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On April 2, 1973, the first career-spanning compilations by The Beatles - broken up for three years - were released. Nicknamed for the colored borders around Angus McBean's iconic photos of The Fab Four (taken six years apart) leaning over a stairwell at EMI's offices in London, the "Red" (The Beatles 1962-1966) and "Blue" (The Beatles 1967-1970) albums offered on eight sides of vinyl a holistic view of the group's unbelievable discography: 54 hit singles, B-sides and treasured album cuts that would offer a perfect primer for new generations of Beatlemaniacs.
Five decades later - and 13 years after the sets were updated with the dramatic remastering offered for each album from 2009 - those albums will come back into print in another new fashion. These 2023 editions of the albums boast expanded track lists, modern and previously unreleased remixes, plus the inclusion of a track billed as "the last Beatles song." Both albums will be released on CD, vinyl and digitally on November 10.
The Beatles 1962-1966 and The Beatles 1967-1970 will not only be updated with new stereo mixes of material from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), The Beatles (1968), Abbey Road (1969) and Let It Be (1970) created by Giles Martin and Sam Okell for deluxe editions released between 2017 and 2021 (along with a select few tracks mixed in 2015 for a reissue of the band's bestselling 2000 collection 1). Indeed, the groundbreaking "demixing" technology that isolated illuminating audio in the Get Back documentary and created a new 2022 mix of Revolver (1966), pulling multitrack-quality elements from two-track stereo elements, will be afforded to tracks on both albums. A total of 20 tracks - some newly mixed and some from the previous mixes - will be further added to both sets as well. (On vinyl, the added tracks will be featured on a third LP so as not to interrupt the flow of the original double album presentations. The CDs will feature the bonus tracks chronologically in the main album sequence.) Dolby Atmos mixes of both albums will also be available in addition to the 2CD and 3LP formats.
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And, as hinted earlier this year, that demixing tech will improve one of the most elusive "lost" (and last) recordings by the group. For the Anthology project in 1995, surviving band members Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr entered the studio with producer Jeff Lynne and a cassette of piano/vocal demos by the late John Lennon. While Lynne was able to work with "Free As a Bird" and "Real Love," which became Top 20 hits in 1995 and 1996, a third, "Now and Then," was abandoned largely due to the poor quality of Lennon's original recording. Peter Jackson's demixing process has finally made it possible to present John's contributions in full fidelity. For the reissued The Beatles 1967-1970, "Now and Then" will be included: "the last Beatles song."
McCartney caused considerable controversy by initially describing the mixing process as "artificial intelligence," leading some to assume that facsimiles of his deceased bandmates were being created for the record. He set the record straight earlier this summer - and in fact, Paul, Ringo and producer Giles Martin entered Hollywood's Capitol Studios in 2022 (the final recording session there before the building closed for still-ongoing renovations) to record new parts for "Now and Then," with Harrison's original recordings from the Jeff Lynne sessions also incorporated. (Rolling Stone offers a deeper dive into the process.) "Now and Then" has been produced by Paul and Giles Martin, and features a string arrangement by McCartney, Martin, and Ben Foster.
A short documentary about "Now and Then," directed by Oliver Murray, will premiere on November 1. The digital release happens the very next day on November 2, and the limited edition physical formats of the single are out on November 3: various vinyl color variants in 10" and 12" formats both via general retail and direct-to-consumer, as well as a replica cassette. (A "Now and Then" music video, directed by Jackson, will premiere that same day.)
No CD single will be issued, but "Now and Then" will be available on The Beatles 1967-1970, which will be available November 10 alongside The Beatles 1962-1966 and in CD/LP box sets offering both sets at once.
