The Beatles: 1 (Blu-ray Audio/Video) (2 Viewers)

[Tony Bensley]

Just some observations on the day of the release of the various incarnations of THE BEATLES 1:


Amazon Canada is still charging the ridiculously high $69.99 price tag for the 2 Blu-ray + 1 CD set. To alternatively get the 2 DVD + 1 CD set instead only knocks $5 off of this decidedly high price tag! The former's lowest price listing within Amazon Canada Marketplace is $67.96 via "Bonnie Scotland", which with the non charging of taxes, probably amounts to marginal savings, even with the $3.49 shipping.


Upon checking Best Buy and Wal-Mart's Canadian websites, I've found that they're not offering the Deluxe version at all! You'd think the Brick & Mortar Outlets would be all over this version, but perhaps they've rightly concluded the current Canadian price point is simply too damn high! I'd say, set the price at about $50 (The current Amazon.com price point), and people WILL buy it en masse! I sure hope it gets better than this for Canadian consumers with this set! Otherwise, as much as I want the full set, I may end up just settling for the single Blu-ray that's currently priced at $24.99, instead.


Too bad.

 

[Brian Kidd]

Just got mine and am preparing to tear off the plastic and pop that sucker in my Blu-ray player. So excited! I'll be back later with my impressions of it.


EDIT:


Real quick update. The book content is nice. Lots of pictures and information about the videos. I do wish it had been a separate item, however, as the spindles for the discs add a lot of thickness, making the actual book portion unwieldy and, I fear, prone to falling apart. Time will tell.

 

[Brian Kidd]

I've made my way through all of the first Blu-ray and several of the songs on the second. In a lot of ways, it wasn't what I was expecting, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.


There are quite a few live performances and semi-live performances that mix pre-recorded tracks with live vocals. What that means for the sound is that a large number of songs are mono and, depending on the condition and format of the source material, can have limited frequency and dynamic range. With that being said, I really enjoyed those clips. I'm a big Beatles fan, but I can't claim to be one of those people who knows every single performance and mixing nuance. Aside from a few songs, I hadn't ever seen most of these clips in their entirety. Being able to see the Beatles perform live gave these songs a new life for me and made me appreciate the band even more for how talented they were as live musicians. As for the songs that use the studio tracks, they all sound clear and nice. If you're hoping for active surround mixes of the songs, as I was, you may be disappointed. Setting aside the live performances that only had sound from a single mono track and the early songs that were recorded to two-track and, therefore, aren't suitable for a real surround mix, the remaining tracks mostly have a very restrained mix. Generally, what I noticed was that, the more original tracks that were available, the more active the mix. However, none of the surround mixes were anywhere near as active as those done for the Yellow Submarine film back in 1999. For a lot of people, that will be a relief. I know I'm in the minority that enjoys really active mixes and was hoping for something dramatically different from what we already have. That said, you should judge a work for what it is, not what you expected it to be. The songs are still great and the mixes are clear and pleasant-sounding. I just don't see much point in doing surround mixes if you're not going to take advantage of the possibilities that are available to you. (I haven't listened to the stereo mixes yet, so I can't comment on them.)


As for the video quality, it's all over the place. Some clips, like Hello, Goodbye, and Strawberry Fields Forever, look amazing. On the other end of the spectrum, you have some of the early clips that were originally either live or on videotape and were then transferred to 16mm film and are now being converted back to video at a higher resolution. Those fare the worst. The producers can't be faulted for them being a smeary mess with no shadow detail and visible interlacing artifacts. It's doubtful that there are better copies of these clips in existence, so they look as good as they're going to get. Again, it's great to have them and they add a lot to the value of the set.


Am enjoying the set? Absolutely. As a Beatles fan, it's finally nice to have these clips. Do I think it's worth the $50 I paid for it? Hmm. Tough one. Not really. Apple is always going to be able to charge a premium for Beatles products because they know people will pay it. In this case, I certainly don't feel like the second disc and book are worth the extra $20 (or much more, if you're Canadian, apparently. Ouch.) The clips are all interesting and entertaining but, man, they come at a high cost.


