Posts Tagged ‘Music’

Remastered Stereo CDs, Mono Box Set, & Rock Band: 09/09/09 Is Beatles Day

On 9/9/9 remastered versions of The Beatles 13 official studio albums will finally be released after over 20 years of waiting. The CD versions from 1987 are considered to an example of very poor mastering which is why Beatles fans have been wanting to hear these classic albums remastered for so long.

The excitement of 9/9/9 isn’t just because of the remastered stereo Beatles albums, but also because of the mono versions of The Beatles albums being released on CD for the first time ever. This will actually be the first time ever that the mono mixes of some of these amazing Beatles albums will be available on compact disc.

Why should we care about such outdated mixes in 2009? Mono was being phased out in the 1960s, why should we listen to mono mixes today? Well certainly many people may feel that way, but true Beatles fanatics want to hear these albums as they were originally intended to be heard and to do that you must listen to the mono mixes.

The mono mixes are what the band (along with George Martin & Geoff Emerick) were primarily focused on. The Beatles stereo mixes were done with little input from the band while they were very involved with the mono mixes which were worked on until they were just right. And because of this effort put into the mono mixes, many feel that the original mono mix of Sgt. Pepper is the “real” version of the album.

But that’s not all of the Beatles madness on 9/9/9 there’s also the new Beatles Rock Band game which looks to be absolutely incredible from the previews. It basically allows you to play through The Beatles career from the days of “Beatlemania” through the psychedelic era all the way through the end. Even the Rock Band instruments look like the original Beatles gear (the best example is McCartney’s bass!) And now for the first time with the Beatles Rock Band game, you can sing harmonies.

Aquiring the entire Guitar Hero experience is not cheap

If you are honestly considering purchasing the entire collection of Guitar Hero then without a doubt it is going to cost you a small fortune. The big question that needs to be asked first is that if you are interested in actually playing musical instruments then why not actually spend the money on learning how to play one rather than spend it on plastic guitars and drum kits?

is buying Guitar Hero actually going to be cheaper for you than if you were taking up the real thing? If you perhaps know someone who plays already then why not ask for lessons they are sure to give you a low price.? Just to put it into perspective for you the entire kit with drums, guitar and one of the games is at best going to cost at minimum £250. What happens if you have already got all of the GH games before this one? In actual fact you are going to have at least two guitars for £70 each as well as each game costing at £40 a piece, ouch.. This is only if you have the original games. There are of course now many other games such as Guitar Hero Aerosmith and on top of all of this you may have bought DLC for the games which really only means one thing, more costs to you, the consumer.. Which one is the more expensive now??

However with DJ Hero now on the horizon will people put down their DJ headphones and give in to the DJ mixer which is going to be the new DJ Hero?

There is no way to tell at the moment but the hype has not been the same for this as it was for Guitar Hero back in the day. Playing Guitar Hero is never going to replace the skill and satisfaction of playing the songs you love on a real guitar, but that is not what the company are after. They simply want people to have a bit of fun with a few friends which is always a good thing.

Thriller – The Biggest Selling Album Of All Time

“Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” – This is one of four tunes on Thriller that Michael Jackson wrote himself. One of the things that way too many people forget about when speaking of MJ is that he was not only a great singer and dancer, he was also a very creative songwriter.

“Baby Be Mine” – To get an idea of how good this album is consider this: “Baby Be Mine” is one of only two songs that wasn’t a hit single. This is a pretty great tune to be one of just two songs not released as a single.

“The Girl Is Mine” – The lyrics are cheesy as hell but I think that’s part of the song’s charm. This is a tune I’ve started to enjoy more and more over time. The back & forth between Jackson & Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney damn adorable. Jackson wrote this song.

“Thriller” – Too many people think just about the groundbreaking music video and forget about the song itself. It’s a brilliant song and MJ’s incredible vocals really put it over the top. I don’t think any other artist could have really made this song work.

“Beat It” – Eddie Van Halen features on this “rock” song. This is the kind of thing that Jackson doesn’t get enough credit for, he was really pushing the envelope of what pop music could be. MJ wrote “Beat It.”

“Billie Jean” – The most perfect Michael Jackson track. If you are ever questioning MJ’s songwriting skill, remember that he wrote “Billie Jean”.

“Human Nature” – This is one of the songs I enjoy most these days because it hasn’t been overplayed like a lot of the others on Thriller. It’s a really pretty tune.

“P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” – I’m not sure any song makes me want to dance more than “PYT.” Much like “Human Nature,” this is one of my favorites partly because it hasn’t been overplayed.

“The Lady In My Life” – The worst song on Thriller? Most likely. Still pretty darn great? Without a doubt.

Does reading about Thriller makes you want to learn how to sing yourself? Well, I will not guarantee you that you will be able to sing just like Michael Jackson (who can?) but you can significantly improve your singing abilities with Singorama vocal lessons which are guaranteed to work for you.

A Backup Singer Is a Star in Their Own Right

 

If singing behind the headliner is not enough for you, do not attempt to sing backup. The meaning of singing backup is to sing behind someone, not compete with them. If you can control your need to be the center of attention, you can learn backup singing.

This is a difficult skill to learn and is not much understood or appreciated. Backup singing requires a great amount of listening and being very responsive to the main singer, much as an instrumental accompanist would. You must learn to breathe and begin and end your melody as the main singer does. You must, in effect be the singers shadow.

