It’s About Time: Beatles on iTunes

Photo Courtesy of Apple Corps Ltd.

It has been a long time coming: Beatle mania 2010. Well, minus the screaming teenage girls and 1960s mop tops. Apple has finally released all Beatles albums on iTunes, along with bonus TV ads and concert footage from their first show back in 1964. Despite the hard truth that many of us Beatle lovers already have downloaded or uploaded their music in other forms, it still is a sigh of relief (and joy) that the Beatles have finally entered the digital world.

The hype began once Apple sent the message out to the world that this would be a day we would never forget. Well, that may or may not be the case but the suspense did get me intrigued. Was it a new iPhone? iPad? I was pleasantly surprised once clicked on Safari and found Paul, John, George and Ringo staring back at me. I have been a Beatles fan ever since my dad put on Abbey Road in the car, and I never quite understood why the Beatles were missing from the online iTunes library. Whether or not it had to do with the fact that the Beatle’s company was named Apple or the questioning quality of digital music, it never made sense that such a legendary group wasn’t accessible by the most accessible music site.

My friends, the wait is finally over.

Along with all thirteen albums and songs available for individual purchase, iTunes is offering their two-volume “Past Masters” compilation and the “Red” and “Blue” collections. For the super fan – or perhaps the novice – there is a complete digital box set that includes videos, photos, and notes detailing the Brits’ journey from beginning to end. You can even watch the entire 40-minute show at Washington Coliseum, which was their first live show in America.

It seems only fitting for the Beatles’ digital comeback to occur close to John Lennon’s 70th birthday. Statements released from Paul, Ringo and Yoko have all been positive, reiterating that it has been a long and winding road, but a good one. With CDs making a slow disappearance from the music world, it’s about time that some of the greats make it onto our computer screens. I wonder what AC/DC must be thinking right now…

About Briana Seftel

Briana Seftel (COM '14) is an aspiring journalist with an appetite for adventure. When not writing for the Quad, she enjoys exploring the great city of Boston.

View all posts by Briana Seftel →

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