Fab 4’s New Releases Rock

First we must start with a question for you: “What is the best way for a member of Gen Y or Gen X to bait a baby boomer”? Answer: Be less than reverential when discussing the Beatles. (Thanks to Seth Schiesel of the New York Times).

So the music and the game world is, shall we say, “rocked” about 2 new releases about and from the Beatles. First up is a new video game that is garnering rave reviews, “The Beatles: Rock Band”. It comes as the latest release in the highly successful Rock Band and Guitar Hero series.

We confess we are not into video games. But reading Mr. Schiesel’s highly entertaining review of “The Beatles: Rock Band” might make us think about it. Apparently the computer screen shows the Beatles as they generate their music. The beauty of this game is that it has a chronological theme, so the game and the music change as the Beatles evolved. Using a microphone, electronic drum kit, and simulated bass and guitar, up to 6 players are the Beatles as their career and music moves from Liverpool to the Ed Sullivan Show to Abbey Road and beyond. According to the reviewer, this game brings the joy of music (and what music it is!) to new generations. By participating in its creation and its performance, game players are introduced to something special. And as Mr. Schiesel says, “Never before has a video game has such cultural resonance”.

The second new release is actually from the Beatles. The Beatle’s catalog has been remastered by EMI and will be released this Wednesday, September 9. It’s the complete catalog remastered from the original British albums, not the American releases which the Fab 4 weren’t quite as happy with. Allan Kozzin, music critic for the New York Times, loved the remasterings in “Long and Winding Road, Newly Repaved“. As he says: “In most cases this music has dimension and detail it never had before”. He particularly loved the sound on the “White Album”. The recordings are available individually or as a boxed set for $259.98.Enjoy