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Beatlemania Is Back 披头四抢搭电玩列车

 

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The Fab Four get back to where they once belonged  披头四（译注：fab是歌迷对技头四合唱团的昵称，代表fabulous，指极好的、难以置信的）透过数位科技复出！

 

Beatlemania 2.0 looks and sounds a lot like the ‘60 prototype. Only crisper, clearer, shinier.  技头四2.0狂热（译注：指透过Web 2.0的先进科技把披头四的音乐数位化和电玩化）无论是外观或音质都酷似六０年代的本尊，只不过，重制的新版音乐更加清脆悦耳、清澈纯净，和嘹亮明朗。

 

The shrieking girls, the shaggy Mop Tops and their scores of indelible pop hits are digitally reborn in The Beatles: Rock Band video game, which hit store shelves in 2009 along with the band’s newly remastered catalog, a long-awaited sonic upgrade of 14 album titles.

尖叫的女孩、蓬乱的披头四发型和许许多多令人难以忘怀的热门流行曲，都在《披头四：摇滚乐团》电玩游戏中数位化地重现了，该游戏和重新数位混音的作品集都在二００九年推出上市，各界引领期盼已久的这张专辑，一共集结了披头四的十四张专辑里的歌曲，而音质也升级了。

 

“We’re quite fussy,” says Paul McCartney; explaining why fans had to wait so long for the refurbished sounds of the iconic band that broke up nearly 40 years ago. “It’s not as if we were going to … sell out.”

「我们是非常挑剔的，」保罗．麦卡尼解释歌迷之所以必须等很久才能听到重新混音版的原因，「我们并没有出卖自己的原则。」偶像乐团披头四是在近四十年前解散的。

 

The masses remain mesmerized because “the music stands up,” Ringo Starr says. “It’s not the silly haircuts or the shoes or the suits. New generations of musicians and fans are still talking about that music.”

大众之所以持续对披头四如痴如狂，是因为「音乐本身经得起时间的考验，」林哥．史达如此表示，「重点不在于有点蠢的发型，或鞋子和西装。新世代的音乐人和歌迷一直到现在都还不住地谈论我们的音乐。」

 

The Beatles (McCartney, Starr and the late John Lennon and George Harrison) have never lost their standing as the world’s most influential and popular band. They’ve sold more records than any act in U.S. history, with 170 million shipped, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. They’ve sold 57.7 million albums since SoundSacn began tracking U.S. sales in 1991.

披头四（麦卡尼、史达、已故的约翰．伦农，和乔治．哈里森）这个全球最有影响力、也最受欢迎的乐团，地位一直维持不坠。他们的专辑销售量是美国史上最高的，超出任何其他专辑，根据美国唱片业协会的数据显示，披头四的专辑运送量达到一亿七千万张，而专门统计唱片销售的音声扫描公司自一九九一年开始追踪统计美国唱片销售数位以来，披头四的唱片销售量达五千七百七十万张（译注：一九九一年之前的销量并未列入）。

 

We Can Work it Out  「问题定能迎刃而解」

 

These new projects required the blessings of Apple Corps “shareholders” Starr, McCartney and Beatles widows Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, each of whom has veto power over any band output.

当初数位混音的新方案必须取得苹果唱片公司（译注：非苹果电脑公司，而是披头四所成立的唱片公司）「股东」：史达、麦卡尼、伦农的遗孀小野．洋子和乔治．哈里森的遗孀奥莉薇雅等人的首肯，他们全都对任何披头四产品拥有否决权。

 

The video game, a montage of animated performances that traces the group from its beginnings in Liverpool to its bittersweet final performance on a London rooftop in 1969, “appealed to me because it’s a different way of presenting The Beatles’ music,” says McCartney, 67.

这个电玩游戏以动画融合了披头四的各种表演，从早期在利物浦发迹时的表演，一直到一九六九年在伦敦一处屋顶上苦乐参半的最后演出为止的各种片段，都包括在内。这个电玩游戏之所以「合我心意的原因是，它透过不同的方式来呈现出披头四的音乐，」六十七岁的麦卡尼透露。

 

“We were very involved,” McCartney says. “The only stipulation we made was that we get it right and be the best.”

「我们大家都非常投入，」麦卡尼表示，「我们唯一的要求就是，一定要做对，而且要做到最好。」

 

“Even in the ‘60s, we were looking for new stuff, so the technology was no problem,” says Starr, 69.