The Beatles, Now and Then (Apple/Capitol/UMe, 2023)
Various Formats: The Beatles Online Store
7-inch clear single: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
7-inch blue single: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
12-inch black vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Target-exclusive red 12-inch single: Target.com
- Now and Then
- Love Me Do (Single Version)
The Beatles 1962-1966 & The Beatles 1967-1970 (2023 Edition Box Set) (Apple/Capitol/UMe, 2023)
4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada (links TBD)
6LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
The Beatles 1962-1966 (2023 Edition) (Apple/Capitol/UMe, 2023)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
* newly mixed + denotes track not on original compilation
Disc 1 *
- Love Me Do
- Please Please Me
- I Saw Her Standing There +
- Twist and Shout +
- From Me to You
- She Loves You
- I Want to Hold Your Hand
- This Boy +
- All My Loving
- Roll Over Beethoven +
- You Really Got a Hold on Me +
- Can't Buy Me Love
- You Can't Do That +
- A Hard Day's Night
- And I Love Her
- Eight Days a Week
- I Feel Fine
- Ticket to Ride
- Yesterday
Disc 2 (* newly mixed)
- Help! *
- You've Got to Hide Your Love Away *
- We Can Work It Out *
- Day Tripper *
- Drive My Car *
- Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) *
- Nowhere Man *
- Michelle *
- In My Life *
- If I Needed Someone * +
- Girl *
- Paperback Writer
- Eleanor Rigby
- Yellow Submarine
- Taxman +
- Got to Get You Into My Life +
- I'm Only Sleeping +
- Here, There and Everywhere +
- Tomorrow Never Knows +
Disc 1, Track 1 from Parlophone single 45-R-4949, 1962
Disc 1, Tracks 2-4 from Please Please Me - Parlophone PCS 3042, 1963
Disc 1, Track 5 from Parlophone single R-5015, 1963
Disc 1, Track 6 from Parlophone single R-5055, 1963
Disc 1, Tracks 7-8 from Parlophone single R-5084, 1963
Disc 1, Tracks 9-11 from With The Beatles - Parlophone PCS 3045, 1963
Disc 1, Tracks 12-15 from A Hard Day's Night - Parlophone PCS 3058, 1964
Disc 1, Track 16 from Beatles for Sale - Parlophone PCS 3062, 1964
Disc 1, Track 17 from Parlophone single R-5200, 1964
Disc 1, Tracks 18-19 and Disc 2, Tracks 1-2 from Help! - Parlophone PCS 3071, 1965
Disc 2, Tracks 3-4 from Parlophone single R-5389, 1965
Disc 2, Tracks 5-11 from Rubber Soul - Parlophone PCS 3075, 1965
Disc 2, Track 12 from Parlophone single R-5452, 1965. This mix previously released on Revolver (Special Edition) - Apple/Parlophone/Universal Music Group International 4559941, 2022
Disc 2, Tracks 13-19 from Revolver - Parlophone PCS 7009, 1966. These mixes previously released on Revolver (Special Edition)
The Beatles 1967-1970 (2023 Edition) (Apple/Capitol/UMe, 2023)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
* newly mixed ** previously unreleased + denotes track not on original compilation
Disc 1
- Strawberry Fields Forever
- Penny Lane
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
- With a Little Help from My Friends
- Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
- Within You Without You +
- A Day in the Life
- All You Need is Love
- I Am the Walrus *
- Hello Goodbye
- The Fool on the Hill *
- Magical Mystery Tour *
- Lady Madonna
- Hey Jude
- Revolution *
Disc 2
- Back in the U.S.S.R.
