release of ‘Sgt. Pepper’ and recording sessions for ‘The White Album,’ the band’s July 28 1968 “Mad Day Out” photo shoot in locations around London, the album artwork, the lead-up and execution of the album’s blockbuster release, and its far-ranging influence, written by Beatles historian, author and radio producer Kevin Howlett; journalist and author John Harris; and Tate Britain’s Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Andrew Wilson.

The Deluxe 3CD is presented in an embossed digipak with the fold-out poster and portrait photos, plus a 24-page booklet abridged from the Super Deluxe book. Presented in a lift-top box with a four-page booklet, the limited edition Deluxe 4LP vinyl set presents the 2LP album in a faithful, embossed reproduction of its original gatefold sleeve with the fold-out poster and portrait photos, paired with the 2LP Esher Demos in an embossed gatefold sleeve.

Much of the initial songwriting for ‘The White Album’ was done in Rishikesh, India between February and April 1968, when John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr joined a course at the Maharishi’s Academy of Transcendental Meditation. In a postcard to Ringo, who had returned to England before the others, John wrote, “we’ve got about two L.P.s worth of songs now so get your drums out.”

During the last week of May, The Beatles gathered at George’s house in Esher, Surrey, where they recorded acoustic demos for 27 songs. Known as the Esher Demos, all 27 recordings are included in the new edition’s Deluxe and Super Deluxe packages, sourced from the original four-track tapes. Twenty-one of the demoed songs were recorded during the subsequent studio sessions, and 19 were ultimately finished and included on ‘The White Album.’

The Beatles’ studio sessions for The BEATLES (‘White Album’) began on May 30, 1968 at Abbey Road Studios. In the 20 weeks that followed, The Beatles devoted most of their time to sessions there for the new album, with some recording also done at Trident Studios. The final session for the album took place at Abbey Road on October 16, a 24-hour marathon with producer George Martin to sequence the double album’s four sides and to complete edits and cross-fades between its songs. The Beatles’ approach to recording for ‘The White Album’ was quite different from what they had done for ‘Sgt. Pepper.’ Rather than layering individually overdubbed parts on a multi-track tape, many of the ‘White Album’ session takes were recorded to four-track and eight-track tape as group performances with a live lead vocal. The Beatles often recorded take after take for a song, as evidenced by the Super Deluxe set’s Take 102 for “Not Guilty,” a song that was not included on the album. This live-take recording style resulted in a less intricately structured, more unbridled album that would shift the course of rock music and cut a path for punk and indie rock.

The Beatles’ newly adopted method of recording all through the night was time consuming and exhausting for their producer, George Martin. Martin had other duties, including his management of AIR (Associated Independent Recording), and he had also composed the orchestral score for The Beatles’ animated feature film, Yellow Submarine, released in July 1968. After the first three months of ‘White Album’ sessions, Martin took a three-week holiday from the studio, entrusting the control room to his young assistant Chris Thomas and balance engineer Ken Scott. Scott had taken the place of engineer Geoff Emerick, who left the sessions in mid-July. On August 22, Ringo Starr also left the sessions, returning 11 days later to find his drum kit adorned with flowers from his bandmates. While the sessions’ four and a half months of long hours and many takes did spark occasional friction in the studio, the session recordings reveal the closeness, camaraderie, and collaborative strengths within the band, as well as with George Martin.

The BEATLES (‘White Album’) was the first Beatles album to be released on the group’s own Apple Records label. Issued in both stereo and mono for the U.K. and in stereo for the U.S., the double album was an immediate bestseller, entering the British chart at number one and remaining there for eight of the 22 weeks it was listed. ‘The White Album’ also debuted at number one on the U.S. chart, holding the top spot for nine weeks of its initial 65-week chart run. In his glowing ‘White Album’ review for Rolling Stone, the magazine’s co-founder Jann Wenner declared: “It is the best album they have ever released, and only The Beatles are capable of making a better one.” In the U.S., ‘The White Album’ is 19-times platinum-certified by the RIAA and in 2000, it was inducted into the Recording Academy’s GRAMMY® Hall of Fame, recognizing “recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance.”

TRACK LISTING

Super Deluxe [6CD+1Blu-ray Set / Digital Audio Collection]
CD 1: The BEATLES (‘White Album’) 2018 Stereo Mix
Back In The U.S.S.R.
Dear Prudence
Glass Onion
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Wild Honey Pie
The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Happiness Is A Warm Gun
Martha My Dear
I’m So Tired
Blackbird
Piggies
Rocky Raccoon
Don’t Pass Me By
Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?
I Will
Julia

CD 2: The BEATLES (‘White Album’) 2018 Stereo Mix
Birthday
Yer Blues
Mother Nature’s Son
Everybody’s Got Something To Hide
Except Me And My Monkey
Sexy Sadie
Helter Skelter
Long, Long, Long
Revolution I
Honey Pie
Savoy Truffle
Cry Baby Cry
Revolution 9
Good Night

CD 3: Esher Demos
Back In The U.S.S.R.
Dear Prudence
Glass Onion
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Happiness Is A Warm Gun
I’m So Tired
Blackbird
Piggies
Rocky Raccoon
Julia
Yer Blues
Mother Nature’s Son
Everybody’s Got Something To Hide
Except Me And My Monkey
Sexy Sadie
Revolution
Honey Pie
Cry Baby Cry
Sour Milk Sea
Junk
Child Of Nature
Circles
Mean Mr. Mustard
Polythene Pam
Not Guilty
What’s The New Mary Jane

CD 4: Sessions
Revolution I (Take 18)
A Beginning (Take 4) / Don’t Pass Me By (Take 7)
Blackbird (Take 28)
Everybody’s Got Something To Hide
Except Me And My Monkey (Unnumbered Rehearsal)
Good Night (Unnumbered Rehearsal)
Good Night (Take 10 With A Guitar Part From Take 5)
Good Night (Take 22)
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (Take 3)
Revolution (Unnumbered Rehearsal)
Revolution (Take 14 – Instrumental Backing Track)
Cry Baby Cry (Unnumbered Rehearsal)
Helter Skelter (First Version – Take 2)

