DM's Beatles forums
Beatles forums => The Beatles => Topic started by: KelMar on September 16, 2015, 01:40:40 AM
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http://www.thebeatles.com/sites/one/index.html (http://www.thebeatles.com/sites/one/index.html)
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One I saw the countdown trailer I kinda guessed it be a music DVD I've preordered the delexe edition even though it's quits pricey infact the regular DVD itself is quite pricey.
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Time for a Bob Dylan 'Bootleg Series' set of releases for The Beatles.
A reissue of '1' (?!?!?) or.....
Proper official releases of.....
The Xmas flexis.
Tony Sheridan.
Star Club.
The Esher demos.
The rooftop concert.
The original 'Get Back'.
'Let It Be' dvd.
The 'Magical Mystery Tour' s/t with incidental music.
Mono/Stereo sets of each LP.
Have I missed anything?
Good to see that those at Apple, unlike Dylan's people, still don't have a clue.
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Time for a Bob Dylan 'Bootleg Series' set of releases for The Beatles.
A reissue of '1' (?!?!?) or.....
Proper official releases of.....
The Xmas flexis.
Tony Sheridan.
Star Club.
The Esher demos.
The rooftop concert.
The original 'Get Back'.
'Let It Be' dvd.
The 'Magical Mystery Tour' s/t with incidental music.
Mono/Stereo sets of each LP.
Have I missed anything?
Good to see that those at Apple, unlike Dylan's people, still don't have a clue.
And, I'd like to add "The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl". I did not buy the remastered 2nd release of "1" but I am looking forward to this new re-release and will buy it. However, like you, I'm tired of all the re-releases when we don't have proper initial releases of sooo much of their stuff.
How can you NOT love this:
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yeRhnqBVaw&feature=player_detailpage#)
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It’s about time Apple released more Beatles on Blu Ray, other than Hard Days Night & Help!
I’ve had the “Let It Be” unofficial Blu Ray movie for a few years now! ???
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From Wogblog:
Beatles 1 and Beatles 1+
One of the most eagerly awaited Beatles products is about to hit the market. For Beatles video collectors, the release of a collection of the music videos was on the top 3 most wanted list, alongside the "Let It Be"-movie and "The Beatles at Shea Stadium" TV-film.
Yesterday, I first published a list of the releases as prematurely revealed by Amazon, and then waited for the official announcement, which was expected at 2pm UK time, 3pm my time here in Norway.
When the time was up, and the information went public, I just pasted the contents of the press release over my previous blog post, and then left it. The next hour I spent translating the text to Norwegian for an identical blog post on the site of Norwegian Wood, the Beatles fan club, and when that was finished I had to go, because Tuesdays I go pub-quizzing.
Today, when I again had access to my computer, I was amazed to find that yesterday's WogBlog post had raked up the most traffic this blog has ever seen. More that 10,000 views in a single 24-hour session is fabulous by my standards.
After The Beatles' "Anthology" TV series, then head of Apple Corps Ltd, Neil Aspinall was asked what was up next, perhaps a video collection of The Beatles' promotional films? His reply was that it was "too obvious". Well, we're certainly glad things have changed with the new management.
Back in December 2013, when it was first revealed that a "1"-themed Beatles video collection was in the works, planned for release in October 2014, I wrote a blog post about it, and forwarded my suggestions about what the collection should look like. Let's compare what I wrote with what came out of it.
Aspect Ratio:
In December 2013, I wrote: "One important decision to make is whether or not to make it a 16:9 (widescreen) or a 4:3 (old TV) collection. Back when McCartney released his own music video collection, "McCartney Years", the director had chosen to make it 16:9 despite all the original music videos having been made in the 4:3 aspect ratio. So he chopped off tops and bottoms to make this happen, and there was an outcry among the fans about this. We don't want that to happen again. But if they decide to go for this, the general public will want widescreen, please do all the necessary restoration work in the original 4:3 aspect ratio format and save it for history. When everything is done and ready, you can do the conversion to 16:9 and release that - perhaps with an option for the concerned core fans to purchase a limited edition 4:3 version of the DVD/Blu-ray or as a download".
Judging by the samles they have offered in the promotional material for the new release, it does indeed look as if they have listened to my suggestions, as the videos seem to have kept their 4:3 aspect ratios.
Audio:
In December 2013, I wrote: "As for sound, the ones that don't have a unique audio mix should be synched to the remastered stereo sound from the albums, "Hey Jude" and "Revolution" should use the original soundtrack that was partly performed live as it happened. And hire Giles Martin to produce a 5.1 surround sound optional audio track. And use me as a consultant for the project".
Well on this matter, they have bested me for sure. I never thought they'd give it a completely new stereo mix. I thought that idea went out of the window after the 1999 "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" album. Now that remixing is again back in fashion, perhaps we'll see the whole catalogue revamped in modern stereo? They did hire Giles Martin, and he did produce a 5.1. surround sound mix. They never got around to hire me as a consultant, but then again they did get my advice for free through the blog post.
The videos
Here's a video-by-video account of what I wrote back then and what they did:
1. Love Me Do.
I wrote: "EMI did make a video for this song back in 1982, and I think two different versions of it is circulating. Since this has been the official Love Me Do video for three decades now, it's best to use it again. It may need to be recompiled, using the same footage in upgraded quality".
Here's their description: Newly edited clip, featuring material from BBC TV’s "The Mersey Sound", with performance footage filmed on 27 August 1963 at the Little Theatre, Southport.
As the two videos I wrote about also were based on the mimed footage from the Little Theatre in Southport, they somehow used a bit of my idea. And the bit about recompiling the video with the same footage in upgraded quality was also used for their recreations of the "Get Back" and "Let It Be" promos.
2. From Me to You
3. She Loves You
I wrote: "There are no music videos or promotional films, as they said in the sixties, for these two. So they will probably make a couple, using performance clips or mimed TV appearances. Big Night Out/Ready Steady Go?"
They went for performance clips. For "From Me To You", they used a live performance at the 1963 "Royal Variety Show", filmed at The Prince Of Wales Theatre, London, on 4 November 1963. For "She Loves You", they used a live performance from the Swedish Television show "Drop In", recorded on 30 October 1963 during a short tour of Sweden.
4. I Want to Hold Your Hand
I wrote: "Again, the same sítuation (no known promo film exists), but the TV clip from "Late Scene Extra" of the Beatles miming to this song in front of a huge model of a camera has been regarded as the music video for this song among fans for a long time, so they should use that".
And they did. Description: From the Granada TV programme "Late Scene Extra" filmed on 25 November 1963.
5. Can’t Buy Me Love
6. A Hard Day’s Night
For these two films, I suggested: "They could have used footage from the A Hard Day's Night film for these, but that footage is now owned by Miramax and has to be licensed from them. Another option is to use performance footage and synch it to the records, for instance from the Shea Stadium film etc. Ready Steady Go for "Can't Buy Me Love"?"
As they seemed to have come to an agreement regarding the "A Hard Day's Night" film, and were involved in remixing the sound for the 2014 release, I suppose they could have used it now. But they didn't. For "Can't Buy Me Love", they used a mimed performance from the TV show "Around The Beatles", filmed on 28 April 1964 and broadcast the following month. For this show, the Beatles re-recorded the songs and mimed to these new recordings.
For "A Hard Day's Night", like earlier for the "From Me To You" and the "She Loves You" films, they turned to a live performance. The film they used came from a live performance at the Palais des Sports, Paris on 20 June 1965, while on a short European tour.
7. I Feel Fine
I wrote: "We are now entering the realm of the Intertel promo films, as produced by Tony Bramwell and directed by Joe McGrath. Tuesday November 25th, 1965, the Beatles filmed ten different promotional clips in black and white for five songs, "Help!," "We Can Work It Out" (three versions), "Day Tripper" (three versions)," "Ticket To Ride" and "I Feel Fine" (two versions). So for this and some of the following clips, the producer of the new video collection has the luxury of choosing between several films. And I do think that the Intertel videos should be used, because they have been regarded as the music videos of these songs since the sixties. In Anthology, they would put several of these together to create variety, but in my opinion they should select one video of each to represent each song. If they want to include more than one, the alternative version(s) should be presented as bonus material on the DVD".
Which is very much what they did. Of the ten Intertel films from Twickenham videotaped that day, they have used eight of them, over the two video discs. Both versions of "I Feel Fine" will be on the new releases, on video disc 2 of Beatles 1+ is the clip showing The Beatles eating fish and chips during their lunch break.
8. Eight Days a Week
Here I wrote: "No obvious choice. One thing to consider is to make use of the old US Beatles cartoons. That's how bootleg DVD video makers have solved this in the past, but given Universal Music's resources, they could also create a new video".
And create a new video they did, using scenes from "The Beatles at Shea Stadium", which is what I suggested for "A Hard Day's Night" (see above). Their description: A brand new clip edited from material filmed at the Shea Stadium concert in New York City on 15 August 1965, during which the band performed twelve songs, but "Eight Days A Week" was not among them. The clip says so much about the band’s frenetic lifestyle in 1965, at the height of Beatlemania.
9. Ticket to Ride
My suggestion: "Intertel".
And they did: Filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965. The Beatles' YouTube account actually published the full "Ticket To Ride" promo back in April 2015, but it is gone again now.
10. Help!
Again I suggested: "Intertel".
And they did. Their description: The less frequently seen clip of those filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965.
11. Yesterday
I wrote: "There are two performances they could use footage from: Blackpool and Ed Sullivan. No Beatles Greatest Hits video compilation is complete without "Yesterday"."
They went for the latter of my suggestions: Paul performing on "The Ed Sullivan Show", videotaped in New York City on 14 August 1965 and broadcast the following month, the day before the single was released in America.
12. Day Tripper
Again my suggestion was simply "Intertel".
And they did: Three versions of this clip were filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965. This is version 2, in which all of the group are wearing polo neck sweaters, except for Paul, who wears a black shirt. For the second video disc on the Beatles 1+ collection, they included one of the other two versions from the same day, with the group wearing their Shea Stadium jackets with the "Nehru" collars. So that leaves the third "Day Tripper" Intertel promo unused. But they also included a version from the TV special "The Music Of Lennon & McCartney" which was first broadcast in mid-December 1965.
13. We Can Work It Out
I just wrote: "Intertel".
And they did. There were three versions of the "We Can Work It Out" video filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965. On the first video disc, they included version 2 in which all four Beatles are wearing black polo neck sweaters. Another version is included on the second video disc for Beatles 1+, The Beatles wearing the Shea Stadium jackets. Which leaves the third Intertel "We Can Work It Out" unused.
Paperback Writer
I suggested: "As we saw in 'Anthology', there's a gorgeous video for this, made in the gardens of Chiswick. But they also have several Intertel promos filmed in a studio, so again a choice has to be made. And again, other versions can be bonus material".
They seem to have followed my suggestions, on video disc 1 is the film I mentioned first, filmed in 35mm, and in colour, in Chiswick Park, West London, by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg. On video disc 2 of Beatles 1+, they used the colour studio version which was filmed with Ringo's introduction for The Ed Sullivan Show. A couple of black and white versions of "Paperback Writer" shot in Abbey Road's Studio One went unused.
15. Yellow Submarine
I wrote: "They could make one from footage from the cartoon film, the same goes for the next one":
16. Eleanor Rigby
And they have followed my suggestions. For "Yellow Submarine", there's a newly created clip from original "Yellow Submarine" footage, whereas "Eleanor Rigby" is taken directly from the "Yellow Submarine" movie.
17. Penny Lane
I wrote: "There's only one music video for this one, and a great one it is, too".
https://youtu.be/MIAA4YsL3rc (https://youtu.be/MIAA4YsL3rc)
A look at "Penny Lane" before and after colour corrections.
And of course they used it, that one was in the cards. A ground-breaking clip by Swedish director Peter Goldmann that captures The Beatles in Stratford, London, and at Knole Park in Kent, with additional material shot in Liverpool.
