Daily Loaf

The debate on file-sharing continues in earnest, with UK artists Radiohead and Lily Allen taking opposite sides. From a September 10 article in the Times Online, about musicians speaking out against a British government proposal to cut illegal file-sharers’ internet connections: “Every generation has a different method,” said Radiohead guitarist and FAC Board of Directors member Ed O’Brien. “File sharing is like a sampler, like taping your mate’s music.” From a blog post on Lily Allen’s Myspace page: “I think music piracy is having a dangerous effect on British music, but some really rich and successful artists like Nick Mason from Pink Floyd and Ed O’Brien from Radiohead don’t seem to think so. Last week in an article in the Times these guys from huge bands said file sharing music is fine. It probably is fine for them. They do sell-out arena tours and have the biggest Ferrari collections in the world. For new talent though, file sharing is a disaster as it’s making it harder and harder for new acts to emerge.”

Flaming Lips debuted a new video on Myspace for “I Can Be a Frog.” The song is kind of slow and ambient for the Lips, and I can’t figure out if the animal sounds are genius or an effing nuisance. Check it out: Read the rest of this entry »

As someone whose formative years were profoundly influenced by The Beatles, I just assumed that their music was so indelibly etched in my consciousness that I would never hear it in a new way. The songs — all of them, or nearly — had taken on such a mythic quality that spinning them every so often and letting their magnificence wash over me would do just fine. (Pictured: The Beatles circa 1967, (c) Apple Corps Ltd 2009.)

Then on 9.09.09 came the remastered catalogue — 22 years after the initial CD issue — and an opportunity for a new perspective. I was sorely tempted to plunk down the 200-some bucks for the boxed set, but ultimately found the purchase a bit too dear, so I’ve vowed to scrimp and save and acquire as many of the 14 individual CDs as I can.

Which titles to start with is a source of great debate among Beatles devotees, but for me it was easy: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Revolver. (Pepper wins as my favorite in a photo finish.) I was excited, of course, about the chance to hear “Getting Better,” “And Your Bird Can Sing,” “Lovely Rita,” “She Said She Said,” “Good Morning Good Morning,” “Tomorrow Never Knows” et al in crisp new sonic dimensions that took an elite group of engineers four years to accomplish.

But I didn’t expect a revelation. Read the rest of this entry »

Capitol/EMI has done little with the Beatles’ music since 1987, when it first re-released the foursome’s catalog and did little to ensure the sound quality stood up to the transfer from vinyl to disc; 2004’s The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1 and the soundtrack to Cirque de Soleil’s Love revealed just how good the Beatles’ songs could sound when given the right treatment.

This Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (9-9-09) is an important date for Fab Four fans – The Beatles: Rock Band hits the racks along with long-awaited, much-anticipated digitally-remastered versions of all of the Beatles’ studio albums. This re-release encompasses Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, Beatles for Sale, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The White Album, Abbey Road, Let It Be, Yellow Submarine as well as Magical Mystery Tour and Past Masters Vol. I and II packaged as a single collection. Each album features the songs and artwork as they were originally released in the U.K. and come with expanded booklets of rare photos and original and newly-inked liner notes. For a limited time, each of the 14 albums will also be “embedded” with a brief documentary about its making. There are all kinds of other tasty bonuses that I won’t go into here, but I will tell share some info with you about some special events being held all over town in honor of the re-release. Read the rest of this entry »