CD 5: Sessions
Sexy Sadie (Take 3)
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Acoustic Version – Take 2)
Hey Jude (Take 1)
St. Louis Blues (Studio Jam)
Not Guilty (Take 102)
Mother Nature’s Son (Take 15)
Yer Blues (Take 5 With Guide Vocal)
What’s The New Mary Jane (Take 1)
Rocky Raccoon (Take 8)
Back In The U.S.S.R. (Take 5 – Instrumental Backing Track)
Dear Prudence (Vocal, Guitar & Drums)
Let It Be (Unnumbered Rehearsal)
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Third Version – Take 27)
(You’re So Square) Baby, I Don’t Care (Studio Jam)
Helter Skelter (Second Version – Take 17)
Glass Onion (Take 10)

CD 6: Sessions
I Will (Take 13)
Blue Moon (Studio Jam)
I Will (Take 29)
Step Inside Love (Studio Jam)
Los Paranoias (Studio Jam)
Can You Take Me Back? (Take 1)
Birthday (Take 2 – Instrumental Backing Track)
Piggies (Take 12 – Instrumental Backing Track)
Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Take 19)
Honey Pie (Instrumental Backing Track)
Savoy Truffle (Instrumental Backing Track)
Martha My Dear (Without Brass And Strings)
Long, Long, Long (Take 44)
I’m So Tired (Take 7)
I’m So Tired (Take 14)
The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill (Take 2)
Why Don’t We Do It In The Road? (Take 5)
Julia (Two Rehearsals)
The Inner Light (Take 6 – Instrumental Backing Track)
Lady Madonna (Take 2 – Piano And Drums)
Lady Madonna (Backing Vocals From Take 3)
Across The Universe (Take 6)

Blu-ray: The BEATLES (‘White Album’)
Audio Features:
: PCM Stereo (2018 Stereo Mix)
: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (2018)
: Dolby True HD 5.1 (2018)
: Mono (2018 Direct Transfer Of ‘The White Album’ Original Mono Mix)

 Deluxe [3CD Digipak / 180-gram 4LP Vinyl Box Set (limited Edition)
The BEATLES (‘White Album’) 2018 Stereo Mix
Esher Demos

Standard 2LP Vinyl [180-gram]
The BEATLES (‘White Album’) 2018 Stereo Mix

Produced by Giles Martin for this year’s universally heralded ‘Sgt. Pepper’ Anniversary Edition releases, the album’s new stereo mix was sourced directly from the original four-track session tapes and guided by the original, Beatles-preferred mono mix produced by Giles’ father, George Martin. Praised by fans and music critics around the world, The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’ Anniversary Edition is 2017’s most celebrated historical music release and an ideal gift for Beatle People here, there, and everywhere.

Manufactured on 180-gram, audiophile quality vinyl with replicated artwork, the 14 albums return to their original glory with details including the poster in The Beatles (The White Album), the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band’s cut-outs, and special inner bags for some of the titles.

The titles include The Beatles’ 12 original UK albums, first released between 1963 and 1970, the US-originated Magical Mystery Tour, now part of the group’s core catalogue, and Past Masters, Volumes One & Two, featuring non-album A-sides and B-sides, EP tracks and rarities.

Since it was recorded, The Beatles’ music has been heard on a variety of formats – from chunky reel-to-reel tapes and eight-track cartridges to invisible computer files. But there has never been a more romantic or thrilling medium for music than a long-playing twelve-inch disc. We ‘play’ records. The process of carefully slipping the disc out of the sleeve, cleaning it and lowering the stylus provides a personal involvement in the reproduction of the music.

In September, 2009, The Beatles’ remastered albums on CD graced charts around the world. Seventeen million album sales within seven months was resounding evidence of the timeless relevance of their legacy. Through five decades, the music of The Beatles has captivated generation upon generation.

For producer Rick Rubin, surveying The Beatles’ recorded achievements is akin to witnessing a miracle. “If we look at it by today’s standards, whoever the most popular bands in the world are, they will typically put out an album every four years,” Rubin said in a 2009 radio series interview. “So, let’s say two albums as an eight year cycle. And think of the growth or change between those two albums. The idea that The Beatles made thirteen albums in seven years and went through that arc of change... it can’t be done. Truthfully, I think of it as proof of God, because it’s beyond man’s ability.”

There has always been demand for The Beatles’ albums on vinyl. Indeed, 2011’s best-selling vinyl LP in the United States was Abbey Road. Following the success of The Beatles’ acclaimed, GRAMMY Award-winning 2009 CD remasters, it was decided that the sound experts at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios should create new versions of The Beatles’ vinyl LPs. The project demanded the same meticulous approach taken for the CD releases, and the brief was a simple one: cut the digital remasters to vinyl with an absolute minimum of compromise to the sound. However, the process involved to do that was far from simple.

The first stage in transferring the sound of a master recording to vinyl is the creation of a disc to be used during vinyl manufacture. There were two options to consider. A Direct Metal Master (DMM), developed in the late seventies, allows sound to be cut directly into a stainless steel disc coated with a hard copper alloy. The older, alternative method is to cut the sound into the soft lacquer coating on a nickel disc - the first of several steps leading to the production of a stamper to press the vinyl.

A ‘blind’ listening test was arranged to choose between a ‘lacquer’ or ‘copper’ cut. Using both methods, A Hard Day’s Night was pressed with ten seconds of silence at the beginning and end of each side. This allowed not only the reproduction of the music to be assessed, but also the noise made by the vinyl itself. After much discussion, two factors swung the decision towards using the lacquer process. First, it was judged to create a warmer sound than a DMM. Secondly, there was a practical advantage of having ‘blank’ discs of a consistent quality when cutting lacquers.

