In case you missed my impromptu live-blogging of the Beatles/MTV/Harmonix press conference: The Beatles catalog has been licensed by MTV and Harmonix for use in a video game that’s coming out late next year, and as of right now, the title will be a standalone game that will not bear the Rock Band brand. Harmonix noted its reticence toward doing Rock Band standalone products during the press conference and referred to this product as a “journey” through the Beatles catalog, from Please Please Me to Abbey Road. I guess they are taking it chronologically by recording date. (Or maybe they all just hate Let It Be.)
Harmonix was not willing to say whether the game would be competitive a la Rock Band. Personally, I’m a little worried about this. I don’t want one of those dippy ’90s David Bowie or Peter Gabriel CD-ROM non-games–I want to rock out with my friends on “She Said, She Said.”
As far as remastering of the catalog goes, Giles Martin, son of George and the game’s music producer, was a little murky on that, only suggesting that they would adhere to the band’s original mixes as much as possible. One assumes that some sort of mastering would need be done to transfer it to the videogame world, particularly given that most games of today operate in 5.1 surround and beyond. Two birds with one stone, right?
Let’s just hope the currently developing “journey” turns out as good as this gem:
I think “Love” demonstrated how well the original recordings were produced. As for remastering, it will be interesting to see how they match up to the Ebbetts and MFSL versions that already exist.
I’m confused about the guitar, though. They couldn’t have used a Rickenbacker?
@disinterested 3rd party: I made that guitar in Photoshop.
@Lucas Jensen: Yeah. So I’m a geek. I did however confirm via the interwebs that Lennon and Harrison did play strats. They had matching blue ones for the recording of Revolver….. I’ll be in the car if anyone needs me…..
i’m getting tired of the bigger bands demanding they receive their own stand-alone games (beatles, ac/dc, aerosmith). ultimately it hurts both games - where do we draw the line? how long before we can’t even get some cheap, drunken “Maneater” thrills in “Rock Band” because Hall & Oates decide, “WTF, man? we have more #1 singles than the Beatles! we demand a journey through the music of Hall & Oates!”
@westartedthis: “where do we draw the line?”
(sorry, i couldn’t resist.)
Well…
just in case anybody thought that Apple was busy remastering the catalogue(y’know…done right…played back on period tape machines…using tubes…no limiting and compressing…’cause even though that’s the “craze” with making things sound ipod friendly…it makes music sound like shit….oh and mono mixes for all records up to and including “The Beatles”….’cause that’s how they were supposed to sound…EMI decided later that you should have access to the stereo mixes and Sir George decided that you shouldn’t even have those for “Help” and “Rubber Soul” ’cause he remixed those in 1986 with shitty digital reverb….)
they were preparing these…thanx guys…
I’ll just have to go and listen to the U.K. originals now and curse your name…with “Love” of course…(a crappy mastering on that too…don’t get me started….I want to enjoy my day!)
BTW I was referring to cursing Apple’s name…not Idolator!
@westartedthis: Well, the Beatles probably deserve it more than most, right? And the Beatles had plenty of #1s, certainly more than Hall and Oates, right?
@sydbarrett05: I thought Love’s mastering sound alright.
@Maura Johnston: superlol!
@Lucas Jensen: sure, the beatles deserve it. and in my own retarded little world, ac/dc kind of deserve it. i just think it sets up a bad trend.
then again, i know many in the rock band/gh “community” would gladly pay for a stand-alone coheed and cambria game, so if we can conveniently quarantine them in their own game, it’s win-win, ain’t it?
@Lucas Jensen:
Well…it’s nice that Giles Martin (with a bit of deaf prodding from his Dad who can’t really hear anymore) had access to a pro-tools unit and also access to the multitracks…but really…if the catalogue was done the way I describe it would be MINDBLOWING…not just good…
There are artifacts that are left on music when they are subjected to plug-ins…
(I own pro-tools and can testify that it can’t compete with old analog outboard gear)
Plus…it has been jacked up in the volume department to be more “competitive” with other sources…there is a sense of “modernism” applied…and unfortunately this is kind of like throwing the sound of 2007/8 all over this stuff…which really should sound of its time and beyond…(they are really amazing recordings…done mostly on 1 inch 4 track tape…there is no hiss…so when they try to remove that they are just bullshitting with toys at that point…)
here’s a website to ponder…a mastering engineers’ site and he has heard the tapes and masters great stuff…
that is if you are interested of course…
You can learn much from here…I know I did!
http://www.stevehoffman.tv
register and you can search the archives…they are amazing!
People like Ken Scott (who engineered those sessions and also produced Bowie records) hang out there…
Cheers!
Paul
That made me feel twelve years old again. I think I just peed myself.
@casperfandango: Well, I think that’s an appropriate reaction. How about the remastering, though? I think if Love proved anything is that they are due for a new coat of polish.