I'm interested to hear what the rest of you think.


EDIT:


Just finished listening to the CD with the new mixes. I'm sadly underwhelmed. Giles Martin seems to have just used a template when mixing as all of the songs sound the same: lead vocals completely centered, backing vocals either centered or equally-spaced on either side, instrumentation in similar locations across the soundfield. There are several times when vocals are swallowed by the instruments. Other times when you strain to hear a guitar solo but can inexplicably hear every hand clap as clear as day. The original mixes were just so much more creative, even given the early nature of the equipment being used. Mind you, I'm someone who loved what what done on the Yellow Sub Songtrack, so I'm not a purist, by any means. I just don't think that Giles Martin has the creativity of his father. Just my opinion and, certainly, perfectly valid alternatives are available.

 

[Tony Bensley]

I've made my way through all of the first Blu-ray and several of the songs on the second. In a lot of ways, it wasn't what I was expecting, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.


There are quite a few live performances and semi-live performances that mix pre-recorded tracks with live vocals. What that means for the sound is that a large number of songs are mono and, depending on the condition and format of the source material, can have limited frequency and dynamic range. With that being said, I really enjoyed those clips. I'm a big Beatles fan, but I can't claim to be one of those people who knows every single performance and mixing nuance. Aside from a few songs, I hadn't ever seen most of these clips in their entirety. Being able to see the Beatles perform live gave these songs a new life for me and made me appreciate the band even more for how talented they were as live musicians. As for the songs that use the studio tracks, they all sound clear and nice. If you're hoping for active surround mixes of the songs, as I was, you may be disappointed. Setting aside the live performances that only had sound from a single mono track and the early songs that were recorded to two-track and, therefore, aren't suitable for a real surround mix, the remaining tracks mostly have a very restrained mix. Generally, what I noticed was that, the more original tracks that were available, the more active the mix. However, none of the surround mixes were anywhere near as active as those done for the Yellow Submarine film back in 1999. For a lot of people, that will be a relief. I know I'm in the minority that enjoys really active mixes and was hoping for something dramatically different from what we already have. That said, you should judge a work for what it is, not what you expected it to be. The songs are still great and the mixes are clear and pleasant-sounding. I just don't see much point in doing surround mixes if you're not going to take advantage of the possibilities that are available to you. (I haven't listened to the stereo mixes yet, so I can't comment on them.)


As for the video quality, it's all over the place. Some clips, like Hello, Goodbye, and Strawberry Fields Forever, look amazing. On the other end of the spectrum, you have some of the early clips that were originally either live or on videotape and were then transferred to 16mm film and are now being converted back to video at a higher resolution. Those fare the worst. The producers can't be faulted for them being a smeary mess with no shadow detail and visible interlacing artifacts. It's doubtful that there are better copies of these clips in existence, so they look as good as they're going to get. Again, it's great to have them and they add a lot to the value of the set.


Am enjoying the set? Absolutely. As a Beatles fan, it's finally nice to have these clips. Do I think it's worth the $50 I paid for it? Hmm. Tough one. Not really. Apple is always going to be able to charge a premium for Beatles products because they know people will pay it. In this case, I certainly don't feel like the second disc and book are worth the extra $20 (or much more, if you're Canadian, apparently. Ouch.) The clips are all interesting and entertaining but, man, they come at a high cost.


I'm interested to hear what the rest of you think.


EDIT:


Just finished listening to the CD with the new mixes. I'm sadly underwhelmed. Giles Martin seems to have just used a template when mixing as all of the songs sound the same: lead vocals completely centered, backing vocals either centered or equally-spaced on either side, instrumentation in similar locations across the soundfield. There are several times when vocals are swallowed by the instruments. Other times when you strain to hear a guitar solo but can inexplicably hear every hand clap as clear as day. The original mixes were just so much more creative, even given the early nature of the equipment being used. Mind you, I'm someone who loved what what done on the Yellow Sub Songtrack, so I'm not a purist, by any means. I just don't think that Giles Martin has the creativity of his father. Just my opinion and, certainly, perfectly valid alternatives are available.