The next step was to use the Neumann VMS80 cutting lathe at Abbey Road. Following thorough mechanical and electrical tests to ensure it was operating in peak condition, engineer Sean Magee cut the LPs in chronological release order. He used the original 24-bit remasters rather than the 16-bit versions that were required for CD production. It was also decided to use the remasters that had not undergone ‘limiting’ - a procedure to increase the sound level, which is deemed necessary for most current pop CDs.

Having made initial test cuts, Magee pinpointed any sound problems that can occur during playback of vinyl records. To rectify them, changes were made to the remasters with a Digital Audio Workstation. For example, each vinyl album was listened to for any ‘sibilant episodes’ - vocal distortion that can occur on consonant sounds such as S and T. These were corrected by reducing the level in the very small portion of sound causing the undesired effect. Similarly, any likelihood of ‘inner-groove distortion’ was addressed. As the stylus approaches the centre of the record, it is liable to track the groove less accurately. This can affect the high-middle frequencies, producing a ‘mushy’ sound particularly noticeable on vocals. Using what Magee has described as ‘surgical EQ,’ problem frequencies were identified and reduced in level to compensate for this.

The last phase of the vinyl mastering process began with the arrival of the first batches of test pressings made from master lacquers that had been sent to the two pressing plant factories. Stringent quality tests identified any noise or click appearing on more than one test pressing in the same place. If this happened, it was clear that the undesired sounds had been introduced either during the cutting or the pressing stage and so the test records were rejected. In the quest to achieve the highest quality possible, the Abbey Road team worked closely with the pressing factories and the manufacturers of the lacquer and cutting styli.

An additional and unusual challenge was to ensure the proper playback of the sounds embedded in the ‘lock-groove’ at the end of side two of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Requiring a combination of good timing and luck, it had always been a lengthy and costly process to make it work properly. In fact, it was so tricky, it had never been attempted for American pressings of the LP. Naturally, Sean Magee and the team perfected this and the garbled message is heard as originally intended on the remastered Sgt. Pepper LP.

Highly-skilled technicians have worked long and hard to make The Beatles on vinyl sound better than ever. All we need to do is listen to the results of their dedicated labour on the remastered LPs. Handle with care. But most of all, enjoy the music.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1:
1. I Saw Her Standing There (2009 - Remaster)
2. Misery (2009 - Remaster)
3. Anna (Go To Him) (2009 - Remaster)
4. Chains (2009 - Remaster)
5. Boys (2009 - Remaster)
6. Ask Me Why (2009 - Remaster)
7. Please Please Me (2009 - Remaster)

Side 2:
1. Love Me Do (2009 - Remaster)
2. P.S. I Love You (2009 - Remaster)
3. Baby It's You (2009 - Remaster)
4. Do You Want To Know A Secret (2009 - Remaster)
5. A Taste Of Honey (2009 - Remaster)
6. There's A Place (2009 - Remaster)
7. Twist And Shout (2009 - Remaster)

Manufactured on 180-gram, audiophile quality vinyl with replicated artwork, the 14 albums return to their original glory with details including the poster in The Beatles (The White Album), the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band’s cut-outs, and special inner bags for some of the titles.

The titles include The Beatles’ 12 original UK albums, first released between 1963 and 1970, the US-originated Magical Mystery Tour, now part of the group’s core catalogue, and Past Masters, Volumes One & Two, featuring non-album A-sides and B-sides, EP tracks and rarities.

Since it was recorded, The Beatles’ music has been heard on a variety of formats – from chunky reel-to-reel tapes and eight-track cartridges to invisible computer files. But there has never been a more romantic or thrilling medium for music than a long-playing twelve-inch disc. We ‘play’ records. The process of carefully slipping the disc out of the sleeve, cleaning it and lowering the stylus provides a personal involvement in the reproduction of the music.

In September, 2009, The Beatles’ remastered albums on CD graced charts around the world. Seventeen million album sales within seven months was resounding evidence of the timeless relevance of their legacy. Through five decades, the music of The Beatles has captivated generation upon generation.

For producer Rick Rubin, surveying The Beatles’ recorded achievements is akin to witnessing a miracle. “If we look at it by today’s standards, whoever the most popular bands in the world are, they will typically put out an album every four years,” Rubin said in a 2009 radio series interview. “So, let’s say two albums as an eight year cycle. And think of the growth or change between those two albums. The idea that The Beatles made thirteen albums in seven years and went through that arc of change... it can’t be done. Truthfully, I think of it as proof of God, because it’s beyond man’s ability.”

There has always been demand for The Beatles’ albums on vinyl. Indeed, 2011’s best-selling vinyl LP in the United States was Abbey Road. Following the success of The Beatles’ acclaimed, GRAMMY Award-winning 2009 CD remasters, it was decided that the sound experts at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios should create new versions of The Beatles’ vinyl LPs. The project demanded the same meticulous approach taken for the CD releases, and the brief was a simple one: cut the digital remasters to vinyl with an absolute minimum of compromise to the sound. However, the process involved to do that was far from simple.

The first stage in transferring the sound of a master recording to vinyl is the creation of a disc to be used during vinyl manufacture. There were two options to consider. A Direct Metal Master (DMM), developed in the late seventies, allows sound to be cut directly into a stainless steel disc coated with a hard copper alloy. The older, alternative method is to cut the sound into the soft lacquer coating on a nickel disc - the first of several steps leading to the production of a stamper to press the vinyl.

A ‘blind’ listening test was arranged to choose between a ‘lacquer’ or ‘copper’ cut. Using both methods, A Hard Day’s Night was pressed with ten seconds of silence at the beginning and end of each side. This allowed not only the reproduction of the music to be assessed, but also the noise made by the vinyl itself. After much discussion, two factors swung the decision towards using the lacquer process. First, it was judged to create a warmer sound than a DMM. Secondly, there was a practical advantage of having ‘blank’ discs of a consistent quality when cutting lacquers.

