The Beatles were last in a studio together 40 years ago, but they cast a long musical shadow - as Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher will affirm.
And, after the chart success of 2003's Let It Be... Naked and 2006's Love, this autumn will see yet another wave of Beatlemania.
The group's absolutely back catalogue has been digitally remastered for the first time.
As well as their 12 studio LPs, from Please Please Me to Let It Be, two other albums are being re-released: the soundtrack to Magical Mystery Tour and the Past Masters anthology.
And, after the chart success of 2003's Let It Be... Naked and 2006's Love, this autumn will see yet another wave of Beatlemania.
The group's absolutely back catalogue has been digitally remastered for the first time.
As well as their 12 studio LPs, from Please Please Me to Let It Be, two other albums are being re-released: the soundtrack to Magical Mystery Tour and the Past Masters anthology.
All the albums are being made available apart, although there are also two CD boxed sets one in stereo, the other mono for collectors.
At the moment, there is still no deal for downloads in place, but it is absolutely only a matter of time before The Beatles are for sale online, too.
Remastering almost nine hours of music took four years. And while the overall adaptation in sound quality are subtle more prominent handclaps on Eight Days A Week, crisper guitars on Yesterday, cleaner drums on Sgt. Pepper a playback at Abbey Road was enough to assure me that The Fab Four have never sounded better.
The Abbey Road engineers, who liberated the master tapes from a steel vault, have removed electrical clicks, microphone 'pops' and hiss while preserving the integrity of the original recordings.
For them, the process was difficult by the fact the first four Beatles LPs were originally in mono while the later ones were stereo.
But, with each refunded CD containing new liner notes, photos and a brief documentary, the remasters should absord old fans (without messing too much with treasured memories) while providing a superb introduction to newcomers.
What ultimately shines through is just how compelling The Beatles were in the first place.
From the raw energy of their early hits to the technically cultivated Abbey Road, they were extra less than fab.
At the moment, there is still no deal for downloads in place, but it is absolutely only a matter of time before The Beatles are for sale online, too.
Remastering almost nine hours of music took four years. And while the overall adaptation in sound quality are subtle more prominent handclaps on Eight Days A Week, crisper guitars on Yesterday, cleaner drums on Sgt. Pepper a playback at Abbey Road was enough to assure me that The Fab Four have never sounded better.
The Abbey Road engineers, who liberated the master tapes from a steel vault, have removed electrical clicks, microphone 'pops' and hiss while preserving the integrity of the original recordings.
For them, the process was difficult by the fact the first four Beatles LPs were originally in mono while the later ones were stereo.
But, with each refunded CD containing new liner notes, photos and a brief documentary, the remasters should absord old fans (without messing too much with treasured memories) while providing a superb introduction to newcomers.
What ultimately shines through is just how compelling The Beatles were in the first place.
From the raw energy of their early hits to the technically cultivated Abbey Road, they were extra less than fab.
