Beatles '64 is out now and other news

The times are fascinating for Beatles fans. November, in particular, has been very eventful. There were four official releases by the Beatles, and I also wanted to include two very interesting books. In this week’s edition, I will guide you through the (quite pricey) releases.

I am not affiliating any of these, just sharing the information.

Beatles ‘64

Beatles '64 is a documentary film directed by David Tedeschi and produced by Martin Scorsese. It was released on Disney+ on 29 November 2024. Ironically this newsletter was launched a few weeks before the movie was announced, and I didn’t want to rename it. So this may be confusing for the moment, but there is no connection between this newsletter and the movie. My newsletter’s name is an homage to the song “When I’m Sixty-Four”. While the Beatles ‘64 documentary name is a bit misleading. It’s not a diary of the Beatles’ activity of 1964, but a film about The Beatles’ first visit to the US. It includes footage made by Albert and David Maysles originally made for the “What's Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A.” documentary. It includes about 17 minutes of never-seen-before footage, which has been digitally restored in 4K.

I personally didn’t like it much, because of long irrelevant interviews, and in all frankness, you could see why the 17 minutes didn’t make the cut in the original film. But it is definitely worth to give it a watch. It’s always good to hear and see some Beatles.

The Beatles: 1964 US Albums In Mono

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ first trip to the United States, Universal Music reissued these albums on vinyl “exactly as they were using the original master tapes”. This is the first time since the 1980s that these albums have been available on vinyl. These are US versions of the Beatles albums, which differ from the UK ones.

Here is a comparison chart:

The box set is sold for $299. For more information please visit the official Beatles website: https://www.thebeatles.com/beatles-1964-us-albums-mono

Living In The Material World 50th Anniversary

Not much to add to the official release notes: In honour of its 50th Anniversary, George Harrison’s Living In The Material World is being celebrated with a suite of new releases overseen by Dhani & Olivia Harrison and featuring a stunning new mix of the classic album by Grammy Award-winning mixer/engineer Paul Hicks that elevates the album with a sonic upgrade, delivering a sound that’s brighter, richer, and more dynamic than ever before. Living In The Material World 50th Anniversary will be available November 15th via Dark Horse Records / BMG.

For more information please visit: https://www.georgeharrison.com/living-in-the-material-world-50th/

Record Store Day special release: I Wanna Hold Your Hand" / "I Saw Her Standing There

This Record Store Day Black Friday reissue single was sourced from the original U.S. master tapes - the same ones used for the 1964 box set albums. Kevin Reeves in Nashville handled the cutting process, utilizing an all-analog method on a vintage 1970 lathe originally from Capitol Records, which has been used for countless classic album cuts over the years.

For more information please visit the Record Store website: https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/18425

The McCartney Legacy: Volume 2: 1974 – 80

The McCartney Legacy is a biographical book series exploring Paul McCartney's post-Beatles musical career. Written by music journalist Allan Kozinn and documentarian Adrian Sinclair, the first volume, covering 1969–1973, was released on December 13, 2022. The second volume, focusing on 1974–1980, is set for release on December 10, 2024. While McCartney did not contribute directly, the series is built on extensive research, hundreds of interviews, and thousands of previously unseen documents.

Volume 1 is great and is well-received by fans. So despite the weird cover photo choice, Volume 2 seems to be very promising.

It will be released on December 10, 2024, but available for pre-order now.

For more information please visit the official website: https://www.mccartneylegacy.com/

Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs. Volume 2.

Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 2) 1990–2012 offers an in-depth exploration of McCartney's post-Beatles work during this period through 250 song entries. The book delves into the recording details, session stories, and musical analysis behind his pop albums, classical compositions, avant-garde projects, and covers of old standards, showcasing how these genres intertwine and influence one another.

It was released on November 18, 2024.

For more information visit the official site: https://www.mccartney-musicisideas.it/