Across the Universe 5.1 release

[Eggplant]

This all-Beatles-covers flick opens today in Los Angeles.
I'm going to try to see it at the ArcLight cinemas.

From what I've heard, the inspiration for both Love and this movie was the realization, by George Martin and the remaining Beatles, that today's kids don't know their music, but need to.

I have a strong suspicion that this soundtrack, in one form or another, will find it's way into a multichannel release. At least there will be the film DVD, which apparently is just about wall-to-wall music.

If anyone has anything to report, please do.

 

[daved64]

This all-Beatles-covers flick opens today in Los Angeles.
I'm going to try to see it at the ArcLight cinemas.

From what I've heard, the inspiration for both Love and this movie was the realization, by George Martin and the remaining Beatles, that today's kids don't know their music, but need to.

I have a strong suspicion that this soundtrack, in one form or another, will find it's way into a multichannel release. At least there will be the film DVD, which apparently is just about wall-to-wall music.

If anyone has anything to report, please do.

Not true about LOVE. George Harrison was the driving force behind LOVE as he was a big fan of Cirque. As far as young people not knowing the Beatles, hearing a bunch of dopes doing their songs won't help much, IMHO.

 

[elmer]

... As far as young people not knowing the Beatles, hearing a bunch of dopes doing their songs won't help much, IMHO.

Sometimes the skeptisism about an artists' intention is all too well deserved - especially when tackling the holy cow of the Beatles. 5.1 or not, we have all been conditioned to look through a hairy eyeball at attempts to recapture another time.

Despite the onslaught of years, I hold out a certain blind optimism in the power of the message. No one - to this date can match that power quite like the Beatles - IMHO. As a native New Yorker, I can tell you that no one has a more hairy eyeball than the film critics at the NY Times. Check this out...http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/09/14/movies/14univ.html?ref=movies&pagewanted=print.

Not too late to hold out a simple, idealistic notion that music still has the power to help - even some dopes singing Beatles tunes.:sun

 

[timbre4]

Agreed. We saw the trailer in the theater and there is something good shining through all this...

 

[daved64]

Agreed. We saw the trailer in the theater and there is something good shining through all this...

I admire the optimism. I see hokey, over the top silliness. Something very silly about having characters named Jude, and Julia, and Dr Robert. And the dialog...."there's a Revolution going on, Jude!" BARF!

 

[wavelength]

Despite the onslaught of years, I hold out a certain blind optimism in the power of the message. No one - to this date can match that power quite like the Beatles - IMHO.

But that's the point, isn't it? This isn't the Beatles. It's some actors in a movie, singing Beatle songs. Not too interested in that, I'm afraid.

 

[timbre4]

What do I know, I saw All This And World War II in a THEATER!

 

[EMB]

What do I know, I saw All This And World War II in a THEATER!

So did I, but it ain't somethin' you go around braggin' about...@:

ED

 

[timbre4]

Not so much a brag really; just a continued fascination with people' re-interpretations of Beatles classics. Many are dreadful but some are very special.

 

[Eggplant]

Well, I saw it at the Arclight in Hollywood (next to the Cinerama Dome).
Reserved seats.
No late entry.
$14.
No drinking. (Arclight has one 21+ cinema with an adjacent bar.)

The singing is topnotch. The movie, lots of energy and twirling cameras.
The most memorable song for me, believe it or not, was It Won't Be Long.
Fantastic.

As for the surround sound? Basically, forget it.

There isn't much. Except for maybe three songs, which use the rears for some sound effects, all are front only. Probably wise, since the on-screen performers are supposed to be singing. Instrumentation or even background vocals coming from the rear might have been distracting, except for the one song (forget the name) that takes place in the hospital, with all the beds swirling around us -- the one track with some rear vocals.

So we've got a whole new collection of mostly excellent Beatles covers. But you'll have to enjoy them in plain old 2.0 or DPLII.

 

[Old Quad Guy]

Too bad this isn't a movie of real Beatles footage with a true 5.1 mix of their original recordings. If this was a movie of just The Beatle's music videos in 70 mm - "Anthology" without the interviews - that would be killer.

Everytime I hear a Beatles cover it reminds me how good the original is and why am I listening to this. I'm speaking as one who endured Beatlemania's fake Beatles live in San Francisco and the Bee Gee's / Frampton "Sergeant Pepper" movie in the 1970's.

 

[Feirstein]

Stereo, but at least it was not subject to excessive compression, dynamic limiting, bass reduction and excessive EQ minipulation. Excellent sonics.

Too bad I can't say the same for "Love", literally distroyed with the sonics subject to excessive processing of the master tapes with "NO-NOISE, Compression and EQ minipulation. Sometimes less is more.

