A new wave of Beatlemania will splash into record stores with a full set of remastered CDs and a "Rock Band" video game.
According to Jonathan Polk, former Chief Operating Officer of Capitol Records, the band's American record label, remastered versions of The Beatles original studio albums will be available individually and in box sets.
This marks the catalogue's first remastering since the albums were initially released on CD more than 20 years ago.
Jonathan Polk said, "Back in '87, The Beatles CDs actually were responsible for establishing the CD as a mass-market product. But since 1987, the technology has dramatically changed in mastering and remastering. And The Beatles are really one of the last, probably the last major holdout, in terms of remastering the CDs. So, it's a very, very big moment."
Nevertheless, the albums' original L.P. artwork still gets a very, very small CD-sized treatment, which Polk believes detaches people from really getting into the music.
Polk, himself, decided to come to the rescue with "The Beatles: Box of Vision," a storage unit he designed to hold each of Capitol's official Beatles CD releases, and also comes with a coffee-table book delivering each album's artwork in its original size.
With these collectibles, and the "Rock Band" video game, it seems most Beatles fans' prayers have been answered -- except for one. The band's music is still unavailable at legal Internet sites, such as iTunes.
(CCTV September 10, 2009)
