Monday, September 29, 2008

GETTING BACK TO "GET BACK" Updated 11/03


I love Glyn Johns' first mix of the aborted "Get Back" album. Love it, love it, love it! Sure, he only used one song from the rooftop concert (a powerhouse one-off runthrough of "One After 909"); sure, he inexplicably used inferior versions of "I've Got A Feeling," "Two Of Us," "Don't Let Me Down" and "Dig A Pony:" sure, he included "Teddy Boy" but didn't edit out the squelch of horrible feedback
(not that he could I guess); sure, he included "Maggie Mae" (but so did Phil Spector); and sure, he included "Rocker" (a lame title for an impromptu jam).

Allow me to remind you that I love this album!

Reason #1: the sound. It sounds friggin' great. It really does sound as if you're in the studio with the Beatles. Glyn Johns had (or has) a unique way of miking the drums and they sound phenomenal on his mix of the album.

Reason #2 - The between-song chatter. It sounds natural, unlike the canned bites that Phil Spector culled for his mix.

Reason #3 - He put John and Paul's voices into separate channels for "One After 909" (I can't believe that in all other versions they're mixed together!).

Reason #4 - Johns' stuck to the original concept (well, once a concept was hit upon I guess after days of trying to come up with one both at Twickenham and Apple).

I have more reasons, but I'd be interested in hearing other people's.

And one random thought: according to Lewissohn all four Beatles attended at least two separate mixing sessions for the album at Olympic Studios (well, I'm assuming it was all four: Lewissohn states, "The Beatles were in attendance"). If they didn't like what he was doing, why didn't they pipe up and say something until waiting 'til he was done and rejecting it outright?

And I quote those old Tootsie Pop ads: "The world may never know."

Comments welcome!

Jeremy Boob


Thursday, September 18, 2008

ALL TOGETHER NOW

So let's talk about what a waste of a DVD release the upcoming ALL TOGETHER NOW is! I mean, good grief! This is a zero-interest documentary for the serious Beatles fan and guaranteed to be a one-viewing only snooze inducer for all others. Does anyone really care about how the Cirque de Soleil LOVE show was put together? Sure, the music was interesting (and I'm sure the sound at the show - which I haven't seen and have no desire to - is nothing short of stunning) but in what world do we live in where Apple considers this to be a viable release?!

Mind you, I am most certainly not one of those hard-core enthusiasts who are apoplectic about the non-availability of a remastered Beatles catalogue (the current versions on CD are excellent, no matter what the bit rate is), but why shell out hard-earned money for something that is tangentially Beatles-related as opposed to the real thing? And it's not even a professionally recorded version of the show! It's about the making of the show!! Which is only playing in one place: Las Vegas!!! Criminy!!!!

How the Hollywood Bowl concerts haven't been released is beyond me (I don't buy the "those who really want those shows have them already from alternate sources" argument). Or even a DVD release of all the promotional clips the Fabs did.

But a behind-the-scenes of LOVE?

I think not.

Comments welcome!

Jeremy Boob