John, You Are Forgiven—and You Could Sing

CDs showcase Fab Four as they were meant to be heard

(NEWSER) - The Beatles just got better: every one of their original albums and a batch of collected singles has been remastered, boosting the quality to the level “the Beatles themselves would have heard and intended,” writes Matt Hurwitz in the Washington Post. The stereo CDs remind us that the Beatles were a “rock band”: these recordings pack a punch not heard on the older discs. More»

(NEWSER) - The Beatles are getting a long-awaited makeover. The group's entire music collection, including all 12 studio albums released in stereo, is being digitally remastered for release in September, the UK Times reports. It will be the first time the first four Beatles albums will be available in their entirety on CD, notes CNN. The release will coincide with the issue of a Rock Band video game, in which fans will get to play along. More»

Paul claims he introduced band to anti-war ideas

(NEWSER) - In a revelation that will likely befuddle longtime Beatles fans, Paul McCartney claims he was the one who turned the band onto politics, the Times reports. Though McCartney was writing pop songs while activist John Lennon penned blatantly political tunes, as McCartney tells it in a Prospect magazine interview, it was he who met with pacifist Bertrand Russell in the 1960s and brought his anti-Vietnam message back to his bandmates. More»

Now at Christie's; may fetch $11K

(NEWSER) - Looks like the stars were aligned for Ringo. A 1960 letter written by Paul McCartney sought a drummer for the Beatles two years before Starr joined the Fab Four. The note was discovered folded into a book at a Liverpool yard sale, the AP reports. It was a response to an ad placed by a drummer looking for a band. In the missive, McCartney offered the drummer—whose identity remains unknown—an audition. More»

Fab Four's iconic catalog was noted holdout

(NEWSER) - Fab Four fans, rejoice: Or at least hold your breath, because the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Steve Jobs' pending iTunes news is that Apple is nearing a deal to bring the Beatles' catalog at long last onboard. Apple is readying an announcement, anonymous insiders say, while also warning that plans could still change at the last minute. The Journal notes that an agreement would end decades of tension between the two giants; the Beatles originally sued Apple in 1978 for copyright infringement on their Apple Records and Apple Corp. Ltd. More»