The Beatles Remastered

(From thebeatles.com)

We are delighted to announce the release of the original Beatles catalogue, which has been digitally re-mastered for the first time, for worldwide CD release on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (09-09-09), the same date as the release of the widely anticipated "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game.

Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

The albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release.

The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and 'Magical Mystery Tour,' which became part of The Beatles' core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987. In addition, the collections 'Past Masters Vol. I and II' are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs. This will mark the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc. These 14 albums, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available for purchase together in a stereo boxed set.

Within each CD's new packaging, booklets include detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. With the exception of the 'Past Masters' set, newly produced mini-documentaries on the making of each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, are included as QuickTime files on each album. The documentaries contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere.

A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. 'The Beatles in Mono' gathers together, in one place, 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 (covering similar ground to the stereo tracks on 'Past Masters'). As an added bonus, the mono "Help!" and "Rubber Soul" discs also include the original 1965 stereo mixes, which have not been previously released on CD. These albums will be packaged in mini-vinyl CD replicas of the original sleeves with all original inserts and label designs retained.

Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalogue will continue. There is no further information available at this time.

Paul and Ringo Please

By Frank Scheck

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - In terms of teasing musical foreplay, this was downright frustrating.

During Paul McCartney's show-closing set for David Lynch's "Change Begins Within" concert at Radio City, an empty drum kit sat tantalizingly behind him. As the ex-Beatle delivered rousing versions of such hits as "Jet," "Lady Madonna" and "Let It Be," among others, the entire audience waited breathlessly in anticipation. When would Ringo Starr, who had just finished his own solo set, be joining him?

It wasn't until nearly the end of the marathon four-hour evening that McCartney announced that the presence of a special guest, one "Billy Shears." Sure enough, the ebullient Ringo bounced out, sharing a microphone with his former bandmate on "With a Little Help From My Friends" and thrilling the sold-out crowd with the closest thing now possible to a Beatles reunion.

Watching Ringo behind the drums while McCartney and the rest of the all-star lineup performed "Cosmically Conscious" and "I Saw Her Standing There" made it seem, if only for a little while, that everything was all right in the world.

Not that everything was necessarily all right with the show, which raised some $3 million for Lynch's foundation, whose goal is to teach the practice of meditation to 1 million "at risk" children around the world.

Hosted by Lynch and actress Laura Dern, the evening featured a gallery of musical stars, but the inclusion of endless earnest speeches about the glories of Transcendental Meditation too often made it seem like a glorified infomercial.

It also served as a reunion of sorts for veterans of the Beatles' 1968 sojourn to India to study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, including Donovan (whose set included "Hurdy Gurdy Man," accompanied by My Morning Jacket's Jim James), flautist Paul Horn, and Mike Love of the Beach Boys.

Many of the stars performed material clearly inspired by the occasion. Sheryl Crow, accompanied by Ben Harper, covered George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord." McCartney paid tribute to John Lennon with "Here Today." And Harper and Eddie Vedder killed with a rendition of Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure."

Other highlights included Moby and Bettye LeVette dueting on "Natural Blues" while accompanied by the TM Kids Choir; Vedder's intense solo acoustic renditions of such songs as "Far Behind" and "Rise"; and pianist Angelo Badalamenti's show-opening rendition of his eerie "Twin Peaks" theme.

Surprise guests included Jerry Seinfeld ("Don't meditate on me, I gotta do some jokes here," he cracked) and an uncharacteristically serious Howard Stern, who announced that he's been meditating for 38 years and who credited TM with saving his depressed mother's life many years ago.

Electric Arguments NOW OUT!

Its out now, lets support Paul by buying so many, he won't wait 10 more years to make another!

Paul on Blu-Ray

Rock legend Paul McCartney is releasing his first Blu-ray, with A&E announcing a November bow for the concert film 'The Space Within Us.'

In 2005, McCartney crossed America with his record-breaking, sold-out US tour. Captured with twenty-five hi-def cameras, 'Paul McCartney: The Space Within Us' presents the complete show that contains over two dozen musical masterpieces, including such Beatles classics as 'Eleanor Rigby,' 'Yesterday,' 'Penny Lane' and 'Hey Jude.'


A&E Home Video will debut the Blu-ray on November 18.

There are no tech specs or supplement details announced as of yet.

Suggested retail price for the Blu-ray has been set at $34.95.

Hottest Record in the World Right Now

Last night, the radio edit of ‘Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight’ (Track 1 on the new Fireman album) was Zane Lowe’s ‘Hottest Record In The World Right Now’ on his Radio 1 show . The track was played between 7 and 7.30pm.

Did ya miss it? Go to www.maccaspan.com right now!

The Fireman Finds His Voice With Brand New Album Electric Arguments

The Fireman Finds His Voice With Brand New Album Electric Arguments

Album Release Date: 17th November 2008
The Fireman are back after a ten-year break and this time they have something to sing about. For the first time ever the The Fireman have found their voice, Electric Arguments is their first release to feature vocals. Electric Arguments is their third and brand new studio album and it’s not the album people might expect from the mysterious duo…

“Ambient dreams in rainbow arches describe the circles of The Fireman”, is how the duo described their music in a rare interview around the release of their last album ‘Rushes’ in 1998. Their first album ‘Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest’, released in 1993, was a solid ambient dance album heavy on electronics. Around this time the identity of The Fireman was unknown until the press exposed the duo as none other than Paul McCartney and Youth. The now defunct music bible Melody Maker heaped praise on the project, “Paul McCartney has discovered dance music – the results are staggeringly brilliant. They (The Fireman) take a melody and, with dexterous genre-hopping through ambient, trance and house, evolve a number of breathtaking variations.”

Last year The Fireman returned to work again to start work on what would become Electric Arguments. The results this time are entirely different.

