Good article on the Beatles Vol 1 box set

Welcome JT....I can already tell you'll be a great addition here!

 

That is quite correct, having worked in the retail book biz, that is precisely my belief. You'd be amazed at the wide gamut of quality that runs through every genre of writing: from the sublime to the ridiculous, to the truly essential and important to the fly-by-night, ghost-written knockoffs to certain things you look at and think, "Why does this exist?".....not unlike perusing your local CD emporium....and as critics of rap(and Mrs. Miller, and Dylan's harshest detractors) have noted, you don't have to be able to sing to make music! In fact, the requisities of recording an album and getting a book published are still about the same after all these years:

1. The desire to do so(most important one of all!)

2. A publisher(or an agent to find you one)

3. Self-publish(many local authors do this, and occasionally, it leads to one of the big guys signing you!)

4. Something to say(or, think that you do!)


Note that TALENT is not listed among those requisites...that's because many untalented people have recorded music and written tomes...and many talented folks, for whatever reasons, never wind up doing either. That's life.

But yes, anyone can record music, anyone can write a book, magazine article, reviews, etc. You just keep on plugging if it means that much to you, and hope someone's impressed enough to put it out.

Mr. Spizer may well be a talented writer, but that article still reads like a puffy publicity piece, and should be approached as such, even if he believes every word he wrote. The tone of it also sounds like he's attempting to educate the uneducated masses....well, around here, unlike many fan sites, you're dealing with experience and education, not maudlin notions of nostalgia. You'd have to be out of your mind to treat this as anything but a nostalgia exercise, because that's the only justification--other than mine, which is collector's curiosity and masochism--for anyone to even bother with it, while the superior UK mono and stereo mixes continue to gather dust at AR because the catalog is selling well and seemingly, only people like us see any problems with it.

Gonzo Gort, hope I lived up to my 'verbose' reputation....I'm rather proud of it at times, you know....

 

I have all of Bruce Spizer's books, and I love them all, but as David Schwartz said a few posts back, do not rely on Spizer's "audiophile" expertise. Every one of the Capitols were futzed with somehow. They are all dubs of dubs. Some are even needle-drops. They sound nothing like the UK versions. One doesn't need to be an expert to detect this difference - they just need ears. 40 years after the fact and there is still so much misinformation being hurled about...

 

Yes, almost anyone can write a book. Bruce Spizer has written five about The Beatles. The four about Beatles' records have won awards and have been UNIVERSALLY praised! Your requisites list doesn't serve a purpose in a discussion about Bruce Spizer, unless you are trying to discredit him because "almost anyone can write a book." Your knowledge of The Beatles' recorded history cannot be complete, in my opinion, without reading Bruce's books.

And yes, The Capitol Albums, Vol 1 is a nostalgia exercise. Nowhere have I seen an official press release or statement claiming it was anything else.

 

Nice try, David, but won't fly: winning awards doesn't make you a great writer....or musician, or actor...even if many greats do indeed win awards. Think of some of the Emmy and Oscar winners of the past...even George Chakiris, winning for West Side Story, couldn't believe his good fortune(great dancer, though!)...so don't throw awards around here as if anyone should care. If Steve Hoffman never won a single award for anything, his talent would be just as obvious to us. I don't remember Arthur Lee winning much of anything, either...awards should only matter to the awarded.

In no way am I trying to discredit Mr. Spizer, though this is what you apparently believe. And if I may say so, you're being very defensive of a box set that, in your heart, you should know, does not deserve to exist...yet. To put out this piffle, when the entire Beatles EMI catalog needs a serious reworking and overhaul, is some record exec's and accountant's dream....it just isn't mine...down the road? Sure, what the hell...nice little ancillary fossil for the collection, like the original vinyl has become. Charming in a fashion, but not what one wants for sonic sustenance.

What we should be getting instead of this nonsense--hate repeating myself, but you're rather forcing the issue--are DELUXE EDITIONS of every Uk album, remastered with care and intelligence for once. This CAN be done. That it isn't being done speaks volumes about the priorities of certain people. EMI should be lobbying the surviving Beatles and the estates of George & John to give this band the catalog they deserve, regardless of whether these folks think it's just fine as is.