18. All You Need Is Love
Here I wrote: "They have to go for the "Our World" clip, colourised or in black and white, either way is good".
Another no-brainer, filmed in Studio One at Abbey Road, on 25 June 1967, and beamed around the globe as a part of the TV programme "Our World". This colourised version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IheGgu-sPVw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IheGgu-sPVw)) was created for "The Beatles Anthology" TV programme in 1995. When you see clips from this film as part of the promo for the new video collections, it doesn't look as good as the others. I don't know if they've transferred the original video tape again in 4k and colourised it over again, but it doesn't look like they have.
19. Hello, Goodbye
For this video, I wrote: "Three videos were made, all at the Savile Theatre. Of these, I prefer the one they made from outtakes, and it's also the one that's closest to modern music videos. In 'Anthology', they intercut footage from all three films, here they should use no. 3 and have no. 1 and 2 as bonus material".
From looking at the descriptions for the new releases, it looks like they've gone for no. 1 on the first video disc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRcTqJELB8o (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRcTqJELB8o)), and nos 2 & 3 on the second. But they've included them all, so I'm good. Unless of course, they've tampered with no. 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-_8Hpu2A4Q (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-_8Hpu2A4Q)) and given it new edits.
20. Lady Madonna
I wrote: "There's two variations of this promo clip, both edited from footage of the Beatles recording "Hey Bulldog". Go figure"!
Their description of the clip they used: Just prior to leaving for India, The Beatles met up in Studio Three at Abbey Road, on 11 February 1968. They were filmed while recording "Hey Bulldog". So that seems good, I just hope they didn't do what they did on 'Anthology', which mixed in unrelated footage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpqM6p4CkFw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpqM6p4CkFw)
21. Hey Jude
Another no-brainer, I wrote: "Michael Lindsay-Hogg recorded several takes of this at Twickenham. Use one of those".
And here they have been very nice to us. One of the four takes has been used on video disc 1, and two of the other takes mixed together on video disc 2 of Beatles 1+. Which of course leaves us with the fourth take unused and we still don't have the unaltered other two takes, just a mix of them. But hey, this is a commercial product!
Their descriptions: Filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 4 September, for broadcast on David Frost’s TV show, "Frost On Sunday". The introduction by David Frost is different from that on disc 2. On said disc: This is an edit of the two other takes filmed on 4 September 1968 for the "Frost On Sunday" TV show. This has a different David Frost intro to the clip on disc 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_uajJJRNzk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_uajJJRNzk)
22. Get Back
For this track, I wrote "I would have gone for the studio version clip they made for 'Let It Be...Naked'".
Again, they have bested me by including both the clip I suggested (on video disc 2), and also recreated the original 1969 promo film from the original footage in better quality (on video disc 1).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqCM6lK3dHc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqCM6lK3dHc)
Descriptions: The promo clip made available at the time of the original release of the single featured performances from the Apple rooftop synched to the record. This new clip has been rebuilt to replicate the original but with improved picture quality.
And on video disc 2: This clip was assembled in 2003 to support the release of the album "Let It Be…Naked" and utilises studio footage from the famous "Get Back"/"Let It Be" sessions.
23. The Ballad of John and Yoko
Here I wrote: "Another one which has several edits, use the one with colour footage throughout. Again, the Anthology used a combination of several versions. Stick with one".
And it seems they may have followed my suggestion. Their description: This original promo clip features outtakes from the "Let It Be" movie, with other private footage shot in Amsterdam, London, Paris and Vienna.
We'll just have to wait and see if it's the one with the most colour footage throughout. No alternate versions made available.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10UCIWFe4DM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10UCIWFe4DM)
24. Something
A true no-brainer if there ever was one, "No problem here, the one and only 'Something' promo clip", I suggested.
Their description: The video features George and Pattie, John and Yoko, Paul and Linda, and Ringo and Maureen. and was filmed at locations in Berkshire, Surrey, and the Mull of Kintyre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dur8RgH1CbY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dur8RgH1CbY)
From looking at the video clip of restoring this film, it does look as they went back to the original promo again, discarding previously restored versions. So it's probably one of the new 4k transfers.
25. Come Together
Here I wrote: "They made a flash animated music video for this when "1" was new, use that. Fortunately, flash allows for limitless upscaling without the loss of resolution, so go find the flash source file".
And they seemed to have followed suit, their description is: The clip was created in 2000 by Melon Dezign for the launch of thebeatles.com and the original Beatles 1 album.
26. Let It Be
I wrote: "The usual promo film for this, an outtake of the Let It Be movie. And the same goes for the next one":
27. The Long and Winding Road
And this they have indeed done, although the first one has been recreated, using the same footage and edits, but with upgraded source material. Their descriptions: For "Let It Be", a 1970 promo clip was made available to support the release of the single and it was different to the one featured in the "Let It Be" movie; this clip has been rebuilt from the original footage. "The Long And Winding Road" is taken straight from the "Let It Be" movie.
https://youtu.be/LYZ0Vlp5_RE (https://youtu.be/LYZ0Vlp5_RE)
And that completes the Beatles 1 video disc. But of course, I also suggested to include some bonus material.
Extra videos
I wrote: "Now is the chance to unearth some of the Lennon B-sides of the singles, and Yoko Ono will be aware that in the later days, Paul usually had the A-sides and Lennon the B-sides. Arguably, the B-sides sold the exact same number of singles as the A-sides, so they should also be treated as number ones. And they should be placed chronologically alongside their A-sides".
"So these should include: "This Boy", "Rain", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "I Am The Walrus", "Revolution" and "Don't Let Me Down". Possibly also "For You Blue", using footage from the Get Back film. Olivia and Dhani Harrison will want that".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-_8Hpu2A4Q (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-_8Hpu2A4Q)
Of these, Apple Corps Ltd and Universal Music Group has chosen to include four of the seven I suggested.
"Rain" was included thusly: Two versions, the colour film from Chiswick House, West London, on 20 May 1966 was used as the first version. A second version was edited together from several takes of "Rain" videotaped at Abbey Road on 19 May 1966. Which leaves the full Abbey Road Studio One versions unreleased.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WlJkRpMUmY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WlJkRpMUmY)
https://youtu.be/8UQK-UcRezE (https://youtu.be/8UQK-UcRezE)
A sample of "Strawberry Fields Forever".
"Strawberry Fields Forever": Directed by Peter Goldmann and with newly restored footage, this was filmed at Knole Park, Kent on 30 and 31 January 1967.
"Revolution":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlTtSrOZwTI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlTtSrOZwTI)
One of two versions, this was shot the same day as "Hey Jude". John’s lead vocal is completely live, as are most of Paul and George’s backing vocals. The instrumentation, including Nicky Hopkins’ electric piano, is from the master tape.
Which of course, leaves the other version unreleased.
"Don't Let Me Down":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUIzhLJi39Y (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUIzhLJi39Y)
This was the B-side of "Get Back" and this clip is a composite of two live performances from the Apple rooftop in 1969. It was made available to support the release of "Let It Be…Naked" in 2003. It has also previously been available to purchase as a download on iTunes.
A 1969 promo film to accompany this song was also assembled from studio and rooftop footage. Like "Get Back" it could have been recreated for this collection but wasn't.
Then I wrote: "In the same way, we have a few more one-offs which should make the DVD. The 1976 music video for "Back In The USSR" was made to promote the "Rock'n'Roll Music" compilation album, but it's not necessary to include it here. The same goes for the 1983 music video for "Please Please Me", both of these are largely forgettable".
Point taken, not included.
However, they didn't take this advice: "And the BBC 1994 "Baby It's You" alongside the 2013 "Words Of Love" videos are also difficult to include on a "1" compilation. Same thing with the "Within You Without You"/"Tomorrow Never Knows" video, best used on a "Love" DVD".
They included all three. But I'm not sorry they did. Description for "Baby's In Black": One of two clips used to promote the single taken from the 1995 "Live At The BBC" album. The clip is enhanced by the inclusion of unique colour footage of The Beatles filmed outside the BBC’s Paris Studio on Lower Regent Street, London.
Of course, that colour footage was also included in one of the 1995 clips. This leaves the other 1995-video unused.
"Words of Love"
https://youtu.be/r5nARZKS-AY (https://youtu.be/r5nARZKS-AY)
The 2013 video for "Words Of Love".
When "On Air – Live At The BBC Volume 2" was released in 2013, it included "Words Of Love", a Buddy Holly composition that the band recorded for radio. This new clip is a mix of existing footage and innovative animation.
Description for "Within You Without You"/"Tomorrow Never Knows": The merging of these two tracks, one from "Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band", the other from "Revolver", was created for "The Beatles Love" show by Cirque du Soleil, which opened in June 2006 in Las Vegas. This video was created to promote the "Love" album released later that year.
Here's one advice they followed: "However, 1999's "Hey Bulldog" is a great video with the Beatles recording the song in the studio. Much of the same footage was used for the "Lady Madonna" promo, so "Hey Bulldog" is another track best kept outside the play list but should be a (hidden) bonus".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg4STdxRg-4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg4STdxRg-4)
"Hey Bulldog" is indeed included on video disc 2. Previously, it has also been available to purchase as a download on iTunes. I never anticipated that they would produce a whole second disc, so they had room to include more bonus material than what I initially suggested.
I also wrote: "Another bonus track could be the "Help" promo that was used in the movie, but without the dart throwing".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEKIKEXLR8w (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEKIKEXLR8w)
The promo in question, by the way, is slightly different from the one used in the film, but is not listed in the contents of the new releases and remains unreleased, unless it's an unlisted "easter egg" on one of the video discs.
Here are two other suggestions I made, both not adressed by the new release: "One video that's already linked to "1" is the "I Feel Fine" flash animated video.
http://beatlevid.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-1-videos.html (http://beatlevid.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-1-videos.html)
It was made to promote the original "1" album release, and was used on The Beatles' web site. So it could either go in to the play list instead of the Intertel promo, or as a bonus feature".
This one was not included.
"Back in 2003, Apple made a music video for "Two Of Us", and I'd hate to have it missing from the collection. However, it wasn't a single so it could be a hidden track, accessible from the menu but not part of the play list".
Again, not included - unless it's a hidden track like I suggested.
Then again, they have included some films that I didn't suggest:
"Twist and Shout" from the Granada Television programme "Scene At 6.30", which was videotaped on 14 August 1963.
"Please Please Me" - a live performance videotaped on 9 February for "The Ed Sullivan Show", which was screened on 23 February 1964.
"A Day In The Life" -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPAHPmUzo4g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPAHPmUzo4g)
a terrible oversight by me, I should have suggested this, as it is an original 1967 promo film. Filmed in Studio One at Abbey Road on 10 February 1967, this includes classical musicians, who were asked to wear evening dress, fake noses and funny hats for the recording session. The Beatles' YouTube account actually published the full "A Day In The Life" promo back in February 2015, but it was removed again after a few days.
"Free As A Bird" - I didn't suggest this and the next one, since they were both included on the Beatles "Anthology" DVD discs, so I didn't think they needed a re-release. Still, it's good to have them in this context - not to mention new audio mixes by Jeff Lynne. The 1995 video is a work of art by director Joe Pytka, who used the concept of a bird’s-eye view to pay homage to many Beatles songs and images.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLJkASJD4n8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLJkASJD4n8)
"Real Love" - This video directed by Geoff Wonfor and ex-10cc and leading pop promo-maker Kevin Godley, this video was made in 1996 to support the release of the single. Two versions were made, so we're probably still missing one - unless there's one on "Anthology" and another one here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZpdz-vgFiQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZpdz-vgFiQ)
Of course, I'm not implying that the powers that be read my blog post, but it's nice to see that quite a number of my expectations have been met.
