Though the thought of AI makes many in the creative community do a serious pearl clutch, I’ve got to say that I like the possibilities that the technology offers in terms of “unmixing” records. That is to say, separating the components in recordings that were made before multitrack recording was invented or was in its primitive state. A case in point is the recently released Beatles single “Now and Then,” which was constructed from a John Lennon demo recording and quickly rose to the top of the charts.

The song is pleasant enough, but the real news for Beatles fans is that AI has also been used to separate and remix tracks from many of the songs on the greatest hits packages The Beatles: 1962-1966 (the “Red Album”) and The Beatles: 1967-1970 (the “Blue Album”). The biggest differences are heard on the earlier songs, e.g. “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Help!” and “Day Tripper,” which sound great, even better when cranked up really loud (and yes, you will). These are sonic upgrades that are well worth seeking out, even for casual fans of the Fab Four.

Ticket Alert
Presales are up for a guitar geekfest featuring Joe Satriani (Surfing with the Alien) and Steve Vai (Passion and Warfare) on Sunday, May 5, at the 713 Music Hall. Both guitarists have achieved success as solo artists while serving high-profile hired-gun stints; Satriani has toured with Deep Purple and Mick Jagger, while Vai has worked with Frank Zappa, Whitesnake and David Lee Roth. The hardest of the hardcore may want to opt for a VIP package, which includes a Q&A with the artists before the show, along with some tchotchkes.

Concerts This Week
Ordinarily, I would squawk about a “farewell tour” that wasn’t (yes, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, I’m looking at you), but in the case of Peter Frampton, I will make a happy exception. In 2019, Frampton announced that, after a final jaunt, he would be forced to cease performing due to a progressive (and not in the good way) muscle disorder. Well, as it turns out, four years later, Frampton can still play the guitar, though he will be seated during his performance tonight at the Smart Financial Centre.

‘Cause Knowledge is Power: Frampton has done a bit of acting over the years, aside from his forgettable (and God knows Frampton wants to forget) role as Billy Shears in the film Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. In 1973, Frampton portrayed a member of the band The Count Downe in Ringo Starr’s Son of Dracula, which, like Sgt Pepper, was a piece of crap, but at least it was a fun piece of crap. Frampton’s television credits include appearances on “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy” and “Drew Carey’s Back-to-School Rock ‘n’ Roll Comedy Hour.”
Multi-genre singer-songwriter Peter Case will be at the Mucky Duck on Thursday, touring in support of his latest collection, Doctor Moan. Case made an early splash as a member of the power-pop-ish bands The Nerves and The Plimsouls, but these days he leans in a more introspective direction. Case will also make an appearance at Cactus Music on Thursday at 5:30 p.m., playing a few songs andchatting onstage with Roots Punk author David Ensminger.
Toyota Center will be jumping this week with three shows: Doja Cat tonight, Burna Boy on Friday and a powerhouse triple bill featuring Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull and Ricky Martin on Saturday. Some fans may choose to just book a room at the Embassy Suites and spend a few days hanging out downtown between concerts.
Two rescheduled concerts are on tap this week: Chris Stapleton at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Friday and Morgan Wallen at Minute Maid Park on Saturday. In Stapleton’s case, a respiratory problem caused the delay. As for Wallen, “vocal fold trauma” resulted in several weeks on the disabled list. Both artists are said to be back in fighting trim, so both should be just fine for their Houston performances. But take care of your voices, boys, especially you, Morgan. No more late-night hollering. You know what I mean.