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.

The Beatles are the latest in a line of great artists to back the campaign including Nick Cave, Iron Maiden, and Kate Bush. Why Music Matters recently launched in Australia and New Zealand,  backed by artists like Eskimo Joe and Oh Mercy.

If you have  a Beatles story you’d like to share, leave a comment below!

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.

I’d like to say that I wrote the vintage review of Magical Mystery Tour last week because I totally guessed this was coming, but that would be a lie…

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?RL) – Not really what actually happened. The assistant and engineers didn’t wear coats. The technical staff, like the ones plugging in the microphones, lugged tape machines around used wore lab coats but it was only to protect them from getting dirty. Then later on in time. A manager at the time ‘ALLAN STAGG’ came in, tried to make it compulsorily for the assistance and engineers to wear white lab coats… but we rebelled, haha… We wore the coats while we were setting up the microphones and then took them off as soon as possible… haha …eventually it died off.

TheInSound) You’re listed at the Second Engineer for Sgt. Peppers What were your main responsibilities as second Engineer?
RL) I worked on pepper, did a track on Revolver, about half The White Album, some of Magical Mystery Tour.

TheInSound) Wow so you were pretty much there for a lot of it??
RL) Well, The Beatles were the main artist for EMI at the time and I guess they choose the person who was most suited, most responsible and flexible and I suppose there was someone there at Abbey Road thought I was the guy… so I got the gig. I think somebody did say I did a 105 sessions; 105 days I walked across Abbey Road and went to work for the Beatles….

TheInSound) How old were you at the time?
RL) I was 18 years old and I had been there for 6 months. Before I started on Revolver, when we did A Day In The Life… Geoff and I, Geoff was 2 years older then me… Geoff would have been 20 and I was 18. I remember us in the control room joking to one another… isn’t amazing…they are actually trusting us… (We laughed)

TheInSound) And the Beatles would have been quite young. Were they respectful about you guys and your age?
RL) They were about 24 years old. I can’t remember them thinking much about it. It’s weird thinking about it now… it took a while for them to get used to us but that was more because they were quite private so it took a few days. Eventually it just turned into “Morning Richard… morning.”

Well actually it would be more like afternoon Richard… People often ask me: “What’s the worst thing about working for the Beatles?” And I always said… The fact that they would always start late. Most bands in those days started in the morning (10am) but they would start around 2pm. So you would show up just before 2… There would be no fans, no screaming girls, so you knew they had not arrived yet. Then George Martin would show up about 4 o’clock, we would set up, still be waiting, and then the Beatles would roll in about 7 or 8pm and go to about 8 in the morning. There was no canteen in the building and we couldn’t leave, we had to be there the entire time… so it was really frustrating at times.

I know this is totally off the subject but I used to know someone who did an album with Robert Palmer and they recorded an album in Milan. He used to start at midday then go to 7am. They would start on the cocktails about 8 and then go out for dinner and God forbid anyone be late the next day for recording at 12 sharp.

TheInSound) You have used Analogue desks and a Digital desks… Quick question: digital or Analogue man?
RL) ANALOGUE, I love the pure sound… well, the valve sound. You go and look at any rock star today and see what they are playing… either an Vox AC 30, a Marshall or an Orange. Guitarist still love that tube sound and nothing has come out since the tube amp that compares. Yes I am defiantly pro-analogue. I love the warmth it uniquely provides.

I’ve gone back to mic’n'bass. A lot of people get really lazy and just DI it. DI’s really happened because if you had a bass player with a shitty sound, YOU PLUG A DI IN and you have a good sound… 9/10 most people are plugging a DI in but personally you cant beat the sound of air moving on a guitar or bass amp… there’s nothing like it. Where DI clinically speaking takes a lot of the personality out of the playing tones and feel of the bass… but you can use a combination, (when dealing with effect etc) a little bit of amp and a little bit of Di.