Hi Brian!


Based on your post, and other recent ones, I'm leaning more towards just purchasing the single Blu-ray, especially if the price for the deluxe version doesn't markedly decrease on any of the Canadian based vendors, assuming that any other than Amazon.ca even picks it up! I'm sticking firm to my maximum $50 price point on this one!


Thank you very much for your most valued detailed review!


CHEERS!


Tony

 

[Vegas 1]

Just picked up the CD/2-BR package for $45 at our local Zia's, will give it listen this weekend.

 

[Ruz-El]

That CD mix sounds like a compromise to make all the tracks sounds of one album. Guitar solo's should never be buried though, they should be able to do a better compromise.

 

[turtledove]

This release is in the format the Germans call a Mediabook- basically a digibook with discs in the cover and a more substantial book in the middle and I think it's excellent - far better than having the book separate. None of the Mediabooks I have show any signs of wear and tear.


After the first few videos I was wondering if I should have purchased this on dvd as all the films were black and white and clearly tape based but then the films on colour 35mm film appeared - Wow.

These have been cleaned up to the nth degree so they are perfectly spotless and the HD quality makes them look like they could have been made yesterday. Really superb. Disc one only looked at so far.

I've not read the book yet nor read about the creation of this release so I'm wondering what the audio is? Are the stereo and DTS mixes actual new remixes of the original sound on the films or what was present on the tape? They sound too good to be that in some cases.


And there's a handful of McCartney commentaries and some Ringo intros so there's lots to delve into.

It's a splendid release from what I've seen so far

 

[Ruz-El]

Is the black & white confirmed as tape, or is it even worse from being kinoscope? Either of them probably look as good as can be for the level of work put into it. I wont know until The Beatles and amazon.ca get their poop together on pricing.

 

[Tony Bensley]

That CD mix sounds like a compromise to make all the tracks sounds of one album. Guitar solo's should never be buried though, they should be able to do a better compromise.

Hi Russell!


In my opinion, the only compromise should have been to normalize the overall volume levels. These legendary tracks were recorded over a span of 7 years, not 7 months! They can't be expected to sound like they're off of one album, nor should they be massaged to sound that way!


I'm curious as to just how a "solo" of any kind can be "buried", so to speak? I do agree this should never be done, in any case!


CHEERS!


Tony

 

[Tony Bensley]

Is the black & white confirmed as tape, or is it even worse from being kinoscope? Either of them probably look as good as can be for the level of work put into it. I wont know until The Beatles and amazon.ca get their poop together on pricing.

Hi Russell!


Insofar as the current unreasonably high pricing as listed on Amazon.ca, I'm not quite sure who to blame for this. My reasoning behind that statement, is the fact that I haven't been able to locate any other Canadian vendors carrying the deluxe version, even though numerous other non Amazon.com vendors are carrying this set in the U.S.


One question that enters my mind is, has Apple insisted on a firm/inflexible higher price point for Canadian vendors? If so, have these vendors (Apart from Amazon.ca) simply chosen to opt out of carrying the 2 Blu-ray + 1 CD set, rather than carry an item that they've surmised has too high a price point for them to move enough units to turn a profit?


Any thoughts regarding my above speculation?


CHEERS!


Tony


P.S. I should also note that the deluxe 2 Blu-ray + 1 CD set is listed as "Temporarily Out Of Stock" on Amazon.ca!

 

[Brandon Conway]

I sampled a bit from both discs so far. Very happy with it.

 

[Brian Kidd]

Is the black & white confirmed as tape, or is it even worse from being kinoscope?

A little of both. There are several that look like tape and others that show signs of being kinescopes that have had some work done on them to make them resemble tape again, similar to what has been done with Doctor Who episodes for which only 16mm film copies exist.

 

[Brian Kidd]

I'm curious as to just how a "solo" of any kind can be "buried", so to speak?