Promoting the promos
There is going to be a lot of hoopla surrounding these new releases, in the shape of printed ads in music papers and magazines, as well as radio and TV commercials. ITV in Great Britain is going to screen a 2 hour long programme called "Nation’s Favourite Beatles", where the favourite Beatles song of Great Britain will be selected by viewer votes.
Of course, social media will also be utilized, we've already witnessed a bit of that on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
It also looks like Apple Corps Ltd is trying to get rid of unlawful former uploads of these videos on YouTube by various users. .
A one hour blu-ray presentation promo disc has been produced for insiders and partners, and a 15 minute film about the project itself has also been made. And as George Harrison would have said, somewhere down the line, there's going to be a t-shirt.
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On November 6, 2015, a Blu-ray, a DVD and a digipack containing a CD and DVD will be released. Also, there's a Deluxe limited 1CD/2Blu-Ray edition to be made available the same day, optionally as DVD.
Deluxe limited blu-ray edition
The "1" CD will feature a new 2015 remixed and remastered version of the album by Giles Martin and Sam Okell.
Editions:
1 | CD (2015 Remix/Master)
1 | 1CD/1DVD (Gatefold Digi-Sleeve)
1 | 1CD/1Blu-Ray (Gatefold Digi-Sleeve)
1+ | 1CD/2Blu-Ray (Deluxe Limited Edition)
1+ | 1CD/2DVD | (Deluxe Limited Edition)
Without the CD:
Blu-ray
DVD
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I just saw a teaser of Strawberry Fields, parts of it look HD, amazing
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For Beatles video collectors, the release of a collection of the music videos was on the top 3 most wanted list, alongside the "Let It Be"-movie and "The Beatles at Shea Stadium" TV-film.
I'd put this at #1 so it's aptly named. LOL There's a hardcover book involved with the deluxe set so that makes it even better. I need another week of cat sitting for my neighbor before I can order it. ;D
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Funny MONO was all the rage and now were all horny over this new surround sound release CD! icon_love
For the record, I’ve always preferd Stereo over Mono when it came to the Beatles!
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I'm definitely going to buy the collection of music videos. I've been waiting a long time to see them in high resolution and with quality sound.
Hey Cor! I'm curious to see if the DVD case will look anything like this...
(http://i57.tinypic.com/34eow2q.jpg)
;)
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Not sure I like that word 'remix'.
Usually means.....
'People less talented, tampering, in a less interesting and exciting era, with how something was originally meant to sound like in the more interesting and exciting era'.
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You all know what’s next right????
Re-re--re-release of their whole Catalogue in 5.1 Surround Sound. Start savings your pennies! icon_king
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I'm definitely going to buy the collection of music videos. I've been waiting a long time to see them in high resolution and with quality sound.
Hey Cor! I'm curious to see if the DVD case will look anything like this...
;)
That would be great, wouldn't it? But I don't expect Some Other Guy to be on the dvd....
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Not sure I like that word 'remix'.
Usually means.....
'People less talented, tampering, in a less interesting and exciting era, with how something was originally meant to sound like in the more interesting and exciting era'.
I hear ya! Now that I'm reading the fine print, not all the songs will be in 5.1. Especially since "Love Me Do" and other earlier songs were Mono only, it's understandable that they can't be in 5.1 Surround. :(
It reads: new stereo and 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS HD surround audio mixes.
So to me, this is just another re-re-re-re-re-re-release. I'm still content with my Red & Blue hits LP's.
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Been warming a little to this release as it would be quite nice to have all (or most of) the promo films in one place.
All the 5.1/Surround stuff leaves me cold though, much better to hear the original mono edits as they were originally released on 45. Always was, always will be.
My purchase will be the trimmed down 1CD/1DVD version for £13 and, as they're released on the same day, it will probably be purchased with the trimmed down (£12) version of Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series no. 12.
Less is more......and from November 6th till Christmas, with these two releases I'll be able to completely avoid 2015. Major result!!!!
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Been warming a little to this release as it would be quite nice to have all (or most of) the promo films in one place.
All the 5.1/Surround stuff leaves me cold though, much better to hear the original mono edits as they were originally released on 45. Always was, always will be.
My purchase will be the trimmed down 1CD/1DVD version for £13
OBS, only some of the songs will be in 5.1 since they cannot turn the mono songs into 5.1
Good News, Bad News for me.
I just realized they do sell just the Blu Ray instead of me having to buy the CD too. ;)
Bad news, is they don’t sell the 2nd Blu Ray separately, you must buy the full monty!! (2+1) >:(
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more bad you must be the cd for the 3rd icon_mad time
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A little preview...
http://youtu.be/BGLGzRXY5Bw?list=PL0jp-uZ7a4g8rH1IctYya7Pt4xXTy3pGy (http://youtu.be/BGLGzRXY5Bw?list=PL0jp-uZ7a4g8rH1IctYya7Pt4xXTy3pGy)
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This'll be good!!!
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This'll be good!!!
Yeah! I can hardly wait. Unfortunately I can't pre order it but I should be able to get it shortly after it comes out. I'm springing for the (fairly) fast shipping too!
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I pre-ordered and took the free shipping option. I can wait till mid-November.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81NkWkmBR7L._SL1500_.jpg)
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^^^
I feel better now. :)
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A little preview...
[url]http://youtu.be/BGLGzRXY5Bw?list=PL0jp-uZ7a4g8rH1IctYya7Pt4xXTy3pGy[/url] ([url]http://youtu.be/BGLGzRXY5Bw?list=PL0jp-uZ7a4g8rH1IctYya7Pt4xXTy3pGy[/url])
I started a thread about Nicky Hopkins last month. I guess no one saw it. But I'll post this video of him performing Revolution with The Spongetones in 1984 once again...
http://youtu.be/bnvcIeyJ3RA (http://youtu.be/bnvcIeyJ3RA)
44:30
Nicky Hopkins, the man behind the piano on The Beatles' Revolution.
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Ah, yes, I missed that thread but now I see he was the one responsible for that great piano on one of my favorite Stones songs. It was nice how he stopped to sign that girl's album even though he had to catch a plane. I'm sure the Spongetones were thrilled to have him sit in. It's sad that he was gone so young.
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Yes, he was someone special Kelley.
Let's hear his piano track on that Rolling Stones song...
http://youtu.be/7X6u1vYwoCc (http://youtu.be/7X6u1vYwoCc)
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Yes, he was someone special Kelley.
Let's hear his piano track on that Rolling Stones song...
[url]http://youtu.be/7X6u1vYwoCc[/url] ([url]http://youtu.be/7X6u1vYwoCc[/url])
That's so nice. I'm glad you mentioned him again, Barry.
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Wow, I never knew he played piano on Revolution! Love his work with the Stones, especially Wild Horses
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Love his work with the Stones, especially Wild Horses
I'm seeing a pattern here. That's another song on my not-real-long list of Stones songs that I love.
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I'm seeing a pattern here. That's another song on my not-real-long list of Stones songs that I love.
A few months ago I sorta rediscovered Wild Horses and how good it is (this happens with Beatle songs too - Penny Lane was my all time fave for years, now it's You Never Give Me Your Money).
For what it's worth my top 10 Stones songs:
Wild Horses
Monkey Man
Hot Stuff
Fool To Cry
Angie
Rocks Off
Sweet Virginia
Tumblin' Dice
Jigsaw Puzzle
Gimme Shelter
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^
Nicky Hopkins played piano on all of those songs with the exception of Hot Stuff. Billy Preston played piano on that one.
http://youtu.be/Zrpj4fOPEjs (http://youtu.be/Zrpj4fOPEjs)
http://youtu.be/TzRtSxrWj4o (http://youtu.be/TzRtSxrWj4o)
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
I tell you love, sister, it's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
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A few months ago I sorta rediscovered Wild Horses and how good it is
I just heard that this afternoon. It really is a wonderful song with very meaningful lyrics...and great piano! There's a few songs on your list that I don't know but will make sure to check out.
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The latest Mojo has given '1' a fantastic three page review.
Friday 6th November will be a bit of a red letter day what with this and the Dylan '65/'66 stuff coming out as well.
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Friday 6th November will be a bit of a red letter day what with this and the Dylan '65/'66 stuff coming out as well.
Thanks for the reminder oldbrownshoe. I just pre-ordered The Cutting Edge 1965 - 1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12...The 6 CD Deluxe Edition.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81WVXKYTPYL._SL1500_.jpg)
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Hi, I'm the new kid on the block, I've just introduced myself, and this is going to be my first post.
The latest Mojo has given '1' a fantastic three page review.
Did I miss it somehow? I've bought Mojo and found a 24-pages-section on the Beatles, but didn't see a detailed review of '1+'. They had a talk with Michael Lindsay-Hogg on the videos (an excerpt from a book, really) and detailed reviews of the 27 number ones. What I found unbelievable, however, is that they missed what is for me the most sensational aspect of this release. Quoting Beatles.com:
The 27-track audio CD is also being made available with new stereo mixes. A 2 LP, 180-gram vinyl package will follow.
A remix from the original multitracks, that's how I understand it. Not the remasters of 2009. When they published the remastered '1' album, they used the 2009 remastered versions and that is state of the art. So why a new release?
In 1999, there was Yellow Submarine Songtrack, and that was a first test: Would the die-hard fans, more or less well-to-do baby boomers, accept remixes? Or would there be an outcry of 'sacrilege!'? If I remember correctly, there was no outcry. Many even said that the remixed tracks were considerably more transparent and dynamic and an improvement. So now they are giving it a new try, and this time they aim at the heart of the market. Twenty-seven number one hits is as popular as you can get, and these songs surely bridge the gap between generations (for Apple: new young fans will pass on the torch!). If new remixes of the Beatles' most popular tunes meet with near to universal acclaim, that will open the flood gates (that's my guess) and we will see the whole catalogue remixed in due time.
Don't you think that's exciting? If Yellow Submarine and Eleanor Rigby from the Songtrack are something to go by, we'll be treated to first class remixes of fantastic songs (of course there's not much they can do with the first two-track singles).
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The previews are getting shorter!
http://youtu.be/QsX9Pq0G41A (http://youtu.be/QsX9Pq0G41A)
This is the second Beatles video I watched when I discovered they were on YouTube. I couldn't get over how they looked; so cute and funny.
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http://youtu.be/usNsCeOV4GM (http://youtu.be/usNsCeOV4GM)
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Would the die-hard fans, more or less well-to-do baby boomers, accept remixes? Or would there be an outcry of 'sacrilege!'? If I remember correctly, there was no outcry. Many even said that the remixed tracks were considerably more transparent and dynamic and an improvement. So now they are giving it a new try, and this time they aim at the heart of the market. Twenty-seven number one hits is as popular as you can get, and these songs surely bridge the gap between generations (for Apple: new young fans will pass on the torch!). If new remixes of the Beatles' most popular tunes meet with near to universal acclaim, that will open the flood gates (that's my guess) and we will see the whole catalogue remixed in due time.
We all know there will be another Apple re-re-re-re-re-release if this #1 re-re-release LP sells well.
I actually find it sacrilegious, since I grew up with the 1973 EMI Red & Blue Greatest Hits LPs, but that’s just me.
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So, the collection of their videos (remastered & restored) has been issued, together with audio CD:
Showcasing the band’s filmed work to accompany their 27 No.1, U.K. and U.S. singles, The Beatles 1 is newly restored and expanded in multiple configurations for global release on November 6 by Apple Corps Ltd/UMG.
The 27-track CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray pairs beautifully restored videos for each song, with new stereo and 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS HD surround audio mixes. The brand new Beatles 1+ celebrates their career in over 200 minutes through 50 promotional films and videos. This includes the 27 No.1s, with the restored videos, along with a second disc of 23 videos, including alternate versions, as well as rarely seen and newly restored films and videos; all include new audio mixes in deluxe CD/2-DVD and CD/2-Blu-ray packages. The 27-track audio CD is also being made available with new stereo mixes. A 2 LP, 180-gram vinyl package will follow.