TheInSound) So would you always recommend mic’n up the bass?
RL) I would always want to try it first… I guess I did spend a few years just automatically using DI which is kind of a cop-out, lots of times you would get a bass player who doesn’t show up with an amp so you don’t have an option… but yes I like to mic up instruments when ever possible…

TheInSound) I was told McCartney couldn’t read music?
RL) Well yes, but you can be quite musical and not read. Lionel Bark who wrote Oliver, he couldn’t scribe or chart music but then again he wrote one of the most popular and celebrated musicals of all time. I think one does need to have some basics, if you don’t know the range and the basic rules it makes the writing process more difficult for the. I am a stickler for the real and also for hearing it… the whole thing about hearing it not seeing it. Actually hearing it, hearing the coloration of what the instrument actually does is much more important then watching wave files. Kids just look at their screen and don’t use there ears… if it sounds good it is good.

TheInSound) Do you have your own studio??
RL) I skip from place to place, whatever studio will have me… haha.

TheInSound) Is it hard figuring out the vibe of the room and getting the right sound, especially if it’s a room you have never been in before?
RL) Yes, it is a bit of a worry if your doing a mix, but as long as you have a reference point. I think that’s the most important thing. If I go to a studio I don’t or have never used I take something with me as a reference so I can asses the highs and lows properly.

TheInSound) Do you prefer to get a demo or an EP of the band your recording first before you start the recording process?
RL) Yes, that’s is always helpful but not essential.

TheInSound) You have Gold records, ARIAs, Platinum records and I am sure many plaques explaining your achievement and honours. Besides The Beatles, what do you feel is your biggest achievements as an engineer you are most proud of? Not necessarily something you have been awarded for, and why?
RL) Sherbet’s single Howzat went to # 2 in the UK… that’s probably it. Working here with an Australian band and having a record in England was the icing on the cake for me.

TheInSound) When recording The Beatles… what were some of your favorite microphones used in the recoding sessions?
RL) All the microphones used that are so perishes now. It was only after that era they became so famous. Nowadays they are collectors items, but back then they were just the standard mic’s we used. Wish I would have kept one, haha.

TheInSound) So Richard, what Mic’s specifically did you use with those original Beatles recordings?
RL) Everything was Neumann… everywhere, everywhere. A C12 AKG on the bass but the most popular/used was the Neumann’s, which is funny cause they are just so rare and expensive these days. The amazing thing was we used to complain about the noise on a 4 track compared to tape. But really a 4 track doesn’t compare at all to the noise you get from a 24 track makes.

• Vocals: U47 directional condenser…with 3 mic patters option
• Guitar: U47 Neumann, or a 67 Neumann
• Vocals: Neumann 67 or 9 times our of 10 it was a U47 Condenser
• Drums: 4038 Coles Ribbon on over heads and a thing called a D19 – Dynamic mic/AKG
• Basic Mic Set-up: C-12 AKG

TheInSound) Would Lennon use a different microphone set up then Harrison to get a different tone?
RL) Sometimes yes. Sometimes he would get fed up with sounds – he would use cheaper mics. So I would do something, screw up the patters and mess with the mic’s just to make him happy and sometimes you would think “hey, that’s not too bad.”

TheInSound) Who was the most contributing member of the Beatles in the studio??
RL) Depends on who song it was. If it was George’s song, he had total control. A lot of the times the rest of the guys wouldn’t show up. Nobody used to turn up for his session. Like something like Within You Without You there was a token bit of tambourine on it done by Paul who had just showed up at the time. Not sure how it was pre-Pepper but that’s how it was then. But I guess Paul was a lot more interested in the engineering process at the time.

TheInSound) Is that because Paul sang a lot of the back up melodies and played more on the albums?
RL) No. I think it’s because he had more patience. John was very impatient. He would fiddle with my effect and fiddle with something I had going, but he was very hard to pin down and he would get bored easily. But it was kind of the Paul show most of the time. unless it was something like Julia which was John’s song. Then John would take control – but yes he was a very impatient man.

