It’s been quite some time since I posted on my blog. After posting every day in the month of November, I certainly needed the month of December off. January came around I have been busy, so posting was not foremost on my mind. Being that it has been so long, I have quite a lot that I can write about. I think I will split my thoughts into a few postings, with the things that are mostly on my mind first.
First off, Avi is doing very well lately. He is thriving at the Newmark School in Plainfield. It took some time for him to get used to the school and their methods, but he has really fallen into place there. He is making friends and even had one of his school friends over for a play date yesterday! His therapy is also moving along well and he is finally starting to show signs that the therapy may be working. We are hoping that 2010 will be a great year for Avi! Right now we are researching special needs day camps in the area (if anyone knows of one, please let me know).
The next thing on my mind, to the chagrin of many readers is that in exactly nine weeks from tonight we will be sitting down with our families for the first Passover Seder! It’s hard to imagine that it is so close but it is! Passover begins on the evening of March 29th. So this is fair warning for everyone to start planning! And if anyone is going to be in the central NJ area on the 29th and 30th and they need a place for seder, let me know! Either you will be at my table or at a friend’s.
I wanted to get this in the blog today because I am going to make a prediction, and I want it official! I predict that within one or two weeks at the outside, we will begin to see the Passover foods in the supermarkets. It is crazy I know, but we may just see Passover foods in the shelves in January this year! Yikes. As part of my preparations, I am getting back to my Passover Haggadah project. For those who are not aware, for the past 10 years or so, I have been writing my own Passover Haggadah commentary. I am almost finished, as I am up to the final section, Nirtza. I do not know what I am going to do with the finished product, but I have gotten some good reviews, so who knows? If anyone is interested in reading my manuscript, I would be forever grateful for comments and suggestions. Just let me know and I will send you a pdf copy.
Finally, if there ever was a time when one can say how proud they are to be Jewish, it was when the first fully active (and highest tech) field hospital in Haiti was set up by the Israelis. Israel has a long history of giving humanitarian aid in the wake of major disaster, and this is surely what is meant when our tradition tells us to be a light among the nations. In the United States, for the most part, Jews are accepted as total equals. In other parts of the world we are not, and it is things like this that go a long way to showing others what we are really about. The US has also set up a major hospital there as have other countries. But where are Israel’s detractors? The Arab world, which certainly has quite a bit of wealth, is nowhere to be seen in Haiti. Yay Israel! And Yay to being Jewish!
It had to happen sometime. I finally got to play The Beatles Rock Band. We were at my brother’s for Hanukkah yesterday and the night before his kids got to open the box and set up the game. I played quite a bit and had a great time. For those not familiar with this game (or the few others like it) you have video game controllers in the shape of instruments. The game they bought came with a replica of Paul’s bass guitar and a set of drums. They had an older guitar from a different game and a microphone. Unlike some of the other games, one of the players will sing here and you have to stay in key and in time with the song. I found I did my best with the bass and with the singing. I could not at all get the hang of the drums.
The real genius of the game lies with the music. If you have four players, one will have the bass, one the guitar, one the drums and one singing. If the bass player is off from the music, you don’t hear that instrument until that player can get back in time with the song. It’s quite fun (and a bit hard at times). In order for this to happen, they not only had to digitally re-master the songs, they had to deconstruct them and put them back together.
For the early Beatles songs this was quite a challenge. All of the instruments were recorded on one track with the vocals on the other. They had to take the instrument track and filter out each instrument and then put them back together. For some of the earlier songs, it sounds ok, but for the later songs, when each instrument may have had its own track it sounds brilliant.
To enhance the experience, they created digital versions of the group from each era (early, middle and late) and placed them into different settings to fit the music. So for I Want To Hold Your Hand, they are singing on the Ed Sullivan show. For I am the Walrus, they are in a psychedelic paradise and so on. With a great sound system, you could buy these games just for the music because it sounds crystal clear, just like the re-masters themselves.
I highly recommend this game for those who have video game systems. Unfortunately, I don’t have one, so if anyone is looking to give one away or buy me a Hanukkah present, you know what to get!
Be warned, FIOS installation is a big deal. The Installer came at about 11:00 am and left at about 5:00 pm. Big job. In order to install FIOS, they have to cut the old copper wires that were coming to the house and bring new fiber cable. That in of itself probably took over an hour since there was only one person. At about 11:30 or so I tried calling home and I got the Verizon voice mail which was no longer set up with my outgoing message so I knew something was happening.
