News from Billboard - Beatles catalog remastered

Beatles' Catalog Re-Mastered, Digital Talks Continue

April 07, 2009 09:55 AM ET - *Billboard Magazine Re-post

Andre Paine, London
The Beatles' catalog has been digitally re-mastered for the first time for worldwide CD release on Sept. 9, according to a joint statement from Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music. But there has still been no announcement about the Beatles' music becoming available to purchase via download stores, despite constant speculation about a digital licensing agreement for the legendary British band's repertoire.

"Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalog will continue," according to the statement.

The 12 Beatles albums and the "Magical Mystery Tour" soundtrack (originally released as an EP in the U.K.) will be re-issued to coincide with the release of "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game. Each of the CDs includes expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos, and for a limited period each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album.

Two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released on Sept. 9.

The albums have been re-mastered at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London over a four-year period, utilizing state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, "carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analog recordings," according to the statement.

It will be the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on CD.

The "Past Masters Vol. I" and "Past Masters Vol. II" compilations have also been combined as one CD title.

All 14 Beatles titles, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available in a stereo box set.

The documentaries contain archive footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio conversations from the Beatles.

A second boxed set, "The Beatles in Mono," gathers together all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release. It will contain 10 of the albums with their original mono mixes, plus two further discs of mono masters, featuring a similar track listing to the "Past Masters" compilation.