TheInSound) It would be fair to say the younger generations of musicians are somewhat spoiled with machines that auto tune, programs with file sharing and internet capabilities, state-of-the-art software with internal digital effects, EQ’s, Reverbs, Quality Pre-amps for all types of instruments, or even the fact you don’t need to have a musical ear anymore, rather 2 double-A batteries and an electric tuner… When Abbey Road studios was recording the Beatles, there were no digital effects, no Pro-Tools endless tracks or filing sharing…..
RL) We never had any of that. Lead, bloody going into a guitar amp into the bloody desk (laughs). Bit of gain bit of reverb. Wah wah I think came out in ‘66 but that was about it… All those sounds we got were created on tapes. All we could do in those days is slow something down or speed it up, or maybe we would distort it.

TheInSound) How do you think the Australian Music scene is progressing in 2009 compared to when you first got to Australia? (ie the effect of pokies vs live music, the evolution and introduction DJ’s appealing to mainstream audiences, playing venues instead of bands, and the ongoing struggle that live venues face to keep afloat?
RL) Especially for jazz – and there is only a few places you can go – you used to be able to go to the Strawberry Hills for jazz. And it seems nowadays you need to go to an underground warehouse just to find some. Nowadays it seems they sell more T-shirts at gigs these days than CD’s, but if it wasn’t for the music there wouldn’t be a bloody t-shirt.

TheInSound) How do you know enough is enough when recording tracks?
RL) Funnily enough you could talk about that until the cows come home, but a great sounding record no matter what genera is a blend of the right instruments. It just needs a lot of thought and the right combination of sounds and frequencies… There is nothing wrong with the Phil Specter sound. EVEN working with Phil you can see how is mind works. It’s not a question of just putting reverb on everything, he had a way of getting that sound. And there was no such thing as 1 guitar with Phil. He’d want 5 guitars. and that’s why my sweet Lord has that huge guitar sound. Because he has 5 guys playing, all playing a different pattern, all playing different guitars that all sound different. And then its double tracked so that’s 10 guitars. But you have to do it live and get that perfect take. That’s just one of the many ideas Phill would create and make work.

TheInSound) Would Phil Spector create these crazy little ideas and then go off on a tangent?
RL) Yes sort of. I’ve never worked with anyone with such an amazing ear… a very good ear. Just a wild person all around and I loved working with him. We had a ball together!

TheInSound) Some important advice you would give to the aspiring engineers of the world out there?
RL) DON’T LOOK AT THE SCREEN. LISTEN. DON’T LOOK. I DON’T CARE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. JUST LISTEN.

TheInSound) And finally, What are some other engineers you have worked with that have inspired you and why?
RL) Living or dead?

TheInSound) Good question, your choice?
RL) I will give you one of each. Living (cause I know Al Schmitt I might just do this one day) but I’ve been to Capitol a couple times and it’s a fabulous building. Like Abbey Road, Capitol has this amazing history in it’s walls. But I would love to see Dianna Krall recording at Capitol. If I’m going back in time – Elvis, Sinatra or Glen Miller. I would love to have herd the Glen Miller band live.

As the 29th anniversary of his unspeakably tragic death recently passed, we honour and celebrate the utter legend that is John Lennon.

Please take a minute to read this message from Yoko Ono: An Affirmation For Planet Earth.

images courtesy of Sir George Martinn and orsorama

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!)

