CAN'T BUY ME LOVE...
...for that matter, I can't buy The Beatles' newest album, either...
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It's a move that has surprised a whole lot of Beatles' music collectors. A new collection of their songs sports the name, "Tomorrow Never Knows", and from what I've read, this album is being marketed to younger, mix-oriented, disassociated Sonic Youth of today, but get this: IT IS ONLY AVAILABLE ON "I-TUNES"...that's right, you can't get a solid, tangible item that you can actually hold in your hand, instead you're buying the right to download these songs on your computer or mobile device, or whatever it is that today's disassociated Sonic Youth subscribes to in terms of musical service.
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Throughout the '70s, '80's, '90s and '00's, I have bought every copy of a Beatles re-release that I could get my hands on. I bought their re-done "songtrack" to the Yellow Submarine movie. I purchased a copy of "Let It Be" (the 'naked' version) back in 2003. Back several years ago, The Beatles scored a huge hit with their re-package of #1 hits, titled logically enough, "1". Got that too. I bought English Import copies of all their albums, and for their various songs that weren't on their English albums, I bought the two-LP (and CD) "Past Masters" set, which brings together all their single tracks that were never issued on an English LP. (The English record companies operate in strange mysterious ways.) I even bought a 2-LP set of their "Love" album, which re-mixes Beatle Songs; and as such, approximates the "Cirque de Soleil" show that's been running in Las Vegas in fairly recent times.
The image at left was probably created by someone having fun with their photoshop program. It's a picture of The Beatles' New Item that Does Not Exist. I have bitched and whined over the years about how many times they have released the same songs, and have griped because so many versions of re-arranged Beatle Product have been put on the market. I even bought all the 2010 re-masters of all their English Albums in addition to the "regular" (not that much different) CD's that came out back in the 1990's. Yes, folks, I've bought it all. I devised ways to scheme and follow release schedules so that I could place my order for New Beatles' LPs, since they were being issued in super-limited quantities. (For example, the "Love" 2-LP set I referred to in the above paragraph received a North American Pressing Run of only 5,000 copies, and I've got one!)
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This time around, though, I guess The Beatles don't want my business. I don't do all of this mobile-broadband-always-switched-on communicating stuff. I have no I-phone, no cell phone, the only "tablet" I have consists of sheets of paper, and the Blackberries I come across are in Pie A La Mode. So I'm not hip. I'm not with it. I treasure taking a long-desired slab of music home with me and actually putting it on the turntable...or CD player. I want something I can hold in my hands. I'm a collector, after all, and consider every addition to the collection a "little victory". Ahhh, the sweet smell of Acquisition. Some need to merge major corporations; me, I bring new vinyl home. So what good does typing all this do, you ask?
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I wanted to get this post OUT THERE in the hope that some cyber junkie will come across what I've written, and start a worldwide campaign! Why can't I have a chance to buy this new "Tomorrow Never Knows" album on LP and/or CD? I'm being shut out here and the more I think about this blindsiding action taken by The Beatles/Apple Corps/I-Tunes, the more OFFENDED I am! Not that I need the same old songs on a different running order, but I would buy the record and CD if it was available, and I'm sure a lot of the Beatles' collectors around the world would support this! Why would I foolishly spend money for Beatles songs I already have? It's the sweet smell of Acquisition. Some people collect coins, I collect music. And failing all else, maybe I'll gratify myself by making my own "Tomorrow Never Knows" compact disc from other Beatles' CD's I already have. But I would buy the thing, were it to be made available...hint...hint...
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Finally, I should mention that Ringo's just completed his most recent tour with his band of musicians, and of course, Paul is gonna do the closing of the Olympic Opening Ceremony this weekend, but there is something that could happen for both of them...if they wanted it to happen...and it probably never will happen...I'd like Paul to surrender his pride and become a part of Ringo Starr's All-Star Band. They'd have a great time! How about it, guys? Neither of you are getting any younger!