Hot on the heels of the monster hit Beatles Remastered collection last September, EMI has announced a second boxed set just in time for Christmas. Entitled The Beatles Remastered Backwards, the set features every recording by the Fab Four played backwards in crystal-clear digital sound.
The painstaking work was overseen by original Beatle Paul McCartney, who was eager to get this package out to fans as soon as possible. “Strike while the iron is hot,” said the recently-knighted McCartney. “They’ll be delivering my percentage of the profits in fleets of 18 wheelers.”
Over the years, many fans have heard various phrases whispered between the grooves of popular Beatles records when played backwards. Most famous was the line “I buried Paul” from Strawberry Fields Forever. But McCartney insists that there are a host of other lines embedded within the other Beatles recordings, and only this exclusive collection brings them to light.
Among the new gems uncovered by this remastered collection are startling lines like “John Lennon has an ugly girlfriend,” “Yoko Ono smells like fish farts,” and, most incredibly, “I wish Yoko Ono would leave the studio and get run over by a truck so that we can be the Beatles again because we will always be the greatest band on Earth as long as she is dead and gone.”
Yoko Ono has heard the collection and has expressed her displeasure at what she calls “studio tampering.” In a series of bizarre yelps and shrieks, Ono said that “these backwards lines were put in by Paul McCartney after the fact in order to discredit John.”
Not so, says McCartney. “Yoko is pissed because she doesn’t like people knowing about her personal hygiene problems,” said the pop star. He added that the collection contains other incriminating backwards moments, including the embedded moment late in Come Togetherwhen the sound of Yoko fellating John in the studio to the point of regurgitation can be heard in the mix. “If I made this up, then why would that be in there?” asked McCartney, adding: “it makes me physically ill to listen to that.”
But for McCartney, the collection is bittersweet. “I loved hearing these old recordings again,” he said with a smile, “but, with the release of this collection, I’m starting to realize that we’re getting close to the end of the merchandising possibilities. There’s only so many different ways we can repackage this shit. And let’s face it, The Beatles aren’t making any more music.”
The Beatles Remastered Backwards goes on sale November 27th on Amazon. Suggested retail is $799.99
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