It isn't so much that they can't be heard, they just blend in to the rest of the instruments more than they should. All of the instruments are given equal emphasis instead of giving prominence to some over others, like in the original mixes. I noticed the same thing with the backing vocals on Help! In that case, the backing vocals are a counterpoint to the lead vocal and, therefore, should be prominent in the mix. They aren't and are somewhat absorbed into everything else. It's hard to describe without listening to it. The surround mixes, I should mention, don't have this issue. I only noticed it on the stereo mixes on the CD.


On another note, Free As a Bird and Real Love sound like entirely different songs. Real Love, especially. I like the mixes, but they are very different from the originals.

Are the stereo and DTS mixes actual new remixes of the original sound on the films or what was present on the tape?

Again, it's a mix of both. In cases where the band was performing live or using backing tracks with live vocals, the sound is just that of the original source tape or film. When the clip was originally using just the original recording, the songs have been remixed from the master music tapes.

 

[Ruz-El]

They aren't and are somewhat absorbed into everything else. It's hard to describe without listening to it. The surround mixes, I should mention, don't have this issue. I only noticed it on the stereo mixes on the CD.

Based on your description, it sounds like a new stereo mix from the 5.1. If so, it's a real boner. The videos should have the original soundtrack restored when available with the 5.1 being the new mix that plays with the levels. Hmmmmm...

 

[Ruz-El]

One question that enters my mind is, has Apple insisted on a firm/inflexible higher price point for Canadian vendors? If so, have these vendors (Apart from Amazon.ca) simply chosen to opt out of carrying the 2 Blu-ray + 1 CD set, rather than carry an item that they've surmised has too high a price point for them to move enough units to turn a profit?


Any thoughts regarding my above speculation?


CHEERS!


Tony


P.S. I should also note that the deluxe 2 Blu-ray + 1 CD set is listed as "Temporarily Out Of Stock" on Amazon.ca!

I think it's just typical greed and not understanding our marketplace. Unless people are actually spending $45-$60 for single disc Criterion, Arrow, Olive and Kino releases on amazon.ca.

 

[Brian Kidd]

Based on your description, it sounds like a new stereo mix from the 5.1.

Nope. The stereo remixes are completely different from the 5.1. In fact, many of the stereo mixes aren't even on the Blu-rays because the versions of the songs featured were live or, in the case of the Let It Be material, not the overproduced Phil Spector versions.

 

[bigshot]

On another note, Free As a Bird and Real Love sound like entirely different songs. Real Love, especially. I like the mixes, but they are very different from the originals.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing.

That CD mix sounds like a compromise to make all the tracks sounds of one album. Guitar solo's should never be buried though, they should be able to do a better compromise.

No big deal. I don't think very many people are buying this for the CD. I'd rather have different than exactly the same.

 

[Ruz-El]

Nope. The stereo remixes are completely different from the 5.1. In fact, many of the stereo mixes aren't even on the Blu-rays because the versions of the songs featured were live or, in the case of the Let It Be material, not the overproduced Phil Spector versions.

really? so the stereo mixes are using video/film source audio just mixed odd, and the 5.1 is using the original masters or something different? Or are they just mixing the video source audio in strange ways?

 

[Brian Kidd]

The stereo mixes on the CD are entirely new mixes using the original session tapes. Some of these stereo mixes are also on the Blu-rays. Whether or not the studio tracks are on the Blu-ray depends upon the video that is being shown. If the video originally had any live music performance element to it, then that is what is used for the audio, not the studio tracks. Think of it like a disc containing both music videos and concert footage. The audio is different depending on what type of clip you're watching. The CD is just a "greatest hits" compilation with the same songs as the 2000 release. The audio on these songs, however, are brand new mixes from the original source tracks.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Is there anyplace that clearly lists what's on the 2nd Blu-Ray? The single Blu-Ray is on sale at a store nearby now but they didn't even have the one with the 2nd disc in stock. Tempted to just grab the single disc (don't care about the CD) but want to know exactly what's on the 2nd disc that I'd be missing.