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Post by joeyself on May 10, 2017 17:16:15 GMT -5
Saw a picture over the weekend of Allan Kozinn holding a vinyl and CD set. He is writing a review of it, so he hasn't posted any more than the photo. That single picture beats those mundane "hey, watch me open this box" videos. A trend I thought would have died years ago, I still see them pop up on YouTube. Easy enough to ignore, but what's the point? If you care, you'll open your own; if you don't care, well, you don't care... JcS I think those videos are only for the makers to show-off and brag because usually they are posting those videos before the official release. Yeah, that's the general idea I get from them, but I think the last one I watched was an early opening of the Stereo box set in 2009. They were a bit novel then; now, I see tons of them on YouTube. But even though I think they are goofy, they are harmless, I guess. JcS
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kc
Beatle Freak
Posts: 1,085
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Post by kc on May 10, 2017 19:24:01 GMT -5
I don’t have any problem with YouTube unwrapping videos. They can be useful. Over the last few months I have bought all of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection box sets. I hadn’t previously purchased them because I was mainly interested in getting the bonus audio that in any case appeared on the cheaper 2 CD versions. Then along came Flowers In The Dirt and that strategy was all messed up. I started thinking whether to simply buy the latest box set and forego the earlier ones. Then it occurred to me that there might still be further releases to come. Would I need to buy them as well? So, I started looking at the unwrapping videos of the early releases just to see what I would be getting for my money and that clinched the deal.
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Post by joeyself on May 11, 2017 8:20:40 GMT -5
I don’t have any problem with YouTube unwrapping videos. They can be useful. Over the last few months I have bought all of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection box sets. I hadn’t previously purchased them because I was mainly interested in getting the bonus audio that in any case appeared on the cheaper 2 CD versions. Then along came Flowers In The Dirt and that strategy was all messed up. I started thinking whether to simply buy the latest box set and forego the earlier ones. Then it occurred to me that there might still be further releases to come. Would I need to buy them as well? So, I started looking at the unwrapping videos of the early releases just to see what I would be getting for my money and that clinched the deal. I don't have a PROBLEM with them, I find them pointless for my needs; you found a use for yours. JcS
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Post by Joe Karlosi on May 11, 2017 9:59:25 GMT -5
I don’t have any problem with YouTube unwrapping videos. They can be useful. Over the last few months I have bought all of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection box sets. I hadn’t previously purchased them because I was mainly interested in getting the bonus audio that in any case appeared on the cheaper 2 CD versions. Then along came Flowers In The Dirt and that strategy was all messed up. I started thinking whether to simply buy the latest box set and forego the earlier ones. Then it occurred to me that there might still be further releases to come. Would I need to buy them as well? So, I started looking at the unwrapping videos of the early releases just to see what I would be getting for my money and that clinched the deal. Exactly. Obviously the unwrapping videos can be an immensely helpful tool to let people see everything they would be getting if they ordered the item. Not just like looking at one flat photograph somewhere. As to the "bragging" charge - I can't speak for others, but it's not about bragging for me. If I can get a new item early I like to show it online as a "heads up" for people. It's like reporting news. That's what an online channel is about. Same thing as a magazine/newspaper article, or writing a post on a message board.
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Post by John S. Damm on May 11, 2017 11:09:55 GMT -5
I think those videos are only for the makers to show-off and brag because usually they are posting those videos before the official release. I'm looking forward to making my own "hey, watch me open this box" video. Thousands of viewers often seem interested enough to view them and get happy seeing what they're all about. And discussing it together in the comments section. Anyone who doesn't care does not have to watch them, and instead can complain about them here. Oh, you make videos?
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Post by John S. Damm on May 11, 2017 11:15:49 GMT -5
I don’t have any problem with YouTube unwrapping videos. They can be useful. Over the last few months I have bought all of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection box sets. I hadn’t previously purchased them because I was mainly interested in getting the bonus audio that in any case appeared on the cheaper 2 CD versions. Then along came Flowers In The Dirt and that strategy was all messed up. I started thinking whether to simply buy the latest box set and forego the earlier ones. Then it occurred to me that there might still be further releases to come. Would I need to buy them as well? So, I started looking at the unwrapping videos of the early releases just to see what I would be getting for my money and that clinched the deal. I don't have a PROBLEM with them, I find them pointless for my needs; you found a use for yours. JcS Whenever I have seen them the dude talking let's us know that he has the product before everyone else. I find the amazon.com written descriptions quite adequate to inform what is in the package. Or the dudes get real creepy like pulling a CD out of the box and say shit like, "Wow I feel like I am holding a piece of Paul!" WTF, holding what piece of Paul you wanker! Yeah, I don't watch them, one is held captive by the commentary and they are inevitably braggadocious.