The next step was to use the Neumann VMS80 cutting lathe at Abbey Road. Following thorough mechanical and electrical tests to ensure it was operating in peak condition, engineer Sean Magee cut the LPs in chronological release order. He used the original 24-bit remasters rather than the 16-bit versions that were required for CD production. It was also decided to use the remasters that had not undergone ‘limiting’ - a procedure to increase the sound level, which is deemed necessary for most current pop CDs.

Having made initial test cuts, Magee pinpointed any sound problems that can occur during playback of vinyl records. To rectify them, changes were made to the remasters with a Digital Audio Workstation. For example, each vinyl album was listened to for any ‘sibilant episodes’ - vocal distortion that can occur on consonant sounds such as S and T. These were corrected by reducing the level in the very small portion of sound causing the undesired effect. Similarly, any likelihood of ‘inner-groove distortion’ was addressed. As the stylus approaches the centre of the record, it is liable to track the groove less accurately. This can affect the high-middle frequencies, producing a ‘mushy’ sound particularly noticeable on vocals. Using what Magee has described as ‘surgical EQ,’ problem frequencies were identified and reduced in level to compensate for this.

The last phase of the vinyl mastering process began with the arrival of the first batches of test pressings made from master lacquers that had been sent to the two pressing plant factories. Stringent quality tests identified any noise or click appearing on more than one test pressing in the same place. If this happened, it was clear that the undesired sounds had been introduced either during the cutting or the pressing stage and so the test records were rejected. In the quest to achieve the highest quality possible, the Abbey Road team worked closely with the pressing factories and the manufacturers of the lacquer and cutting styli.

An additional and unusual challenge was to ensure the proper playback of the sounds embedded in the ‘lock-groove’ at the end of side two of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Requiring a combination of good timing and luck, it had always been a lengthy and costly process to make it work properly. In fact, it was so tricky, it had never been attempted for American pressings of the LP. Naturally, Sean Magee and the team perfected this and the garbled message is heard as originally intended on the remastered Sgt. Pepper LP.

Highly-skilled technicians have worked long and hard to make The Beatles on vinyl sound better than ever. All we need to do is listen to the results of their dedicated labour on the remastered LPs. Handle with care. But most of all, enjoy the music.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1:
1. Love Me Do (Original Single Version) (2009 - Remaster)
2. From Me To You (2009 - Remaster)
3. Thank You Girl (2009 - Remaster)
4. She Loves You (2009 - Remaster)
5. I'll Get You (2009 - Remaster)
6. I Want To Hold Your Hand (2009 - Remaster)
7. This Boy (2009 - Remaster)
8. Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand (2009 - Remaster)
9. Sie Liebt Dich (2009 - Remaster)

Side 2:
1. Long Tall Sally (2009 - Remaster)
2. I Call Your Name (2009 - Remaster)
3. Slow Down (2009 - Remaster)
4. Matchbox (2009 - Remaster)
5. I Feel Fine (2009 - Remaster)
6. She's A Woman (2009 - Remaster)
7. Bad Boy (2009 - Remaster)
8. Yes It Is (2009 - Remaster)
9. I'm Down (2009 - Remaster)

Side 3:
1. Day Tripper (2009 - Remaster)
2. We Can Work It Out (2009 - Remaster)
3. Paperback Writer (2009 - Remaster)
4. Rain (2009 - Remaster)
5. Lady Madonna (2009 - Remaster)
6. The Inner Light (2009 - Remaster)
7. Hey Jude (2009 - Remaster)
8. Revolution (2009 - Remaster)

Side 4:
1. Get Back (2009 - Remaster)
2. Don't Let Me Down (2009 - Remaster)
3. The Ballad Of John And Yoko (2009 - Remaster)
4. Old Brown Shoe (2009 - Remaster)
5. Across The Universe (2009 - Remaster)
6. Let It Be (2009 - Remaster)
7. You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) (2009 - Remaster)

Manufactured on 180-gram, audiophile quality vinyl with replicated artwork, the 14 albums return to their original glory with details including the poster in The Beatles (The White Album), the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band’s cut-outs, and special inner bags for some of the titles.

The titles include The Beatles’ 12 original UK albums, first released between 1963 and 1970, the US-originated Magical Mystery Tour, now part of the group’s core catalogue, and Past Masters, Volumes One & Two, featuring non-album A-sides and B-sides, EP tracks and rarities.

Since it was recorded, The Beatles’ music has been heard on a variety of formats – from chunky reel-to-reel tapes and eight-track cartridges to invisible computer files. But there has never been a more romantic or thrilling medium for music than a long-playing twelve-inch disc. We ‘play’ records. The process of carefully slipping the disc out of the sleeve, cleaning it and lowering the stylus provides a personal involvement in the reproduction of the music.

In September, 2009, The Beatles’ remastered albums on CD graced charts around the world. Seventeen million album sales within seven months was resounding evidence of the timeless relevance of their legacy. Through five decades, the music of The Beatles has captivated generation upon generation.

For producer Rick Rubin, surveying The Beatles’ recorded achievements is akin to witnessing a miracle. “If we look at it by today’s standards, whoever the most popular bands in the world are, they will typically put out an album every four years,” Rubin said in a 2009 radio series interview. “So, let’s say two albums as an eight year cycle. And think of the growth or change between those two albums. The idea that The Beatles made thirteen albums in seven years and went through that arc of change... it can’t be done. Truthfully, I think of it as proof of God, because it’s beyond man’s ability.”

There has always been demand for The Beatles’ albums on vinyl. Indeed, 2011’s best-selling vinyl LP in the United States was Abbey Road. Following the success of The Beatles’ acclaimed, GRAMMY Award-winning 2009 CD remasters, it was decided that the sound experts at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios should create new versions of The Beatles’ vinyl LPs. The project demanded the same meticulous approach taken for the CD releases, and the brief was a simple one: cut the digital remasters to vinyl with an absolute minimum of compromise to the sound. However, the process involved to do that was far from simple.