Some favourite clips from uz EMI’ers &’ ettes:

• Which one are you? (Asha)
• How old are you? (Asha)
• Would the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands (Paul G)
• The Walrus (Asha)
• Power To The People (Meegs)
• Playing basketball with Miles Davis (Craig H)
• The ballad of John and Yoko (Tara)
• Imagine (Pri)
• Beautiful Boy (Nikki)
• Jealous Guy (Nikki)
• Marlboro cigarettes commercial with George Harrison (Asha)

Hilarious early American interview. Interviewer: “Which one are you?” John: “Eric”… (Asha)

John: “How old are you? Let’s see how many rings you’ve got on your head…” (Asha)

John came out with a brillliant line at the Royal Variety show in 1963. With the Queen watching he said, “Would the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands, and the rest of you just rattle your jewelry”. So the Queen gives him a wave. (Paul G)

The Walrus. One of my favourite-ever clips, mainly for John’s hilarious facial expressions. The finest piece of nonsense ever written! (Asha)

Power To The People. You have to applaud a guy who’s not afraid to speak his mind. (Meegs)

John Lennon and Miles Davis playing basketball together Really cool footage (Craig H)

The Ballad of John and Yoko. The oversized sunnies, floppy hats, the twangy guitar. It’s such a cool ‘ballad’ about the two of them. (Tara)

Imagine. I love the Glee version… amazing (Pri)

Beautiful Boy. This song brings me to tears almost every time I hear it… Hey, I’m a softie! It’s a declaration of true and perfect love. It’s so sad he never saw him “come of age” as he sings in this beautiful song. It also has one of my favourite quotes “Life is what happens to you when you’re making other plans”. Oh, John. (Nikki)

Jealous Guy. What a melody! Such a great example of John’s near perfect coupling of purposeful melody with poignant and honest lyrics. Kills me every time. (Nikki)

John Lennon and George Harrison make a commercial for Marlboro Cigarettes. Brilliant. (Asha)

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)

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
	Hot N Cold – Katy Perry
Best Dance Recording
	When Love Takes Over – David Guetta & Kelly Rowland
Best Electronic/Dance Album
	One Love – David Guetta
	Yes – Pet Shop Boys
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
	American Classic – Willie Nelson
Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
	Life In Technicolor II – Coldplay
Best Hard Rock Performance
	Check My Brain – Alice In Chains
Best Alternative Music Album
	Sounds Of The Universe – Depeche Mode
Best Country Album
	Defying Gravity – Keith Urban
Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group
	Too Many Rappers – Beastie Boys & Nas
Best Male Country Vocal Performance
	Sweet Thing – Keith Urban
Best Country Album
	Defying Gravity – Keith Urban
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
	Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Willie Nelson & Norah Jones
Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package
	Lost In The Sound Of Separation – Deluxe Edition (Underoath) Jordan Butcher, art director
Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
Greg Kurstin It’s Not Me, It’s You (Lily Allen) Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future (The Bird And The Bee)
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
	The Girl And The Robot – Jean Elan Remix (Röyksopp) Jean Elan, remixer
	When Love Takes Over – Electro Extended Remix (David Guetta ft Kelly Rowland) David Guetta, remixer
Best Short Form Music Video
	Life In Technicolor II – Coldplay (Dougal Wilson, video director; Matthew Fone, video producer)
	Wrong – Depeche Mode (Patrick Daughters, video director; Jonathan Lia, video producer)
Best Long Form Music Video
	Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy World Tour Live – Keith Urban Chris Hicky, video director; Blake Morrison, video producer
	The Beatles “Love – All Together Now” - Adrian Wills, video director; Martin Bolduc & Jonathan Clyde, video producers

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.

Very exclusive, very limited, and very nice!

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! Free love, cheap grass and the government thinks everyone is a commy! You get the phone call from EMI Records; they want to record your first album!!! You did it man you did it!! So you get on the phone… no no, that will take too long. You jump on the bus and run to your bandmate’s parents house to tell them the good news, grab the gear and float your way into Abbey Road Studios faster then you wrote your first love song after she broke your heart and ran away with the lead singer of that band whose name you can’t remember but you know you hate them because it’s just easier that way.