If one wishes to take this upcoming box for what it is--and that includes me--fine. I'm merely pointing out that other work to the catalog should have been done first. Furthermore, sorry, neither I nor most veteran Beatle fans need Mr. Spizer's disseratations on the US catalog. I've had 40 years experience listening and buying that catalog, Steve and others have gone over the tapes, the sonics and the history...what more can Spizer possibly offer me? And after all this time, should I really care? It is what it is, though I'm sure, going by some of the raves he has received here, that he is a good writer.

As for his talents, whatever they are, I wouldn't think of impugning them; but I have read Mark Lewisohn's work, and if there is anything Mark missed, by all means fill me in, because offhand, can't think of much at this moment.

 

First of all, the awards I was speaking of were from Goldmine magazine, for Beatle book of the year, or whatever it is called. Sure, some awards are meaningless, but not all.

You're last line, "As for his talents,... I wouldn't think of impugning them..." is exactly what you did. And you did it by starting your post explaining why Bruce's awards were meaningless. Just because you haven't read Bruce's books doesn't mean that they aren't good.

I NEVER SAID that someone has to win an award to be good. Your comment about Steve is irrelevant other than to show that a person doesn't need an award. I infer from your response that you are putting me down saying that I value awards too much. I mentioned the awards because you, being ignorant about Bruce Spizer's work, have been trivializing it, in my opinion.

Of course I agree with your opinion of what should be done with The Beatles' catalog. Although it failed miserably, I did try by starting the Save The Beatles Catalog effort.

Mark Lewisohn's work has very little to do with The Beatles US records. If you want to be filled in, especially about the Vee Jay story, read Bruce's books. How could you think of ANYTHING that Mark Lewisohn missed? What he missed isn't in HIS books, is it?

I am by no means being defensive of the box set. I NEVER said any such thing. The box set is what it is. If people like or want to hear the US LPs they can buy it.

You mentioned earlier about your verbosity. Try not to write as if because you don't know about something it can't be good or worthwhile (Bruce's books) or making things up to serve your purpose (I NEVER DEFENDED THE BOX SET).

To use your style: Nice try, Ed, but won't fly. Just because YOU said it doesn't make it correct or important. And I will not fill you in on Bruce's books; can can buy them and read them yourself.

 

David,

Your Save The Beatles Catalog effort was a noble one, to be sure. Doomed to failure, from the outset, a lost cause...something a lifelong Red Sox fan can truly appreciate.... Perhaps, had you enlisted Mr. Spizer, it might have had a different result? Apparently someone is listening to him and reading his work...I'm just not one of those people.

As for the rest of our little discussion....not worth any further effort on my end. Bickering back and forth solves nothing and makes others uncomfortable. And we never change any minds, of course. Most of us will have a copy soon and then hang in still another thread hashing it all out. Business as usual.

 

Ahem, well, uh, I'm excited about this release! These are the Beatles albums I grew up with and I look forward to this walk down memory lane. I had to learn to adjust to the U.K. versions. Right, they are the originals, as the Beatles intended, and those Parlophone LPs are really something to listen to. And you know what? They're what I reach for these days.

But this whole Capitol box set thing provides an opportunity to go back to what got me hyped about the band in the first place. Whether those Yankee releases were right, wrong, good, bad, marketing wonders or hacked-up blunders, it really doesn't matter to me. They are etched upon my psyche and I love them for bringing me this wonderful music.

Okay, so a trip down memory lane can be had by digging out the dusty and neglected Capitol LPs still in my collection. But that's not really the point. The point is this new release generating new buzz in Beatles community and has succeeded in getting me more excited about the Beatles than I have been in years, much more so than the whole Anthology bit. I don't know why... it doesn't make much sense, I know. Whatever the case, I can't wait for this release!

 

OK, I'm also done with our little discussion.

 

Sorry, it sounded to me like you WERE.

Sonic sustenance? How about simple FUN?

Ed, no one is debating this, but it's not happening right now, is it! Do you seriously think there is even one Forum member here who wouldn't just love the core catalog redone correctly?

No argument at all. (Why are we belaboring this point?)

