Two of the Beatles have already shed their mortal coils, and their original fans will eventually follow. How to keep Beatlemania alive? As we've reported before, the Beatles will eventually allow iTunes to sell its songs.

And now it seems, the band is even opening itself up to well-plotted covers. According to the Week Magazine (Do disgruntled employees refer to it as "The Weak Magazine?"):

To mark the occasion of the 40-year anniversary of Sgt. Pepper's on June 1, current chart-toppers Oasis, The Killers, and the Kaiser Chiefs, among others, are all recording cover versions of the album's songs for a BBC special. And a recent deal between Apple Inc. and the Beatles' record company, EMI, could lead to a new surge in sales.

All of this should ensure that the Fab Four's oeuvre will become the She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain of future generations -- songs that become so part of the fabric of American folk music that everyone sings them preschool. Except, with these songs, future preschoolers might be charged a royalty fee.