[url]http://www.thebeatles.com/node/13738[/url] ([url]http://www.thebeatles.com/node/13738[/url])
The edition has various formats: you can order just CD (which is the cheapest), 1 DVD - or you can go for 'de luxe' edition which has 1 CD and 2 DVDs (or 1 CD 2 Blue Ray discs) + booklet and bonus material.
On their official channel, they've gave us some videos to view/hear. Check this out:
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usNsCeOV4GM#)
At 1:52 (where the orchestra's crescendos begin), you will notice that piano is audible thru the crescendo and the whole thing sounds more pleasant to ears, more musical.
(The same goes for the second crescendo also.) I just went: Oh wow! Oh man! That's fantastic!
Compare it to the 2009 remasters - where you have more noise, piano is not audible and the whole thing sounds less enjoyable for listening.
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9iPX6Pp64U#)
(I just love to hear my favourite band sound different on the songs which I love so much!)
I don't have the album in my hand (yet), but I hope to get it. Maybe Santa Claus surprises me for Christmas. icon_cool
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3 days to go.
Same with 007 James Bond's Spectre! icon_king
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3 days to go.
Same with 007 James Bond's Spectre! icon_king
Oh the anticipation...
And while we wait, let's listen to Giles Martin who worked on the project - he gives as some information how the new remasters were made:
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEVqor4JmbU#)
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Ringo said about the album:
"I think it's really interesting to see the videos we made, some of them incredible and some of them really incredible." :laugh:
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A review from Analogplanet:
Rather than go through the videos, because if you're reading this you surely will get the box and watch them yourself, just a few observations: at first John doesn't appear particularly comfortable on stage or with a camera fixated on him: he doesn't know where to look or how to look. Instead, he stares uncomfortably into space while Paul, the consummate ham, and even George seem relaxed and camera-relatable. A few videos in, John quickly gets better, much better, mugging and making funny faces to the camera. Paul, however, remains the camera-magnet. You just want to look at him.
On the day after Christmas, 1965 Paul had a Moped accident resulting in a chipped front tooth and split lip. Incredibly, he didn't cap it before videos were shot for "Paperback Writer" and Rain". Paul looks on those two video obviously banged up. On later ones behind dark colored sunglasses they all appear to be somewhat or very stoned. But always they are having fun and always so will you watching their antics, subtle and large.
One of the set's highlight is on the +1 Blu-ray. The "Hey Bulldog" video is one of the only chances you get to see them live at Abbey Road recording a song as it appears on record. Another is the film shot for the orchestral recording for "A Day in the Life". Perhaps you've seen some or all of that in one place or another but what a scene! Keith Richards, Donovan and others parading around. The classical musicians all dressed in tuxedos and adorned with cartoonish sized nose masks and fake bald heads. Of particular interest: a promotional video for the "Love" album that combines "Within You, Without You" and "Tomorrow Never Knows". Also here are videos for the posthumously released "Free As a Bird" and "Real Love", based on Lennon cassette demos. Ringo and Paul provide commentary for many of the videos.
As for the audio, Giles Martin and his team have done an outstanding job of improving many of the stereo mixes without harming the original intent. Where possible they've centered the vocals and corrected mix mistakes. A/D conversion has come a long way since 2000. I think you will be impressed—especially by the work done on the later, better recorded tracks like George Harrison's "Something" and "The Long and Winding Road". The vocal clarity and transparency, even on the CD, is mesmerizing. There are 5.1 channel surround mixes in Dolby Digital and non-lossy DTS-HD, but I preferred the familiar mono and stereo (re) mixes.
The book annotation has been superbly produced, with each song getting a two page spread with recording dates, locations, producer and engineering credits, release dates and chart information plus a picture and backgrounder annotation.
This is a classy package visually, sonically and physically, one intended to be repeatedly poured over and enjoyed. Tears of joy and of sadness flowed (you do get over George Harrison's death by disease, sad as it was, but you just never get over John Lennon's death by assassination), there were laughs, a sense of amazement, appreciation, L-O-V-E and especially gratitude that all of this happened, and for Baby Boomers, just at the right time. Following my binge-watch I drew one overwhelming and somewhat surprising (to me) conclusion: without Ringo Starr, none of this would have happened as it did. He was/is an absolutely incredible drummer.
[url]http://www.analogplanet.com/content/beatles-1-packs-visual-and-sonic-punch[/url]
^
I like the conclusion of this article. glassesslip
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My copy arrived on Thursday I have to say it's brilliant they did a excellent job with it the colour and sound are fantastic well worth it.
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My copy arrived on Thursday I have to say it's brilliant they did a excellent job with it the colour and sound are fantastic well worth it.
I'm glad you're enjoying it Euan!
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I'm glad you're enjoying it Euan!
I love how Free As A Bird & Real Live sound.
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Looking forward to full review EB! ;yes
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Both the Beatles 1+ 2 DVD + CD (Deluxe Limited Edition) and Bob Dylan The Cutting Edge 1965 - 1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12 (6 CD Deluxe Edition) arrived today. This will be a very entertaining week!!
(http://i45.tinypic.com/r77pqs.jpg)
(http://i64.tinypic.com/nmi63l.jpg)
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Paul acts cute after the outro fades out...
(http://i64.tinypic.com/efjpt1.jpg)
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Paul acts cute after the outro fades out...
He's not acting. ;)
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Yeah.
Just as exciting is the Bob Dylan Bootleg Series Vol. 12 ...
http://youtu.be/ljbxm_sKC90 (http://youtu.be/ljbxm_sKC90)
Just Like A Woman Take 1
(http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/43/7d/02/437d02837b512084bdd19547222fb52a.jpg)
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Yay!! Now I get to see the dancing girls in HD!!
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zkU-mWVNldk/UcmcHknqP7I/AAAAAAAAGz4/gevJvYyxABk/s1600/HG_peppercostumes4b.jpg)
;D
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And this is how they did it...
http://youtu.be/03w-RnN7I-U (http://youtu.be/03w-RnN7I-U)
http://youtu.be/2A0-YjQQPNY (http://youtu.be/2A0-YjQQPNY)
http://youtu.be/YEVqor4JmbU (http://youtu.be/YEVqor4JmbU)
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http://youtu.be/Qyclqo_AV2M (http://youtu.be/Qyclqo_AV2M)
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http://youtu.be/S-rB0pHI9fU (http://youtu.be/S-rB0pHI9fU)
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http://youtu.be/rblYSKz_VnI (http://youtu.be/rblYSKz_VnI)
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Oh wow...those are fantastic. They look just as good in full screen. It's like I've never seen them before! I felt the same way when I got my good headphones and the mono box set. Thanks for posting these Barry. It's going to be a little while before I can get the set unfortunately so I appreciate the preview.
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Just had a close listen to the audio disk. Nice little touches in the remixes. Hearing stuff I'd never really heard before, which is surprising.
Had a quick look through the vids. Nice restoration and, yes, them hula girls in 'Hello Goodbye' are worth the price of admission alone.
:P
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Nice restoration and, yes, them hula girls in 'Hello Goodbye' are worth the price of admission alone.
:P
Their lower back modioli are as clear as day!
(http://i67.tinypic.com/2psim21.jpg)
icon_good
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Yup.
roll:)
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(http://i63.tinypic.com/13z8mza.jpg)
No O.P.P. patch. Maybe that's another clue.
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Just had a close listen to the audio disk. Nice little touches in the remixes.
Could you specify, Klang? I've listened once through it and think it's all very transparent and clear, but ... I started an A/B, song by song, between the new '1' audio CD and the first '1' CD 2000. I've finished the first batch of nine out of 27 songs and didn't find anything sensational. Obviously, later songs will be more interesting in this respect than those of 1962-5. Given the fact that '1' received a remastering face-lift after 2009 I wonder if anything but a proper remix from the original multitracks would be a real improvement, and there is little you can do with the early songs. Greater prominence of bass lines is noticeable throughout, but that is an effect of remastering, not remixing, and will already be present on the 2009 masters. I have not yet checked those but will over the weekend.
Would you be interested in song-by-song observations?
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Heh. I'd gladly do this, time permitting. But that's the rub. I'd have to listen through once more and take notes, and my leisure time quotient is practically nil. I even had that listen I mentioned while working.
Also, I couldn't say that every single track had anything too remarkable, just a few stuck out for me. For example, in one of the early ones (sorry, again, I was multi-tasking and not paying full attention, so I can't even say which one at the moment) I heard bongos in the background for the first time. Pretty shocking for something I've heard hundreds of times before. In other instances, I think it was more a matter of hearing a difference in the volume of certain instruments compared to others. Renewed the songs for me a little bit.
Also, remixing/remastering - all the same to me. Technically, I don't know the difference nor do I care. It was interesting and entertaining. And using headphones helped too, I'm sure.
Sorry I can't be more specific at the moment. Maybe I can get to this later.
:)
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Somebody was kind to upload Ringo's commentary from the 1+ album.
Nice to see him at the computer, reminiscing of old crazy days with his bandmates.
Some critics said that Ringo here doesn't reveal anything new. Well, not true. I never noticed this before, but in Hello Goodbye video Ringo decided to change the SIZE of his drum kit -
he can be seen playing a small one, and then, the drum kit is suddenly large. So, he was clearly having fun. :laugh:
! No longer available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkKU_TUaRYM#)
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Some critics said that Ringo here doesn't reveal anything new. Well, not true. I never noticed this before, but in Hello Goodbye video Ringo decided to change the SIZE of his drum kit -
he can be seen playing a small one, and then, the drum kit is suddenly large. So, he was clearly having fun. :laugh:
There was 3 versions of this video originally, and the drum size was one of them. This is not something new unfortunately.
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There was 3 versions of this video originally, and the drum size was one of them. This is not something new unfortunately.
OK, it's new to me.
Anyway, I like when the Fab Four guys give their personal accounts.
Here, Ringo says: 'Maureen & Yoko were our only audience at the Rooftop Concert, cheering and applauding.'
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I wish a fan-made video of Penny Lane would be made.
In Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs... - Ringo's book Photograph could be used to illustrate that line in a video.
Or - even better - for a line 'barber showing photographs' we could have a scene where someone would go thru the pages of some book.
Then we'd have the close-up on the book - and it would be revealed that the pages of the book are - blank.
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Behind Ringo while he's doing audio commentary is an artwork called 'This is not here' with the initials Y. O. 1968. glassesslip
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Safe to say I’ll be passing on this, as I did in 2000 when the original 1 was released.
Sorry, too many re-re-re-re-re-releases for me from Apple. How many times can you sell the same songs?
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Safe to say I’ll be passing on this, as I did in 2000 when the original 1 was released.
Sorry, too many re-re-re-re-re-releases for me from Apple. How many times can you sell the same songs?
Thetve solved a problem for a lot of baby boomers though
the eternal 'what shall I buy him/her for Christmas' ;D
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From a marketing standpoint, your absolutely right. It was no mistake it was released before xmas! icon_king
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Safe to say I’ll be passing on this, as I did in 2000 when the original 1 was released.
Sorry, too many re-re-re-re-re-releases for me from Apple. How many times can you sell the same songs?
I bought it primarily for the HD videos and I'm very pleased about it. After all, the official release of all the complete videos is "something new".
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I bought it primarily for the HD videos and I'm very pleased about it. After all, the official release of all the complete videos is "something new".
They are new Official releases, but the Blu Ray bootlegs have been out there for awhile. But for people who don't have the bootlegs, these are obviously better than the bootlegs as the video has been given a better clean up. icon_good
Now if they'd finally release "Let It Be" & "Shea Stadium" concert on Blu Ray, there would be a lot more happy people here. (Again it's already on bootleg Blu Ray) icon_mad
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Safe to say I’ll be passing on this, as I did in 2000 when the original 1 was released.
Sorry, too many re-re-re-re-re-releases for me from Apple. How many times can you sell the same songs?
I agree - partially.
Now, how about some 'new' stuff, something like Anthology 1-2-3 CD's?