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Post by debjorgo on May 11, 2017 16:22:05 GMT -5
I think they are fun enough to watch, if I like the product. Is there a Pepper one out now? I'd love to see it.
One thing good, the person doing the opening is usually a big fan. The only thing I've ever noticed was they were big excited.
Having the time to watch is the problem. My DVR is so demanding. I've been meaning to get back to Joe's videos.... I've watched about 5 of them then I stalled out. It would had been great to have had the internet and youtube back when I was a kid.
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Post by stavros on May 13, 2017 13:53:34 GMT -5
Good news for our American friends.
The specially made BBC documentary to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pepper will be shown on PBS June 3rd.
Check your local listings for times.
To whet appetites a little more. Here are a couple of videos.
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Post by John S. Damm on May 17, 2017 9:21:14 GMT -5
I am getting really excited about this 50th Anniversary Sgt. Pepper release! I cannot wait in fact!
I am on a huge Beatles' album playing binge and just greatly enjoying them like I have not done since I was a teenager! You all can relate how we know the Beatles studio albums by heart, like the back of our hands, and sometimes we search elsewhere to get that buzz, from bootlegs or Anthology and whatnot.
But I am going back to the stereo albums as re-issued in 2009 and getting a huge buzz. Hell, even With The Beatles thrills me despite the criminal absence of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "This Boy."
The music does the talking for me. I still have not cracked open my super-duper imported Lewisohn Volume I but I do not want to read about Beatles right now, I just want to listen to Beatles! There is no bullshit, no agendas in the music itself!
I cannot wait until this Pepper re-issue is released. It is going too slow for me. And stay away from the discussion of this on the Hoffman Board, the Pepper anticipation Thread, if you are excited like me as the naysayers and Beatles uber-nerds are already complaining and whining about Giles Martin and everything else! Or there is just blatant speculation!
I will not let them or Paul McCartney's 2017 remembrances(essentially "Pepper was all me" and the "the boys helped") ruin this for me. In the music itself certainly John Lennon and George Harrison are alive and well and the magic of all four men is there apparent!
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Post by stavros on May 17, 2017 16:10:45 GMT -5
I am getting really excited about this 50th Anniversary Sgt. Pepper release! I cannot wait in fact! Me too JSD. I think Pepper has slowly but surely been sidelined as the decades have passed. With newer generations seeing it as being very much of 1967 and that psychedelic, counter-culture era that began to be frowned upon in 1980s and eventually extinguished by the 21st century. When the Beatles became hot again in the 90s, with the Anthology project and (in Britain) the era of BritPop, Revolver started taking the plaudits. Pepper could never quite climb back on it's high pedestal again. I have been totally different and in anticipation have decided to refrain from listening to too much of the Beatles. But the wait is almost over now!!!! I hope our expectations are met with the new Pepper remixes. I think they will be. It is time for Sgt. Pepper to shine once again. The BBC documentaries and the celebrations organized will hopefully bring this album to new audiences as well. Agreed. The magic of the Beatles was the four lads working together. Some Beatles are not more equal than others. However there is an interesting interview with Paul in Rolling Stone.. How Paul McCartney's Travels Inspired the Title TrackIs it all about him? I'd like to think it isn't all about "Sgt. Macca and the Others Gave a Hand".
