On the day that Paul McCartney was seeding his solo career and making a public announcement that he was leaving the Beatles indefinitely, the band’s press agent, Derek Taylor, was busy assuring fans that “The world is still spinning and so are we and so are you. When the spinning stops—that’ll be the time to worry. Not Before. Until then, the Beatles are alive and well and the Beat goes on, the Beat goes on.”

Since that fateful day in April of 1970, much has been done to not only ensure that the Beat goes on, but that it continues to resonate loudly and relevantly from coast to coast, from sea to sea, and from generation to generation.

The latest installment of Beatlemania comes in the form of a widely popular interactive video game and a long awaited collection of digitally remastered albums, both of which are slated to be released Tuesday.

“The Beatles: Rockband”

Having been inspired by George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” to learn guitar, I devoted a decade of my life trying to master the instrument, playing along to the Beatles, or at least trying to play.

As fate would have it, I came to realize that having short, stubby finger syndrome probably meant that I couldn’t play guitar as well as George or John had because I just didn’t have the hand-span.

So, I settled for what are now my “interpretations” of various Beatles songs.

Fortunately, Apple Corps, Harmonix Music Systems, and MTV Games teamed up to make many Beatles fans’ fantasies come true with the release of “The Beatles: Rockband.”

According to a report by NPD Market Research, “Rock Band was the No. 1 title of 2008 by revenue across all game genres.”

As popular as “Rock Band” and the Beatles are, there’s no doubt that the game will make numerous best seller lists across the globe, but does the union of the two live up to the expectations? The answer is yes.

The amount of detail put into the game is unlike anything seen before in the “Rock Band” franchise.

It will, for the first time, incorporate a multi-microphone vocal harmonizing feature that allows players to perform the harmonies central to The Beatles’ music.

Those who already own the equipment needed to play “Rock Band” can continue using what they already have.

For those Beatlemaniacs who crave the full experience of being a member of the fab four have the option of purchasing collectible equipment modeled after each member’s signature instrument: John’s Rickenbacker 320 guitar, George’s Gretsch Duo-jet guitar, a right-handed version of Paul’s left-handed Höfner Bass, and Ringo’s black oyster pearl finish Ludwig-branded Beatles drum kit.

The game’s greatest attribute is the content itself.

The “story mode” option is in many ways an interactive lesson in Beatles history.

Beginning with a performance at the famed Cavern Club where manager Brian Epstein heard them play for the first time, “story mode” takes gamers all the way through to their final performance as a band on the rooftop of the Apple Corps building.

At a point in “story mode,” gamers retreat to perform at Abbey Road Studios just as the Beatles retreated from live performances to turn their attention to experimentation in the studio.

Hardcore Beatle fans will salivate over the content that can be unlocked by earning of stars.

The content includes never before seen photographs, hard to find songs, interviews, trivia and video clips.

The promise of exclusive content will surely have gamers obsessing over the game’s story mode. It’s worth it.

Those not interested in Beatles history have the option, as in the previous “Rock Band” games, to play on a song by song basis using “quick play mode.”

The game is preloaded with 45 songs spanning the entire Beatles’ recording career, but other songs can be unlocked.

The first bit of downloadable content will be the album Abbey Road, followed by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Rubber Soul.

It hasn’t been confirmed whether the remaining albums will be made available as downloadable content, but the idea doesn’t seem farfetched if you consider the amount of material Apple Corps has already allowed Harmonix to use.

It’s a well thought-out, greatly detailed, stimulating and engaging game for all age groups—Beatlemaniacs, casual, and new listeners alike.

Not only does the game meet the high expectations, it surpasses them. Even if my dream of playing guitar like a Beatle may not come to fruition, I can definitely spend my days pretending I can.

“The Beatles: Rockband” is rated T for Teen, for mild lyrics and a tobacco reference. It will be available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii.

The Beatles Remastered

With all 13 original albums being remastered, one would wonder how much of the Beatles is too much.

As someone who owns thousands of Beatles’ songs—original studio albums, both in CD and Vinyl format, in mono and in stereo, bootlegs, acoustic, live, alternates, anthologies, and not to mention the solo albums, interviews, covers, orchestra tributes, reggae tributes, Bach meets The Beatles, etc.—I had to ask myself a serious question: Does anybody really need remastered versions of each album?

If you’re a Beatles fanatic, yes. If you are a casual listener, no. If you’re a first time listener, no.

Initially, I didn’t have much interest in the remasters because I didn’t believe there was much more you could do to a Beatles album, but then I was afforded the opportunity to preview some of the mono remasters and my mind changed almost instantly.

My disinterest grew to excitement.

The first songs I was treated to were both off Revolver “Here, there, and everywhere,” and “I’m only sleeping.” 

Not only did I hear clearly, again, but it was clearer than before.

These remasters remove a filter that no one imagined was there—they are the necessary pop that re-opens the ears to the Beatles in a world of new textures, tones and atmosphere.

It’s a good year to be an audiophile and a Beatles fan, that’s if you can get your hands on a copy of the remasters.

Both Amazon US and Amazon UK have already filled their pre-order capacity.