- Dear Prudence +
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- Glass Onion +
- Blackbird +
- Hey Bulldog * +
- Get Back
- Don't Let Me Down
- The Ballad of John and Yoko
- Old Brown Shoe *
- Here Comes the Sun
- Come Together
- Something
- Octopus's Garden
- Oh! Darling +
- I Want You (She's So Heavy) +
- Let It Be
- Across the Universe
- I Me Mine +
- The Long and Winding Road
- Now and Then **
Disc 1, Tracks 1-2 and 8-12 released on Magical Mystery Tour - Capitol SMAL-2835 (U.S.), 1967. These mixes of Tracks 1, 8 and 10 previously released on 1 - Apple/Universal Music Group International 0602547567628, 2015. This mix of Track 2 previously released on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (50th Anniversary Edition) - Apple/Parlophone/Universal Music Group International 0602557455328, 2017
Disc 1, Tracks 3-7 from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Parlophone PCS 7027, 1967. These mixes previously released on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (50th Anniversary Edition)
Disc 1, Track 13 from Parlophone single R-5675, 1968. This mix previously released on 1 reissue
Disc 1, Tracks 14-15 from Parlophone single R-5722, 1968. This mix of Track 14 previously released on 1 reissue
Disc 2, Tracks 1-6 from The Beatles - Apple PCS 7067/8, 1968. These mixes previously released on The Beatles (50th Anniversary Edition) - Apple/Universal Music Group International 0602567571957, 2018
Disc 2, Track 7 from Yellow Submarine - Apple PCS 7070, 1969
Disc 2, Tracks 8-9 from Apple single R-5777, 1969. This mix of Track 8 previously released on 1 reissue, This mix of Track 9 previously released on Let It Be (Deluxe Edition) - Apple/Universal Music Group International 0602507138691, 2021
Disc 2, Tracks 10-11 from Apple single R-5786, 1969. This mix of Track 10 previously released on 1 reissue
Disc 2, Tracks 12-17 from Abbey Road - Apple PCS 7088, 1969. These mixes previously released on Abbey Road (50th Anniversary Edition) - Apple/Universal Music Group International 0602577921124, 2019
Disc 2, Track 18 from Apple single R-5833, 1969. This mix previously released on Let It Be (Deluxe Edition)
Disc 2, Tracks 19-21 from Let It Be - Apple PCS 7096, 1970. These mixes previously released on Let It Be (Deluxe Edition)
Disc 2, Track 22 previously unreleased. Intended for Anthology 3 - Apple 72438 34451 2 7, 1996
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There is no need for Love Me Do on yet another vinyl or cassette single. They really should have made a CD single with the 1+ remixes of Free As A Bird and Real Love. But then they wouldn't have been able to sell the Blue album for 30 bucks.
Yep a cd single needed to be made available. Now Paul & Giles can use new AI on “Bird”/“R Love” and release it in the near future. Guess Paul figured their first single (“Love Me Do”) should be the B side of their latest, final release.
It's infuriating that Apple Records still doesn't understand what the fans want.
No CD single? Unreal!
“doesn’t care what you want” is not the same as “doesn’t know what you want”
Absolutely agree!
Thanks for posting, pre ordered.
HI,
Its had 5 v good reviews,,shud be amazing,,,,
My understanding is that ALL of the1962-1966 tracks are newly mixed, except those on last year's Revolver... So most of the Red anthology should read (*) = newly mixed
Not really. Some were mixed for Beatles 1+
No they aren't.
I was talking about the 62-66 (Red) collection.
And ALL the tracks are 2023 mixes except the ones from the Revolver box which are 2022 mixes.
When will the Dolby Atmos versions be available?
So... Where are FAAB and RL?
Apple orp still isn't doing much with Anthologies 1, 2, and 3?
That’s great!
I realize that the price of things keeps going up, but the prices they’re asking (especially for the single) bring new meaning to the term “gold record.” The days of my inner Beatles collector buying one of everything are long gone.
I don't understand why there is another Blue & Red reissue at this point. I imagine they won't touch Anthology for years (if ever again), but at least it should be a reissue of the last 3 Beatles songs, especially since you could improve FAAB and RL with demuxing.
I'd even guess there are many demos and acetates that could have been touched and added as a release. Anyway, since they dropped the Blu-Rays for a ridiculous online-only option for Dolby Atmos, they really don't seem to care about its collector fanbase.
I will buy, as I am such a fan... but I am disappointed. I really hoped for revised / updated versions of "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love." Also it is ridiculous that they are putting out a friggin' cassette single, but no CD single! Totally absurd!
Fleecing the fans. A reminder that John Lennon has been dead for almost 45-years and Harrison thought "Now And Then" was not up to snuff in 1995... What has changed since? Oh yes, Harrison has died.
What has changed is that AI has the ability to better separate the pieces of the original cassette recording so they can do a better cleanup and better mix.
$12.00 plus shipping getting greedy
Really looking forward to the red album .. and with the better tracks from "Rubber soul" on it, at least i won't have to buy that one when it eventually gets a stand alone release .. i realise these aren't physical dolby atmos releases (which i'd had loved) , but i really wasn't expecting one after what they did with "Revolver" ..
i have the later albums, mainly in surround, so won't be buying the blue one .. would love to hear that period's singles, and MMT tracks but i'll pass .. and not bothered by the lack of "Free as a bird" or "Real love" as i didn't like them anyway ..
still waiting on the rooftop "Get back" performance .. now that in dolby atmos would be excellent .. here's hoping .. but in the meantime i'll happily settle for the red album with "We can work it out" on .. pure heaven ..
i just cant begin to comment. not interested at all.