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Post by joeyself on May 17, 2017 16:11:34 GMT -5
Saw a picture over the weekend of Allan Kozinn holding a vinyl and CD set. He is writing a review of it, so he hasn't posted any more than the photo. That single picture beats those mundane "hey, watch me open this box" videos. A trend I thought would have died years ago, I still see them pop up on YouTube. Easy enough to ignore, but what's the point? If you care, you'll open your own; if you don't care, well, you don't care... JcS If you see his review please let us know. Here you go: Allan Kozinn's review in the Wall Street Journal: www.wsj.com/articles/sgt-pepper-turns-50-1495054378The surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, have been strangely reluctant to acknowledge, must less celebrate, the 50th anniversaries of the Beatles’ recordings as they’ve come around since 2012. Even signal achievements like “Rubber Soul” (1965) and “Revolver” (1966), in which they moved decisively beyond teen pop, passed without the expansive archival reissues now customary among rockers. But even for the anniversary-averse Beatles, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” is an album that demands special treatment, and they are celebrating its half century by releasing a new stereo mix in multiple formats: as a single CD; as part of a “Deluxe Edition” double CD or LP, with the second disc devoted to an alternative “Sgt. Pepper” built of previously unissued outtakes; and in a six-disc “Super Deluxe Edition” that also includes DVD and Blu-ray discs with a documentary and an immersive 5.1 surround-sound mix, two CDs of outtakes and a third devoted to the original mono mix, and a hardback book packed with recording details and essays about the music, its cultural context, and reception. The reissues are being released by Apple/UMG on May 26. Recorded between November 1966 and April 1967, and released that June, “Sgt. Pepper” has roots in the electronic experiments and timbral expansion the Beatles undertook on “Revolver.” But they proceeded more boldly this time, creating a sequence of songs that leads listeners through a wonderland of psychedelic imagery, wrapped in a fabric of intertwined rock, classical, electronic and Indian timbres and techniques, and tucked into an eye-catching jacket showing two iterations of the Beatles (as 1964 moptops and in their 1967 Day-Glo finery) surrounded by celebrities and historical figures. Love songs, long the Beatles’ mainstay, are scarce on “Sgt. Pepper,” beyond a vaudeville-style tune imagining family life at 64, and a rocker about an unsuccessful attempt to seduce a meter maid. Instead, the Beatles offer a lushly orchestrated tale of a teenage runaway and her distressed parents; a visit to a Victorian circus, with a musique concrète accompaniment; a disquisition on Indian philosophy; a dark, sociological parsing of a Corn Flakes commercial that gives way to animal sounds that morph between species and become a stampede; and a startling, dreamlike finale, punctuated by aleatoric orchestral crescendos and ending with a grand, crashing E major chord played on massed (overdubbed) keyboards. “Sgt. Pepper” sounds as vibrantly imaginative now as it did in 1967, and the new mix, by Giles Martin (whose father, George, produced all the Beatles’ recordings) and Sam Okell, has given it an invigorating facelift. Mr. Martin’s template was the 1967 mono mix, which his father and the Beatles preferred, and which is superior to the contemporaneous stereo mix in some ways. The vocals on “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” for example, are appropriately spacey in mono, less so in the original stereo mix, and “She’s Leaving Home” runs faster in mono, leaving its stereo counterpart sounding draggy and mawkish. Wherever he found such differences, Mr. Martin preserved the characteristics of the mono version. The original stereo mix has its charms, but there were limits to what could be done at the time. The Beatles recorded “Sgt. Pepper” on four-track equipment, and because they were enamored of overdubbing, they adopted a method that involved filling a four-track tape and copying those tracks to a second reel, freeing tracks on the new tape by doing “reduction mixes” of the original material along the way. The mixing, though, limited the flexibility with which instruments and voices could be placed in a stereo image. And the copying meant a reduction in quality. Fortunately, the unmixed original elements were preserved, and they have been transferred to multitrack digital media, allowing Giles Martin the freedom to make a solid, modern stereo mix, with a natural, balanced placement of voices and instruments across the soundstage, notably improved clarity of timbres, and greater energy in the bass and drums—something the Beatles always demanded. There are trade-offs. The 1967 stereo mix has a suppleness, especially in the vocals, that is diminished here, and Mr. Martin has jettisoned the original mix’s antiphonal vocal placements and surrealist panning effects. But the weightier new mix gives the feeling of being in the studio with the band. The outtakes in the Deluxe editions offer a crucial glimpse into the Beatles at work. You hear the “Sgt. Pepper” songs (plus “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields Forever,” recorded during the sessions but released as a single) taking shape, with different approaches to vocal phrasing, instrumental arrangement changes, and studio banter that lets us eavesdrop on the process itself. You could not have hoped for a more comprehensive tribute to this extraordinary album. It’s past time the Beatles’ other recordings were given the same attention
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Post by debjorgo on May 17, 2017 17:05:51 GMT -5
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Post by debjorgo on May 17, 2017 17:32:00 GMT -5
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kc
Beatle Freak
Posts: 1,085
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Post by kc on May 25, 2017 3:30:34 GMT -5
Tomorrow is the big day!
