By: Michael Fremer

October 26th, 2023

Category:

News

The Beatles "Red" and "Blue" Hits Albums Re-mixed and Expanded Plus One "New" Beatles Song Debuts

many options, many editions, many formats, drops November 10th, "last Beatles song" released 11/2

First, the new "Red" and Blue" editions: these were previewed at an event a few weeks ago at the Dolby Theater in New York subject to an NDA attendees had to sign but I was at "Making Vinyl" in The Netherlands and couldn't attend. Now the press release is public so here's what's coming.

There are newly remixed (stereo and Dolby Atmos) and expanded versions of the "Red" (1962-1966) and "Blue" (1967-1970) hits albums, originally issued as double LPs. Some tracks are newly re-mixed and others are pulled from previous Giles Martin re-mixes. The new re-mixes in stereo and/or Dolby Atmos were accomplished by Giles Martin and Sam Okell at Abbey Road Studios, aided by WingNut Films’ audio de-mixing technology. Both collections include new essays written by journalist and author John Harris. New expanded and remixed editions will be available as two triple black vinyl 180g LP boxed sets, 2 CDs, digital and streaming. Both collections are available in limited edition red and blue vinyl versions exclusively through the Beatles Store.

Here's the vinyl track order:

LP1 (‘Red’)

Side A:

1: Love Me Do (2023 Mix)

2: Please Please Me (2023 Mix)

3: From Me To You (2023 Mix)

4: She Loves You (2023 Mix)

5: I Want To Hold Your Hand (2023 Mix)

6: All My Loving (2023 Mix)

7: Can’t Buy Me Love (2023 Mix)

Side B:

1: A Hard Day’s Night (2023 Mix)

2: And I Love Her (2023 Mix)

3: Eight Days A Week (2023 Mix)

4: I Feel Fine (2023 Mix)

5: Ticket To Ride (2023 Mix)

6: Yesterday (2023 Mix)

LP2 (‘Red’)

Side A:

1: Help! (2023 Mix)

2: You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (2023 Mix)

3: We Can Work It Out (2023 Mix)

4: Day Tripper (2023 Mix)

5: Drive My Car (2023 Mix)

6: Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (2023 Mix)

Side B:

1: Nowhere Man (2023 Mix)

2: Michelle (2023 Mix)

3: In My Life (2023 Mix)

4: Girl (2023 Mix)

5: Paperback Writer (2022 Mix)

6: Eleanor Rigby (2022 Mix)

7: Yellow Submarine (2022 Mix)

LP3 (Bonus ‘Red’ LP)

Side A:

1: I Saw Her Standing There (2023 Mix)

2: Twist And Shout (2023 Mix)

3: This Boy (2023 Mix)

4: Roll Over Beethoven (2023 Mix)

5: You Really Got A Hold On Me (2023 Mix)

6: You Can’t Do That (2023 Mix)

Side B:

1: If I Needed Someone (2023 Mix)

2: Got To Get You Into My Life (2022 Mix)

3: I’m Only Sleeping (2022 Mix)

4: Taxman (2022 Mix)

5: Here, There And Everywhere (2022 Mix)

6: Tomorrow Never Knows (2022 Mix)

LP4 (‘Blue’)

Side A:

1: Strawberry Fields Forever (2015 mix)

2: Penny Lane (2017 mix)

3: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (2017 Mix)

4: With A Little Help From My Friends (2017 Mix)

5: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (2017 Mix)

6: A Day In The Life (2017 Mix)

7: All You Need Is Love (2015 Mix)

Side B:

1: I Am The Walrus (2023 Mix)

2: Hello, Goodbye (2015 Mix)

3: The Fool On The Hill (2023 Mix)

4: Magical Mystery Tour (2023 Mix)

5: Lady Madonna (2015 Mix)

6: Hey Jude (2015 Mix)

7: Revolution (2023 Mix)

LP5 (‘Blue’)

Side A:

1: Back In The U.S.S.R. (2018 Mix)

2: While My Guitar Gently Weeps (2018 Mix)

3: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (2018 Mix)

4: Get Back (2015 Mix)

5: Don’t Let Me Down (2021 Mix)

6: The Ballad Of John And Yoko (2015 Mix)

7: Old Brown Shoe (2023 Mix)

Side B:

1: Here Comes The Sun (2019 Mix)

2: Come Together (2019 Mix)

3: Something (2019 Mix)

4: Octopus’s Garden (2019 Mix)

5: Let It Be (2021 Mix)

6: Across The Universe (2021 Mix)

7: The Long And Winding Road (2021 Mix)

LP6 (Bonus ‘Blue’ LP)

Side A:

1: Now And Then

2: Blackbird (2018 Mix)

3: Dear Prudence (2018 Mix)

4: Glass Onion (2018 Mix)

5: Within You Without You (2017 Mix)

Side B:

1: Hey Bulldog (2023 Mix)

2: Oh! Darling (2019 Mix)

3: I Me Mine (2021 Mix)

4: I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (2019 Mix)

The Last Beatles Song: "Now and Then"

"Now And Then" The press release in its entirely:

London – October 26, 2023 – Together and apart, The Beatles have always had a talent for the unexpected. And now, 2023 brings one of the most anticipated releases of their long and endlessly eventful history. “Now And Then” is the last Beatles song – written and sung by John Lennon, developed and worked on by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and now finally finished by Paul and Ringo over four decades later.