For instance, Apple could issue the albums but with alternate (unreleased) versions of bend's songs.
We haven't heard alternate version of 'In My Life'. Or 'Lovely Rita' or 'Getting Better', 'For No One' etc.
It would be great to hear 'Abbey Road' album as 'work in progres' - different versions of 'Golden Slumbers' etc.
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That stuff has been out on Bootlegs for decades, so ya, I don’t know why Apple takes soooooooo long to release stuff like that. Especially the "Let It Be" movie!!!!! icon_mad
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For those who are interested in how the new 1+ is different from the earlier version I've started to review the songs one by one. It's quite long I'm afraid. And before I even start, I'd like to explain the difference between remastering and remixing because I find it's important in this case. This new version claims to be a remix, and remasters was what we got in 2012. So, how different is this new offer?
Those who know how remixing is different from remastering (as well as those who don't give a :angel: ) are invited to skip this first post and maybe bear with me for the one that follows.
Remix versus remastering. The earliest songs (up to and including With the Beatles were recorded on twin-track tape which doesn't offer many possibilities for 'mixing': you can increase or decrease the volume of one track in relation to the other, and that’s basically it. That's why George Martin used to record vocals on one track and the instruments on the other although the Beatles performed both at the same time. It permitted him to adjust the level of the vocals in a way that they balanced the instrumental track when combined to mono. What he could not do is raise the level of, say, the drums in relation to the bass, because both were on the same track, or Paul's voice with regard to John's, for the same reason.
If you needed overdubbing, that is, add a voice or an instrument to the original 2-track-tape, the only way to do that was to record the original tape together with the (live) new track on a second tape machine. There were very few songs on which that was necessary: the piano on ‘Misery’, celeste on ‘Baby, it’s you’, or Paul’s second voice reinforcing the first on ‘A taste of honey’. If you wanted to record two additional tracks on two tracks, you had to use a copy of the copy of the original (losing sound quality) or you ran into difficulties because two tape machines can never be perfectly synchronized. As far as I know, that was only tried on the stereo of ‘Money’, and you’ll notice that the stereo version sounds somewhat blurred and messy in comparison to the mono.
The twin-track method worked well as long as your aim was a well-balanced mono recording, but all you could do in stereo was to add a bit of artificial echo to one or both of the tracks when the master tape was prepared for cutting the record. Later, with four and even later with eight tracks, instruments could be recorded on separate tracks and their relationship in terms of volume was determined when the tracks were remixed to one stereo tape with its two channels or even a mono tape with just one. The more tracks you have to start from, the more important for the sound picture of the final record is the process of mixing the initial tracks. That's what mixing consoles/desks are for, and it is there that fancy effects such as a guitar panning from left to right in stereo are created.
Mastering, in contrast, is the process of transferring the master tape to the cutting lathe that will transform taped sound into sound in a groove. Apart from having to observe a couple of technical requirements that result from the physical properties of analogue record grooves, the mastering engineer can influence the sound by equalizing (giving prominence to certain frequencies at the cost of others) or compression (cutting volume peaks and raising low volumes, that is, limiting the dynamics of the record). The engineer may also have the means to add reverb or other basic sound characteristics and can thus influence to a high degree the impression the completed record will make sound-wise, but can not change the stereo picture or the relative volumes of the different voices and instruments.
By way of example: ‘Eleanor Rigby’ was originally mixed with Paul’s voice on the right, John and George’s left, and a double string quartet more or less middle and left. There was a mistake at the beginning: Paul starts the verse on both channels (apparently double-tracked), but is confined to a single voice track (right) after the first word (‘Elea -- nor …’). This is a mistake in the master tape, that is, in the mix, and can therefore not be corrected by remastering. Revolver was remastered digitally for the first CD, 1987, and from a better digital source in 2009. The song itself appeared on 1 (in its original form) and on Yellow Submarine Songtrack. That last version, of 1999, has Paul’s voice (plus the other voices) right in the middle, and the string octet spaced out from left to right. Even if it hadn’t said so in the liner notes, you would have had to conclude that the song was remixed: the assignment of the original four tracks to the two stereo channels was different. That is, there was a new two-track master tape (or a master file!) made from the original 1st generation multi-tracks. This is what makes the difference between remastering and remixing: remastering can change the overall sound (for better or worse), but only remixing can change the stereo picture and the relative proportions of individual instruments or voices. Of course, remixing always raises the question if the songs ‘are still authentic’, a question that was positively answered by most critics for the Yellow Submarine Songtrack (but not in the case of Love). Now 1, after the remastered version, is presented as a remix. Does it make a difference? Does it stray from the path of authenticity?
-- Analysis of the first couple of songs follows.
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I'm looking forward to your analysis, giveawaychord.
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I’ll tackle the 27 songs in three parts, 11 + 8 + 8 songs I hope. Later songs will take up more space because 4-track and 8-track originals simply offer more possibilities for remixing while the earliest songs offer none at all.
I have compared the new (remixed) 1 disk with the original CD. I don’t have the intermediary remastered CD to compare with. I also looked at other LPs for the songs where available and I have briefly looked at the soundtrack of the companion DVD with videos for each of the 27 songs.
Love me do. The version on CD is mono and is the Andy White one – no remix possible and no change in comparison to the original 1 CD. The accompanying video has the mono Ringo version, taken from the record, with edited footage (no complete live version of LMD exists).
Comment: A curiosity on this album because the Beatles’ first single stalled at #17 in the British charts and reached number one in the US one-and-a-half years later when American fans were served with current and backlist material all at the same time. If Americans had the impression that the Beatles descended on them like some supernatural force, that was at least partly based on an impact no American act could hope to muster: in 1964, Americans were treated to five albums plus a double LP with interviews (not counting two Canadian albums that were slightly different), one EP and a fusillade of 13 singles (UK residents had 2 LPs, 3 Eps and 3 singles to choose from). The short run of LMD as a number one was achieved by two different singles – the American one on Tollie, taken from the first Vee Jay album and therefore with Andy White on drums, and a Canadian import that featured Ringo on drums.
Another curiosity is that ‘Love Me Do’ is listed as a number one while ‘Please Please Me’ does not figure. PPM was regarded as a #1 UK single from George Martin’s prescient remark ‘Congratulation, boys, you’ve just recorded your first number one!’ to all firsthand accounts and further on to everybody else for more than 3 decades – before someone decided that Record Retailer (which was only read by professionals and had next to nil impact on the fan scene) was a more reliable source than Melody Maker, Musical Express and everything else including radio charts. Fortunately, those who have bought or will buy the deluxe edition will find a PPM video on the second DVD, and watching it, you will want to turn the volume up. It still has that electricity and contagious joy.
From me to you. The mono version on CD, as before (although a stereo version exists). You can easily tell which is which: the mono has John’s harmonica in the opening bars, the stereo doesn’t. The bass is stronger on the new CD, but that may have been introduced with the remastered version after 2009. A comparison with the Past Masters CD shows that the new CD is a bit louder which is a sign of compression (look up loudness war if that puzzles you), but not excessively so. About the level of the original 1 CD (no exact measurement conducted). – The video has the (mono) live version from the Royal Variety Show.
She loves you. Mono. Identical with the earlier version. -- The video has the original soundtrack of the 1963 Stockholm performance. You can see how the magic works. And how much fun the Beatles have winning a baffled audience over.
I want to hold your hand. There are three extant original stereo mixes, two of which are only marginally different (volume of handclaps and lead guitar), and 1+ uses the last one of these (made for the 1966 Oldies LP) which has the vocals centered. Again, no difference in the mix! -- The video simply plays the record, as evident from the presence of handclaps (and the absence of anybody clapping).
Can’t buy me love. Here we have the first noticeable difference that’s due to the mix rather than mastering. The change is quite subtle, though, and not immediately apparent. The original had drums, bass and rhythm guitar on the left, lead guitar on the right, and vocals in the middle (‘left’ and ‘right’ are no longer as extremely far from the middle as in the two-track recordings, and that applies to all four-track and eight-track originals). The new mix places everything closer to the center which results in more powerful drums and bass. The lead guitar shifts to the very middle for the solo which sounds more natural: an instrumental solo replaces the vocals for as long as it lasts, and by default you’d expect it in the same position stereo picture as the vocals. And indeed both vocals and solo now take centre stage. (The solo was overdubbed. You can still hear George’s initial solo effort in the background. That’s inevitable, because what we hear is not the track with the original solo but rather the ‘bleeding’ of that track, that is the leakage that was picked up by the vocal microphones and/or the neighbouring track on the tape machine (crosstalk) and remained there even after the original track was erased.) The overall impression of the new mix is that of a subtle improvement. – The accompanying video is from a live performance in a TV show the soundtrack of which had been pre-recorded for the occasion on 3-track tape and was remixed for 1+.
A hard day’s night. ‘Nothing has changed, it’s still the same …’ Really? Strangely enough, the right channel seems to me a bit weaker than on the earlier disc. Overdubs that appear on the right side are bongos, cowbell (during the ‘when I get home’ bridge) and guitar/piano solo. It may be that a bit of EQ was applied, with the ringing guitar sounds profiting at the expense of the bongos, but I may have fallen victim to an acoustic illusion. – The video is taken from an electrifying live performance in Paris, with the original soundtrack.
I feel fine. Nice stereo, with the first note of the guitar panning from left to right – something George Martin (or Emerick) must have remembered when he prepared the stereo mix for Sgt. Pepper Reprise. Again, the new 1+ ‘version’ is crisper, a bit more detailed, and more analytic, with clearer bass line, but how does it qualify as a remix? I’ve listened to both versions a couple of times because I couldn’t quite believe what I heard: There is a faint disturbing noise during the intro like someone briefly scratching a metal surface, and it’s right in the middle. In the new version it’s still there but it is shifted to the far left! And there’s a second instance of such an earth-shattering change: When John hums ‘hmmm’ right before the solo, he does it in the centre (and that is where his voice is all the time). Now he’s relegated to the left and I wonder what he has ‘done to deserve such a fate’. Strange. – The b&w promo video plays the record version – in stereo.
Eight days a week. It’s getting boring. More of the same, and no remix. All voices and instruments remain exactly where they left them in 1965. – There has never been a promo video for this song and it was never performed live. The video, therefore, is a sort of benevolent deception. Colour footage comes from the Shea Stadium film and is so cleverly edited that it looks convincing, down to lip-synch shots of the singers.
For the three tracks taken from the Help!-album, the 1+ versions were compared with the original stereo mixes found as a bonus on the remastered mono CDs (LP mix), the CD mix on the remastered stereo CDs, and the versions found on the first edition of 1.
Ticket to ride. There is virtually no difference between those versions. If anything, the tambourine has been moved near centre, but then it’s odd to dig the original multi-tracks out and just shift the tambourine a few steps inward. The original 1 gives the same impression and was not a remix, so I wonder what I really hear there. The Help-CD ‘mix’ is unobtrusive, too. George Martin is said to have moved left and right extremes a bit closer to the middle in 1987, with the left channel almost centre-stage, but if you don’t have a room with speakers 30 feet apart you’ll probably not notice. – The b&w promo clip is in stereo. (Surely all promo clips were in mono when they were issued.)
Help. Same thing again. There is really no essential difference between the new ‘mix’ and its precursors – the bass is considerably more pronounced and you can actually follow the bass line, but that is a remastering thing. – Again, the video soundtrack is not the mono single but the stereo LP version (which, apart from being stereo, also differs in the vocals during the first verse.).
Comment. Joe Brennan, in his online guide to song variants, does not say how the 1987 CD mix is different from the LP stereo while Schoeler/Schmidt in their Mixes book, claim that Martin mixed the rhythm tracks more centre and a bit louder and lowered the volume of the acoustic guitars. (There is only one acoustic guitar, however, and it’s on the same track as George’s Gretsch -- only the lead guitar arpeggios that link the chorus to the verses was taped on a separate track.)