If you can control your place on the stage, see to it that you can see the singer at all times. The job of backup singing is much harder if you can’t see the singers face. Learn to watch the singer at all times. If the singer decides to take another chorus or makes a mistake, you can follow them only if you are watching and aware. Watch the singer intently and always. Be on the lookout for a simple nod of the head or gesture that may indicate a repeat or change of course.

 

Learn to blend your phrasing to the will of the singer. If you want to blend in the proper way, start your line just after the singer starts theirs. If you are watching the singer as you should, you can start your line quietly if you are not sure how loud they will be at any particular time. Be very aware of consonants at the beginning of a line and try to not emphasize them. If you pronounce a consonant too hard and it is slightly off from the main singers line, it will be very noticeable and disagreeable.

The end of lines are just as necessary as the beginning. You can avoid embarrassment to yourself if you only will ease off your melody as the singer comes to the end of theirs. Listen, watch, blend lines and you can be a professional backup singer every band would love to have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Beatles Mono CD Box Set Includes The White Album In Mono For The First Time Ever In The US

Most People Listened To Music In Mono In The 1960s

It was not until the time of Let It Be & Abbey Road that the stereo mixes became The Beatles only. Until then they were actually far more interested in the mono mixes because they were considered to be the “standard” at that time.

The Beatles Albums In Their Original Form

You can make a great case that these original mono mixes represent The Beatles albums in their purest form. These are the mixes that most people heard back in the 1960s. These are the mixes that made them the biggest band of all time. Even if just for historical context, these mixes are very interesting to true Beatles fans.

The Beatles Mono Box Set Includes

  • Please Please Me through The White Album in their original mono mixes.
  • The original stereo mixes of Help! & Rubber Soul
  • The Mono Masters compilation of the mono mixes of the band’s non album songs.

Where’s Their Final Three Albums?

These final three albums were actually never mixed in mono because by 1969 stereo was the standard and mono mixes had been completely phased out.

Why Are Stereo Mixes Of Two Of The Beatles Albums Included?

The two albums included in stereo (Rubber Soul & Help!) were recorded in 1965. At this time mixing in stereo was still a very new thing and these albums were mixed in what would now be considerd a very strange way. When the bands albums were first put on CD in the ’80s they didn’t use the 1960s stereo mixes and created new stereo mixes to replace them with. That means the original stereo mixes for these two legendary albums have never been included on CD until this box set.

For The First Time Ever The White Album Will Be Released In Mono In The US

This will actually be the first time the band’s classic self titled 1968 album (best known as The White Album) will be released in mono in the US in any format. Why is that? Because in 1968 mono was pretty much already dead in the US so only the stereo mix was released. In the UK both the stereo & mono LPs were released.

The Beatles Remastered Box Sets

There are actually 2 Beatles box sets to be released on 9/9/9. A stereo box set & a mono box set. Both are necessary purchases by~essential for} real Beatles fanatics.

Takamine Acoustic Left Hand And Electric Left Hand Oriented Guitars

Takamine is the first name that should come to mind when you’re shopping for an acoustic left-handed guitar. Based out of Japan, Takamine uses Kaman Corporation to distribute its guitars in America. Every A/E guitar that they sell comes with their proprietary pre-amp/EQ, and that includes their acoustic left-handed guitars.

It should be pointed out that any model of Takamine A/E can be ordered in a left hand orientation.

Two series of Takamine acoustic electric left-handed guitars stand out from the many offered by the company. The G series has several kinds acoustic electric guitars in both right and left hand models. Many include a solid spruce top with nato sides and back. Nato helps make instruments great.

If you are looking at value, the Takamine acoustic electric guitar for lefties is the best. The body style remains unaltered, whereas the competition has changed the body style for left handed players. The left handed guitar keeps a classic dreadnought and has a flat rear and molded sides. This creates a rich acoustic timber and keeps the guitar from slipping as you play.

The only change is that some of these electric left hand guitars have a cutaway and some dont. I prefer the single cutaway because it allows access to the higher register, giving the player a further range. Most of the models I looked at had a smaller scale neck with only 20 frets. The neck joins at the 14th and you have clear access to frets 15 through 20. That is especially crucial when you kick in the pre-amp and power up for leads or standout rhythm riffs.

The single variation is that a few of these acoustic left hand guitars possess a cutaway and a few do not. I like using the single cutaway as it permits using the higher register, offering the player a greater range. A great number of the models I observed possess a smaller scale neck with just 20 frets. The neck meet at the 14th and you get easy access to frets 15 through 20. That is really important at the time you kick in the pre-amp and power up for leads or standout rhythm riffs.

Talking about the pre-amp and EQ, those put in to each Takamine acoustic electric guitar left handed edition is unique. Many of these G series are built with Takamines TK4N electronics. This permits the musician to adjust the mid-range on the fly if required as per his need and has a notch filter that can be tuned.

As they mention, the life of the guitar is in the wood and similar series from Takamine are almost the same. Both the series of acoustic left hand guitars, electric as well as the others, possess a really great tone and clarity. Join Takamine’s focus to workmanship with a collection of medium to light steel strings and you possess a winning musical match.

In any case, when you are a left hand player, you need a guitar that is made FOR left hand players. You can find an electric guitar, left hand especially, at www.lefthandedguitarmall.com. This site is all about connecting left hand players with quality left hand instruments. If you are a lefty, you need to see what they are all about, so be sure to visit today.