“Now And Then” will be released worldwide at 2pm GMT / 10am EDT / 7am PDT on Thursday, November 2 by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. The double A-side single pairs the last Beatles song with the first: the band’s 1962 debut UK single, “Love Me Do,” a truly fitting full-circle counterpart to “Now And Then.” Both songs are mixed in stereo and Dolby AtmosÒ, and the release features original cover art by renowned artist Ed Ruscha. The new music video for “Now And Then” will debut on Friday, November 3. More details including global premiere plans will be announced.

A 12-minute “Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song” documentary film, written and directed by Oliver Murray, will debut on November 1. The film’s global online premiere will be hosted on The Beatles’ YouTube channel at 7:30pm GMT / 3:30pm EDT / 12:30pm PDT.

This poignant short film tells the story behind the last Beatles song, with exclusive footage and commentary from Paul, Ringo, George, Sean Ono Lennon and Peter Jackson.

Comments

2023-10-26 11:49:26 AM

PeterG wrote:

Glad that this will make The Beatles more accessible to a new generation of casual listeners, and I'm looking forward to Now and Then. But alas, Giles Martin's Beatles do not sound like The Beatles. I wish they'd focus on stuff that makes the original sound more widely available

Reply
2023-10-26 02:23:02 PM

Lemon Curry wrote:

Firstly, it looks like we can kiss goodbye any hope for a new AAA reissue, ever.

Looking at the mix dates, this is a vehicle to make the recent remixes (Since '17 Sgt Pepper) part of the canon, including the AI demixing of Revolver. It's also a way to introduce even more remixes (demixes?) outside of the usual "original album" format. And of course, Now and Then.

For me, there's absolutely no reason to have any of this on vinyl. I'll stream it if I'm curious. As far as Now & Then, I pre-ordered the cassette.

Reply
- 2023-10-26 04:57:06 PM
  
  JACK L wrote:
  
  Hi
  
  "For me, there's absolutely no reason to have any of this on vinyl. I'll stream it if I'm curious. As far as Now & Then, I pre-ordered the cassette." qtd L Curry
  
  Well, streaming or even hard-wired SACD, or cassettes can never match the closer-to-live musicality of any vinyl, my friend.
  
  That's why I switched back to vinyl from digital from scrap some 7 years back. That said, I still retain digital media as my backup - CD/DVD & streaming strictly for conveniency. I stream to update myself what is going on in the music world out there - mainly for classical music. I have not spent any decent money in digital playback gears as I know too well this is a never-ending hardware upgrading war impossible to win !
  
  Listening to vinyl is believing
  
  JACK L
  
  Reply
2023-10-26 03:45:43 PM

JACK L wrote:

Hi

"Red" (1962-1966)" qtd M Fremer

I am still the proud owner of the original Beatles Red Album (1962-1966), a timeless musical treasure. Thank goodness, I still recall I picked it up from a closing-down vinyl shop locally some 2 decades back for only 10 bucks. Now it worths a million to me musicially !!!!!

I don't need to both any such Beatles "newly re-mixes" coming soon asking for big bucks. Would they sound as good as their historic originals price irrespective ?????

Yes, "Love me do", "I want to hold your hand" & "I saw her standing there" are my most favourite.

I still play them from time to time via my all-triode phono-preamp+all-triode SET power amp + bi-wired fully upgraded vintage KEF 2-way bookshelvers on spiked steel triopod + 3 active-subwoofers (L, R L+R) & pure silver interconnects at home. With such no-compromise setup for classical music, I can now bring the Beatles virtually back performing 'live' in front of me. So gratifying !

JACK L

Reply
- 2023-10-27 01:35:52 PM
  
  Malachi Lui wrote:
  
  'Would they sound as good as their historic originals price irrespective ?????'
  
  i thought giles' 2017 'sgt pepper' remix was definitely an improvement over the original stereo. 'the white album' and 'abbey road' were decent (though i still prefer 'the white album' in mono and the original mix of 'abbey road'), 'let it be' was okay, the de-mixed 'revolver' was a downgrade. is there room for improvement on some of the 'red album' tracks? sure, but is AI-assisted de-mixing going to help? i'm not yet convinced but i'll keep an open mind and stream this when it comes out.
  
  Reply
2023-10-28 09:35:04 AM

firedog wrote:

Looking forward to this, especially as it includes most of the songs from Rubber Soul ( and RS has bad stereo mixes). I like the Giles Martin remixes and prefer them to the originals.

Reply
2023-10-28 08:13:22 PM

Tim wrote:

I personally didnt find the new Revolver Demix so appealing. Quite apart from the jarring mixing (perhaps that's more a subjective knee-jerk reaction to something I know very well), I also didnt find the sound quality so great.. I have a German repress from the 70s that wipes the floor with it in nearly all regards.

I hope for something better from this round of re-imagining.

Reply
2023-11-10 05:06:59 PM

Robert DuPont wrote:

I have two copies of the Red - an original Apple pressing with the James Bond HELP! intro which is fun ! and a DMM red vinyl German pressing which sounds quite different to the Apple... I have the 2014 Blue re-press which to me sounds quite good... It sounds to me the early albums will now get Giles stereo treatments and the original stereo mixes will disappear ... not really what I want , Let's have it all, AAA original stereos to improve on the 2009 vinyl stereos , Giles on box sets . I agree Sgt Pepper had an improved stereo mix and I thought the White Album and especially Abbey Road didn't need remixes , (I'm a little PO'ed those original mixes aren't readily available at this juncture). I like the Let it Be Box, and did not like the new Revolver mix , ( the original stereo is better in my opinion ) . I suppose one should pay attention to the new mixes of the early stuff, and also the Magical Mystery Tour and Hey Bulldog from YS what do you think ??

Reply