The first stage in transferring the sound of a master recording to vinyl is the creation of a disc to be used during vinyl manufacture. There were two options to consider. A Direct Metal Master (DMM), developed in the late seventies, allows sound to be cut directly into a stainless steel disc coated with a hard copper alloy. The older, alternative method is to cut the sound into the soft lacquer coating on a nickel disc - the first of several steps leading to the production of a stamper to press the vinyl.

A ‘blind’ listening test was arranged to choose between a ‘lacquer’ or ‘copper’ cut. Using both methods, A Hard Day’s Night was pressed with ten seconds of silence at the beginning and end of each side. This allowed not only the reproduction of the music to be assessed, but also the noise made by the vinyl itself. After much discussion, two factors swung the decision towards using the lacquer process. First, it was judged to create a warmer sound than a DMM. Secondly, there was a practical advantage of having ‘blank’ discs of a consistent quality when cutting lacquers.

The next step was to use the Neumann VMS80 cutting lathe at Abbey Road. Following thorough mechanical and electrical tests to ensure it was operating in peak condition, engineer Sean Magee cut the LPs in chronological release order. He used the original 24-bit remasters rather than the 16-bit versions that were required for CD production. It was also decided to use the remasters that had not undergone ‘limiting’ - a procedure to increase the sound level, which is deemed necessary for most current pop CDs.

Having made initial test cuts, Magee pinpointed any sound problems that can occur during playback of vinyl records. To rectify them, changes were made to the remasters with a Digital Audio Workstation. For example, each vinyl album was listened to for any ‘sibilant episodes’ - vocal distortion that can occur on consonant sounds such as S and T. These were corrected by reducing the level in the very small portion of sound causing the undesired effect. Similarly, any likelihood of ‘inner-groove distortion’ was addressed. As the stylus approaches the centre of the record, it is liable to track the groove less accurately. This can affect the high-middle frequencies, producing a ‘mushy’ sound particularly noticeable on vocals. Using what Magee has described as ‘surgical EQ,’ problem frequencies were identified and reduced in level to compensate for this.

The last phase of the vinyl mastering process began with the arrival of the first batches of test pressings made from master lacquers that had been sent to the two pressing plant factories. Stringent quality tests identified any noise or click appearing on more than one test pressing in the same place. If this happened, it was clear that the undesired sounds had been introduced either during the cutting or the pressing stage and so the test records were rejected. In the quest to achieve the highest quality possible, the Abbey Road team worked closely with the pressing factories and the manufacturers of the lacquer and cutting styli.

An additional and unusual challenge was to ensure the proper playback of the sounds embedded in the ‘lock-groove’ at the end of side two of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Requiring a combination of good timing and luck, it had always been a lengthy and costly process to make it work properly. In fact, it was so tricky, it had never been attempted for American pressings of the LP. Naturally, Sean Magee and the team perfected this and the garbled message is heard as originally intended on the remastered Sgt. Pepper LP.

Highly-skilled technicians have worked long and hard to make The Beatles on vinyl sound better than ever. All we need to do is listen to the results of their dedicated labour on the remastered LPs. Handle with care. But most of all, enjoy the music.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1:
1. Drive My Car (2009 - Remaster)
2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (2009 - Remaster)
3. You Won't See Me (2009 - Remaster)
4. Nowhere Man (2009 - Remaster)
5. Think For Yourself (2009 - Remaster)
6. The Word (2009 - Remaster)
7. Michelle (2009 - Remaster)

Side 2:
1. What Goes On (2009 - Remaster)
2. Girl (2009 - Remaster)
3. I'm Looking Through You (2009 - Remaster)
4. In My Life (2009 - Remaster)
5. Wait (2009 - Remaster)
6. If I Needed Someone (2009 - Remaster)
7. Run For Your Life (2009 - Remaster)

Manufactured on 180-gram, audiophile quality vinyl with replicated artwork, the 14 albums return to their original glory with details including the poster in The Beatles (The White Album), the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band’s cut-outs, and special inner bags for some of the titles.

The titles include The Beatles’ 12 original UK albums, first released between 1963 and 1970, the US-originated Magical Mystery Tour, now part of the group’s core catalogue, and Past Masters, Volumes One & Two, featuring non-album A-sides and B-sides, EP tracks and rarities.

Since it was recorded, The Beatles’ music has been heard on a variety of formats – from chunky reel-to-reel tapes and eight-track cartridges to invisible computer files. But there has never been a more romantic or thrilling medium for music than a long-playing twelve-inch disc. We ‘play’ records. The process of carefully slipping the disc out of the sleeve, cleaning it and lowering the stylus provides a personal involvement in the reproduction of the music.

In September, 2009, The Beatles’ remastered albums on CD graced charts around the world. Seventeen million album sales within seven months was resounding evidence of the timeless relevance of their legacy. Through five decades, the music of The Beatles has captivated generation upon generation.

For producer Rick Rubin, surveying The Beatles’ recorded achievements is akin to witnessing a miracle. “If we look at it by today’s standards, whoever the most popular bands in the world are, they will typically put out an album every four years,” Rubin said in a 2009 radio series interview. “So, let’s say two albums as an eight year cycle. And think of the growth or change between those two albums. The idea that The Beatles made thirteen albums in seven years and went through that arc of change... it can’t be done. Truthfully, I think of it as proof of God, because it’s beyond man’s ability.”

There has always been demand for The Beatles’ albums on vinyl. Indeed, 2011’s best-selling vinyl LP in the United States was Abbey Road. Following the success of The Beatles’ acclaimed, GRAMMY Award-winning 2009 CD remasters, it was decided that the sound experts at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios should create new versions of The Beatles’ vinyl LPs. The project demanded the same meticulous approach taken for the CD releases, and the brief was a simple one: cut the digital remasters to vinyl with an absolute minimum of compromise to the sound. However, the process involved to do that was far from simple.