Here is what they did. First they install a new box on the outside of the house called an Optical Network Terminal. This then has three wires running into the house (for which they drilled holes). One is the phone wire which they hook up to whatever the old phone wire connected to (this means no extra phone wiring in the house needed). The second runs to a power connection as the ONT needs to be powered. The power connection also has a UPS (uninterruptable power supply or batter backup) connected to it. This is so that if the power were to go out, you would not loose phone. With the old copper wire phone system there was low voltage power running through the cable so the system powered itself. Now you need to plug in. The final cable is a coaxial cable which runs to a splitter which then goes to the new Verizon router. This is a wireless router similar to what the cable companies use. The other side of the splitter goes to the Verizon set top box, which in our case is also a DVR. The communication on this coax cable is two ways, so the set top box is also connected to the router. The wireless router also connects up our laptops to the internet with a whopping 25 Mbits of bandwidth (despite our only paying for 15, but hopefully Verizon is not reading this). There are also wired ports if we need.
All total the install process went smooth. The tech was nice and knew what he was doing and everything worked correctly when he was finished. Now we just need to explore the system. Hopefully in a week or so I will post a review. In the meantime, I have tried out the online portion of FIOS and I can log on to their website and basically be connected to my DVR. Not only can I set things to record (I could do that online with DirecTV as well) but I can now see what is set to record in one place, delete some of them if I need (since my kids love to press that record button) and even see what is on the DVR now (and delete them). I can even manage the parental controls from the internet site. I like the site so much that I would even consider using it to program the DVR rather than using the remote control in our family room!
Stay tuned then for a full review of Verizon FIOS.
FIOS is coming to town. I remember a few years ago when I first heard about this Verizon project. I said immediately that when they bring fiber to my house I will definitely climb on board. Last week we got an offer to switch to FIOS. I compared the costs with what we pay now, and sure enough we will save between $40 and $50 a month.
There has been a lot of talk on the internet about problems from FIOS, but it seems to be dying down. I have read a lot of great reviews over the past few days which has lead me to order the service. They are at my house now doing the installation. In this and perhaps one or two more posts I will talk about the experience and hopefully give a review of the service which may help others make decisions in the future.
I called Verizon on Monday to discuss the offer we got in the mail. The offer was for $89.99 per month on a one year contract. This would include Phone, Internet and Television (bundled with our existing cell service on the same bill). Sounds good so far. The woman on the phone told me that we would actually get $15 extra off per month because we were doing what they call the Quad Play (bundling everything on the same bill) and we will get a $150 per-paid Visa card, 3 months free home media DVR service ($19.99 per month after). The sales rep said she would call me back the next day so I could talk it over with Marsha.
Next morning, I get no call back. I was not yet ready to order anyway, as I had a few questions. I needed to know what the costs would be after the 1 year contract was up, will we get to keep our current email addresses (from Verizon DSL service) and how does this all work if we have a power failure. So I call back and get a different woman on the phone. She tells me that the first person got the costs a bit wrong. The regular cost for this is $99.99 but we will get $15 off per month for doing the Quad Play so that brings us down to $84.99. A little more than before, but still ok. The great thing is that this is a one year contract BUT a two year guarantee in pricing, so after the first year we will still get the same rate without being tied to the contract. If they come up with a better plan, we will be able to switch with no penalty. We still get the three months free on the DVR and the $150 Viso card, so all total a decent deal.
After deciding with Marsha that we will do this later that night, I went online to order there, and found that by placing the order online, I get an additional $5 off per month for 12 months! Not bad. So I order and I find that they can come on Thursday (today) to install! Very fast! I placed the order and then called them the next day to tell them that the 8am – 5 pm block of time is a problem because no one can be at our house between 8 and 11 most days. The person I spoke to called the installation department and they said that they will come at 11 and be able to start working on the outside of the house first, so that by the time Marsha gets home at noon we should be good to go.
I can only assume that they are working on it now. The installation process has them removing the copper cables to our house and running new fiber form the street to our house. When I called home a short while ago, I did not get our answering machine so I believe they are working. We did have Verizon answer call as well which is their voice mail. I had recorded an outgoing message there which was now gone, so I am not sure what is happening, but when it is all over later I am sure we will figure it all out.
So now I just wait. Tomorrow I will post on the rest of the install experience and what happens right after that.
30 posts in 30 days is a lot harder than you think. Even with a good theme and great material it is tough to meet the deadlines and with the Sabbath observance, even harder.
But I made it!
I had decided to make this last NaBloPoMo post be the greatest Beatles song of them all, but that is really an impossible task. First off, there is no consensus anywhere as to what the best Beatles song is, so this would have to be, (like most of this month) totally my opinion. Second, I had to decide what songs could be considered, and I decided to keep to the general official Beatles canon. That is usually accepted as all of the studio albums plus Past Masters/Mono Masters. So songs from Live at the BBC for example were out (they are mostly covers anyway). There were a bunch of songs on the three Anthology albums, but again, I choose to leave them out. Finally, I decided that it is unfair to choose one Beatles song, because all of the Fab Four wrote songs. So what I came up with was that I would choose one (or two) songs from each of them to make my favorite Beatles songs, plus one or two from their recorded covers.