Yesterday. It seems that George Martin removed an accidental sound at the end when he prepared the song for the 1987 CD release, but otherwise nothing has changed. Paul’s acoustic is on the right, his voice in the middle, and the strings almost completely to the left. – The video is a puzzling live version: Paul’s vocal is obviously live, but where do the strings come from? The clip was shot in the CBS TV studio in NY City (for the Ed Sullivan Show) and it is only a photograph in the little book that comes with the 1+ edition where you find the solution: Three violinists perform the backing but they are not on the stage itself , so you don’t see them in the video at all. The audio is stereo and quite like the LP version, but it isn’t ‘living stereo’, i.e., in reality Paul stood to the left on stage while the violinists played further to the right in front of the stage. That means that the original live recording must have been a multi-track recording with probably 3 channels although the show was certainly broadcast in mono.
And that's it for now. The first 11 pout of 27 songs don't offer anything that comes near a new listening experience. If indeed the songs were remixed from the original multi-tracks, the engineers kept quite close to 60s' practice and produced almost identical versions to the originals.
I hope somebody will find it profitable to read all that. If you don't have a better suggestion or tell me to :-X I'll continue in this vein in a couple of days.
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I hope somebody will find it profitable to read all that.
Yes! Very much so and thanks! I've already placed what you wrote so far in a MS Word document. When you're finished, I'll print it out and place it in the 1+ slipcover.
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Excellent mate thanks, look forward to part 2 :)
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Keep it coming! ;yes
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Love me do. The version on CD is mono and is the Andy White one – no remix possible and no change in comparison to the original 1 CD. The accompanying video has the mono Ringo version, taken from the record, with edited footage (no complete live version of LMD exists).
Comment: A curiosity on this album because the Beatles’ first single stalled at #17 in the British charts and reached number one in the US one-and-a-half years later when American fans were served with current and backlist material all at the same time. If Americans had the impression that the Beatles descended on them like some supernatural force, that was at least partly based on an impact no American act could hope to muster: in 1964, Americans were treated to five albums plus a double LP with interviews (not counting two Canadian albums that were slightly different), one EP and a fusillade of 13 singles (UK residents had 2 LPs, 3 Eps and 3 singles to choose from). The short run of LMD as a number one was achieved by two different singles – the American one on Tollie, taken from the first Vee Jay album and therefore with Andy White on drums, and a Canadian import that featured Ringo on drums.
Another curiosity is that ‘Love Me Do’ is listed as a number one while ‘Please Please Me’ does not figure. PPM was regarded as a #1 UK single from George Martin’s prescient remark ‘Congratulation, boys, you’ve just recorded your first number one!’ to all firsthand accounts and further on to everybody else for more than 3 decades – before someone decided that Record Retailer (which was only read by professionals and had next to nil impact on the fan scene) was a more reliable source than Melody Maker, Musical Express and everything else including radio charts. Fortunately, those who have bought or will buy the deluxe edition will find a PPM video on the second DVD, and watching it, you will want to turn the volume up. It still has that electricity and contagious joy.
Great idea giveawaychord. I hope you'll do the same thing for the bonus DVD once you've finished with 1+ CD and regular DVD.
I think it's also very good to give comments on each song and especially for each accompanying video.
To add a little to what you've already said I think it's worth pointing out that for Love Me Do the edited footage gives the false impression that this performance was done in front of an audience and with Beatlemania in full swing. In fact it was done for a TV news type programme with no audience and certainly no screaming girls. The premise of "1" is to make Love Me Do appear to be the Beatles' first big hit which it never was and this lie has now spilled over into the video presentation. The real first big Beatles number one was Please Please Me. This was the song everybody took notice of and was the start of Beatlemania in the UK. The presence of PPM on the bonus DVD slightly redresses the balance but nowhere near enough to put this song back at the heart of the Beatles' story.
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Eight days a week. It’s getting boring. More of the same, and no remix. All voices and instruments remain exactly where they left them in 1965. – There has never been a promo video for this song and it was never performed live. The video, therefore, is a sort of benevolent deception. Colour footage comes from the Shea Stadium film and is so cleverly edited that it looks convincing, down to lip-synch shots of the singers.
For Eight Days A Week I think it clearly needs to be said that while the clip is a nice evocation of Beatlemania in America and very well done, the Beatles never in fact performed this song at Shea Stadium. Maybe it's obvious to a lot of us, but a lot of people buying this product will be convinced of the opposite. When one day the Shea Stadium film comes out complete on video, I bet a lot of people will wonder why this song isn't on there!
As for the music on the CD you say the mix hasn't changed but there's a great deal of discussion elswhere concerning the drums at the end where apparently a wrong dub was used or something. Perhaps you'd care to give it a closer listen.
Concerning this song on the DVD, have you noticed how the song doesn't fade in as on the record but just seems to start normally, thus giving the illusion of being a live performance.
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[...]
As for the music on the CD you say the mix hasn't changed but there's a great deal of discussion elswhere concerning the drums at the end where apparently a wrong dub was used or something. Perhaps you'd care to give it a closer listen.
[...]
No wrong dub, listen to the end of the 2009 remaster:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs0yqd9jVbA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs0yqd9jVbA)
it's the same drum part there, only a beat less prominent ...
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To add a little to what you've already said I think it's worth pointing out that for Love Me Do the edited footage gives the false impression that this performance was done in front of an audience and with Beatlemania in full swing. In fact it was done for a TV news type programme with no audience and certainly no screaming girls.
In the big booklet which goes with '1+' it is said that The Fab four performed the song 'on several occasions on the British TV during 1962.', but 'none of these clips has survived.'
Furthermore, it is mentioned that the 'Love Me Do' video is made from part of the broadcast from 1963, plus 'some skillful editing and additional footage'.
Well, when you don't have the original, you have to make compromise.
As for giving impressions.
On 'Hey Jude', video as it is written in the booklet, 'Musicians Union were fooled into believing the band were playing live, when in fact they were miming for the was majority of the song.
Paul, however, sang live throughout the song.'
(The Musicians Union in those day forbid miming in front of the camera on TV - meaning the bands were only allowed to play live.)
But, we know the Fab Four guys - they never listened to someone's orders - and they did it their way. icon_good
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In the big booklet which goes with '1+' it is said that The Fab four performed the song 'on several occasions on the British TV during 1962.', but 'none of these clips has survived.'
Furthermore, it is mentioned that the 'Love Me Do' video is made from part of the broadcast from 1963, plus 'some skillful editing and additional footage'.
Well, when you don't have the original, you have to make compromise.
Yes of course you're right because this comes from a faked up TV documentary called The Mersey Sound from 1963. I think it's a shame though that they didn't come up with something nearer the truth for this new product.
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The premise of "1" is to make Love Me Do appear to be the Beatles' first big hit which it never was and this lie has now spilled over into the video presentation. The real first big Beatles number one was Please Please Me. This was the song everybody took notice of and was the start of Beatlemania in the UK. The presence of PPM on the bonus DVD slightly redresses the balance but nowhere near enough to put this song back at the heart of the Beatles' story.
I quite agree. There's more than meets the -- erm -- ear in 'Love Me Do' and I have come to like the song, but quite clearly it was pre-Beatlemania in Britain and in-the-middle-of-Beatlemania in the USA. It must be said, however, that the comments in the book are quite honest. At least they say that the video was created after the event and they also say that 'Eight Days A Week' was never part of a live concert. As for the drums bit, thanks, I'm going to listen to it again as I didn't notice anything strange. I'm not quite sure, raxo, what you mean by 'a beat less prominent', but let me deal with the next batch first. It takes tiiiiime ...!
As for live footage, look for 'Twist and Shout' to see how much response to the band changed within scarcely a year. You'll find a (club?) concert on Youtube that shows the fans sitting literally at the Beatles' feet, just one step away, hardly showing more signs of appreciation than rythmical wagging of their heads and a blissful grin. Now look at the version from the Washington DC first American concert in early 1964 with the Beatles going to the limit of their adrenaline levels and the fans carried away -- and even with songs that had not appeared on record in the US! I would prefer a restored version of that performance to a complete Shea Stadium film any day. While the Shea film shows Beatlemania in its extremes, the Washington film shows what was behind it.
Sorry for a couple of missing/superfluous commas and typos in my last long post. You throw them out but they seem to creep back in through the backdoor. Next batch ready probably late tomorrow my time. Thanks for your comments!
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I went thru various versions of Penny Lane - mono & stereo remasters and compared it to 1+ CD version.
I think the 1+ track is the best - it is clear, firm, strong but also gentle. Giles Martin did a great job!
The mono version - I think the drums are not loud enough, they don't 'drive' the song. I called it 'quiet drums version'.
However, Paul's vocal is more evident on mono compared to stereo remasters.
And the 1+ version is just perfect and superb mix! glassesslip
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Yes of course you're right because this comes from a faked up TV documentary called The Mersey Sound from 1963. I think it's a shame though that they didn't come up with something nearer the truth for this new product.
I agree, but they are obviously looking for the best clearest video they could find.
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I agree, but they are obviously looking for the best clearest video they could find.
Sure but if you check out the Anthology DVD you have the same Love Me Do performance presented in an intelligent way with period studio shots to fill in the blanks.
They should have kept the same video (with improved picture quality) for this release.
Concerning the end of Eight Days A Week it's being said they used the wrong edit piece (same thing as a dub?). Here's a decription someone put up of what you're to listen for :
"Compare to the original. Ringo plays a steady 16th note (?) beat on floor tom ending with a cymbal crash in the appropriate beat.
On the remix, he uses a "gallop" pattern on floor tom that sort of goes off the beat and gets a bit muddled."
And since we already mentioned Please Please Me I feel it my duty to tell you that new video version is speeded up by 4%. This is definitely true because I've checked with the original Sullivan Shows DVD that I own.
Looking forward to the next instalment giveawaychord and of course your comments on my comments!
I definitely think it's a good idea to try where possible to discuss this in the order the songs occcur on the DVDs.
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http://youtu.be/A_MjCqQoLLA (http://youtu.be/A_MjCqQoLLA)
Paul is singing lines from The Weight at 6:18
http://youtu.be/FFqb1I-hiHE (http://youtu.be/FFqb1I-hiHE)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a9/Bigpink.jpg)
Take a load off Fanny, take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny, and you put the load right on me
icon_good
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2nd installment Day Tripper through, erm, …
Comment. Before I tackle the next set of songs, I’d like to put them into perspective. If you want to go to the songs directly, skip the next two paragraphs.
In 1965, the Beatles’ recording practice began to change. In hindsight it’s easy to say they entered their most creative and innovative phase, but to the Beatles themselves that was anything but clear. Just look at the timetable: 1963 had been the year they conquered Britain. ‘She loves you’ must be regarded as the breakthrough that convinced everybody that they weren’t a one-hit-wonder. At the end of the year they occupied chart positions 1 and 2 on the singles as well as the LP charts with their last releases, and both the new album and the new single finally convinced Capitol to give them a try in the US. In 1964, they repeated the same success worldwide: ‘I want to hold your hand’ was not only a breakthrough in the United States but in many other countries as well, and With the Beatles (retailored as Meet the Beatles in the US) became their first LP release in many important music markets. An extensive tour through the US plus concerts elsewhere in the world made the headlines everywhere; and a film, produced hastily with the idea of cashing in on a craze as long as it lasted, became an unexpected resounding international success that, together with the accompanying album, spread Beatlemania across the globe. Brian Epstein can be forgiven for thinking that this success story could be used as a blueprint for another year: publish one great album plus a single near the end of the year, follow it up with another tour and another film plus a soundtrack album during the summer. It’s important to see why that didn’t quite work. By all accounts, Beatles for Sale is not their ‘best album yet’, as Derek Taylor has it in the liner notes, and Help! is a much weaker film than A Hard Day’s Night, accompanied by a very uneven album. While the wave of Beatlemania remained unbroken, the Beatles themselves became dissatisfied with that development.