「即使当年在六０年代时，我们也都一直在寻找新的题材，所以我们当然也可以接纳新科技，」六十九岁的史达表示。

 

 

单词发音

 

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Beatlemania [͵bit!ˋmenjə] n. 披头四狂热

prototype [ˋprotə͵taɪp] n. 原型   the first example of something, such as a machine or other industrial product, from which all later forms are developed

crisp [krɪsp] adj. 清新的，凉爽的

shiny [ˋʃaɪnɪ] adj. 发光的；晴朗的；闪耀的

shriek [ʃrik] v. 尖叫；喊叫；发出尖声

shaggy [ˋʃægɪ] adj. 头发蓬乱的

Mop Top 拖把头 The Beatle haircut, also known as the mop-top (or moptop) – because of its resemblance to a mop – is a mid-length hairstyle named after and popularized by the Beatles. It is a straight cut – collar-length at the back and over the ears at the sides, with a straight fringe.

remaster [͵riˋmæstɚ] v.（根据旧唱片或磁带的）重新灌录

catalog [ˋkætəlɔg] n. 目录; 目录册; 产品样本

long-awaited [ˋlɔŋəwetɪd] adj. 盼望已久的

sonic [ˋsɑnɪk] adj. 声音的

fussy [ˋfʌsɪ] adj. 挑剔的[（+about）][+wh-]

iconic [aɪˋkɑnɪk] adj. 偶像的

as if 好像, 似乎, 彷佛

stand up 经得住; 经久耐用 to remain valid, sound, or durable

standing [ˋstændɪŋ] n. 身分；地位；名望

act [ækt] n.（演出中的）短节目; 【戏】（常大写）幕；节目

work something out 解决; 找出处理某事物的方法; 解决某事物

blessing [ˋblɛsɪŋ] n. 同意，允许

veto [ˋvito] n. 否决；否决权

montage [mɑnˋtɑʒ] n. 蒙太奇；（胶片的）剪辑 a piece of work produced by combining smaller parts

rooftop [ˋruf͵tɑp] n. 屋顶

involved [ɪnˋvɑlvd] adj. 专心于…的; 忙于…的; 投入的

 

 

 

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‘All You Need Is Love’  「你所需要的就是爱」

 

The Rock Band game allows up to six players to form a virtual Beatles band using controllers modeled on the band’s own guitars, bass, drums and microphones. The faux Fabs are instructed to hit notes scrolled on screen, a task Starr actually failed when he tried the game.

《摇滚乐团》电玩游戏最多可以有六个人同时玩，大家各自操作着模仿披头四乐团的吉他、贝斯、鼓和麦克风的控制杆，组成虚拟的披头四乐团。假的披头四分身会接获指引，要他们敲击屏幕上的音符，而史达本尊在玩这个游戏时，却惨遭滑铁卢。

 

“It’s difficult because I’m natural player,” Starr says. “All the fills, I could only do them once, because where I put them is how the song felt at the time. It’s easier to be the real Ringo than the game Ringo.”

「因为我是天生的乐手，所以对我来说，要按照指令去弹奏会很困难，」史达表示，「所有这些转换的间奏，我每次弹的都不一样，因为我会依照表演当时这首歌给我的感动来弹，我觉得做真人的史达，比扮演电玩游戏中的史达容易多了。」

 

Ono, 76, said she was not satisfied with initial portrayals of Lennon, prompting her to demand alterations.

七十六岁的小野．洋子表示，她对描绘伦农的最初几个版本不是很满意，于是要求进一步的更改。

 

“I wanted to make sure John would be represented well,” says Ono, whose husband was assassinated in New York City in 1980. She hasn’t played the game but liked “the idea of something that’s fun but also peaceful.”

「我希望能圆满地把约翰呈现出来，」小野表示，她本身没有玩过这款电玩游戏，但很欣赏推出电玩的「点子，因为既有趣，又很和平。」小野的丈夫伦农于一九八０年在纽约市被刺杀身亡。

 

Olivia Harrison says she was drawn to the game’s non-violence, a departure from many top-selling video games. “You’re not killing people,” says Harrison, 61, whose husband died of lung cancer in 2001. “It’s so uplifting. After half an hour, you’re feeling good. Kids can play, and parents will tell them to turn the sound up, not down.”

