Video Review: The Beatles '1962-1966 (Red Album)' and '1967-1970 (Blue Album)'

Photo © Apple Corps Ltd

Watch their new episode where TJR and Robert Kinsler discuss and review The Beatles' 1962-1966 ('The Red Album') and 1967-1970 ('The Blue Album') 2023 Editions that were released on Nov. 10, 2023. You can watch the video HERE.

Below is the official media release about the new collections, as well as The Beatles' last song "Now And Then" that was released earlier this month...Robert Kinsler

THE BEATLES’ 1962-1966 (‘THE RED ALBUM’) AND 1967-1970 (‘THE BLUE ALBUM’) 2023 EDITION RELEASES OUT NOW

Buy / Stream Here

Buy / Stream The Beatles’ “Now And Then” Here

Watch Peter Jackson’s Music Video for The Beatles’ “Now And Then” Here

Watch the Short Film, ‘Now And Then - The Last Beatles Song’ Here

London - November 10, 2023 - The Beatles’ 1962-1966 (‘The Red Album’) and 1967-1970 (‘The Blue Album’) collections are today released in 2023 Edition packages by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. Since their first incarnations appeared 50 years ago, these albums have introduced successive generations to The Beatles’ music. Now, both collections’ tracklists have been expanded, with all the songs mixed in true stereo and Dolby Atmos. New 4CD and 180-gram 6LP vinyl collections pair ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’ in slipcased sets. The UK single version of “Love Me Do” now kicks off 1962-1966 (2023 Edition), and the smash hit single “Now And Then” is featured on 1967-1970 (2023 Edition) to complete the career-spanning collections. 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 (2023 Editions) available now HERE stereo mixes: both collections: digital; streaming; 2CD; 180g 3LP black vinyl; 180g 6LP black vinyl slipcased set; limited edition Beatles Store exclusives: 3LP colored vinyl (red for ‘Red’/blue for ‘Blue’); 4CD slipcased set; 6LP colored vinyl slipcased set Dolby Atmos mixes: digital; streaming Today’s releases follow the global unveiling of “Now And Then,” the last Beatles song. Released last week to unprecedented acclaim and commercial success, and accompanied by a beautifully heartfelt music video directed by Peter Jackson, “Now And Then” has smashed all sales and streaming expectations. This last installment of The Beatles’ recorded history is poised to give The Beatles their biggest hit single in over half a century.  Since their 1973 debuts, 1962-1966 (‘The Red Album’) and 1967-1970 (‘The Blue Album’) have ushered countless listeners of all ages, from all parts of the world, into lifelong Beatles fandom, always seen as the definitive introduction to their work. Expanded for their new 2023 Edition releases, the collections together span The Beatles’ entire recorded canon with 75 standout tracks, from their first single, “Love Me Do,” to their last, “Now And Then.” The collections’ 21 newly-added tracks (twelve on ‘Red’ and nine on ‘Blue’) showcase even more of The Beatles’ very best songs.  In recent years, several 1967-1970 tracks and a few from 1962-1966 have received new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes for The Beatles’ Special Edition album releases, including Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (2017), The Beatles (‘White Album’) (2018), Abbey Road (2019), Let It Be (2021), and Revolver (2022), as well as new stereo mixes for The Beatles’ 1 (2015). All tracks not also featured on those releases have been newly mixed in stereo and/or Dolby Atmos 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.

