George Martin didn't do a great job with the CDs in the 80s.
If you want to hear a hint of how the Beatles
could sound on CD, get the out-of-print black EP box.
As far as this story goes, Sony is simply doing the smart thing. Given their current situation with Jackson, they'd be stupid not to, irrespective of any potential SACD deal. He is leveraged on a major asset, and in arrears with declining income potential. Why on earth would they
not go after the asset...anybody would!
Assuming that this means anything about a plan to make new Beatles discs is just that...a huge assumption. The publishing royalties (half of which goes to the songwriters right off the bat) will likely be a drop in the bucket compared to the total cost structure of such a release. The Beatles (and estates) have huge control over the recordings themselves and what they get paid for them. The reason that the CDs were delayed in the 80s were that the Beatles were negotiating a better deal...and they'll probably up the ante again for any new formats. And the first seven albums never had the lyrics printed, and the lyrics themselves aren't that big of a selling point!
There is nothing I'd love more than high-res Beatles, especially if they let somebody like Bob Ludwig or Steve Hoffman properly master them. But I'm not holding my breath, and this bit of news doesn't increase my optimism one iota.
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Who knows though, maybe Sony will be doing DVD-A or SACDII and publishing lyrics on the accompanying video to the audio?
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They'll be EMI, just like DSotM. Sony can throw money at them for an exclusive but they won't have any input into how it is put together. There are enough hands in the pie already and the parties involved are not going to welcome any more. All the hands is why it takes forever to get anything done, adding another party would just slow things down, not speed them up!
