When I was little, my Dad would sing ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ by The Beatles on his guitar . When he hit the verse ”What would you think if I sang out of tune, would you stand up and walk out on me?” he would sing the word “tune” very, very out of key… sending me into fits of giggles.
Such stories and experiences are the premise behind the latest video from the Why Music Matters campaign, which encourages people to appreciate the value of music and discourage illegal downloads. The video features sketched drawings of people connecting with The Beatles in their own unique way, whether first, second or third generation, and while each story is different, they all come together in one shared experience… reminding us why music matters.
In the last few hours the entire catalog of The Beatles – the most influential and popular band in music history – has gone live for digital download sale exclusively on the Apple’s iTunes platform.
Apple said in a statement that there had finally been an agreement made with Apple Corps and EMI to launch the Beatles’ entire catalogue: “Starting today, the group’s 13 legendary remastered studio albums with iTunes LPs, the two-volume Past Masters compilation and the classic Red and Blue collections are available for purchase and download on iTunes worldwide as either albums or individual songs.”
Sir Paul McCartney said the addition of The Beatles’ music will come alongside the addition of mini-documentaries and an iTunes-exclusive concert film.
“We’re really excited to bring the Beatles’ music to iTunes,” he said. “It’s fantastic to see the songs we originally released on vinyl receive as much love in the digital world as they did the first time around.”
“…if it wasn’t for the music there wouldn’t be a bloody t-shirt.”
Richard lush tells it like it is… and I don’t know about you, but I have definitely spent a few drunken nights with my mates pondering, ‘what it would have been like to record the Beatles at Abbey Road Studios, to sit on a sessions, like a fly on the wall watching Lennon and McCartney bicker about lyrics and melodies… if not for a few moments?’ I’ve even debated what it would have been like to be an engineer in the late 60’s, early 70’s in the heart of the revolution that was Beatles Mania. Sadly at the end of the day, I like most people can only speculate, for I was not even a thought in my parents mind at that stage of the game.
However Mr Richard Lush will tell you all about it. Why?? Because this man actually lived it!!! 2nd engineer for about half The Beatles’ back-cat, Mr Richard Lush moved to Australia in the 70’s to continue his engineer career after working for the biggest band that ever was. He’s won numerous platinum and gold albums. He’s done it all, from pop, to classical, film, soundtrack, jazz and even opera. I had the pleasure of extracting as much as I could from this living legends brain… So let’s hear what the man has to say.
TheInSound) Richard, you clearly love what you do! Have you always known you want to be an engineer or is it something you fell into?
RL) I remember quite distinctly my last year at school: my father was very ill passing away just before my final exams… My father, however always wanted me to go into real-estate but I was interested in music and after getting my first guitar from my parents (a nylon classical from Spain) I became much more excited about the possibilities of music. My favorite band at that time was The Shadows. They had an album out at the time and on the back of the cover I remember there was a little blurb between the engineers introducing the album, and I thought “Oh all right!”
I always wondered how music got onto vinyl… if I could work with someone like the Shadows that would be great!! So I wrote a letter to Abbey Rd Studios asking if they had any jobs going, and about a week later I got a letter in the mail saying, “we don’t actually have any jobs available at the moment but we will keep your name on record if anything comes up will be in touch… 3 months later I got a call saying they had something for me and I guess the rest is history… I have been very lucky along the way.
TheInSound) So it started out as a on the job training??
RL) Yah that’s right… It was an apprentice really… I started off in the tape library which is where everyone started. Our job was to work in the tape library 100’s of 1,000 of tapes. Log tapes, take tapes to cutting room, deliver tapes, all 4 and 2 track of course.
TheInSound) Rumours put to rest? I was told that engineers in the early Abbey Rd days used to wear white lab coats like a doctor would… is that true?
It is far too difficult for this inarticulate writer to express any kind of tribute to such a pivotal, brilliant and fascinating character as Lennon with mere words, so instead we let his own words and music paint the picture – and remember him with a few of our favourite clips (see below).
“I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as the here and now?” – John Lennon
The face of music was literally changed forever. John lives on. Peace and love! (and basketballs and cigarettes!)
Riding off the back of the biggest ARIA Awards since Ben Hur (please don’t mention that ARIAs didn’t necessarily operate during the time of Christ), it’s difficult to let the party die down. After all, it’s only 3 weeks til Christmas!
So indeed the good times continue with the news that we (that’s EMI worldwide, not my band) have FIFTY SIX Grammy Award nominations in the whopping one hundred and nine categories – far too many to list, but here are our EMI highlights!
Multiple nominees include our favourite shaggy-haired, bikini-babe-surrounded Frenchman David Guetta (who also produced The Black Eyed Peas’ Grammy nominated album and record of the year), Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Keith Urban and American Classic legend Willie Nelson.
Katy Perry announced the Best Rock Album nominees and discussed the Black Eyed Peas nominations – watch the videos.
And yes, the reason why the Grammy artwork is so cool this year is no other than Shepard Fairey – the man behind THAT Obama / Hope and Obey / Giant artwork – is responsible. OBEY (great music)
Not getting enough green in your diet? Well check this out!
On December 4 (Dec 7-8 outside Oz, so we have a head-start), we’re releasing a very limited edition of The Beatles remastered stereo USB apples. Head to www.thebeatles.com for more info or to pre-order.
The apple is loaded with everything a growing boy needs… the full 14 stereo albums, all the new visual elements, 13 mini-docos about the studio albums, replicated original UK album art, rare photos and expanded liner notes.
How do you make something sound louder, clearer and bigger without altering the originality and purity of a song…? Add to that, the pressure of remastering the biggest band of all time, nothing is digital and the songs your re-mastering are over 40 years old on tape… NO BIG DEAL RIGHT?
I am of course talking about The Beatles Re-mastered. This art of mixing and mastering is a very personal and subjective process that changes greatly depending on the style of music and sound wanted from the artist. Add on the fact that everyone and their mother has an opinion on the “sound” that is The Beatles plus the passion for that old school original Beatles Mono recordings that every indie band longs for, I would say that the four years it took to remaster all the Beatles albums is quite short when compared to the legacy that is The Fab Four.
The Abbey Rd Engineers
Ok, so let’s get in our Magic School Bus and go back in time to 1963!
The film is based on Lennon’s half-sister Julia Baird’s book Imagine This: Growing Up With My Brother John Lennon. Appropriately, the score was recorded with a full orchestra at Abbey Rd studio. As for Goldfrapp’s follow up to last year’s sun-drenched, ethereal Seventh Tree, that’s in the works too – no ETA just yet.
Nowhere Boy was scripted by Matt Greenhalgh, who proved his merits with the stunning Anton Corbijn biopic on Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, Control. Can’t wait for the London Film Fest premiere and local release! It really is Beatle-mania out there…
And in less-cheery Beatles news, the very Lucy of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds fame has passed away at the age of 46 of the autoimmune disease lupus. Lucy O’Donnell went to school with John Lennon’s son Julian. In 1966, Julian took his painted picture of the three year old Lucy to his father and explained “it’s Lucy in the sky with diamonds”.
You know it’s going to be a good day when Asha at reception is blasting The White Album, the men’s loo is adorned with the sign She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, and the entire population of lvl1 is performing an excitable rendition of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds on the Beatles Rock Band.
Cos it’s BEATLES DAY – beep-beep, beep-beep, yeah!
In other parts of the country, Jimmy Barnes is feeling the love with our InSound-ers Trent and Steve, who are flying the Beatles flag proudly today:
More updates in store for the rest of the day… but in the meanwhile. turn up Sgt Peppers!!
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