TheBeatles.com #NowAndThen #RedAndBlue Facebook│X (Twitter)│Instagram│YouTube│TikTok 1962-1966 (2023 Edition) (2CD: stereo / Digital + Streaming: stereo & Dolby Atmos) * = newly added track CD1 1: Love Me Do (2023 Mix) 2: Please Please Me (2023 Mix) 3: I Saw Her Standing There (2023 Mix) * 4: Twist And Shout (2023 Mix) * 5: From Me To You (2023 Mix) 6: She Loves You (2023 Mix) 7: I Want To Hold Your Hand (2023 Mix) 8: This Boy (2023 Mix) * 9: All My Loving (2023 Mix) 10: Roll Over Beethoven (2023 Mix) * 11: You Really Got A Hold On Me (2023 Mix) * 12: Can’t Buy Me Love (2023 Mix) 13: You Can’t Do That (2023 Mix) * 14: A Hard Day’s Night (2023 Mix) 15: And I Love Her (2023 Mix) 16: Eight Days A Week (2023 Mix) 17: I Feel Fine (2023 Mix) 18: Ticket To Ride (2023 Mix) 19: Yesterday (2023 Mix) CD2 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) 7: Nowhere Man (2023 Mix) 8: Michelle (2023 Mix) 9: In My Life (2023 Mix) 10: If I Needed Someone (2023 Mix) * 11: Girl (2023 Mix) 12: Paperback Writer (2022 Mix) 13: Eleanor Rigby (2022 Mix)  14: Yellow Submarine (2022 Mix) 15: Taxman (2022 Mix) * 16: Got To Get You Into My Life (2022 Mix) * 17: I’m Only Sleeping (2022 Mix) * 18: Here, There And Everywhere (2022 Mix) * 19: Tomorrow Never Knows (2022 Mix) * 1967-1970 (2023 Edition) (2CD: stereo / Digital + Streaming: stereo & Dolby Atmos) * = newly added track CD1 1: Strawberry Fields Forever (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos 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: Within You Without You (2017 Mix) * 7: A Day In The Life (2017 Mix) 8: All You Need Is Love (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix) 9: I Am The Walrus (2023 Mix) 10: Hello, Goodbye (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix) 11: The Fool On The Hill (2023 Mix) 12: Magical Mystery Tour (2023 Mix) 13: Lady Madonna (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix) 14: Hey Jude (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix) 15: Revolution (2023 Mix) CD2 1: Back In The U.S.S.R. (2018 Mix) 2: Dear Prudence (2018 Mix) * 3: While My Guitar Gently Weeps (2018 Mix) 4: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (2018 Mix) 5: Glass Onion (2018 Mix) * 6: Blackbird (2018 Mix) * 7: Hey Bulldog (2023 Mix) * 8: Get Back (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix) 9: Don’t Let Me Down (2021 Mix) 10: The Ballad Of John And Yoko (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix) 11: Old Brown Shoe (2023 Mix) 12: Here Comes The Sun (2019 Mix) 13: Come Together (2019 Mix) 14: Something (2019 Mix) 15: Octopus’s Garden (2019 Mix) 16: Oh! Darling (2019 Mix) * 17: I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (2019 Mix) * 18: Let It Be (2021 Mix) 19: Across The Universe (2021 Mix) 20: I Me Mine (2021 Mix) * 21: The Long And Winding Road (2021 Mix) 22: Now And Then * 1962-1966 & 1967-1970 (2023 Editions) 4CD SLIPCASED SET (‘Red’: CDs 1 & 2 / ‘Blue’: CDs 3 & 4) (stereo / all 75 tracks as listed above) 1962-1966 + 1967-1970 (2023 EDITIONS) 6LP VINYL SLIPCASED SET (1962-1966: LPs 1-3 / 1967-1970: LPs 4-6) (stereo / 1962-1966 3LP Vinyl & 1967-1970 3LP Vinyl = same track sequencing for each as listed below) 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)

XTC “The Big Express” The Surround Sound Series CD/Blu-ray now available!

