On the heels of Rolling Stone's release of the digital Beatles Album Guide App last week, iTunes launched Yellow Submarine today. In this new iBook feature, fans can read the story of the classic 1968 animated film about the Beatles' journey to rescue Pepperland from music-hating Blue Meanies. The digital book includes sound files of Beatles songs and George Martin's score, as well as video clips from the film. iTunes currently offers the book for free. Yellow Submarine was released on DVD in 1999 and has since gone out of print. Discs are still available through second-market vendors on Amazon and other on-line shops. But for many fans, this digital book will provide a welcome opportunity to revisit the film. Robert Zemeckis was due to direct a remake of the movie, but the project was docked. The soundtrack was fully remixed in 1999 from the original masters, creating what many believe to be the most dynamic re-release of Beatles music. It was remastered from the original tapes in 2009 as part of the historic project to upgrade the CD catalog with detailed, digital discs.
As fans enjoy their ride on the Yellow Submarine, take a moment to remember John Lennon, who passed away today in 1980. Over fifty of my art students from Drew School contributed to the John Lennon Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland, where children's wishes for the world were added to the light between John's birthday, October 9th, and today- in one collective prayer for peace.
