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Dr. Ebbett's wrote:
"Dear friends,
I sincerely hope all is well with you and yours.
Indeed, this is an unexpected mass-mailer. Please forgive the
unsolicited rambles that follow.
To start, there are many of you who have outstanding orders with me at
this time. Some of you have been waiting for a while, and I wish to
apologize for that. Please don't worry. Each and every one of these
outstanding orders will be tended to this week. You have my word.
I appreciate your patience and understanding.
Second, there has been considerable buzz surrounding the new Beatles
remasters, due for release in September. There should be. We have all
been waiting for this day, and it is about to arrive - finally! Thanks
to a long-time supporter and friend to this project, I have had the
opportunity to hear genuine samples of the new remasters due out in two
months.
They are good.
Very good.
Those of you who will be buying them - and those of you who have already
preordered - will not be disappointed.
In fact, I will venture to guess than many of you will be more than
pleasantly surprised at how good they sound.
And with what promises to be outstanding packaging all around, it will
be a collector's nirvana.
From the outset of the Dr. Ebbetts Sound Systems project, I swore that
once EMI did the right thing and released remasters to be proud of, I
would not continue doing what I was doing. After all, the only reason I
did this was because Apple/EMI/Capitol would not - and because I so very
much love the Beatles.
While my love for the band has not changed, everything else has.
EMI/Capitol began their release of the American LPs on compact disc a
few years ago, and now EMI has tackled the British catalogue in fullest
detail.
It's what we all wanted. As Beatles fans, it's what we've prayed for.
To that end - and with the heaviest of hearts - effective immediately,
Dr. Ebbetts Sound Systems will cease operations.
Many of you will recall that the entire purpose of the Dr. Ebbetts
project was to make available to the public the best sounding versions
of the Beatles' original LP releases - with emphasis on the American and
British catalogues. Believe me, it wasn't a hard thing to do considering
the substandard quality of the original CD catalogue from 1987 onward.
The fact of the matter is, the Dr. Ebbetts material does not - and will
not - sound better than what is coming commercially in September. People
I trust agree with me. The remasters sound remarkably well balanced,
with solid, punchy bass, smooth mids and not-to-harsh, yet crisp highs.
In comparison, many of the Ebbetts masters fall short - weaker bass,
dimished mids, and often too-bright highs.
It's a given that the remasters will not please everyone, but they will
be good enough to make the Ebbetts catalogue solidly inferior.
The artwork and packaging of the EMI material will prove to make current
Dr. Ebbetts releases look like Xerox machine fodder.
It pains me, seeing as I have invested so much time in this thing, but I
humbly and officially put this nearly-fourteen year project to bed.
I have outlived my usefulness in this hobby.
I know there are many who will ask why I just don't continue releasing
titles that are NOT being put out by Apple/EMI - foreign releases, rare
pressings, etc..
My reasons are complicated, but they are what they are. In short, if the
Dr. Ebbetts BLUE BOX set is not the definitive sounding version of the
original UK stereo LPs, then why issue them at all?
Many will remember the original BEAT CDs of the 1990s that presented the
Beatles US LPs sourced from cassettes. I surely do. They became
immediately obsolete with the advent of Dr. Ebbetts. No one bought those
BEAT CDs anymore when I came along. Why would they? At the time, my
material was far superior.
The Ebbetts BLUE BOX series was only issued because Apple/EMI's versions
were substantially inferior to anything I - or any number of
needledroppers - were putting out. The Ebbetts BLUE BOX set is at THE
HEART of the Dr. Ebbetts Sound Systems collection, in my estimation. If
that set is now inferior to the commercial release, then it has no
business existing. Suffice to say, I would not release the BLUE BOX set
today if new remasters were already commercially available.
I would have no need.
And if my CORE SET is inferior, I don't wish to have the rest of the
catalogue branded as such either.
Therefore, it is time to put it all on the shelf.
I am requesting that all of you who have LPs with me contact me as soon
as possible and let me know which ones are yours so that I might send
them back to you. I promise I will get those to you in short order.
So that your return LP requests will not be lost in what promises to be
a hectic e-mail shuffle, please put "MY LPs" somewhere in the subject
line.
Your generosity, kindness and willingness to share your treasured
possessions with me is something I shall never forget.
To each and every one of you who has supported me and befriended me
throughout the years, I wish to extend my deepest gratitude. Your
loyalty has moved me beyond words. This entire project began as a
fanciful hobby many years ago and has mushroomed into something far
beyond anything I could have imagined.
From every corner of the entire world, I have been blessed to meet some
of the best Beatle people out there. I will never forget you.
But now it is time to make way for the "big boys."
Please be sure to secure your copies of the remasters. I guarantee they
will replace your Dr. Ebbetts CDs in your rotations and playlists - as
they should. Display them proudly and let people know who the greatest
band of all time is.
Remember, quoting my project motto from all those years ago, it is ONLY
about the music.
That is why I do what I do today.
Now go put your hard-earned money to good use!
God Bless.
Drew"
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