Several factors combined determined the new direction they were to take as a band and as recording artists.
For one thing, life on the road was beginning to take its toll. When their sightseeing tour around the world’s hotel beds lost its novelty value, the Beatles were much less enthusiastic to go through the motions – you can hear it in their press conferences, which lost some of their sparkle. Their tight schedule forced them to concentrate on what was important: recording and songwriting. In the face of fierce competition that had sprung up in their wake, they were not allowed to repeat themselves. At the same time, they could not afford to honour every invitation they got – they declined to appear at the Royal Variety Show again, for instance, and they stopped recording extra shows for the BBC. As a result, they spent more time in the studio for every track they recorded, working out arrangements and effects then and there, and they decided to use promo videos that went to places near and far as a substitute for their personal attendance. This turn of events can be dated pretty precisely: October/November 1965, after a month of recuperation and consideration that followed their second American tour. And so ...
Day tripper. Recorded during the Rubber Soul sessions in October, this song was chosen as their next single, and when ‘We can work it out’ was recorded four days later, Parlophone left it to the fans to decide which was the stronger of the two: both appeared together as an unprecedented double A-side. As a single, both songs were in mono, but stereo mixes were prepared nevertheless.
The stereo mix of ‘Day tripper’ suffered from a short dropout on the right channel (or rather a sudden drop in volume) after about 1:50 and, again, in the outro after the first ‘Day tripper, yeah’. That mistake was still present on the original Past Masters 2 CD, but was corrected on the 2009 remastered Past Masters and, indeed, on the 1 of 2000. The mix now used is one of two that were made and it differs from the one used on the US Yesterday and Today and the Australian Greatest Hits vol. 2, in which the lead guitar begins on the left and jumps to the right channel after the intro: now the lead guitar appears left and right. (If Mark Lewisohn is to be trusted, artificial double tracking, which would have allowed two parallel representations of one and the same performance, was only invented for the Revolver sessions, which means that the lead guitar riff was actually played twice – an overdub, because both the other lead and a rhythm guitar are present --but then he doesn’t mention any overdubs apart from vocals.) Drums on the left, vocals and tambourine on the right in both mixes.
1+ is a completely new mix although it shares some of the features of earlier remixes. Like in the remix prepared for the Anthology video, the voices are centered (or spread, and it is my impression that John’s is a bit further to the right), but in contrast to it the drums remain on the left. For the ‘aah…s’ during the solo, vocals return to the right. Curiously, a minor mistake that had already been corrected on 1 (2000) crops up again on 1+: at the end when the line to be sung is ‘day tripper, day tripper yeah’ there is a very soft or suppressed ‘yeah’ (John) after the first ‘tripper’ where it doesn’t belong. That little accident reveals that the remix was done from scratch. – The video is one out of ten shot on the same day, Nov 23 at Twickenham studios, on 2” b/w video tape (although copies on 16 mm film were made later). Not only did the Beatles tape promo films for their new single, they also mimed along with their last hits ‘I feel fine’, ‘Ticket to ride’ and ‘Help’, see above). In these films we witness the Chaplinesque infancy of the MTV clip. The sets are incongruous and sparse down to being non-existent, the pretense of actually playing the song is kept at a bare minimum and below, and the Beatles goof around quite a bit. We can be grateful that a selection of clips that were deemed unsuitable for PR purposes appear on the second DVD/Bluray. The soundtrack to the video is, again, the stereo version (in remix form).
We can work it out. Much of what has been said about ‘Day tripper’ applies to WCWIO, too: vocals now appear spread out in the centre. The mix is a variation on the second stereo mix of Nov 10, 1966. While the first mix (incidentally also on Nov 10, but 1965) had the harmonium centred in the refrain and in the bridge part, drifting to the right at the end of the bridge (during the waltz) and on the right during the verses, the second mix keeps it tied to the right channel. According to Joe Brennan’s guide to variations the first mix reveals that the original multitracks contained two separate harmonium tracks (I haven’t checked). While the first mix was used on Capitol’s Yesterday and Today, the Australian Greatest Hits 2, and a German single reissue in stereo, the second one appeared on the UK Oldies of ’66 and Past Masters as well as the original 1 edition. As with ‘Day tripper’, another remix was prepared for the Anthology video, but it is not identical with this new one. (In addition, there are 3 (!) different duophonic versions around, and for once Dave Dexter Jr. of Capitol fame is not the culprit.) – The video, as we have come to expect, uses the new remix. It shows the most serious of three versions taped during the long Twickenham session (a much less serious version is included in DVD 2).
Paperback Writer. A new remix again, although it is hard to tell because the older stereo does not sound deficient in any way. Still, the new remix is an improvement. On the original stereo, the drums and the metallic guitar riffs are on the left channel, but the bass drum is centred. The bass is on the right, together with the ‘frère Jacques’ harmonies. On the ‘paperback writer – writer, writer’ a capella bit harmonies come from the left and from the right, converging in the middle and ending in an overdose of reverb. The new remix solidifies the centre by pulling the guitars several steps out of their left-hand corner and setting the drums into the centre. (I did not check the remix done by George Martin for Anthology which also has the drums centred but may differ in other aspects.) The vocals are spread out even a bit more than in the original and the bass does not appear quite so far to the right. A couple of unwanted noises (not identifiable, twice at the end of the a capella sections, when the guitar riff starts) have been removed, but another mistake remains uncorrected (and probably can’t be completely corrected without manipulating the material in very obtrusive ways): on the verse ‘if you really like it …’ the ‘frère Jacques’ harmonies miss their cue and come in one after the other rather timidly. Another one is almost completely gone (probably because the guitar riff, now in the middle, overpowers it): before the final ‘paperback writers’ you hear someone quickly testing the correct pitch for the harmony. – The video is the famous ‘chipped tooth’ video that was widely known even before this edition. The Beatles, not bothering with guitar chords or drums, mime the song, interspersed with shots of each of them with faraway eyes and without a trace of a smile, walking around together, or hidden behind sunglasses. This is the first promo that was shot in colour (on the grounds of an 18th century mansion in West London), and the surroundings definitely merit the effort. Paul had had an accident shortly before that cost him a corner of one of his front teeth, and spectators of the promo found themselves distracted from the music, wondering instead what had happened to Paul’s tooth and wasn’t he aware of it at all? In the clip, the Beatles keep on singing ‘paperback writers’ after the music has been faded out. The reason is that the mono version that originally accompanied the clip is a couple of seconds longer.
Comment: A reminder may be helpful: The press couldn’t but notice that the Beatles had lost that irresistible Mersey beat punch of their first five singles over the course of 1965 and wondered if they were on the way out. The double A Christmas single ‘Day tripper/We can work it out’ kept them at bay for a while, but when there was no single during the spring of 1966, they openly asked if the Beatles had dried up. And don’t underestimate the fans who grew very impatient. When ‘Paperback writer’ finally appeared in June, it met with less than universal acclaim. Everybody noticed that the sound had changed decisively from the half-acoustic, soft-spoken, folksy Rubber Soul to a gutsy, all-electric guitar sound with heavy drums and a completely new interpretation of the bass lines, but parts of the press and of the fan base deplored that the Beatles had erred from the path of virtue by using obvious edits (cuts after the reverbed refrain). How would they be able to do that live? It was not at all common knowledge that bands and singers had frequently relied on studio trickery and that the ‘honesty’ expected of a true rock’n’roll band only existed on paper. This single was the first indication of a gradual change in the public consciousness of music lovers: Music could be a work of art that came out of a studio and not from a stage.
Yellow submarine. The Beatles rushed out this song and ‘Eleanor Rigby’ as another double A-side to herald their new album Revolver just two months after ‘Paperback writer’ as if to dispel rumours that they had ‘dried up’. For both songs (as for the later ‘All you need is love’ we have not only remastered versions but also new remixes dating back to 1999. The original stereo remix is (together with the original one for ‘Eleanor Rigby’) one of the most unfortunate on Revolver. Vocals are confined to the far right until the last fade-out chorus that uses both channels. The sound effects and the instrumental brass bit after ‘and the band begins to play’ occupy the centre to left position, while tambourine, drums and guitar stick to the left. The version on 1 is (quite a bit) louder (loudness war, yes). You hear clearer effects (mostly due to increased treble) and can find the bass (half-left). The remastered 2009 Revolver is very similar but not quite as loud, and it is less harsh on the ears than the 1987 CD or the 2000 1. All these are mastering differences.
The 1+ remix, however, is clearly based on the multitracks and is a vast improvement. Ringo, together with his drums and the bass, occupies the centre, the guitar is left and the effects are left and right, although some of them move. The brass band (after ‘and the band begins to play’) moves to the right, which is a nice ‘marching-by’ effect; the dialogue of the voices (‘captain, captain!’) remains on the right while John’s repetition of what Ringo sings in the last verse is sort of 2-o’clock-right, so to speak. Comparing this with the 1999 first ever remix made by Peter Cobin, assisted by Paul Hicks and Mirek Stiles, for the Yellow Submarine Songtrack shows that both remixes are not at all the same, although Ringo occupies the centre position in both and the refrains take both channels. The effects move a lot more and the soundstage on the whole is wider. The first ‘wave’ starts on the left, moves to the right, and flows back to the left like a real wave would. The brass band stays in the middle, but all the speaking and squeaking effects are neatly distributed left and right. This results in a dialogue of the ‘intercom’ voices: the calling starts on the right, the answer comes from the left (the ‘captain, captain’ bit) whereas in 1+ they are all on the right. John’s spoken repetition of the last verse starts on the right and moves slowly in, which makes quite a soft transition to the last refrain, which then spreads out left to right. Both remixes are a vast improvement over the original version but I must confess that I like the YS Songtrack one better. It’s almost like a radio play and much fun to listen to over headphones. – The video is a newly edited sequence from the animated film as there was no promo made in 1966. The soundtrack is the 1+ version, of course.
Eleanor Rigby. As I mentioned above, the Revolver remix (1966, 1987) is anything but perfect. There are three components: the ‘Ah, look at all the lonely people’ chorus (1), the ‘All the lonely people, where have they …’ refrain (2), and the verse. The verse is Paul on the right, the (2) is Paul doubletracked to the far right and far left, and (1) is all of them left and right. The double string quartet occupies the centre-to-left part of the stage. The transition from the chorus to the first verse is awkward: Paul is shifted from his doubletracked middle to his singletracked right position in the middle of the first word of the verse. On headphones, that is a glaring and painful mistake.
Again, all the earlier versions except the YS Songtrack are the same remix with minor sonic differences. And again, the Songtrack remix and the 1+ remix are not the same. Which one you prefer comes down to a question of personal taste. On Songtrack, all voices (1), (2), and (3), as well as the final counterpoint of (1) and (2) are centered. The 1+ version is a bit more imaginative and has (1) left and right, (2) and (3) centre-stage, and distributes the counterpoint ‘ah, look’ (John, George, Paul) left with ‘all the lonely …’ (Paul) right, which is quite convincing. In both mixes the double string quartet is finally spread out with cellos right, violins and violas left to middle, which allows you to follow the individual melodic lines and to appreciate how they change over the course of the song, underscoring the emotions expressed in the lyrics. The Songtrack remix has the violins a bit sharper, more aggressive, which would be a disadvantage in a soft song but is fitting here, given the uncompromising desolation of the song. – The video, with the new remix, uses the original sequence that accompanied ‘Eleanor Rigby’ in the film. It’s still one of the most moving and artistically inventive parts of the film (no wonder it inspired Monty Python’s animations for their Flying Circus TV series).
As it took me much longer to write this up and I had to listen repeatedly because my initial notes proved insufficient or confusing, I’ll post this part before ‘Penny Lane’ and the last gasps of the flower power period are finished. Please bear with me …
** edit was just a correction **
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Safe to say I’ll be passing on this, as I did in 2000 when the original 1 was released.