Pinning down who wrote what is not always an easy task, but thanks to a lot of research out there and a great chart on wikipedia, today it is pretty easy. Most of the Beatles songs are credited to Lennon/McCartney. John and Paul made an agreement early on that all of the songs would be in both their names. Despite this, Many songs were written by just one of them, with some songs being true collaborations. There are also some songs that were written by John with some help from Paul or written by Paul with some help from John. In these cases generally one wrote the song and the other changed a lyric or melody, or most often, one wrote the verse and the other wrote the middle eight (bridge) section. There are also a few songs that they all are credited as authors and a few that are credited to Lennon/McCartney, but are John’s songs with some assist from Paul and Ringo or George and Ringo. Finally there are two songs not in any of the canon albums that I have included in the list, which are John’s songs with assist from all three of the others, and they are Free As a Bird and Real Love both created from John Lennon demos that the other three added to during the production of the Anthology albums and films.
In my list there are 211 Beatles songs, including covers or others work. Of these John has the most with 59 and Ringo the least with 2. Here is the full list of how many they each wrote:
John Lennon – 59
Paul McCartney – 56
George Harrison – 22
Ringo Starr – 2
Ascribed to all four – 2
Covers – 24
True Lennon/McCartney collaboration – 14
Paul McCartney with assist from John Lennon – 15
John Lennon with assist from Paul McCartney – 13
John Lennon with assist from George Harrison and Ringo Starr – 1
John Lennon with assist from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr – 1
John Lennon with assist from Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – 2
So without further ado, I am going to choose a few songs from each and then perhaps a few of the collaborations.
John Lennon
A Hard Day’s Night is often cited as the best Beatles song, and clearly one of the best Rock and Roll songs of all time.
Strawberry Fields Forever come from the psychedelic writings of John Lennon and sometimes I choose it as my favorite Beatles Song.
Across The Universe is often overlooked and I think a masterpiece of music and art.
Paul McCartney
Yesterday is the most covered song of all time. Its simplicity makes it a true masterpiece.
Eleanor Rigby is another that I often call my favorite. The use of the string quartet as the only instruments was genious.
The Long and Winding Road is a wonderful song from the end period of the Beatles.
George Harrison
While My Guitar Gently Weeps is perhaps his best song.
Something is the most covered of all of George’s songs.
Here Comes the Sun is another overlooked great song.
Ringo Starr
Ringo has only two songs, and I only really like one of them, Octopus’s Garden.
Probably the best true Lennon/McCartney collaboration is With a Little Help From My Friends. Of the songs written by Lennon with Paul’s Help, I think A Day In The Life is tops, and of the McCartney songs with John’s help clearly for me Penny Lane is the best.
Well, that brings me to the end of NaBloPoMo and my trip through the Beatles albums. I hope people enjoyed!
During the recording of Yellow Submarine, four songs had mono versions created as well as the stereo. One of them, Only a Northern Song, was only done in mono. The four together were intended for a mono EP to be released after the main album, but due to poor sales of Yellow Submarine, the project was scrapped. These four songs are included in Mono Masters to make up for the missing three songs that have no mono counterpart. I have compared the songs with the versions on Yellow Submarine.
Only A Northern Song is in Mono on both versions
All Together Now – Mono. The stereo version has the lead vocal out of the right only
Hey Bulldog –Tie. The music is much better on the stereo version but the vocals are only out of the right so it is a tie.
It’s All Too Much – Stereo. The feedback at the start works better in stereo, and the mix is wonderful all around.
Here are both versions of All Together Now. You Choose!
Enjoy!
Mono
Stereo (from Yellow Submarine)
Volume two has a number of differences due to the fact that there are no mono versions of The Ballad of John and Yoko, Old Brown Shoe and Let It Be. That leaves 12 songs, one of which is in mono on both versions.
Again, this posting is being written in advance and posted after Shabbat.
Day Tripper – Mono. I feel more depth in the mono and the vocals out of the right on the stereo makes the mono better.
We Can Work It Out – Mono. The sound is much better in the stereo, but again, I find the vocals out of the right a problem.
Paperback Writer – Stereo. The intro is so much better in the stereo that even if the vocals had been on one side (which they are not) I would still have picked it.
Rain – Mono. Vocals out of the left makes the stereo distracting,
Lady Madonna – Tie. The mono is a great mix and the stereo sounds very similar.
The Inner Light – Stereo. The Indian sounds are so much better in the stereo.
Hey Jude – Tie. Both are super mixes.
