For those of us who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, the Beatles will always have a special place in our hearts. Even if there are other groups that may hold a higher place in our hearts, their music is undeniably a part of the soundtrack of our lives. That is why I find this to be a rather exciting development.

According to Apple Corps, the Beatles’ company, and EMI Music, it will be released, at last, on Sept. 9 — the whole catalogue, more or less, revitalized for the first time since 1987, when it was converted, disastrously, for the CD format. What we’re all hoping to hear is what George Martin and the band heard when the tracks were first mastered, before they were squeezed and contorted to fit the various formats in which they were eventually sold.

Fantastic news for all of us. We have the technology now for all of us to hear what the Beatles meant their music to sound like before it was released on monophonic and primitive stereo LPs – and later converted to eight-track, cassette, and CD. Properly remastered – hopefully with the involvement of the two surviving band members – there is a real possibility of gaining whole new insights into these beloved classics.