You obviously have a very mistaken idea about Bruce's books. They are NOT disertations (sp?) on the music of the Beatles, nor critiques on the songs, but thoruoughly researched and documented discussions on the business side of getting the music out. They are based on intensive primary research on Bruce's part, and tell a fascinating story for anyone who wants to better understand the business behind Beatlemania. Should you really care? Not necessarily. Only if you are interested in further discovery and study of the recorded history of that incredible phenomenon of the Beatles. Your choice, obviously.

Again, since you haven't read Spizer, I guess you can't be held responsible for totally missing the point, but the focus of Lewisohn's book was not the same as Spizer's. Lewisohn was documenting the actually recordings / sessions of the Beatles -- the tapes themselves; Spizer was focusing on the records. Big difference

Glad to hear it. Let's move on and talk about the music we all love.

 

Sorry, it sounded to me like you WERE.

Sonic sustenance? How about simple FUN?

Ed, no one is debating this, but it's not happening right now, is it! Do you seriously think there is even one Forum member here who wouldn't just love the core catalog redone correctly?

No argument at all. (Why are we belaboring this point?)

You obviously have a very mistaken idea about Bruce's books. They are NOT dissertations (sp?) on the music of the Beatles, nor critiques on the songs, but thoroughly researched and documented discussions on the business side of getting the music out. They are based on intensive primary research on Bruce's part, and tell a fascinating story for anyone who wants to better understand the business behind Beatlemania.

Should you really care? Not necessarily. Only if you are interested in further discovery and study of the recorded history of that incredible phenomenon of the Beatles. Your choice, obviously.

Again, since you haven't read Spizer, then I guess you can't be held responsible for totally missing the point, but the focus of Lewisohn's book was not the same as Spizer's. Lewisohn was documenting the actually recordings / sessions of the Beatles -- the tapes themselves; Spizer was focusing on the records. Two very different documentary works.

Glad to hear it. Let's move on and talk about the music we all love.

 

Let me try to explain. Do a search on these boards for Beatle EMI CDs and take note of the general consensus on the sound quality of those discs. You'll find the vast majority aren't satisfied, yet they've remained unchanged since their release in 1987. As was mentioned in a previous post, the British format was the choice for these releases because it was the most familiar to those preparing the discs for release. So, people are ticked off that the US releases are being shipped PRIOR to any corrections to the previous releases. If in say 1994-5 when all the "Anthology" releases were being prepared an effort had been made to properly redo the Beatles catalog, including analog mono & stereo mixes of albums among other things, you might not see the outrage over the US LPs on cd now. IMO, it's about correcting what you did wrong previously before you push out new product.

I won't question Mr. Spizer as an author, I'm sure he's quite good. However, being under a companies' employ can "color" one's opinion. Personally, the Beatle author I prefer is the late Nicholas Schaffner, who penned "Beatles Forever", and I recall a little blurb in the intro to the discography section about how the import (British, German, Japanese) LPs were preferrable in terms of sound quality and track selection to the US albums. My purchase of BC-13 proved that opinion to be true for me.

I wouldn't think of begrudging those who are anticipating the box set next month. Even if you're not big on the sound quality/track selection, it'll make a nice collectable. I also agree w/ Michael and others who say that the CDs should sound exactly as the original US LP releases did, otherwise what's the point? However, I would also tell you that I own a Japanese copy of "The Beatles Second Album", which I pulled out a couple of months ago. If these cds are true to the original releases, be prepared to adjust.

 

Hi Bill, I'm quite prepared, I've been listening to the American LP's on compact disc since they were released (unofficially) on the Beat label in 1993/94. Of course, we all want the UK in perfect sound, (what true Beatlemaniac would'nt???) or as close to perfect we can get! This is just a sentimental release for me...and, I'm THRILLED!

 

ED, before you embarrass yourself again , please take the time to check Bruce's first four books, (you pre-judged him without knowing nothing about his work...Why?)...they are truly works of Art, not genius. I believe there is no way you won't acknowledge this after viewing them...Impressive is to slight a word...Colossal!, is more fitting. What do you expect?, Bruce wrote 4 books on the American releases, why would'nt CAPITAL use him for a bit of Promotion, AND whatever Bruce wrote, he believed in...Just like yourself, who believe's in EVERYTHING he writes as the final word..