Advent 2023

While I'm wrapped up with fleecy top and bottoms with hot cocoa with the minus temperatures here waiting for the postman to call collect a parcel return as Amazon goofed up totally and being smartphone free return options as most now use QR codes at the collection point it kind of reminds you we have only so many days to go before CatMas.

Usually like most littles I countdown the days and traditionally that involves an Advent calendar with chocolate to be revealed as the days get fewer and fewer.

This years is a little different for being that of the arch nemesis of CatMas, the Grinch who as you'll remember tried to steal Christmas but included with this is a Happy Christmas greeting.

Perhaps the Grinch gets the point?

Anyway get set to enjoy the countdown yourself!

Taking stock of the found records

It's been another damp weekend not being helped here by having NO Beano although I have a subscription and another comic was a few days late too so it was find something useful to do time.

One strange quirk since the events of earlier this year has been the sporadic reappearance of things from the past presumed lost or chucked out and this has included a clutch of records but some go back ages so in order to sort them into those to stay and any that might need replacing you do need to not just look at them but play them too.

This three lp set was one on the list to check over so seeing this was going to take time I did play.

These accounts of Beethoven's later piano concertos are amongst the finest ever recorded but playing them did reveal some wear - constant noise in the groove - from the earliest record player I had apart from some wear and tear to the actual box so I think I'll replace this set as the playing is enrapturing rather like I did with the odd Beethoven symphony from the whole set I bought in the 1970's.

This will be used as the amount of new vinyl reissues for classical has been lower pop and rock although it is starting to show signs improvement.

Remembrance

Weekend whatever the popular press was focused on for some of us is about Remembrance when we remember all who served, the dead as much as the living however they served our country.

That link between those who served and those of us who gained from their sacrifice the peace and freedom we benefit so much from is one of the most profound links which for all who served in guides, scouts, boys brigade and so on honour through marching and taking part in the remembrance service while leaders teach as we we taught about it and what as guides and scouts we contributed ourselves on the home front.

The cenotaph is where we lay our wreaths as some of us recall doing forming a line with other representatives to lay them in order. 

I like many others this weekend will remember them.

Now And Then

Some years stick in your mind for events that happened within them and within music which has always played a part in this blog from the start years such as 2004 and 2006 covered in the early days of this blog took in the the release of the Beatles 1964 and 1965 Capitol Albums Vol 1 & 2 sets which growing up with them on record was much anticipated.

Equally 2009 and 2012 were major years as they saw the new remastering of the Beatles album catalogue and its issue in the Mono box and in stereo as a box and individually as compact discs and in 2012 (and 2014 for the mono's) on record.

2014 also saw the U.S. Albums set that was supposed to make available all the 1964 to 1970 U.S. only albums from the cleanest sources and with high quality presentation.

In more recent years attention has been more on deluxe sets that saw the main album remixed although for most the jury is still out as to in the case of Abbey Road it was even needed and with Sgt Pepper it really achieved the notion of getting the feel of the mono without some of issues of the original stereo mix being somewhat extreme left/right positioning of backing and vocals.

Revolver, done using Artificial Intelligence (A.I) technology though did turn out well sufficient I have that on both cd and vinyl. 

This week, November 3rd to be exact, saw a new single release that used the same process and that's what we're covering this week even if the cover doesn't exactly grab me by the lapels.

The Beatles’ double-A-side single for “Now And Then” and “Love Me Do” pairs the last Beatles song with the band’s first UK single. Powerful musical bookends to The Beatles’ recorded canon, both songs are also featured in the expanded Anniversary Editions for 1962-1966 (‘The Red Album’) and 1967-1970 (‘The Blue Album’).

I will most probably write something around the 1962-1966 "RED" alum as I have ordered that at some point on here.

“Now And Then” is the last Beatles song, written and demoed by John Lennon in 1978. 

With John’s voice now pristine in the mix, “Now And Then” features elements from the 1995 sessions including George Harrison’s guitar parts, and vocal and instrumental parts recorded by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in 2022, along with a new arrangement for strings. Produced by Paul and Giles Martin, “Now And Then” is the last song recorded by all four Beatles, a powerful and fitting finale for the band’s timeless recordings.

A much better attempt at fleshing out what was a demo recording made on decent stereo radio cassette recorder on top of John Lennon's piano was achieved using this technology than was possible in 1995 for Real Love and Free As a Bird.

This is rear of the single which on vinyl I have ordered on seven inch black vinyl although somewhat late in the day a cd version was also announced which also has is coming.

Rather like 2012 Past Masters album that features a Parlophone label on one side and the "Granny Smith" Apple one on the other for Now and Then.

That label is similar to that of the very first Love Me Do single that reached #17 in the UK charts in 1962 but whose impact propelled them to topping the Merseybeat poll at the end of that year and getting to #2 some four months later with Please Please Me.

An amazing feat.

The eagle eyed will have noticed on the right hand side of the label underneath the 45-R catalogue number the word "STEREO" and in someways as a more old school beatles fan that sees things not recorded past 1970 as interesting curios than core catalogue, that's more interesting.

For one thing this is the 1962 hit recording with Ringo on drums with a more blues feel than the remake with Andy White where Ringo is relegated to playing a tambourine used on the Please Please Me album from March 1963 and used to replace the original on all subsequent copies of the single.

Because they threw away the actual tape - which is really crazy - ever since 1980 when the original surfaced a copy from a clean record had to be used and cleaned up taking out any tics and pops.

The other thing was like every UK Beatles single until The Ballad of John and Yoko in 1969 it was recorded and issued in mono.

For this issue the same A.I technology that cleaned up Now And Then was used to isolate all the individual elements, rebalence and then remix to stereo which to my ears worked really well with a good sense of stereo image but not too wide to lose impact.

That we believe will be featured with She Loves You for the first time in stereo on the upcoming RED album on two cds and three lps.

That is something I'm looking forward to come November 10th