The Beatles’ legacy has spanned “Across the Universe” — or at least across the ages. With the release of the digitally remastered Beatles catalog and the Beatles-themed “Rock Band” video game, 9/9/09 marked a revolutionary day in Beatles history. Beatle fans have waited more than 20 years for the remastered versions of the Beatles catalog. The band’s music was transferred to CD in 1987, and experts said the songs lost quality during the switch. Engineers spent four years cleaning up the recordings with new technology and vintage equipment to ensure each song sounded like it did when it was first released. The new albums’ features include original artwork, expanded booklets and rare photos. For a limited time, the CDs will be embedded with documentary films about each album. The CDs are available in stereo or mono box sets or individual albums. The release of “The Beatles: Rock Band” was timed to coincide with the remastered catalog’s release. “Rock Band” creators worked closely with The Beatles and their estates for more than two years to make sure all the details were accurate, according to the “Rock Band” Web site.The game follows the career of the world-renowned band by working through their songs and legendary performances chronologically. Special features include rare conversations held in the recording studios, as well as never-before-seen photos. The game bundle includes custom-built models of the instruments the band actually played.John Loupe, biology senior, and Amber Guidry, biology freshman, were at the front of the line for the midnight release of the game at Best Buy. Loupe said he was most excited about playing to songs to which he has listened for years. Guidry, who has been a Beatles fan her whole life, said she was excited about the game’s special features. She was also eager to make more of a connection with her favorite band.”I just absolutely love The Beatles,” she said.Guidry is not alone. The Beatles currently outrank other bands in terms of overall popularity and recognition, according to a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Among people ages 16-29, 81 percent said they liked The Beatles, 11 percent said they disliked The Beatles and only 4 percent said they had never heard of them. The Beatles ranked higher than other bands tested in that age group. To put things in perspective, Madonna, who still produces music, ranked in the bottom four bands tested. Sixty percent of people tested said they liked Madonna, 31 percent said they disliked her and 2 percent said they had never heard of her. Charles Shindo, associate professor of history, said rediscovering old music has been a pattern throughout history. The Beatles attracted a large demographic in the ’60s, and the reasons they were originally popular still apply today.”The music is so accessible,” Shindo said. “There’s not much that’s not appealing to people.”Shindo said the band had such a wide variety including something for just about everybody.Anne Rupley, biology junior, said she still likes listening to The Beatles because their songs were revolutionary.”Every CD sounded different,” Rupley said. “Their albums had all these noises you would never have thought to put into music.”David Smyth, music theory professor and coordinator, said the music’s sustained popularity is clear with older generations as well as younger ones, which he attributes to the band’s talent.”The Beatles were terrific musicians, very talented performers and brilliant songwriters,” Smyth said. “That’s a combination that’s hard to beat, and they were constantly reinventing themselves.”Shindo said people remained interested in The Beatles because their style progressed very rapidly.”People don’t get tired of them very quickly because they can go from songs like ‘She Loves You’ to ones that are more musically, lyrically and artistically complicated,” Shindo said. “You can grow up with them.”Bradley Sanchez, a theater senior who saw Paul McCartney perform in New York City this summer, said the music transcends.”The revival is because they are entering an iconic level,” Sanchez said. “But ultimately, it’s because of the music.”Movies like “Across the Universe,” Cirque du Soliel performances, Beatles cover bands, VH1 documentaries and even Beatles-themed American Idol episodes continue to expose modern audiences to the band from every angle. Shindo said new outlets make musical revivals much easier today.”There are just so many more ways to access the music now,” Shindo said.The new “Rock Band” and the digitally remastered catalog will open the band up to a fresh demographic, Smyth said. “If there are young people who haven’t heard The Beatles, this would spread their songs like crazy to a potentially very large new audience,” Smyth said.Even Paul McCartney agrees. “For me, the most interesting thing is that it will introduce the Beatles music to people who might never have heard it because they game all the time, they don’t listen to the radio, and they haven’t got much of a record collection,” McCartney told New Musical Express magazine.Even with the utilization of all these technologies, iTunes is one frontier that The Beatles haven’t entered. Despite rumors Apple Records were going to make an announcement changing its position because the catalog has been remastered, the band’s record label said the songs will not be released on the download service.Rupley said “The Beatles: Rock Band” will broaden people’s horizons musically and open the band up for younger generations.”A lot of music that’s popular today really sucks and lacks talent,” Rupley said. “It’s good to see that a band that was popular for a reason is still around.”Sanchez said games like Rock Band are keeping the band alive. “I see this as a positive thing,” Sanchez said. “If you can gain a new audience with music, it can only be for the better.” And experts say the Fab Four is here to stay. “Right now, you can’t ignore them,” Sanchez said. “They’ve done so much for rock ‘n’ roll, they will at least be put in history books.” Shindo said it’s possible their legacy may wane because it won’t have its same nostalgia.”There’s always that possibility that people will find something in their music that keeps them relevant, he said.”————Contact Sarah Eddington at [email protected]