奥莉薇雅．哈里森表示，这款游戏的非暴力特性最吸引她，因为这和许多畅销电玩背道而驰。「玩家不必去杀人，」六十一岁的奥莉薇雅表示，「这相当能提振精神，玩了半小时之后，那感觉真的很棒。孩子们照样可以玩，而爸妈还可能要他们把音乐调得更大声，而不是降低音量。」奥莉薇雅的丈夫哈里森在二００一年死于肺癌。

 

‘The Long and Winding Road’  「漫长而宛延的道路」

 

Though steered toward simultaneous release, the game and the remasters evolved on radically different paths. Rock Band materialized overnight. Fans started pining for a digital overhaul of the Beatles catalogsoon after its transfer to CD 22 years ago. Four years ago, the shareholders signed off, and engineers at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios began porting the music from analog tapes to digital files using state-of-the-art technology and vintage gear.

虽然披头四电玩和混音专辑预定同时推出，但这两项方案当初却是分别成形、各自进行的。摇滚乐团电玩游戏是在突然间具体成形。自从二十二年前推出了披头四的CD专辑之后，歌迷就一直渴望能有数位化的改良版问世。四年前，股东们都同意了之后，EMI艾比路唱片公司的工程师就开始运用先进科技和顶尖的设备，把模拟录音带的音乐转换成数位档案。

 

 

单词发音

 

More Information

model [ˋmɑd!] v. 模仿[（+on/upon/after）]

bass [ˋbes] n. 低音乐器

scroll [skrol] v.（似卷轴般）卷起（或展开）

fill [fɪl] n. 过门; 间奏 a short rhythmic segment played by a drummer to fill a space at the end of a vocal or instrumental sequence

portrayal [porˋtreəl] n. 描绘；描写；饰演

alteration [͵ɔltəˋreʃən] n. 改变，变更，修改；变样

represent [͵rɛprɪˋzɛnt] v. 描绘，（抽象地）表现

assassinate [əˋsæsɪn͵et] v. 暗杀；行刺

uplifting [ʌpˋlɪftɪŋ] adj. 令人振奋的；使人开心的

steer toward 驾（船）驶向…；把…引向…

steer [stɪr] v. 指导；带领；操纵

simultaneous [͵saɪm!ˋtenɪəs] adj. 同步的，一齐的

materialize [məˋtɪrɪəl͵aɪz] v. 成形；实现

overnight [ˋovɚˋnaɪt] adv. 一夜间，突然

pine for 渴望; 十分盼望 to long for or grieve for someone or something

sign off (在信的结尾)写结束语; 签字保证；签发  to express approval formally or conclusively

port [port] v. 改造；改革；改善 cause a transformation

analog [ˋænəlɔg] adj.【电脑】模拟的 describes a recording which is made by changing the sound waves into electrical signals of the same type

vintage [ˋvɪntɪdʒ] adj. 最佳的；最好的;最典型的  of high quality and lasting value

 

 

 

 

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Renovating some of the most precious works in the history of recorded music proved more taxing than intimidating for project coordinator Allan Rouse, an Abbey Road fixture since 1971.

对计划协调者亚伦．路斯来说，想要改造音乐史上最珍贵的杰作，所带来的莫大压力远超过内心的惶恐。路斯自一九七一年起便一直在艾比路录音室工作。

 

The process began with lengthy tests of the analog tape and the meticulous removal of a slight dust buildup.

制作过程，工作人员不但要耗时地测试模拟录音还必须小心翼翼地移除任何微小的灰尘。

 

Many fans complained that the sonic scrub was long overdue, but Harrison suggests the timing was ideal. “A lot of early remastered music sounded brittle,” she says. “These are very warm and clear. They don’t sound messed with. It’s like they cleaned them but left the ambience.”

虽然很多歌迷都抱怨，净化版的混音专辑实在太晚推出了，但奥莉薇雅却表示，此时推出正是时候，因为「很多早期的混音音乐听起来都有点刺耳，」她透露，「但如今的新版却温润而清晰，乐音听起来并不杂乱。好似制作人员净化了音质，却保有了原来的氛围。」

 

The new versions “are more like what we heard coming out of the speakers as we made the records,” McCartney says. “It’s like being in the studio again. It’s exciting, particularly considering the passing of John and George. I can hear them so clearly.”

新版「很像是我们当初录制专辑时，从喇叭里听到的原音，」麦卡尼表示，「这就像是又回到了录音室一样，真令人兴奋，尤其是约翰和乔治都已经过世，但我却能清晰地听见他们的歌声。」

 

‘Come Together’ 「心手相连」

 

The four agree that regardless of how they handle the legacy, The Beatles belong to everyone.