Richard

 

[daved64]

Stereo, but at least it was not subject to excessive compression, dynamic limiting, bass reduction and excessive EQ minipulation. Excellent sonics.

Too bad I can't say the same for "Love", literally distroyed with the sonics subject to excessive processing of the master tapes with "NO-NOISE, Compression and EQ minipulation. Sometimes less is more.

Richard

Funny, I don't find LOVE was overly abused. Not to my ears anyway.

 

[timbre4]

LOVE DVD-A sounds pretty great to me.

FINALLY seeing the LOVE show in Vegas on 11/02.....

 

[Feirstein]

I played the Love DVD-A for my kids, and the level matched German pressed LP's, and the difference was shocking. The LP's had that magic, and a clean sonic signature, while the DVD-A was lacking in dynamics, and the sonic magic was gone. Not anywhere the butcher job the recent multi-channel SACD's of Genesis, but it if they went back to the master tracks, they did not need to run the hell out of the sonics with No-Noise, after all a little hiss never killed anyone, but nooooooo. And the sonics were a bit maximized through the use of compression and EQ.

Richard

 

[daved64]

I played the Love DVD-A for my kids, and the level matched German pressed LP's, and the difference was shocking. The LP's had that magic, and a clean sonic signature, while the DVD-A was lacking in dynamics, and the sonic magic was gone. Not anywhere the butcher job the recent multi-channel SACD's of Genesis, but it if they went back to the master tracks, they did not need to run the hell out of the sonics with No-Noise, after all a little hiss never killed anyone, but nooooooo. And the sonics were a bit maximized through the use of compression and EQ.

Richard

I've read interviews with Giles Martin, and he never used No Noise. He used a plug in within Pro Tools, but sparingly.

You have to remember, the Beatles were recorded on ONE INCH tape up to The White Album (some of it was 4 track 1 inch, some was done on 8 track). One inch tape offers amazing signal to noise ratio. Those tracks are not hissy!

And don't forget, this was done for a circus show, not to appeal to audiophiles. Dynamics are gonna mean squat in a large noisy theater.

 

[Feirstein]

I agree that the use of 15 ips 1 inch tape does not produce much hiss. Your point is that he reports that did not use No Noise brand tools to remove high frequency information. Instead he reports that he used a high frequency removal tool included in within Pro Tools.

My point is that there was no need for the use of this tool, and the invention of a hiss removal tool that does not remove the magic has not yet been invented. You also suggest that the mastering on this release is the same as that used in the theater audio system. This is highly unlikely, but you never know I guess. My point is that the use of PCM Pro Tools, including hiss reduction and dynamic range reduction and EQ enhancements can be heard and they result in a product that does not sound as good as a flat transfer without Pro Tools intervention. Pro Tools is great for editing, using a razor on tape is not fun, but on vintage classic material an effort was made to give us a modern sound, and I don't like the result.

Richard

 

[winopener]

Don't ever thought LOVE lacks in dynamic since day one...

 

[daved64]

I agree that the use of 15 ips 1 inch tape does not produce much hiss. Your point is that he reports that did not use No Noise brand tools to remove high frequency information. Instead he reports that he used a high frequency removal tool included in within Pro Tools.

My point is that there was no need for the use of this tool, and the invention of a hiss removal tool that does not remove the magic has not yet been invented. You also suggest that the mastering on this release is the same as that used in the theater audio system. This is highly unlikely, but you never know I guess. My point is that the use of PCM Pro Tools, including hiss reduction and dynamic range reduction and EQ enhancements can be heard and they result in a product that does not sound as good as a flat transfer without Pro Tools intervention. Pro Tools is great for editing, using a razor on tape is not fun, but on vintage classic material an effort was made to give us a modern sound, and I don't like the result.

Richard

We wouldn't have the LOVE album if it wasn't for Pro Tools. I'm not saying I like Pro Tools, just that it was a necessary evil. That's how he was able to mash it all up, change/match tempos....stretch notes. No way you can do what he did in the analog realm without spending lots of $$$$$$$$$$.

 

[Feirstein]

No problem with the use of Pro Tools, per se, and your point is well taken. High resolution PCM versions of Pro Tools can be a superb editing too and will not leave a trace of artifacts or a loss of fidelity. But when you reduce dynamic range to give the sound a "modern" push toward loud, and mess with hiss reduction, etc., fidelity can take a nosedive. The did not butcher the sound in providing a multi-channel version of this music, but the magic is not there for me. If you want to hear how Pro Tools can be used to butcher fidelity grab some time with the new multi-channel Genesis releases. They have been compressed; limited to the point that dynamics are chopped off, and EQ has been applied the way you would expect a 12 year old set loose with Pro Tools for a lark.

Richard