Revolution –Stereo by far. The mono is so dull.
Get Back – Stereo. The mono is very similar just a bit duller
Don’t Let Me Down – Stereo. The stereo sound is much fuller.
Across the Universe – Mono. I don’t like all the overdubs in the stereo.
You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) is in mono on both versions.
Here are both versions of Across The Universe. You Choose!
Enjoy!
Mono
Stereo
Past Masters was released on two CDs and four vinyl albums (the last vinyl to be mass produced of any Beatles music). The first CD was volume one and the second CD volume two. Volume one has 13 Beatles singles including B sides, all four tracks from an EP called Long Tall Sally which was released in-between With The Beatles and A Hard Day’s Night, and one single from a US album. Volume two has eleven songs from A and B sides of singles plus the singles versions of Revolution, Get Back, Let It Be and a version of Across the Universe that was from a various artist charity album called No One’s Gonna Change Our World (for the World Wildlife Fund).
Long Tall Sally – Stereo. The stereo version sounds like you are in the room with them.
I Call Your Name – Stereo. The vocals in the center are so clear in the stereo which makes it superior to the mono.
Slow Down – Stereo. The music is so clear and crisp. Centered vocals make this a winner.
Matchbox – Mono. Although the vocals are in the center on the stereo, I like the sound a bit better on the mono.
I Feel Fine – Stereo. The opening feedback sound is much better in stereo, plus the vocals in the center make the stereo version better.
She’s a Woman – Stereo. Crisp and clear!
Bad Boy – Stereo. Great sound and wonderful mix.
Yes It Is – Mono. Both versions are similar but I hear more depth in the mono.
I’m Down – Stereo. Paul’s lead is so much better in the stereo.
Here are both versions of I Feel Fine. You Choose!
Enjoy!
Mono
Stereo
In 1987 all of the Beatles albums were released on CD but fans were missing many of the tops songs that never made it to any of the albums. For example, Day Tripper, Hey Jude and Lady Madonna never made it to an album. So a double album Past Masters was conceived. This album would take all of the Beatles songs that were not on albums and add in some other singles not often heard by the public. The album was laid out in somewhat chronological order. The additional songs were some older singles made at the very beginning of the Beatles and a couple of songs in German from when the Beatles were in Germany.
This album quickly became an official part of the Beatles canon and when the new mono set was conceived, they decided to create Mono Masters since much of this material existed in both mono and stereo. Some of the latter songs on Past Masters were not mixed in mono so a few different songs were included on Mono Masters, mostly unreleased mono mixes of songs found on other albms.
My comparison will hit only the songs that are found in both versions and will take us through four postings.
Love Me Do is in Mono on both versions
From Me To You – Mono. Although the opening voices are centered, the rest of the vocals are out of the right which makes the mono a better version.
Thank You Girl – Mono. The instruments are much better on the stereo version, but the vocals out of the right makes the mono better.
She Loves You is in mono on both versions.
I’ll Get You is in mono on both versions.
I Want To Hold Your Hand – Stereo. The instruments just pop out at the start and there is more depth. Vocals in the center make this a better version.
This Boy – Mono. The guitars are better in stereo, but again, the vocals out of right, make the mono win.
Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand – Tie. The stereo has the vocals out of the right only, but the sound has much more depth in the stereo so I will call it a tie.
Sie Liebt Dich – Mono. There is depth in the mono here and the vocals out of the right on the stereo make the mono win by far.
Here are both versions of Sie Liebt Dich. You Choose!
Enjoy!
Mono
Stereo
After the principal recording was completed from the Get Back Sessions, the Beatles, knowing that they were breaking up, decided to record one final album. They would put aside their differences and go out in style, rather than with all the bickering that had occurred in the previous recording sessions. They had plenty of material that had been tossed around during the White Album sessions (The Beatles) and the Get Back sessions (Let It Be) plus they each had continued writing.
The album is perhaps the best recorded album in the Beatles Catalog. By this I mean that the technology used in recording was much better than in the past. The entire album was recorded using modern transistorized mixing boards rather than old vacuum tube machines. This gave the engineers even more control over the mixing and is why the album was mixed only in stereo.
Abbey Road is also said to perhaps have the best “side” on any album ever. The first side is a collection of singles, while the majority of the second side is a suite of songs that were woven together by McCartney and George Martin. Starting with You Never Give Me Your Money and climaxing with The End, these seeming disparate songs come together to create an amazing medley. The End is the only song that features a Ringo drum solo and is often seen as the final Beatles song, due to its placement at the end of the album, and the one line in the song …And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make. The song also featured guitar solos by Paul, John and George.
There is nothing to compare this album to so I will just add the final three songs from the medley!
Enjoy!