四位股东一致同意，无论他们决定如何处理披头四的宝贵遗产，披头四都属于所有人。

 

“At the end of his life, George was just starting to accept the fact that this was never going away,” Harrison says, referring to the band’s immeasurable sway. “All of us have accepted that not only is it enduring, but it’s growing. It’s not just history, it’s the culture. Who can explain why certain sounds are forever stamped in our consciousness?”

「乔治在生命走到尽头之际，才开始接受披头四的音乐会长存的事实，」奥莉薇雅透露，她指的是披头四乐团难以估计的影响力，「我们大家都接受了一个事实，那就是披头四不但历久弥坚，还会持续成长茁壮，因为这不只是历史，而是文化。要不然，谁能解释为什么某些音乐会在我们心中留下永远无法抹灭的印记？」

 

Smacked by the first wave of Beatlemania 46 years ago, McCartney expected a short ride.

四十六年前，麦卡尼见识到首波披头四狂热时，受到了极大的震撼，当时他原本以为，乐团的受欢迎度不会持续很久。

 

“Oh, yeah, we thought a couple years, that would be it,” he says. “You’ve got to ask, ‘Why did it last?’ I think the music is very well-structured, like a good house. It’s going to stand for a long time. It’s nice that I can sit back now and be proud of what we did, and feel very privileged to be one of four guys who did it.”

「对啊，我们原本以为只会流行几年而已，然后就会划下句点了，」他透露，「我们必须去问，『这什么能持久不衰？』这一切都很美好，我觉得，我们音乐的结构紧密，就像是一栋好房子一样，能矗立很久的时间。如今，我能自在地以我们的所作所为自豪，而且以身为披头四的一员为荣。」

 

−by Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY

 

单词发音

 

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renovate [ˋrɛnə͵vet] v. 翻新; 修复; 修补

taxing [ˋtæksɪŋ] adj. 负担重的；累赘的；艰难的，费劲的

intimidating [ɪnˋtɪmə͵detɪŋ] adj. 吓人的，令人生畏的

coordinator [koˋɔrdn͵etɚ] n. 协调者

fixture [ˋfɪkstʃɚ] n. (房间等建筑物内的)固定装置，固定设施

buildup [ˋbɪld͵ʌp] n. 累积 accumulation

scrub [skrʌb] n. 擦洗，擦净

overdue [ˋovɚˋdju] adj. 过期的, 未兑的, 迟到的

brittle [ˋbrɪt!] adj. 声音尖利的 lacking warmth of feeling; cold

ambience [ˈæmbɪəns] n. 氛围

stamped [stæmpt] adj. 铭刻的; 盖上印记的

smack [smæk] v. 猛拍; 猛击; 打耳光

short ride  表不会持续很久 something is a short ride it means that it won’t last for a long time

sit back 袖手旁观; 放松 to relax, as when action should be taken

privileged [ˋprɪvɪlɪdʒd] adj. 荣幸的; 幸运的

 

 

 

 

单词发音

 

Vocabulary Focus

indelible [ɪnˋdɛləb!] adj. 无法忘记的; 无法忘记的 referring to memories or actions that are impossible to forget, or that have a permanent influence or effect

remastered [͵riˋmæstɚd] adj.（根据旧唱片或磁带的）重新灌录的 making a new recording – from which all copies will be made – of an earlier recording, usually in order to produce copies with better sound quality

refurbished [riˋfɝbɪʃt] adj. 翻新的; 整修的 restored to original, or even better, quality

sell out 出卖原则; 向敌对势力屈服 to do something that you used to think was wrong in order to earn more money; to betray one's cause or colleagues

mesmerize [ˋmɛsmə͵raɪz] v. 迷住；迷惑 to have someone’s attention completely so that they cannot think of anything else

stipulation [͵stɪpjəˋleʃən] n. 规定；条文; 条款 a statement that says exactly how something must be done

faux [fo] adj.【法】假的；人造的 not real, but made to look or seem real; false

prompt [prɑmpt] v. 引起，激起 to make someone decide to say or do something

departure [dɪˋpɑrtʃɚ] n. 背离，违背，变更[C][（+from）] a change from what is expected, or from what has happened before

overhaul [͵ovɚˋhɔl] n. 彻底检修，大修 improvements made to something so that every part of it works as it should

meticulous [məˋtɪkjələs] adj. 过分精细的；小心翼翼的 very careful and with great attention to every detail

sway [swe] n. 支配；统治；影响；权势 the ability to persuade

 

 

Rock Band: The Beatles E3 2009 Trailer