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Post by John S. Damm on May 25, 2017 8:43:31 GMT -5
Thanks Joey, that review did not disappoint yet it is very objective based on some other reviews I have read thus far. It fires me up but does not engage in hyperbole. And yes, it is a crime that Rubber Soul and Revolver were not likewise given the deluxe 50 year Anniversary re-issue treatment even if they were not accorded the hype that Pepper is. 2015 and 2016 sure would have been enhanced with those albums getting such treatment! If Paul McCartney's Solo albums are worthy of deluxe Box treatment(and I believe they are) then The Beatles certainly are! As an aside, "a friend of us all" has advised that the audiophiles are up in arms on the Hoffman Board as the "official dynamic range figures" have been released for this Pepper Box and the DR is lower than the 2009 Stereo remaster in all songs and much lower on the iconic last two songs. Our friend reports that there is mass anguish and anger on Hoffman, people vowing to return their Pepper Boxes and in general all hell has broken loose over the Dynamic Range! LOL, that is why I quit reading any posts in that other Board's Pepper Thread because it was bound to be negative but I guess, as reported to me, it has exploded in fury over there!
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Post by John S. Damm on May 25, 2017 14:35:00 GMT -5
Has anyone here(besides Steve M.) received their Sgt. Pepper Box early? I know of one person who has but he lives in the U.K.
How does that happen? Here in the States does UPS and USPS have orders not to deliver this until May 26, 2017 but individual carriers/drivers get it and either say "Screw it" or do not know of the delivery hold and unknowingly deliver it anyway?
Any Postmen or Postwomen or UPS drivers who can enlighten us on how some folks have gotten this early.
UPS says mine is coming tomorrow as it should.
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Post by debjorgo on May 25, 2017 16:48:43 GMT -5
Amazon.com is still "Preparing for Shipment" on mine. Couldn't they have already prepared to ship it yesterday and just shipped it today?
Mon - get it ready to ship it. Tuesday - fix to ship it. Wednesday - prepare it to ship. Thursday - throw it in the damn box and ship it!
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Post by stavros on May 25, 2017 16:53:10 GMT -5
As an aside, "a friend of us all" has advised that the audiophiles are up in arms on the Hoffman Board as the "official dynamic range figures" have been released for this Pepper Box and the DR is lower than the 2009 Stereo remaster in all songs and much lower on the iconic last two songs. Our friend reports that there is mass anguish and anger on Hoffman, people vowing to return their Pepper Boxes and in general all hell has broken loose over the Dynamic Range! LOL, that is why I quit reading any posts in that other Board's Pepper Thread because it was bound to be negative but I guess, as reported to me, it has exploded in fury over there! I am not really bothered about people who make claims about the Dynamic Range. It's a subjective thing. The Beatles put a dog whistle on the infamous 'inner groove' and none of us can hear it! No matter how much they fiddle with the dynamic range. So let's all judge what we hear when our copies arrive. I've only gone for the 2CD set and have taken the afternoon off tomorrow to give it a listen. Looking forward to everyone's opinions over the next few days, weeks and even months.
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Post by stavros on May 26, 2017 14:42:43 GMT -5
It's Finally Here............
Yep. 70 years ago Sgt Pepper began to teach the band to play.
50 years after that first summer of love, the skies cleared over Great Britain. The sun came out and we enjoyed our warmest, sunniest day of the year. A perfect day for listening to this new incarnation of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The new mixes are certainly not a disappointment. There is a much fuller sound with the stereo repositioning giving the album a much more modern and richer sound. Ringo's drums are much brighter in the mix. Paul's bass is more distinctive. Then there are the little subtle parts that are much clearer in the mix.
Things I noted were that with Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, John sounds less dreamy in the verses. She's Leaving Home does sound better at a slightly different pitch. Good Morning seems to have a lot more animal noises. The inner groove is retained at the end.
Oh and Paul hasn't got any grandchildren called Vera, Chuck or Dave. There's still time I suppose!