The first stage in transferring the sound of a master recording to vinyl is the creation of a disc to be used during vinyl manufacture. There were two options to consider. A Direct Metal Master (DMM), developed in the late seventies, allows sound to be cut directly into a stainless steel disc coated with a hard copper alloy. The older, alternative method is to cut the sound into the soft lacquer coating on a nickel disc - the first of several steps leading to the production of a stamper to press the vinyl.

A ‘blind’ listening test was arranged to choose between a ‘lacquer’ or ‘copper’ cut. Using both methods, A Hard Day’s Night was pressed with ten seconds of silence at the beginning and end of each side. This allowed not only the reproduction of the music to be assessed, but also the noise made by the vinyl itself. After much discussion, two factors swung the decision towards using the lacquer process. First, it was judged to create a warmer sound than a DMM. Secondly, there was a practical advantage of having ‘blank’ discs of a consistent quality when cutting lacquers.

The next step was to use the Neumann VMS80 cutting lathe at Abbey Road. Following thorough mechanical and electrical tests to ensure it was operating in peak condition, engineer Sean Magee cut the LPs in chronological release order. He used the original 24-bit remasters rather than the 16-bit versions that were required for CD production. It was also decided to use the remasters that had not undergone ‘limiting’ - a procedure to increase the sound level, which is deemed necessary for most current pop CDs.

Having made initial test cuts, Magee pinpointed any sound problems that can occur during playback of vinyl records. To rectify them, changes were made to the remasters with a Digital Audio Workstation. For example, each vinyl album was listened to for any ‘sibilant episodes’ - vocal distortion that can occur on consonant sounds such as S and T. These were corrected by reducing the level in the very small portion of sound causing the undesired effect. Similarly, any likelihood of ‘inner-groove distortion’ was addressed. As the stylus approaches the centre of the record, it is liable to track the groove less accurately. This can affect the high-middle frequencies, producing a ‘mushy’ sound particularly noticeable on vocals. Using what Magee has described as ‘surgical EQ,’ problem frequencies were identified and reduced in level to compensate for this.

The last phase of the vinyl mastering process began with the arrival of the first batches of test pressings made from master lacquers that had been sent to the two pressing plant factories. Stringent quality tests identified any noise or click appearing on more than one test pressing in the same place. If this happened, it was clear that the undesired sounds had been introduced either during the cutting or the pressing stage and so the test records were rejected. In the quest to achieve the highest quality possible, the Abbey Road team worked closely with the pressing factories and the manufacturers of the lacquer and cutting styli.

An additional and unusual challenge was to ensure the proper playback of the sounds embedded in the ‘lock-groove’ at the end of side two of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Requiring a combination of good timing and luck, it had always been a lengthy and costly process to make it work properly. In fact, it was so tricky, it had never been attempted for American pressings of the LP. Naturally, Sean Magee and the team perfected this and the garbled message is heard as originally intended on the remastered Sgt. Pepper LP.

Highly-skilled technicians have worked long and hard to make The Beatles on vinyl sound better than ever. All we need to do is listen to the results of their dedicated labour on the remastered LPs. Handle with care. But most of all, enjoy the music.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1:
1. Help! (2009 - Remaster)
2. The Night Before (2009 - Remaster)
3. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (2009 - Remaster)
4. I Need You (2009 - Remaster)
5. Another Girl (2009 - Remaster)
6. You're Going To Lose That Girl (2009 - Remaster)
7. Ticket To Ride (2009 - Remaster)

Side 2:
1. Act Naturally (2009 - Remaster)
2. It's Only Love (2009 - Remaster)
3. You Like Me Too Much (2009 - Remaster)
4. Tell Me What You See (2009 - Remaster)
5. I've Just Seen A Face (2009 - Remaster)
6. Yesterday (2009 - Remaster)
7. Dizzy Miss Lizzy (2009 - Remaster)

Manufactured on 180-gram, audiophile quality vinyl with replicated artwork, the 14 albums return to their original glory with details including the poster in The Beatles (The White Album), the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band’s cut-outs, and special inner bags for some of the titles.

The titles include The Beatles’ 12 original UK albums, first released between 1963 and 1970, the US-originated Magical Mystery Tour, now part of the group’s core catalogue, and Past Masters, Volumes One & Two, featuring non-album A-sides and B-sides, EP tracks and rarities.

Since it was recorded, The Beatles’ music has been heard on a variety of formats – from chunky reel-to-reel tapes and eight-track cartridges to invisible computer files. But there has never been a more romantic or thrilling medium for music than a long-playing twelve-inch disc. We ‘play’ records. The process of carefully slipping the disc out of the sleeve, cleaning it and lowering the stylus provides a personal involvement in the reproduction of the music.

In September, 2009, The Beatles’ remastered albums on CD graced charts around the world. Seventeen million album sales within seven months was resounding evidence of the timeless relevance of their legacy. Through five decades, the music of The Beatles has captivated generation upon generation.

For producer Rick Rubin, surveying The Beatles’ recorded achievements is akin to witnessing a miracle. “If we look at it by today’s standards, whoever the most popular bands in the world are, they will typically put out an album every four years,” Rubin said in a 2009 radio series interview. “So, let’s say two albums as an eight year cycle. And think of the growth or change between those two albums. The idea that The Beatles made thirteen albums in seven years and went through that arc of change... it can’t be done. Truthfully, I think of it as proof of God, because it’s beyond man’s ability.”

There has always been demand for The Beatles’ albums on vinyl. Indeed, 2011’s best-selling vinyl LP in the United States was Abbey Road. Following the success of The Beatles’ acclaimed, GRAMMY Award-winning 2009 CD remasters, it was decided that the sound experts at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios should create new versions of The Beatles’ vinyl LPs. The project demanded the same meticulous approach taken for the CD releases, and the brief was a simple one: cut the digital remasters to vinyl with an absolute minimum of compromise to the sound. However, the process involved to do that was far from simple.