Sorry, too many re-re-re-re-re-releases for me from Apple. How many times can you sell the same songs?
Well, I gotta back track a little bit. I didn’t buy it, but my beautiful son bought Beatles +1 Blu Ray for me for Xmas, so I will be checking it out after all! icon_good
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Well, I gotta back track a little bit. I didn’t buy it, but my beautiful son bought Beatles +1 Blu Ray for me for Xmas, so I will be checking it out after all! icon_good
You'll love it!
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Now that's what I call a beautiful son!
I'm in the same position having received the (as yet unopened) dvd box from my wife.
Looks like we're both going to have a busy January.
Quick note: one of the staff in HMV in Truro told me that they were only currently stocking the Blu-Ray version as more people were opting to buy that one.
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I hope you all had a merry Christmas! I had a couple of days without Beatles (or almost without them!) but I’ve decided to finish this even if it will take me until Christmas 2016. I hope that’s alright with you. Lo and behold, here’s the
3rd part (three songs, eight to go)
For the next three songs we’ll have to take the Magical Mystery Tour (MMT) album into account because that’s where stereo versions of them first appeared, but not in 1967. The second pressing of the German LP of that name had the true stereo version in 1971, but when the album appeared in the UK in 1976, it copied the 1967 US version with 3 titles in duophonic (mock) stereo although true stereo remixes of ‘Penny Lane’ and ‘All you need is love’ existed (the third one was ‘Baby, you’re a rich man’). It was only the CD edition of the album that established the true stereo versions as standard (and, by the way, decided against the slightly different US stereo version of ‘Strawberry fields’ in favour of the UK one prepared for the German album). – All three of the songs were compared with the Magical Mystery Tour remastered CD of 2009, while two of them had received a remix treatment on Yellow Submarine Songtrack and were compared with that album, too, and all of them were compared with the first CD release of 1.
Penny Lane. As can be expected, the multitrack tapes of 1967 and later are the result of multiple ‘superimpositions’ (overdubs) that required combinations of several tracks to be recorded on one track of a new tape in order to arrive at a final 4-track master tape. Stereo had to be taken more seriously in 1967, and indeed awkward stereo representations that had been present as recently as on Revolver were largely avoided from now on. Taping, ‘bouncing’ (combining recorded tracks on 2nd generation tape), and allocation (which instrument to record on which track?) were considered with a final stereo as well as the – still preferred -- mono version in mind. As a consequence, stereo versions of Beatles songs that differ from those prepared in or a few years after 1967 are more or less a matter of taste. Indeed, later editions – compilations such as Love Songs, Red and Blue Albums – did not digress from the original stereo apart from narrowing the stereo panorama in accordance with changing taste that prefers narrow or ultra-narrow soundscapes. It is therefore sometimes hard to decide if a mix is different (which changes the relative positions of sound sources in relation to each other) or just the remastering (which only changes the absolute position of sound sources by diminishing or widening the perceived distance between sources).
The 1+ version of 'Penny Lane' is a true remix, but it doesn’t change our perception of the song in any significant way. The original MMT version has the bass in the middle, the famous ‘machine’ bell on the left, and vocals in the middle. Brass is distributed far left and right with the trumpet solo to the far right. For the second last refrain the piccolo trumpet shifts to the left, and for the very last you have the solo trumpet left and another very high-pitched one (is it a piccolo trumpet, too?) to the right. At the end, the last sound (that is where they initially had the additional trumpet flourish over the last note) seems to move to the right (hardly noticeable with earphones, but quite apparent in a room). The main difference of the new mix is that the trumpet solo is now centered, except for the last refrain where the first trumpet (?) plays along with the tune (right) and the second (solo) remains on the left.
I can’t see (or hear) any improvement in the remix. It even seems that the original mix reveals a couple of details better than the new one, but that may be subjective and might even change during future listenings. As a curio I should mention that on Anthology (video), the voices were spread out left and right, but that experiment apparently wasn’t convincing enough to be pursued any further. – The video has the new remix (let’s take that for granted unless explicitly stated otherwise for the remaining 10 songs). It is a real mini motion picture with three plot lines woven together in full colour. Colour? The Anthology excerpts showed some of it, but by 2014 it had faded almost to black and white. It has been carefully restored and is a pleasure to watch (especially for people who have had some previous experience with horse riding – the Beatles hadn’t, but coped with the challenge in what can only be called a bout of reckless heroism).
All you need is love. One of the few tracks of 1967 and later that has a more than unfortunate stereo mix. After the initial bow to the French national anthem (left and right with a fairly empty middle) the right channel disappears and a fairly tinny sounding Beatles on the left start their ‘Love, love, love’. For a couple of seconds you think there’s something wrong with your stereo, but then a (comparatively loud) lone cello on the far right starts its downward scale, and another couple of seconds later the middle is finally filled (bass, starting left, seems to reconsider and shifts inward) and the whole thing stops sounding like Please Please Me technology revisited. The MMT mix and the first 1 mix are identical, as expected, with very slight EQ remastering differences, if any, and both with the unfortunate distribution of instruments. It was inevitable that the 1999 Yellow Submarine remix should address that problem, and it succeeds. The classical instruments that play the intro are closer together from the start, and the transition the ‘Love. Love, love …’ (now almost centre, but spread out a bit) is quite smooth. The vocals are accompanied by the harpsichord of the pre-recorded rhythm track on the left and soft drum taps centre/right. That lone cello joins the voices from the right and the soundscape then covers the complete range from left to right. The orchestra forms a perfect backdrop, spread out over the whole distance of the stage. The final ‘love is all you need/love is all you need’-call-and response is John’s single voice (near centre, right) and the other’s response (centre and near centre, left), not very different from the original mix. The engineers of 1+ were certainly aware of that successful remix. Could their own remix top it? Obviously, any further achievement would be marginal, but would it be recognizable at all? Or would there be difference for difference’s sake and maybe even a step backwards? The intro is just great: the anthem, left and right, with Ringo’s ‘circus’ snare drum roll in the middle just like the 1999 remix, but then the voices are not only shifted towards centre stage, but really spread out with falsetto parts right and main voice left (I still wonder how many Beatles are actually singing). As a consequence, the cello now does not come from the far right, a place outside of the ground that the voices have covered, but grows out of them, middle right between the left and right extremes of the vocals. Like in the 1999 mix, George’s solo doesn’t quite so much stick out like a sore thumb (was it played as intended, I keep myself asking) because it’s slightly softer and the end is covered seamlessly by the orchestra. There may be minuscule other differences, but they were not apparent after a couple of listenings. Yes, the 1+ remix succeeds in even surpassing the 1999 remix, but only by a small margin. It is the most satisfying of those available, but the giant step was between the original and the 1999 remix. – The video is the artificially coloured version of the original black and white television broadcast, with the soundtrack replaced.
Hello goodbye. A deceptively simple song and a complex recording. Opinions are divided. John didn’t think much of it and Ian MacDonald believes that the song’s outstanding chart success (seven weeks at number one) ‘says more about the sudden decline of the singles charts than about the quality of the song’, but Mark Lewisohn calls it ‘cunningly complex and impossibly infectious’. Alliterations apart, it must be conceded that its polished production gives it a glossy sheen and a radiance that evokes the spotless blue suburban skies of ‘Penny Lane’ (which is certainly more substantial in terms of lyrics). The production necessitated several ‘tape reductions’, i.e., the combination of several tracks of one completely filled 4-track tape on one track of a next generation tape, which then provided 3 fresh tracks for additional recordings. It is still not quite clear how many reductions were used (down to 4th generation or 5th?). It is clear, however, that the last 4-track tape that yielded the original stereo mastertape had the bass on one independent track, combined the drums, piano, organ, percussion on another, had Paul’s vocals on a third one, combined with handclaps and the ‘Hela, heheheylowa’ of the finale, and had 2 guitars, Paul’s heavily echoed ‘why why why do you say goodbye?’ (solo bridge) plus 2 violas on the fourth. The original version has the drums and everything that was combined with them on the left, bass and Paul’s vocals in the middle, and guitars, violas etcetera including Paul’s echoed ‘why why why …’ on the right. I’m boring everybody with these details because they provide an important clue. The remix keeps guitars and violas on the right, but Paul’s echoed middle bit is now on the left. As those two elements had been inseparable components of one and the same track on the pre-master 4-track , this is proof that the remix went further back to the earlier multitracks (earlier generations of the tape) on which elements that were later combined could still be shuffled around independently. In this way the remix also deals with a major flaw of the original mix: the drums now appear centre-stage where they belong. For one thing, to listen to a very busy drum track on your left ear alone is almost painful (especially with earphones) and, for another, Ringo’s drumming is simply amazing: while the refrains provide a bit of repose, there’s not a single repetition from verse to verse and the drumming gets increasingly complex and seems to free itself completely from the restrictions of fixed bars, beats, and metres. – The video was made on November 10, 1967, at the Saville Theatre in London during a session that yielded material for three promo videos. The first version, included on the accompanying DVD, shows the Beatles on stage in their Sgt. Pepper satin uniforms, pretending to play the song. There’s an ironic bow at the end like in the good old times of live concerts, the lush velvet curtain falls only to be raised again for the finale, complete with naked-belly-grass-skirt-shaking girl dancers. This version was broadcast on the Ed Sullivan Show in the US and in several other countries (and appears as Hello Goodbye's avatar in this forum). It could not be aired in Britain, however, due to a new rule that didn’t allow playback in shows (musicians miming their parts). The second DVD gives us versions 2 and 3 of this video, and that is a splendid idea. Version 2 is a very animated Beatles in everyday clothes (still very colourful; it’s 1967!) and another hula-dancers finale, but the third version is the best of the lot: all four Beatles jumping around and madly dancing, George doing a striptease parody (just one 10-seconds-idea out of many), John playing his tie (yes! It covers the soundhole and strings of his Martin acoustic and he does notice). All three versions were available on ‘unofficial’ sources before and were described in John C. Winn’s vol. 2 of The Beatles Recorded Legacy, but Winn describes them as ‘slowed down considerably’ (with 3:30), giving a real time of 3:20 for each of them. The new CD and DVD version shows them to be a couple of seconds longer (3:23 – 3:26) and they appear to be in the correct key.
The rest will have to wait until next year, I’m afraid. Best wishes for a healthy and happy year 2016 to you all!
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Thank you again, giveawaychord. Have a Happy and Healthy New Year.
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The 1+ version of 'Penny Lane' is a true remix, but it doesn’t change our perception of the song in any significant way.
I can’t see (or hear) any improvement in the remix.
I like the 1+ version the best - it is the 'cleanest' sounding.
I think the Remasters are a bit murky.
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I hope you all had a merry Christmas! I had a couple of days without Beatles (or almost without them!) but I’ve decided to finish this even if it will take me until Christmas 2016. I hope that’s alright with you.
Take your time giveawaychord, we're in no hurry.
Listening to the new Penny Lane I seem to hear more piano and sharper drums but don't find it necessarily better than previous mixes.
AYNIL on the other hand has solved all the problems you mention and is very good indeed. How nice to hear George's solo fitting in at last.
Your comments on Hello Goodbye are very enlightening and you're right the new mix is great.
Happy New Year!
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I finally got the CD and DVD! I'm looking forward to reading through your posts, giveawaychord.
Paul is singing lines from The Weight at 6:18
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I heard that on Breakfast with the Beatles a few weeks ago and got a big kick out of it.
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I heard that on Breakfast with the Beatles a few weeks ago and got a big kick out of it.
I think it was another clue...
http://youtu.be/S5KCVCyHbFc (http://youtu.be/S5KCVCyHbFc)
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I wonder how many of these (like mine) are collecting dust and aren’t being played! ???
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I watch mine frequently, BB. I enjoy watching the HD promos. And with EMI blocking them on YouTube, it leaves no alternative.
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That's good to hear HG. icon_good Do you listen to the CD?
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It's in my CD player now, BB! :)