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Post by debjorgo on May 26, 2017 16:58:16 GMT -5
Amazon.com is still "Preparing for Shipment" on mine. Couldn't they have already prepared to ship it yesterday and just shipped it today? Mon - get it ready to ship it. Tuesday - fix to ship it. Wednesday - prepare it to ship. Thursday - throw it in the damn box and ship it! Amazon is still preparing to ship?! I guess there is more to "preparing it to ship" than I realized.
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Post by OldFred on May 26, 2017 17:36:00 GMT -5
Got the box this afternoon. Listened to the remix and it sounds great, looking forward to hearing the rest of it. The book and extras are incredible. Definitely worth getting!
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Post by debjorgo on May 26, 2017 23:34:01 GMT -5
Number one on amazon.com. In Cd's & Vinyl, Pop and Rock.
Number seven on iTunes.
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Post by OldFred on May 27, 2017 9:15:20 GMT -5
So, did anyone else use the download only card for 'Carnival Of Light'? 😉
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Post by debjorgo on May 27, 2017 10:40:45 GMT -5
Number one on amazon.com. In Cd's & Vinyl, Pop and Rock. Number seven on iTunes. Number 6 on iTunes today. Amazon still hasn't shipped mine. I'm tempted to cancel the two disc set and get it on iTunes. I just would hate to not have it in my CD case on the wall.
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Post by coachbk on May 27, 2017 11:20:02 GMT -5
I ordered it about 10 minutes ago!!!!!
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Post by apbuitron on May 27, 2017 11:42:15 GMT -5
Number one on amazon.com. In Cd's & Vinyl, Pop and Rock. Number seven on iTunes. Number 6 on iTunes today. Amazon still hasn't shipped mine. I'm tempted to cancel the two disc set and get it on iTunes. I just would hate to not have it in my CD case on the wall. What shipping speed did you use?
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Post by debjorgo on May 27, 2017 12:03:19 GMT -5
Number 6 on iTunes today. Amazon still hasn't shipped mine. I'm tempted to cancel the two disc set and get it on iTunes. I just would hate to not have it in my CD case on the wall. What shipping speed did you use? Standard shipping. It says it will arrive by June 2nd, next Thursday. I'm fine with that. Parcel post can take 3 - 5 days. I'd expect it before Thursday, but it's the mail.... What's frustrating is they haven't even put it in the mail.
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Post by glenn1966 on May 27, 2017 12:12:13 GMT -5
What shipping speed did you use? Standard shipping. It says it will arrive by June 2nd, next Thursday. I'm fine with that. Parcel post can take 3 - 5 days. I'd expect it before Thursday, but it's the mail.... What's frustrating is they haven't even put it in the mail. I used standard shipping as well. This morning, I got notification that mine's coming on Tuesday, the 30th. BTW, I'm listening in this order - Disc 4, Disc 2, Disc 3, then Disc1.
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Post by debjorgo on May 27, 2017 12:35:43 GMT -5
Standard shipping. It says it will arrive by June 2nd, next Thursday. I'm fine with that. Parcel post can take 3 - 5 days. I'd expect it before Thursday, but it's the mail.... What's frustrating is they haven't even put it in the mail. I used standard shipping as well. This morning, I got notification that mine's coming on Tuesday, the 30th. BTW, I'm listening in this order - Disc 4, Disc 2, Disc 3, then Disc1. Amazon has a hub in Hebron Kentucky. They are going to drop ship it in Lexington on Wednesday and I will get it on Thursday. Because I am not a Prime member, they are going to make me wait when I could get it much sooner. They don't do this on regular orders, just on new releases. Items they know you want sooner.
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lowbasso
A Hard Day's Knight
Posts: 2,776
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Post by lowbasso on May 27, 2017 16:05:31 GMT -5
I used standard shipping as well. This morning, I got notification that mine's coming on Tuesday, the 30th. BTW, I'm listening in this order - Disc 4, Disc 2, Disc 3, then Disc1. Amazon has a hub in Hebron Kentucky. They are going to drop ship it in Lexington on Wednesday and I will get it on Thursday. Because I am not a Prime member, they are going to make me wait when I could get it much sooner. They don't do this on regular orders, just on new releases. Items they know you want sooner. Got my deluxe package today from Amazon. I am a Prime member. New stereo mix is phenominal. Sounds like they recorded it yesterday. Beautiful stereo balance from the mono mixes. Bravo Giles. Love that the deluxe edition comes inside an old style EMI Tape box from the Pepper era. That was a cool touch!
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