XTC 'The Big Express' - The Surround Sound Series CD/Blu-ray Now Available

• Classic 1984 XTC album on CD/Blu-ray newly mixed (2023) by Steven Wilson in Stereo, 5.1 Surround & (for the first time with an XTC album), Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio mixes as part of The Surround Sound Series.
• CD features the complete album newly mixed in stereo + three additional tracks.
• Blu-Ray includes the newly mixed material as featured on CD in Hi-Res Stereo, 5.1 Surround and Dolby Atmos + 2023 stereo out-takes & instrumental mixes in Hi-Res stereo.
• Blu-Ray also includes the original album + additional tracks in Hi-Res stereo
• The complete album & more also appear in demo form (16/48 stereo reflecting the source material).
• Packaged in a 2-disc digipak sleeve with 16-page booklet in a cardboard slip case.

“‘The Big Express’ is the closest we ever came to recording a ‘concept’ album. It’s full of Swindon and deep seams of life there, that run through myself, Colin, and Dave, (Terry too of course). It’s populated by members of our families, our hopes and dreams. The things we wished for, or feared, a stew of memories.” - Andy Partridge – excerpted from the book “Popartery”, 2023

XTC’s seventh album, “The Big Express” was virtually ignored on release, much as its immediate predecessor “Mummer” had been. If “Mummer” was XTC’s quiet album, this was its polar opposite: bright, brash, noisy - even cluttered on occasion if the song demanded it - as it became a concept album of sorts, a partly autobiographical reflection on growing up in an industrial town, Swindon, with its history of engineering and railway accomplishments.

Perhaps in keeping with that tradition of technical innovation, the album also made extensive use of (at the time) new technology with Linn-Drum programming (alongside drummer Peter Phipps), E-mu Emulator and other synths claiming space among the more traditional guitars, bass and drums mix under-pinning the vocals. This technology was juxtaposed with technology of a slightly earlier pop/rock era as phasing, backwards tapes and the inclusion of a mellotron hinted at a psychedelic influence that would move more center-stage with the band’s next project – “The Dukes of Stratosphear”.

With XTC no longer touring, the sound radically different to any previous XTC album, in a musical climate where the upper end of the charts reflected national radio, producing the most mainstream result for years: Lionel Richie, Sade, Spandau Ballet, Howard Jones, Tina Turner, Queen – Frank Sinatra’s final solo studio album… the space for a metallic, post-punk concept album about growing up amidst the ghosts of Swindon’s industrial heritage proved non-existent.

Of course, the songs were as good as on any other XTC album - a very high standard indeed – but they went largely unheard. Given that position, it would be easy to conclude that the timing was wrong for the album. But the best musicians follow the music and allow the times to catch up with that; precisely what happened when XTC released its next album “Skylarking” in 1986. Just as “Mummer’s” reputation (and sales) has increased over the years, “The Big Express” is now regarded as a ‘neglected classic’ of its era.

Now remixed by Steven Wilson in stereo, 5.1 Surround Sound & Dolby Atmos, the full impact and power of the album can be appreciated. Already given studio quality previews to an invited audience in London and LA at L-Acoustics studios, the reaction was one of collective awe at the amount of newly apparent detail & clarity in the Atmos mixes. As ever with XTC, the full package on the Blu-ray disc includes every recorded song from the era, ranging from demos through to the aforementioned Spatial Audio mixes.

Coal for the Soul.

CD (2023 Mixes)
1. Wake Up
2. All You Pretty Girls
3. Shake You Donkey Up
4. Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her
5. This World Over
6. The Everyday Story Of Smalltown
7. I Bought Myself A Liarbird
8. Reign Of Blows
9. You’re The Wish You Are I Had
10. I Remember The Sun
11. Train Running Low On Soul Coal
Additional tracks
12. Red Brick Dream
13. Washaway
14. Blue Overall

Blu-ray
• Album and additional tracks of 2023 Mix in Dolby
Atmos, Hi-Res Stereo and DTS-HD MA Surround
Sound & instrumental mixes in Hi-Res Stereo all
mixed by Steven WIlson
• Plus album and additional tracks of original mix in
Hi-Res stereo, with additional out-takes.
Additional out-takes:
15. Broomstick Rhythm (guide vocal)
16. The Troubles (Big Express Version – Backing
Track)
• Album and additional tracks in demo form in 16/48
Hi-Res stereo with additional demos of songs
written for The Big Express
Additional demos:
15. Now we all Dead (It Doesn't Matter)
16. Work
17. Gangway, Electric Guitar is Coming Through
18. Broomstick Rhythm
19. Shiny Cage
20. A Patriotic Romance