Earlier this year The Fireman donated a new track, Lifelong Passion, from Electric Arguments, to the charity Adopt-A-Minefield. This new track marked a directional change for The Fireman. Lifelong Passion showcased a new more traditional song based sound with vocals, going against the sound of the first two albums. And so the speculation began. A ‘studio source’ was quoted in The Times as describing their new sound ‘like Arcade Fire meets Led Zeppelin’. So what had The Fireman been up to and what does the album sound like?

Electric Arguments is an eclectic and varied album consisting of thirteen tracks recorded in thirteen days over the period of nearly a year. Each track was written and recorded in the space of one day. The Fireman went into the studio with no plan or clear direction of how they wanted the album to sound. The project took a life of its own and the results will surprise anyone expecting to hear the previous sound of the band.

The album’s opener Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight is classic rock and an instant attention grabber. A heavy guitar riff with loud drums and souring vocals, it’s like nothing The Fireman have ever done before. The second track, the acoustic driven Two Magpies immediately takes you in a different direction, calming things right down. Then we reach the third song Sing The Changes, a euphoric upbeat song with an instantly memorable melody. Electric Arguments continues in this fashion, keeping the listener intrigued as to where The Fireman will take them next. Each album track has an entirely different personality, yet somehow this collection sits together perfectly. Other standout tracks include ‘Light From Your Lighthouse’, ‘Sun Is Shining’ and ‘Dance ‘Til We’re High’, all in keeping with the genre-hopping spirit of the first two The Fireman albums. Electric Arguments demonstrates that Paul McCartney is still interested in pure musical possibilities. This is an album set to both surprise and delight the listener. Made with no record company restraints or a set release date to work to, Electric Arguments was made with complete artistic and creative freedom.

Track listing:
The Fireman - Electric Arguments

1) Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight
2) Two Magpies
3) Sing The Changes
4) Travelling Light
5) Highway
6) Light From Your Lighthouse
7) Sun Is Shining
8)Dance ‘Til We’re High
9) Lifelong Passion
10) Is This Love?
11) Lovers In A Dream
12) Universal Here, Everlasting Now
13) Don’t Stop Running

Produced By Paul McCartney & Youth
All tracks written by Paul McCartney

Electric Arguments is released on One Little Indian

The Fireman - Electric Arguments

Paul's new FIREMAN album has a name AND a face...

Still no track listing yet, but it has a release date of November 18th 2008.

For those who still haven't heard anything of it, check out Lifelong Passion;

Paul Confirms 'Friendship First’ Show In Israel

Music Icon Set To Rock Israel 43 Years After Ban Historic ‘Friendship First’ Concert Announced
Hayarkon Park, Tel Aviv, Israel, 25th September 2008
(from Paul McCartney.com)

43 years after being banned by the Israeli government, Paul McCartney today announces his ‘Friendship First’ concert in Israel. Following months of feverish speculation the wait is finally over as music’s most revered star announces that he will be playing in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday 25th September 2008, for the first time ever. This is in keeping with a series of special one-off unique shows that Paul has performed this year in places he has never visited before. Israel will finally get the chance to experience a night of music and history Macca-style; the night they have been waiting decades for.

Paul McCartney holds true the key principals of friendship – loyalty and respect – and the ‘Friendship First’ concert is an opportunity for people to celebrate these values whilst having a memorable night of fun and rock n’ roll.

Looking ahead to his first trip to Tel Aviv, Paul Said, “I’ve heard so many great things about Tel Aviv and Israel, but hearing is one thing and experiencing it for yourself is another. We are planning to have a great time and a great evening. We can’t wait to get out there and rock.”

Paul McCartney has nearly visited Israel on two previous occasions. The first was with The Beatles at the height of Beatlemania in the mid 60s, however at the time because Israel was short of foreign currency the promoter was unable to raise sufficient funds. After applying to a government committee for help the promoter’s appeal was declined as it was thought The Beatles might corrupt their youth. Some even believed that artistically The Beatles were not of a high enough standard! The second miss was with Wings in the late 70s, when the shows were cancelled after problems with the venue.

Earlier this year, Israel’s ambassador to Britain, Ron Prosor, apologised to The Beatles during a trip to Liverpool for the ‘misunderstanding’. In a letter he wrote: “There is no doubt that it was a great missed opportunity to prevent people like you, who shaped the minds of the generation, to come to Israel and perform.”

2008 has already seen Paul McCartney play a number of special one off concerts, whilst making international headlines and taking him to places he’s never been before. In June he received a hero’s welcome as he rocked the city of Liverpool when he played at Anfield Stadium as part of the city’s celebrations for the European Capital Of Culture. A couple of weeks later and Paul performed a spectacular free show, the ‘Independence Concert’, to over 350,000 people in Kiev’s Independence Square which was the largest outdoor music event in the history of the Ukraine. July then took Paul to the city of Quebec for yet another huge headline-making event as he performed to 300,000 people in the city’s national park, The Plains Of Abraham, to help celebrate Quebec’s 400th anniversary. Paul also found the time (only just though!) to join Billy Joel on stage for the ‘Last Play At Shea’ show in July, marking the last show ever at New York’s famous Shea Stadium. The Beatles were the first band to perform at Shea Stadium in 1965, which went down in history as the first ever stadium rock show. Speaking after his appearance at Shea, Paul commented, “It was great to complete the circle, starting there with The Beatles and then finishing this time round with ‘Let It Be’.”

If you add the attendance figures of the last 3 special shows together, Paul has performed to well over 650,000 people which is the equivalent of filling London’s O2 Arena over 36 times.

New Maccaspan Podcast and TV Episode!

Check out the new podcast; CLICK HERE!

Check out the new Maccaspan TV Episode; http://www.maccaspan.com/TV