Sep

30

Come On Is Such A Joy…

Filed Under Ah Ha!, Fun, Very Very Cool, Views | 2 Comments

Beatles
“Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey!”  – so the song goes, from the Beatles’ White Album aka The Beatles.

Why do I mention this? I just spent last weekend getting to know this obscure band all over again. On 9-9-09 Apple (not Apple Inc.) released the entire Beatles music catalog remastered. Since this is the Technophile I can appreciate the technology that went into bringing this great music to even greater heights.

I’ve been listening to The Beatles since I was 12 years old. I bought every American album and when I found out about the ‘official’ British pressings I had to get them too (Yesterday is on Help! – what???). I’ve collected bootlegs, artifacts, gone to Beatle conventions, sat through all-day Beatle movies, concerts and interviews – yes, I was a Beatlemaniac. Their music influenced me in a big way and was responsible for my being in a band for 10 years. Now, I still love this band although I’m not as much a fan-atic as I was. However, with the release of these remasters those involved have given me and I’m sure many others a great gift: the incredible experience of actually listening to these songs that I’ve heard a thousand times for the first time again.

The clarity, the depth, the unexpected rhythms, subtle instrumentation – little things I hadn’t heard before – the earthy, woody, jangly fun of it all.

Stand Outs so far:

Ringo’s Kick Drum and Paul’s Bass – so much body – really beautiful, perhaps the most melodic bassist there ever has been.

Guitars sparkle and are also really earthy (Rubber Soul) – real instruments played by real people – what they’re supposed to sound like – like eating an organic radish or cucumber and remembering that’s what they taste like – juicy, spicy, fresh and exciting.

It’s the little things that stick out – a clap here, an echo there, tasty licks, crisp and warm. Vocals are intimate, close (eg. For No One) – and that French Horn!
Got To Get You Into My Life - kick ass and something is going in the left channel I’ve never heard – subtle left-overs from previous takes, shadow sounds and echoes.

The White Album - really kicks ass – done on 8-track at the time – it really benefits from this make-over.

A Hard Day’s Night – the opening guitar chime startled me it was so dramatic and unexpected (even though I’d heard it thousands of times).

Abbey Road – You Never Give Me Your Money – the buzz from the guitar notes hang beautifully, the ‘second side’ medley is majestic, revelatory (okay, this is getting out of hand), but seriously folks – I have never heard this album like I do now – is that a bongo I never heard in the left channel on Sun King?!
Paul’s bass dancing with Ringo’s drumming on She Came In Through The Bathroom Window – pure rocking joy – which is what this band was always about – fun, love, British-campy – not fancy – raw – mistakes and all.

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

Sep

10

Evolution with a little help from his friends

Filed Under Apple News, Apple Updates, Views | Leave a Comment

Steve Jobs
Today was a big day. Why? On the surface there were the announcements. iTunes 9, new iPod Nanos with cameras, updated iPods and iPod Touches and an iPhone/iPod Touch OS update (3.1). And of course, Steve Jobs. Yes, Steve was there introducing some of the new innovations himself. Propped up with the assistance of a donated liver, an incredible senior team of managers, designers and engineers Apple continues to innovate. What I love about all of the recent updates – today’s announcements and Snow Leopard 10.6 (which you can read about and view via the links provided) – is the way the user interface (UI) is evolving. Just when you think everything is pretty great it gets better.

Take iTunes 9 for example. We can now share songs, movies, TV shows and applications amongst multiple machines. Well of course we can – it makes sense and it’s simple. Organizing iPhone/iPod Touch screens is a hassle. Wouldn’t it be great if this could be on the computer? Well, it can now with iTunes 9 and the new 3.1 update. It’s obvious and now we can do it.

10.6 and it’s feature set are understated yet powerful. Simple UI enhancements like the way the Dock works or Exposé make working with our computers on an everyday basis a better experience. It’s all in the evolution of the User Interface. Apple is listening and it’s engineers and designers are really thinking and using their intuition. I love these updates because I can really see the brain and the creative process at work. This is why I love the Apple platform. It’s smart, intuitive, fun, beautifully designed and it just works (most of the time). It’s amazing to reflect on the minds at work at making the user experience better. Steve is excited to be back at work. Why? Because Apple is everything I just described. It was great to see Steve back at the helm – still a bit frail – but back.

On another note – there were no Beatles-Apple related announcements – but the new Beatles Stereo and Mono box sets are out along with Beatles Rock Band – and I hear the re-mastered versions of the albums are terrific. And one day, soon perhaps, we’ll see all of it on iTunes.