The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Remastered)
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Free Music Notes for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Remastered)
Free Music Review: Remastered Review
Hit: 5 Stars
I've always been a casual Beatles fan, but over the past 5 years, they've truly become one of my all-time favorite
bands. So when the remastered catalog was announced to arrive on 9/9/09, I decided to buy them all!
The first one I want to review is my favorite Beatles album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
Before I get to the sound quality, I want to address the packaging. The packaging is near perfection. I have
a friend that proudly owns all the original vinyl releases and these packages reproduce all the great album
art, along with new photos and expanded liner notes. The insert booklets are printed on heavy stock, uv coated
paper that are top-shelf! The digi paks are also printed on heavy stock uv coated paper. Unfortunately, where
they fall short is that instead of using a plastic clear tray to place the disc in, they slide into paper sleeves.
I know everyone wants to go green, and ditch using plastic, but every time you remove the disc from the sleeve,
you risk scratching the disc. This is my only complaint with all the remasters. I've solved the problem by storing
each disc in a separate paper CD-R sleeve to preserve the disc. Use the paper sleeve insert at your own risk!
Now, for the sound quality. Some folks will love it, some will be indifferent and some will hate it, but I love
the new sound of the recordings. I don't have much to compare them too, because I only owned
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour (1990)
and Let It Be (1990), but to me they sound brighter and more vibrant than before.
The biggest change is that the recordings are noticeably louder than previous releases. And, to me, they
sound like they were recorded today, with still retaining their vintage 1960s sound, if that makes sense.
I've picked up on little things and sounds that I never noticed before. The cleaner sound also reveals more
of the live feel that these recordings had - as compared to the computer driven quest for perfection that
all of today's music sound likes. You'll hear the sounds of fingers making chord changes, the little sounds
that a live drummer will make, etc.. The music, to me sounds more alive and vibrant than it ever has. Bottom line:
the recordings retain their vintage sound, but have been polished using 21st century digital audio technology.
Guy Massey & Steve Rooke did an excellent job of preserving the integrity of the original 4 track recording of
Sgt. Pepper. On Sgt. Pepper, I thought "A Day in the Life" really benefitted from the remastering process. That
song sounded completely new to me thanks to the clearer sound. I'm hearing all kinds of little details in that song
I've never heard before!
Overall, if your a vinyl purist (nothing wrong with that) or someone that frowns down on remasters, than chances
are, the remasters are not for you, but for a new generation of listeners that are discovering the Beatles for the
first time (thanks to these remasters & The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle)
this is an excellent starting point for what many regard as the world's greatest band. And for my money, there's no better
album to start your Beatles education with than Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Free Music Review: The act you've known for all these years
Hit: 5 Stars
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" may not have been the first "concept album" -- the Beach Boys' unreleased "Smile" and the Pretty Things' "S.F. Sorrow" arguably got there first. (And Franz Schubert predated all of them 140 years earlier with his album-length song cycles "Die schone Mullerin" and "Winterreise"). But characteristically, the Beatles' magnum opus went farther and further than the others, expanding the boundaries of what constituted popular music. Forty-two years after its original release and what seems like a century's worth of deification, SPLHCB still sounds fresh, ground-breaking and amazingly unpretentious -- and tightly constructed in comparison to some of the excesses that would come along in the 1970s.
Aside from the SPLHCB tracks that were recycled for the 1968 "Yellow Submarine" movie and thus appear on the 1999 "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" release, I've never heard this album in digital format before now. I never thought to pick this up in its 1987 CD incarnation, because having known this record since childhood, for many years I had fallen out of love with it, buying into the idea that this was a wildly overpraised relic of the "Summer of Love." It's just as well that I didn't acquire that earlier CD version, because the sound of the '87 releases was thin and harsh, and SPLHCB has always deserved first-class sonic treatment. Which it gets here, allowing the formerly skeptical listener to re-hear it with new ears. It's idle to pretend that this record "sounds like it was recorded yesterday," as some reviewers breathlessly proclaim; dozens of circa-1967 tracks crammed onto a 4-track tape ain't gonna be confused with a modern production. But it does shine like the proverbial old painting that has been scrubbed clean of grime. And one of the macro-details that comes through in this remastering is the handmade quality of those dense, complex arrangements: all the more dazzling for being just a tad more fallible and "human" than a clinically perfect studio job of today.
On first listen to this CD, I followed the "original" order, as mentioned in the liner notes, of the seven songs that constituted Side 1 of the LP (i.e., "SPLHCB"/"With a Little Help from My Friends" followed by "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite," "Fixing a Hole," "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," "Getting Better" and "She's Leaving Home"). Much as I wanted to believe that the original sequencing would be more effective, I can't say it did much for me, although "She's Leaving Home" as a side-closer works well. This record, after all, is the end product of many, many revisions and "let's try this instead" second thoughts; the re-ordering of the Side 1 tracks is just one of them. And kudos to George Martin or whoever came up with the revised order of the first seven tracks as finally released; it flows better musically.
Free Music Review: peppy Pepper
Hit: 5 Stars
I rated this remastered version 5-stars, even though it doesn't quite match the excitement of hearing the remastered "Yellow Submarine" Beatles' songs version of the movie soundtrack, or the aural assault that occurred in portions of the "Love" sucker soil eel...er, whatever (I'm sorry, I'm just not a fan of the musicals unless they're very, very good).
