The Beatles on SHM-CDs
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| These will be available on SHM-CDs in Japan December 17. |
As another twist in the recent flurry of new Beatles related releases on the SHM-CD format, Universal Japan has just announced a December 17 release date for SHM-CDs of the entire BEATLES stereo catalogue, packaged as Mini-LPs. Often the Japanese SHM-CD releases are followed by SHM-SACD releases of the same albums, but nothing of the sort has been mentioned so far. The following titles will be released:
1. Please Please Me
2. With The Beatles
3. A Hard Day’s Night
4. Beatles For Sale
5. Help!
6. Rubber Soul
7. Revolver
8. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
9. Magical Mystery Tour
10. The Beatles (2CD) (White Album)
11. Yellow Submarine
12. Abbey Road
13. Let It Be
14. Past Masters (2CD)
15. The Beatles 1962-1966 (2CD)
16. The Beatles 1967-1970 (2CD)
The audio will be the same as the regular 2009 stereo release, as will the booklets accompanying each album. However, this edition will mimic the original LP packaging. The SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) format features enhanced audio quality through the use of a special polycarbonate plastic. Using a process developed by JVC & Universal Music Japan discovered through the joint companies’ research into LCD display manufacturing SHM-CDs feature improved transparency on the data side of the disc allowing for more accurate reading of CD data by the CD player laser head. SHM-CD format CDs are fully compatible with standard CD players.
Source: Universal Music Japan
See also recent news items about SHM-CD releases by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. In 2011, “The Beatles’ first featuring Tony Sheridan” was released on a SHM-CD.
While we were sleeping on the job, some Ringo Starr SHM-CDs passed under our radar, too. “Live at the Greek Theatre 2008” and “Y Not” was released in 2010, “Ringo 2012” in 2012, appropriately enough, and on December 3, 2014, “Photograph:The Very best of Ringo Starr” will be out.
Planned for SHM-CDs in 2010 but eventually cancelled and left unreleased, were “Ringo the 4th”, “Bad Boy”, “Ringo’s Rotogravure” and “Vertical Man”.
Since 2011, a bunch of Paul McCartney’s releases in Japan have also gotten the SHM-CD treatment. These include all the McCartney Archive releases, including the new ones, plus “Driving Rain”, “Off The Ground”, “Chaos And Creation in the Backyard”, “Run Devil Run”, “Kisses on the Bottom”, “Amoeba’s Secret” and all editions of “New”.
Yikes! Another issue of the same stuff. Next stop, Mono SHM CDs, US Album SHM CDs…
LET IT BE NOW! SHEA NOW! PROMOS NOW!
If the audio is the same, what difference can "more accurate reading of CD data" do? To me it sounds that the japanese have found a fancy way to sell the same digital audio once again.
We won't see any Let it Be reissue circus in Paul's lifetime—the film doesn't show him in a great light, and it's Paul who can say yes or no to it…
I disagree. Let It Be will come to home video again most likely within the next five years — because a lot of that material will show up on Bootleg Series 1969.
My guess is that it was pushed back because of Magical Mystery Tour, then A Hard Day's Night reissues — and will be pushed again in 2015 by the Shea concert.
Anyway, I've said this before: I don't think Paul or Ringo are the culprits regarding the non-release of "Let It Be". Paul was getting ready to release it alongside "Let It Be…Naked" in 2003 and in a recent Ringo interview he said the film was one of the upcoming projects they are working on. I have a feeling that it's one or both of the widows who has halted the project thus far.
416you guys know nothing,i have many shm cds and they sound superior to regular cds,i'm not saying to buy these discs. sacd is what the audiophile community wants but may never get.cds distort just like any other medium,shms have less distortion and more amplitude.thus better sound.
SACD is awesome! We must use our BLU RAY players to hear the difference.