Happy Birthday Sean!

Three generations of Pennington Men... Our Birthday Boy on the left.

Today is Grandson Sean's 13^th birthday. And to the young man's everlasting credit, what he really wanted for his birthday was a Beatles CD. Isn't that amazing, Gentle Reader? It all goes to prove we shouldn't give up hope for the younger generation — some of which DO have taste in spite of massive, ear-splitting boom-chicka-boom evidence to the contrary emanating out of every damned lowered Civic on 22s in these United States. 

So.  We gifted this fine young man with three of our favorite Beatles albums from the way-back:  Rubber Soul, Sgt. Pepper, and the White Album.  I'm told I can borrow them any time I like… but I have a better ideer.  I also bought two Beatles CDs of my own yesterday.  Prepare for massive digression…

About which: we spent the entire frickin' afternoon and well into the evening listening to only those two CDs… Help and Revolver. These two were our initial purchases of what will eventually amount to a reacquisition of nearly the entire Beatles catalog. You may recall, Gentle Reader, that we recently posted about the re-mastering of the Beatles' catalog and we indicated we would probably buy a couple of these CDs. Well, we've changed our mind. We'll probably buy most of the albums. Why? Let me quote The Wiki:

On 9 September 2009, The Beatles' entire back catalogue was reissued following an extensive digital remastering process that lasted four years.^[233]  Stereo editions of all twelve original UK studio albums, along with Magical Mystery Tour and a combined two-CD set of Past Masters, were released on compact disc both individually and as a box set. A second collection included all mono tracks.^[234] In Mojo magazine's review, Danny Eccleston writes, "Ever since The Beatles first emerged on CD in 1987, there have been complaints about the sound", saying that the original vinyl has had significant advantages over the CDs in clarity and dynamism. "Compare Paperback Writer/Rain on crackly 45, with its weedy Past Masters CD version, and the case is closed." Prior to the release of the 2009 remasters, Abbey Road Studios had invited Mojo reviewers to hear a sample of the four-year work's achievement, telling the magazine, "You're in for a shock." In his release-day review of the full product, Eccleston reported that "brilliantly, that's still how it feels a month later."^[235]

Yeah… what they said.  I'm amazed at the quality of the re-masters… they're that good.  Do you remember when you bought your first really good stereo?  Or mebbe your first CD player?  And either playing your old records (I know: we date ourselves.  Severely.) on that spiffy new rig and/or a CD of an album you already owned and marveling about stuff you never heard before?  And the clarity?  Yeah… like that.  The music is the same… still great, still timeless… but the clarity!  Tambourines ching with authority, the bass lines aren't muddied at all, and to quote Mark Knopfler… "… the horns are blowin' that sound!"  And the vocals?  Let me quote the Mojo review:

While there are hundreds of mini-revelations in store for the Beatle-head - the clattering bell that drives The Beatles' Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey is made somehow even more exciting - the best thing about the new stereo versions is the singing. A certain amount of limiting on the original CD versions made them sound vaguely constrained. But the remastered vocals are purer, more natural-sounding and give the illusion of sitting slightly higher in the mix (technically, they don't - there's been no remixing, à la 1999's Yellow Submarine Songtrack or '06's Love, at all). My notes allude to the extra "presence" of the Lennon vocal on Magical Mystery Tour's I Am The Walrus, Paul's performance on Help!'s Yesterday is more perfectly limpid than ever, while the vocal harmonies sound astonishing throughout.

Once again:  what they said.  Or, in my words: money well-spent.  I'm lovin' this.  And from what Sean told me last night I know he is, too.  Happy Birthday, Grandson O' Mine.  And thanks for the present!