You walk in the front door and receptionist greets you… She’s quite old to be working at the coolest studio in England you think to yourself, but rumour has it she makes a mean cup of tea. You’re too nervous to drink or eat for that matter so you roll yourself a cigarette, light a match, and sit with your legs crossed on the burgundy leather couch wait patiently. Your engineer come out to greet you – he’s wearing a white lab coat very similar to a medical doctor or a scientist. He explains the state-of-the-art features you will be using at this new studio, including a 4 track analogue desk – portable, however if you want it moved you will need 4 engineers in white lab coats to move it while 1 engineer in a brown lab coat stands by monitoring the safety of the move. The studio has an array of microphones to record with however this technology is so new and undiscovered you don’t have any point of reference to compare with just your mind, and that Beach Boys album you got for Christmas last year. You will have one engineer, no electric tunners, no effects pedals, no synth, and what the hell is MIDI!? Nothing, just a bit of reverb on your vox amp and a slight distortion when you crank the gain, so what are you waiting for??? Get in there and make it happen… No?? I think it’s safe to say – the times, they are ah chang’n’.

Nowadays all you need is a good quality pre-amp, a Pro Tools rig, some internal effects and a kick ass microphone and you’re well on your way to recording your first EP, live band jam, that late night magic moment you had, or even practice your radio voice for your triplej debut! Acts such as Gotye or Paul Dempsey have done in there home what bands in the 80’s and early 90’s would spend thousands and thousands trying to get that high quality recorded sound. I think it is safe to say that we are the home recording generation and proud of it. The need for a big studio does not have such an impact on musicians and bands as it used to, the strong hold record companies used to have with being associated with these big studios has taken a backseat and nowadays I find most bands are using these studios for their signature drum sound, recording the main guitar and bass takes, and taking the rest to work on in the comfort and stress free environment of your very own home. Not to mention a lot of money saved.

So here we have, some of the greatest music of the 60’s and 70’s tastefully altered for your kick ass new 7.1 home entertainment system so you can feel John Lennon’s Epiphone Casion shiver down your spine like someone just shoved an ice cube down your shirt.

So how did they do all this?

Check these facts out:

• The remastering process commenced with an extensive period conducting tests before finally copying the analogue master tapes into the digital medium. When this was completed, the transfer was achieved using a Pro Tools workstation operating at 24 bit 192 kHz resolution via a Prism A-D converter. Transferring was a lengthy procedure done a track at a time. Although EMI tape does not suffer the oxide loss associated with some later analogue tapes, there was nevertheless a slight build up of dust, which was removed from the tape machine heads between each title.
• From the onset, considerable thought was given to what audio restorative processes were going to be allowed. It was agreed that electrical clicks, microphone vocal pops, excessive sibilance and bad edits should be improved where possible, so long as it didn’t impact on the original integrity of the songs.
• De-noising technology, which is often associated with re-mastering, was to be used, but subtly and sparingly. Eventually, less than five of the 525 minutes of Beatles music was subjected to this process.
• Limiting to increase the volume level of the CD – has been used, but on the stereo versions only. However, it was unanimously agreed that because of the importance of The Beatles’ music, limiting would be used moderately, so as to retain the original dynamics of the recordings.
• The albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release.
• With the exception of the Past Masters set, newly produced mini-documentaries on the making of each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, are included as QuickTime files on each album. The documentaries contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere. (The bonus content on all original albums (ie not including Past Masters) is a mini-documentary which tells the story of the album using original footage from the Beatles’ own archive as well as other rare footage and the voice-over is entirely spoken by the Beatles themselves and George Martin.)

Thanks to http://loveallthis.tumblr.com for this work of absolute genius.

A little birdie told us some very good and some very sad news today…

Electro-glam-pop-oh-so-sensual duo Goldfrapp are set to score the upcoming film Nowhere Boy – a biopic about John Lennon’s childhood and teen years.

“We have written the score for a film called Nowhere Boy. It’s about John Lennon as a boy.” Alison Goldfrapp wrote on her blog.

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”.

Not a bad legacy, eh? Rest In Peace.

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!!