Attempt To "Digitalize" Beatles Goes Sour 434
An anonymous reader points to this article at exclaim.ca, which begins "Just when Beatles fans thought the band were finally going digital, the Norwegian national broadcaster has been forced to call off the deal. Broadcasting company NRK has had to remove a series of 212 podcasts, each of which featured a different Beatles song and would have effectively allowed fans to legally download the entire Fab Four catalogue for free."
MP3s (Score:5, Informative)
The Beatles aren't on iTunes because Apple is pissed at Apple. I was also under the impression that under British law, early Beatles recordings are about to become public domain so there is this sudden urgency to create and sell Beatles music online in some format.
And if I'm not mistaken, there is a Beatles Rock Band game coming out next Christmas.
Re:Is this that important ? (Score:1, Informative)
"Yellow Matter Custard"
Re:Paul and Ringo loose out (Score:3, Informative)
To be specific, this is the article that the GP should check out and thoroughly understand before he starts spouting off like that again
http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/jackson.asp [snopes.com]
Digitalize? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Peace and love and the most overrated band ever (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Is this that important ? (Score:5, Informative)
If you listen in a general way and look for "appeal," then The Beatles will probably not impress you. At the time they recorded, there was nobody better. But since you're listening in 2008, not 1968, you're seeing them through the wrong end of 40 years of improvements in pop music technology and marketability. We're much better now at making "appealing" pop, so Britney Spears (or more precisely, her extensive team of producers, engineers and session players) is just plain better at it than The Beatles were, in the same way that a middling 2008 relief pitcher could consistently strike out Babe Ruth if you didn't give him the benefit of modern training, video replays, etc.
The difference only arises if you listen for detail, which requires a little more work on your part. If you actually want to get what people see in The Beatles, try the following:
1. Play "A Day In The Life" but focus only on the drums (when they come in at about 0:45).
2. Play "Drive My Car" but focus only on the bass.
3. Play "Nowhere Man" and focus only on the vocals. (If you don't get it on this one, remember that electronic vocal effects hadn't been invented yet: This is simply three people singing.)
4. Play "I've Just Seen A Face" and focus on the interplay of the two acoustic guitars.
5. Play "Eleanor Rigby" and really concentrate on the lyrics, and what they mean.
6. Do the same with "For No One."
7. Now that you're in the right frame of mind, play "Strawberry Fields Forever" and listen for detail. You should immediately feel how much "stuff" there is in it, and how it all comes together.
8. Finish with "Here Comes The Sun." Listen the same way.
Let me know if it works.
-Graham
Re:Is this that important ? (Score:3, Informative)
But I still wish radio didn't suck so much.
perhaps you should try http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/ [abc.net.au]. its a radio station that doesnt play too much (any?) of the top 40, no commercials, and streams over t3h n3tz0rz. while i'm out of their demographic at 37, and dont like all the music, i love the fact there is "no fricken ads"
Re:Is this that important ? (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/
Thanks, I'll check it out. I've found a few streaming stations that I like, including SomaFM [somafm.com] and WFMU [wfmu.org].
This is the story behind the podcasts: (Score:5, Informative)
"Vår daglige Beatles" (Our daily Beatles) was a daily radio program presenting all 212 recordings by The Beatles in chronological order, presented by Bård Ose and Finn Tokvam. Every presentation lasted about five minutes and contained interesting facts about the song -- what the inspiration for the song was, how it was recorded, some trivia about the period it was recorded, and so on. A very well-produced and informative work. The radio show started January 2007, and every Beatles song was played in its full length. It's believed this is the only time Revolution 9 [wikipedia.org] was played in its entirety on Norwegian radio.
The last episode was aired 2007-12-13, and when christmas 2007 arrived, all 212 podcasts were put out for download at nrk.no as a christmas present for all Beatles fans, with the music removed. A real treasure, even though I had this cron job running every day to download each episode. Still, it was nice to get the complete collection.
This January NRK was planning to release every episode with the music. They got a deal with TONO (the Norwegian RIAA) and everything was OK, but it turned out that the agreement with IFPI and FONO only allowed publishing shows aired the last four weeks, and as mentioned, these programs were aired in 2007, so the podcasts had to be pulled.
Re:Is this that important ? (Score:4, Informative)
"Interesting observation actually, I think many more modern youth know Frank Sinatra than they do the Beatles."
I think you're dead wrong. I'm 17, and still in high school. *Everybody* knows who the Beatles are. If you mention Frank Sinatra, most of the time you'll get funny looks.
Re:Is this that important ? (Score:1, Informative)
"Within you, without you" on Sgt. Pepper is diatonic with Indian instruments and very strong Indian influence. That's not smashing pumpkins.
Re:Is this that important ? (Score:3, Informative)
fair point, but Mozart would not have actually performed his own music so it is not quite the same thing.
Errm, what? Mozart was known as a performer at an age when Britney wasn't even in Mickey Mouse Club, also playing his own pieces.
Re:Is this that important ? (Score:3, Informative)
I *almost* agree with you. I know of two reasons to put the Beatles on a pedestal above most pop music.
One is their level of skill. You may not be impressed with their guitar work, but it has to be said that the Beatles were, at the time, the top of the game in songwriting, concert performance, and coordination between the band members.
Two is the innovation of the 'Wall of sound' [wikipedia.org]. The Beatles were one of the groups that pioneered this technique and they showcased it brilliantly. But that had little to do with the band, it was the work of their producer.
So yes, the Beatles deserve to be highlighted in the annals of music history. Not as much as some people do, but they deserve more recognition than the average pop group.