To purchase: https://burningshed.com/xtc_the-big-express_cd_blu-ray 

Simple Minds' 'Acoustic In Concert' coming to BLU-RAY + CD on December 1, 2023

Exciting news for fans of the great Simple Minds. This title would also make a fantastic gift for your favorite music lover...Robert Kinsler

MERCURY STUDIOS TO RELEASE SIMPLE MINDS ACOUSTIC IN CONCERT ~ON BLU-RAY+CD FOR THE FIRST TIME~ ~DECEMBER 1, 2023~

New York, NY (November 8, 2023) – The music of Simple Minds is nothing short of iconic. From anthems “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” and “Alive and Kicking”, which was the soundtrack of a generation, to their recently released 2022 album Direction Of The Heart (BMG Rights Management), the band has carved a successful music career for over 40 years. Later this year, Mercury Studios will re-issue a classic concert from their history, when Simple Minds: Acoustic In Concert is released on Blu-ray+CD on December 1. This concert is now available on Blu-ray for the very first time. Filmed in November 2016, fresh off the release of their acclaimed Acoustic album, Acoustic In Concert was a part of BBC Radio 2’s renowned “In Concert” series. Live on stage at London’s Hackney Empire, Simple Minds perform a 16-song set from across their career. Evolving from late 70s art punk as well as a multitude of other influences, Simple Minds blended rock, synth pop, new wave, and arena rock into their own distinct sound. For this concert, the electronic elements of the music were peeled away, replaced and richly layered with acoustic guitars and instrumentation. Delivering stripped down, acoustic versions of their greatest hits, Simple Minds’celebrated songs are interpreted in a brand new, intimate light. Completed with inspired covers of the songs that influenced them, as well as a finale of “Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)” with famed English singer-songwriter Steve Harley, Simple Minds: Acoustic In Concert is a unique experience for anyone who has followed their music. About Mercury Studios: Mercury Studios is a full-service production studio. Current and recent projects include Telluride Film Festival selections American Symphony, a feature documentary by award-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman that follows Jon Batiste and If These Walls Could Sing, the untold story of the world-famous Abbey Road Studios directed by celebrated British photographer and filmmaker Mary McCartney for Disney+; “My Life as a Rolling Stone,” a four-part docuseries of intimate portraits of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts for the BBC and MGM+; Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl, a career documentary about the superstar currently available on Netflix; Mixtape, the critically acclaimed feature documentary from Omar Acosta focused on the DJs and artists who shaped the sound and culture of Hip-Hop through mixtapes for Paramount+; and the forthcoming “This Town,” a six-part series for the BBC from writer, creator, and executive producer Steven Knight. Mercury Studios also produced “Sam Smith Live at the Royal Albert Hall” (BBC/Tik Tok) and Billie Eilish’s livestream event, “Overheated,” at The 02 London and the upcoming “Lang Lang Plays Disney” for Disney+. Editorially independent, Mercury Studios is powered by Universal Music Group and represents the world’s leading catalogue of music-related content, consisting of thousands of hours of premium music-driven film and television programming. TRACK LISTING 1. New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) 2. See The Lights 3. Glittering Prize 4. Stand By Love 5. Waterfront 6. Andy Warhol 7. Chelsea Girl 8. Someone Somewhere In Summertime 9. Dancing Barefoot 10. Speed Your Love To Me 11. Promised You A Miracle 12. Don’t You (Forget About Me) 13. Sanctify Yourself 14. Long Black Train 15. Alive And Kicking 16. Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)