The first stage in transferring the sound of a master recording to vinyl is the creation of a disc to be used during vinyl manufacture. There were two options to consider. A Direct Metal Master (DMM), developed in the late seventies, allows sound to be cut directly into a stainless steel disc coated with a hard copper alloy. The older, alternative method is to cut the sound into the soft lacquer coating on a nickel disc - the first of several steps leading to the production of a stamper to press the vinyl.

A ‘blind’ listening test was arranged to choose between a ‘lacquer’ or ‘copper’ cut. Using both methods, A Hard Day’s Night was pressed with ten seconds of silence at the beginning and end of each side. This allowed not only the reproduction of the music to be assessed, but also the noise made by the vinyl itself. After much discussion, two factors swung the decision towards using the lacquer process. First, it was judged to create a warmer sound than a DMM. Secondly, there was a practical advantage of having ‘blank’ discs of a consistent quality when cutting lacquers.

The next step was to use the Neumann VMS80 cutting lathe at Abbey Road. Following thorough mechanical and electrical tests to ensure it was operating in peak condition, engineer Sean Magee cut the LPs in chronological release order. He used the original 24-bit remasters rather than the 16-bit versions that were required for CD production. It was also decided to use the remasters that had not undergone ‘limiting’ - a procedure to increase the sound level, which is deemed necessary for most current pop CDs.

Having made initial test cuts, Magee pinpointed any sound problems that can occur during playback of vinyl records. To rectify them, changes were made to the remasters with a Digital Audio Workstation. For example, each vinyl album was listened to for any ‘sibilant episodes’ - vocal distortion that can occur on consonant sounds such as S and T. These were corrected by reducing the level in the very small portion of sound causing the undesired effect. Similarly, any likelihood of ‘inner-groove distortion’ was addressed. As the stylus approaches the centre of the record, it is liable to track the groove less accurately. This can affect the high-middle frequencies, producing a ‘mushy’ sound particularly noticeable on vocals. Using what Magee has described as ‘surgical EQ,’ problem frequencies were identified and reduced in level to compensate for this.

The last phase of the vinyl mastering process began with the arrival of the first batches of test pressings made from master lacquers that had been sent to the two pressing plant factories. Stringent quality tests identified any noise or click appearing on more than one test pressing in the same place. If this happened, it was clear that the undesired sounds had been introduced either during the cutting or the pressing stage and so the test records were rejected. In the quest to achieve the highest quality possible, the Abbey Road team worked closely with the pressing factories and the manufacturers of the lacquer and cutting styli.

An additional and unusual challenge was to ensure the proper playback of the sounds embedded in the ‘lock-groove’ at the end of side two of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Requiring a combination of good timing and luck, it had always been a lengthy and costly process to make it work properly. In fact, it was so tricky, it had never been attempted for American pressings of the LP. Naturally, Sean Magee and the team perfected this and the garbled message is heard as originally intended on the remastered Sgt. Pepper LP.

Highly-skilled technicians have worked long and hard to make The Beatles on vinyl sound better than ever. All we need to do is listen to the results of their dedicated labour on the remastered LPs. Handle with care. But most of all, enjoy the music.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1:
1. Yellow Submarine (2009 - Remaster)
2. Only A Northern Song (2009 - Remaster)
3. All Together Now (2009 - Remaster)
4. Hey Bulldog (2009 - Remaster)
5. It's All Too Much (2009 - Remaster)
6. All You Need Is Love (2009 - Remaster)

Side 2:
1. Pepperland (2009 - Remaster)
2. Sea Of Time (2009 - Remaster)
3. Sea Of Holes (2009 - Remaster)
4. Sea Of Monsters (2009 - Remaster)
5. March Of The Meanies (2009 - Remaster)
6. Pepperland Laid Waste (2009 - Remaster)
7. Yellow Submarine In Pepperland (2009 - Remaster)

Manufactured on 180-gram, audiophile quality vinyl with replicated artwork, the 14 albums return to their original glory with details including the poster in The Beatles (The White Album), the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band’s cut-outs, and special inner bags for some of the titles.

The titles include The Beatles’ 12 original UK albums, first released between 1963 and 1970, the US-originated Magical Mystery Tour, now part of the group’s core catalogue, and Past Masters, Volumes One & Two, featuring non-album A-sides and B-sides, EP tracks and rarities.

Since it was recorded, The Beatles’ music has been heard on a variety of formats – from chunky reel-to-reel tapes and eight-track cartridges to invisible computer files. But there has never been a more romantic or thrilling medium for music than a long-playing twelve-inch disc. We ‘play’ records. The process of carefully slipping the disc out of the sleeve, cleaning it and lowering the stylus provides a personal involvement in the reproduction of the music.

In September, 2009, The Beatles’ remastered albums on CD graced charts around the world. Seventeen million album sales within seven months was resounding evidence of the timeless relevance of their legacy. Through five decades, the music of The Beatles has captivated generation upon generation.

For producer Rick Rubin, surveying The Beatles’ recorded achievements is akin to witnessing a miracle. “If we look at it by today’s standards, whoever the most popular bands in the world are, they will typically put out an album every four years,” Rubin said in a 2009 radio series interview. “So, let’s say two albums as an eight year cycle. And think of the growth or change between those two albums. The idea that The Beatles made thirteen albums in seven years and went through that arc of change... it can’t be done. Truthfully, I think of it as proof of God, because it’s beyond man’s ability.”

There has always been demand for The Beatles’ albums on vinyl. Indeed, 2011’s best-selling vinyl LP in the United States was Abbey Road. Following the success of The Beatles’ acclaimed, GRAMMY Award-winning 2009 CD remasters, it was decided that the sound experts at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios should create new versions of The Beatles’ vinyl LPs. The project demanded the same meticulous approach taken for the CD releases, and the brief was a simple one: cut the digital remasters to vinyl with an absolute minimum of compromise to the sound. However, the process involved to do that was far from simple.

