HiRez Poll Beatles - LOVE [DVD-A]

[daved64]

They can clamor all they want, but the only reason that Love is in surround sound is that the Martins threw so much stuff together. Most of the original masters were stereo at best ... many were mono ... so if you want surround sound Beatles disks you should get a Variomatrix decoder because that might be as good as it gets. Sorry to be such a poop! There, I said "poop". Mike.

Cmon. Some of the mixes on Anthology DVD's are excellent. The only stuff that won't work well is from Please Please Me to Beatles For Sale, after that there is plenty of stuff that can be spread out thru 5 speakers. Remember, they would be going back to the MULTI's and the pre-bounce tracks, not just the 4 track tapes.

 

[JonUrban]

This DVD-A has been getting play every day in my car, and although I am now skipping a few tracks in repeated listening, I keep going back to:

Come Together
Drive My Car/What You're Doing/The Word
I Am the Walrus (Love the HoHoHo-HeHeHe-HaHaHa swirl!)
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite/I want You (I want this whole song!!)
Back in the USSR
A Day in the Life

I have not listened to this much repeated Beatles in YEARS!

 

[stereoptic]

I gave it a 9, although this album is much better than I had anticipated. The only thing holding it back from a 10 is that I am not sure if this is something that I am going to play straight through more than a few times. I almost did not buy this! What was I thinking? 'I Am The Walrus' in high resolution 5.1? My system has been patiently waiting for this for years!

 

[alk3997]

They can clamor all they want, but the only reason that Love is in surround sound is that the Martins threw so much stuff together. Most of the original masters were stereo at best ... many were mono ... so if you want surround sound Beatles disks you should get a Variomatrix decoder because that might be as good as it gets. Sorry to be such a poop! There, I said "poop". Mike.

Take a listen again to the Anthology DVD DTS 5.1-channel tracks. I Am the Walrus and Something really shine in 5.1-channel. Even going back further, Long Tall Sally's piano never sounded better than in 5.1.

Andy

 

[deepsky4565]

If you haven't done so, try to track down a copy of Dr. Ebbetts Please Please Me and With The Beatles centered vocals versions. I am very impressed by this effort. When run through my Fosgate surround setup, it gives me pretty darned good 5.1!!! Now if a guy tinkering with a computer can do such a good job, why can't EMI? I think the Anthology more or less showed that even with limited 2 or 4 track sources, good sounding 5.1 can be had. If they sound bad, at least we'll get (hopefully) better mastered or even remixed stereo. The handful of mono tracks will probably never sound good in 5.1 however.

 

[Floyfn]

I think the Martin boys did a great job. After hearing this I hope they're recruited for any other 5.1 Beatles back catalouge. :banana:

 

[Neon Kitten]

You can't do that.
If they used Sonic's DAC then the Layer Break can be specified in 2 places, but it must be specified - and can go at the start of any track.

That would make logical sense; however, the layer break, while obviously intended to be at a break between tracks, actually happens during the tail of one, cutting off the audio.

Not sure where it could have gone, as pretty well all the tracks segue in some form or another.
Tough call.

Where they've tried to place it - between USSR and While My Guitar Gently Weeps - is a silent moment. Obviously they intended to place it in the silence, but something went wrong.

 

[JonUrban]

Anyone who wants to download some real high quality "approved" by Capitol photos of the Martins, the Beatles, and Love can go HERE and save the zip file. Not quite sure why the have it this way, but the photos are quite good!

 

[Zepguy]

They can clamor all they want, but the only reason that Love is in surround sound is that the Martins threw so much stuff together. Most of the original masters were stereo at best ... many were mono ... so if you want surround sound Beatles disks you should get a Variomatrix decoder because that might be as good as it gets. Sorry to be such a poop! There, I said "poop". Mike.

Mike, you're such a POOPmouth!

While I cannot comment on the quality of this disc (since it has already been purchased as a gift by my wife, and I'm being forced to wait until Christmas... Good Grief!! ) I have to agree with Daved64's reply. While I don't know how the mono tracks could be very good, I believe their later albums could be done amazingly well in 5.1. Imagine Revolver, Yellow Submarime, Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road and the white album done in 5.1! I'm ready!!

One question I have concerning LOVE is....are the remaining Beatles getting any money from this? Or since Michael Jackson owns the rights to these songs :howl is that wierdo getting the royalties? (What a messed up situation that is) Or are the Martins getting it all??

 

[Cai Campbell]

Well, I haven't been able to listen to this yet in surround since all my surround gear is still in storage, but I've been listening to the CD in my car.

Granted, the car is not a place for critical listening, but holy crap I don't think I've heard these songs sound so good! I don't know what all the complaining is about, I LOVE (no pun intended) the new mixes, crossfades, mash-ups or whatever you want to call them. This disc is a wonderful ride from start to finish. I have never heard the Beatles sounds so FRESH except for the first time I heard these songs all those years ago. This release trounces anything Apple has released since 1970. In my opinion, this is an utter masterstroke!

I won't vote until I've heard the surround release, but LOVE is now my number one reason for wanting to get my new house finished! Until then, I'll have to settle for DPLII in the car (which works quite nicely with this particular disc, BTW).