Still, I suppose because I'm a Beatles die-hard fan (have been for ever, and will be till I die, I'm sure), I gobbled up every enhancement, and instance of cleanup that came with this issue. This is especially great for beginning musicians that are also Beatles fans, because the clarity afforded in this disc makes it much easier to learn the songs bit by bit. Somehow, I believe, that just as in the first issue of the Beatles music on CD, what pops out the most is the bass guitar sound. This may not establish Paul as a virtuoso, but he is one of the true stylists of the instrument, and plays about as melodic bass-wise as anyone else in rock or any other genre.
As a "concept" album, it seems more and more tongue-in-cheek as time passes, but the moments of brilliance nevertheless shine thru. The greatest moment in the collection is probably crescendo climax and E chord smash of the opus known as "A Day in the Life." Ever a "rock" fan, I also enjoyed the excitement and pounding pulsing rhythms of both "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and its reprise.
The music of Sgt. Pepper was once called psycadelic, but the only real psycadelic offerings are "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite," both of which are a sonic delight (especially in this remastered work), the likes of which allow me to "trip" without actually ingesting any chemicals or other mind altering substances.
I have no idea what processes and amount of tinkering George and Gyles Martin did with the Beatles' songs on the Love project, but hopefully in the not too distant future, most or all of the Beatles recordings will receive a treatment that truly fulfils the potential that was explored by the original producer and his son. Until then, this package is the only version of "Pepper" I will listen to from now on.
Free Music Review: All-Time Best Album
Hit: 5 Stars
If I could only pick one alubm to have for the rest of my life, it'd be this one. It's amazing. I'm glad that the Beatles and George Martin left it like this and didn't change anything. It's perfect as is. It starts with the title track (a great rocker)and then blends into,maybe, the most famous anthem of friendship ("With A Little Help From My Friends"). Next is "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" which is said to be about a picture paited by a 4 year-old Julian Lennon. Many people also rumor that it's about LSD. I don't know which is true, but it's still a great song. "Getting Better" is a funny one, thanks to John's sarcastic back up vocals. "Fixing a Hole" is whimsical. "She's Leaving Home" has a poor string arrangment, but it amoung the Beatles's best work thanks to some of the best, sad Lennon/McCartney lyrics ever. "Mr. Kite" is sort of a spooky song, but is also a fun one. "Within You, Without You" is probably the weakest track here. I still like it,however, because of it's lyrics. It sounds really great when it is blended in with Lennon's "Tommorrow Never Knows" on the Love soundtrack. "I'm I'm Sixty-Four" is just a pleasant love diddy with a music hall sound. I love that song. "Lovely Rita" is one of Paul's best rhyming songs (next to Maxwell's Silver Hammer). It also has great music. "Good Morning," is the most sarcastic track by the Beatles, which has John poking fun at average English life. There is then a brief reprise of the title track and then the strongest song on the album, and almost the strongest song by the Beatles (next to "In My Life"). "A Day In The Life" has great music, lonley vocals, and spine-tingling lyrics. It's the grandest finale. Ever.
Many people say that this one goes to Paul. Although, Paul did the majority of the writing, I really think him and John were working hard together for this. But, it's not so much the songs that make this album great. It's how well the songs go together. So, I think this one goes to George Martin.
The only way this album could be improved is if they had included the singles "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" on it. That's the best double A-side single ever. This is a fantastic album.
Free Music Review: How Much Better Can It Get?
Hit: 5 Stars
I was very excited when I first saw the remasters on Amazon. The first thing I did was to pre-order what Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the Greatest Album of All Time. It came today.
1. The title track, well, to me it doesn't sound much different than the 87 release. Still a great song, short though it is.
2. It was only with this remaster that I realize how great Paul's bassline on With a Little Help from my Friends is. Ringo's vocals sound great.
3. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds... definitely one of my favorite Beatles' tracks. To me, it sounds like they actually decreased the volume of George's guitar on this track, but I may be mistaken. The vocals in the first verse sound crystal clear, like John is right in the room with you.
4. Getting Better sounds great, much clearer than the 87 release.
5. Wow... Fixing a Hole sounds ten times better. I only just now realize how great a song it is.
6. She's Leaving Home sounds great. It seems like they raised the string volume a bit.
7. The bass on Mr. Kite is brought out a lot, and sounds awesome.
8. Never cared much for George's Sitar songs, especially this one, but it sounds amazingly clear and sharp.
9. When I'm Sixty Four and Lovely Rita both have the bass emphasized a LOT. And it sounds great. I wish they'd have made the piano solo on Rita a bit louder.
10. All I'll say about GMGM is that I wish they'd have made the backing guitar chords louder. Can barely hear them!
11. Reprise is same as first.
12. The whole reason I got this album, my favorite Beatles song, A Day in the Life. It sounds great. I can really hear all of the instruments clearly, especially the acoustic guitar. I have one comment though, it sounds like they lowered Mal Evans' counting... not sure why they would.
Overall, this remaster is definitely worth it, whether you're a casual fan, new to the Beatles, or a die-hard like me.