And yet here you are, commenting.....
Sticking with my 2014 red and blue albums that were from the original master tapes (AAA). They sound great and I consider them the definitive versions. I will buy one of the vinyl singles of the new song though. Prolly the Target one.
Well, the Red Album wasn't completely AAA, the Help! And Rubber Soul tracks used George Martin's remixes from 1987, meaning that those tracks were at best ADA (or even ADD!) and not AAA after all
It's hard to believe that Free As A Bird and Real Love have not already been remixed. Maybe Apple will see the error of their ways and come out with an EP with the three Lennon songs, and maybe add Leave My Kitten Alone remixed. It could be vinyl and/or CD, and would make a nice Christmas surprise for Beatles fans everywhere.
Free as a Bird and Real Love were remixed in 2015 for the 1+ DVD/Blu-ray. Ideally, of course, they could try again using better isolations of John's vocals. There are some murmurs about an Anthology reboot, which would be the logical place for new mixes (along with Kitten and countless other vault tracks).
It looks like the compilers of this release made a few big mistakes. First, if they were going to use Peter Jackson's technology to finish Now and Then, they should have used that same technology to create better mixesof Free as a Bird and Real Love. That's a no brainer. Second, they should have included all three tracks on the expanded Blue Album. Third, they should have released an EP (including a CD EP) of Now and Then, Free As a Bird and Real Love. And Fourth, they should have released a Blu-Ray containing high res stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes of the Red Album and Blue Album tracks.
Where's "I'll Get You' in stereo? This great neglected b side to "She Loves You" never gets a fair shake. Come to that, "Thank You Girl', in stereo, once considered for an A side, hardly ever gets looked at!
Yes! Both of those songs are terrific and bring back many many early Beatles memories! Great point!!
judging by the track listing all lps from please please me to rubber soul have already been remixed for a release some where in the future. sooo lets see that 6 lp over the next how many years?
Whilst all the talk is about the release of "new music" and up dated Red and Blue albums one thing is being overlooked. "Now And Then" isn't very good. Typical Lennon dirge a la "Real Love". Easy to see why it was put to one side back in 95. George was probably right!
i remember them as being a rock band not mor sludge, now and then is awful.
Have to agree. John wouldn’t have signed off on this one. But John…ah well. I was 12 in 1963. This ain’t the Beatles.
George was talking about the quality of the recording and not the song.
We'll have to ask him.....
Loyal fans and frequent buyers of vinyl records and cd's are increasingly tired of being milked by the large record companies, when it comes to how the back catalogue is being managed and physically reissued very regularly to squeeze every last $ of revenue. For Now and Then, all that is required is one CD single and one 7 inch single. That is enough.
As usual, THE BEATLES (an institution, not just a band) are immune to this valid complaint. You could be two months arrears on your rent, and the electric bill overdue, and people are STILL gonna buy these sets with their last remaining dollar. Any discussion of cost with The Beatles is a moot exercise. Capitol has been offering repackagings for the holiday season for some time now, and I'm sure they won't let the well run dry.
I'm just gonna wait n download the new stuff off YouTube one day when it appears. I only want to hear Now and Then. I've a Beatles fanatic but lord I've got bout everything ever released. They all sound good to me.
Hello,
Here's a question I have. Outside of the omission of "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love," are there any glaring omissions from the Beatles 1962-1970 catalog that weren't included on either of the original double albums or these expanded reissues? The only ones I can think of are "Long Tall Sally," "Kansas City / Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey," "Baby's In Black."
It's time for Jeff Jones' reign at Apple Corps to come to an end. His recent policy changes (concerning archival projects) are blatantly hostile to older (first and second generation) Beatles fans.
I have yet to find the 4 CD 62-70 set offered on Amazon. Udiscover Music only has the 6 LP box. The Beatles site shows the 4 CD set SOLD OUT.
shocked to hear love me do in stereo
A new remix of Free As A Bird and Real Love should have been included on the blue album.
i am sure there will be