The first stage in transferring the sound of a master recording to vinyl is the creation of a disc to be used during vinyl manufacture. There were two options to consider. A Direct Metal Master (DMM), developed in the late seventies, allows sound to be cut directly into a stainless steel disc coated with a hard copper alloy. The older, alternative method is to cut the sound into the soft lacquer coating on a nickel disc - the first of several steps leading to the production of a stamper to press the vinyl.

A ‘blind’ listening test was arranged to choose between a ‘lacquer’ or ‘copper’ cut. Using both methods, A Hard Day’s Night was pressed with ten seconds of silence at the beginning and end of each side. This allowed not only the reproduction of the music to be assessed, but also the noise made by the vinyl itself. After much discussion, two factors swung the decision towards using the lacquer process. First, it was judged to create a warmer sound than a DMM. Secondly, there was a practical advantage of having ‘blank’ discs of a consistent quality when cutting lacquers.

The next step was to use the Neumann VMS80 cutting lathe at Abbey Road. Following thorough mechanical and electrical tests to ensure it was operating in peak condition, engineer Sean Magee cut the LPs in chronological release order. He used the original 24-bit remasters rather than the 16-bit versions that were required for CD production. It was also decided to use the remasters that had not undergone ‘limiting’ - a procedure to increase the sound level, which is deemed necessary for most current pop CDs.

Having made initial test cuts, Magee pinpointed any sound problems that can occur during playback of vinyl records. To rectify them, changes were made to the remasters with a Digital Audio Workstation. For example, each vinyl album was listened to for any ‘sibilant episodes’ - vocal distortion that can occur on consonant sounds such as S and T. These were corrected by reducing the level in the very small portion of sound causing the undesired effect. Similarly, any likelihood of ‘inner-groove distortion’ was addressed. As the stylus approaches the centre of the record, it is liable to track the groove less accurately. This can affect the high-middle frequencies, producing a ‘mushy’ sound particularly noticeable on vocals. Using what Magee has described as ‘surgical EQ,’ problem frequencies were identified and reduced in level to compensate for this.

The last phase of the vinyl mastering process began with the arrival of the first batches of test pressings made from master lacquers that had been sent to the two pressing plant factories. Stringent quality tests identified any noise or click appearing on more than one test pressing in the same place. If this happened, it was clear that the undesired sounds had been introduced either during the cutting or the pressing stage and so the test records were rejected. In the quest to achieve the highest quality possible, the Abbey Road team worked closely with the pressing factories and the manufacturers of the lacquer and cutting styli.

An additional and unusual challenge was to ensure the proper playback of the sounds embedded in the ‘lock-groove’ at the end of side two of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Requiring a combination of good timing and luck, it had always been a lengthy and costly process to make it work properly. In fact, it was so tricky, it had never been attempted for American pressings of the LP. Naturally, Sean Magee and the team perfected this and the garbled message is heard as originally intended on the remastered Sgt. Pepper LP.

Highly-skilled technicians have worked long and hard to make The Beatles on vinyl sound better than ever. All we need to do is listen to the results of their dedicated labour on the remastered LPs. Handle with care. But most of all, enjoy the music.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1:
1. Magical Mystery Tour (2009 - Remaster)
2. The Fool On The Hill (2009 - Remaster)
3. Flying (2009 - Remaster)
4. Blue Jay Way (2009 - Remaster)
5. Your Mother Should Know (2009 - Remaster)
6. I Am The Walrus (2009 - Remaster)

Side 2:
1. Hello, Goodbye (2009 - Remaster)
2. Strawberry Fields Forever (2009 - Remaster)
3. Penny Lane (2009 - Remaster)
4. Baby, You're A Rich Man (2009 - Remaster)
5. All You Need Is Love (2009 - Remaster)

The last of The Beatles be-suited, writing-to-order, perfect pop albums, this was a brilliant collection of songs from the film Help!, and other newies, that includes the superb "Ticket To Ride", "Yesterday" and of course, the title track itself. Albums in this era, up until about 1965, were simply collections of songs that could have been singles; there was no real concept of 'the album as a statement', as a piece of art in its own right. This was just pop music: short, simple, catchy, and in the case of The Beatles, brilliant!

Tracklisting
1. Help!
2. The Night Before
3. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
4. I Need You
5. Another Girl
6. You're Going To Lose That Girl
7. Ticket To Ride
8. Act Naturally
9. It's Only Love
10. You Like Me Too Much
11. Tell Me What You See
12. I've Just Seen A Face
13. Yesterday
14. Dizzy Miss Lizzy
15. Help! Documentary

The biggest band in rock history sees their original catalogue digitally remastered for the first time with improved packaging, including extra rare photographs, expanded and new essays and all enhanced with a video mini-documentary on the making of each album in the Beatles own words.


1. A Hard Day's Night
2. I Should Have Known Better
3. If I Fell
4. I'm Happy Just To Dance With You
5. And I Love Her
6. Tell Me Why
7. Can't Buy Me Love
8. Any Time At All
9. I'll Cry Instead
10. Things We Said Today
11. When I Get Home
12. You Can't Do That
13. I'll Be Back
14. A Hard Day's Night Documentary

TRACK LISTING

1. A Hard Day's Night
2. I Should Have Known Better
3. If I Fell
4. I'm Happy Just To Dance With You
5. And I Love Her
6. Tell Me Why
7. Can't Buy Me Love
8. Any Time At All
9. I'll Cry Instead
10. Things We Said Today
11. When I Get Home
12. You Can't Do That
13. I'll Be Back
14. A Hard Day's Night Documentary

A selection of Beatles covers from the Atlantic and Warner vaults. Includes Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Arif Mardin, The Harvey Averne Dozen, The Meters, Charles Wright, Herbie Mann etc.

Unintentionally funny and totally pretentious versions of classic Beatles songs performed by musicians on the Windham Hill label who should be told that just playing things slowly doesn't impart 'feeling' or 'meaning' to a song. These guys kill most of the melody lines of these great songs stone dead. A notable exception is George Winston's "Martha My Dear" which is humourous but joyful.