 

[JonUrban]

Anyone who thinks that these Beatles tunes are not in "real" surround is invited to take a ride with me in the RDX. This is for real, folks, and I can't wait for an "Abbey Road" CD+DVD-A combo pack. PLEASE PLEASE ME!!

 

[elmer]

a 10 all the way - Great surround, great fidelity, great content - how anyone could give this a 5 or a 6@:

 

[dr. simple]

While I don't know how the mono tracks could be very good,

I must admit I thought the same thing until I heard "I Want To Hold Your Hand" reach out of my system and grab me by the neck. Holy mackerel! Then I listened on thebeatles.com that the lined up the studio version with the Hollywood Bowl version. That really pumped some excitement into it, IMHO.

 

[Zepguy]

I must admit I thought the same thing until I heard "I Want To Hold Your Hand" reach out of my system and grab me by the neck. Holy mackerel!

That's good to hear.... I can't wait to give this a listen!! Maybe I'll have to do an early gift exchange with my wife this year!

 

[daved64]

One question I have concerning LOVE is....are the remaining Beatles getting any money from this? Or since Michael Jackson owns the rights to these songs :howl is that wierdo getting the royalties? (What a messed up situation that is) Or are the Martins getting it all??

Edit: Here's the deal on the rights that Wacko owns:

What Michael Jackson bought for $47.5 million in 1985 was the publishing rights to 159 or 251 Beatles songs, depending on who's counting. To maybe oversimplify a complicated business, publishing rights are basically the sheet music rights. When Paul McCartney wanted to print the lyrics to "Eleanor Rigby" and other Beatles classics in the program for his 1989 world tour, he discovered he'd have to pay a fee to Michael Jackson. The owner of the publishing rights (hereinafter the publisher) also gets a royalty when someone plays a Beatles song on a jukebox or the radio or does a cover version of a Fab Four tune. Particularly in the case of elevator music, to which, let's be frank, a lot of Beatles tunes are well suited, this can earn the publisher some serious cash.

But there are a couple things the publisher can't do. The first is to mess with, or license the use of, Beatles recordings. Michael Jackson agreed to license the words and music of "Revolution" to Nike for a 1987 shoe commercial, but he had to persuade Capitol Records, owner of the tune's North American recording rights, to allow use of the actual record. Most likely he'd have to do the same to overdub said record with his own voice, although he might get away with including a snippet in a musical collage, something even John Lennon did that has now become impossible to control.

 

[Zepguy]

The owner of the publishing rights (hereinafter the publisher) also gets a royalty when someone plays a Beatles song on a jukebox or the radio or does a cover version of a Fab Four tune.

Thanks for the info Dave. This subject seems to be even more complicated than I thought.

So....doesn't the above quote mean the owner of the publishing rights gets royalties from CD sales as well? I'm just hoping that Wack Jacko isn't making money from this (while he's stirring roofies into some kids applesauce) but I'm afraid he may be.

 

[daved64]

Thanks for the info Dave. This subject seems to be even more complicated than I thought.

So....doesn't the above quote mean the owner of the publishing rights gets royalties from CD sales as well? I'm just hoping that Wack Jacko isn't making money from this (while he's stirring roofies into some kids applesauce) but I'm afraid he may be.

I have LOVE in my hand. The bottom right back cover states "All songs published by Sony/ATV music....."

So if he still does have a stake in it, then the answer is yes.

Let's not get too off topic. Cai will yell at us.

 

[Chris Gerhard]

I went to see The Liverpool Legends show in Branson this weekend. Louise Harrison and/or her financial backers have put together a show based on her little brother's old group. They have gotten the best talent they could lure from various Beatles tribute bands. This show is great, of course no surround, it is a modest production using old Vox guitar amps that look just like I recall seeing the Beatles use.

I did visit with people around me about "Love" and I bet I sold it to at least a couple that weren't aware of the DVD-A surround version. Louise is there as hostess and she is certainly a nice woman with some interesting stories about the Beatles early days, but no gossip and certainly nothing naughty to say. Her little brother was basically a baby when it all started and she was apparently around a lot in the early days to help him, and their parents, out.

Believe it or not, this tribute show was the best concert I have seen in years. It works, I hope they don't try to make it too elaborate next year but it was apparently a modest success and will be back. If anybody here ever goes to Branson, don't miss this show, it is far and away the best rock music show I have ever seen in Branson.

Chris

 

[Frantic]

I could only give this a 10.

My 16 yr old son and I sat down and gave this a good listen.
We may have looked at each other a few times but said very little. We were mesmerized.

This was pure genius on the part of the Martins. Hats off to them both.

I will comment on selected tracks on the other thread.

 

[wavelength]

I listened to the 5.1 Dvd-audio. What a treat. I was on the verge of tears a couple of times. I don't recall ever being so affected by a recording. Hearing those songs so clearly, in surround, was truly amazing. Surprise mix - Strawberry Fields - it is a better song now - better than the original.

10 doesn't do this album justice. I feel like I just found some gold.