Chart Hit [Level 6]
will be a big seller next month, despite the fact that CDs in general are rapidly becoming a thing of the past? If they had a lot of previously unreleased tracks I'm sure that would guarantee their success......
Gold Record [Level 7]
It`s hard to predict. But in the last few weeks - I`ve never seen so many Beatles CDs in used record shops.Seems like people are getting rid of their copies in order to buy the new re-mastered versions.
I,myself,have rediscovered the Beatles after buying (and playing to death) the Love CD/DVD. George Martin (and son) did an amazing job on the album.
And I also truly enjoyed Across the universe,too.
The liner notes in the new copies are supposed to be amazing,though.
Last edited by kdavid13; August 28th, 2009 at 11:25 AM.
KRIS
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
Yes, they will be big sellers. In fact, they already are, and they haven't been released yet. Several major online shops are already sold out of the stereo and particularly mono box sets, and aren't taking any more pre-orders. Plus the video game will be a huge boost too. And it's not like these albums ever stopped selling either.
I'm annoyed that the mono mixes of the albums are only available in the limited-edition box set. Up until the white album, the mono versions are generally far superior to the stereo ones. But I don't care for much of anything the Beatles did before 1966. Really, I just want Revolver, Sgt Pepper, and Magical Mystery Tour in mono...
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
In a sense, they do have a lot of long-unavailable material.Originally Written by Cory Ander
- The first four albums are being issued in stereo for the first time (in the case of the first two albums, it's in nearly unlistenable, instruments-in-one-channel, vocals-in-the-other, now-you-know-why-George-Martin-insisted-they-be-issued-in-mono-back-in-87 stereo, but stereo nonetheless).
- All of the albums which had different (and much better!) mono mixes are being issued in a limited edition box set, along with vintage unreleased mono mixes of a few songs.
- The original stereo mixes of Help and Rubber Soul are being included in the mono box. The previous -- and now standard -- CD versions were actually remixes George Martin did in 1987, and the original stereo mixes didn't appear on CD (except in Canada, where apparently the wrong masters were sent to the CD pressing plant).
Chart Hit [Level 6]
Bruno: you and I think alike, I still don't quite understand what people thought was so great about songs like "She Loves You" or "Help" but I thought their later output was brilliant. I'm curious to know why certain albums are being excluded from this box, like "Love", "Rock and Roll Music" and "Live at the BBC". I also seem to remember a similar box set being released many many years ago that cost about $1500 or some ridiculous figure and it sold out and is now a collectors item, so I'll probably buy one of the new boxes just in case that happens again. But about 10 years ago I started collecting Beatle albums and now my collection is bursting at the seams. I even have multiple copies of the same album, including 3 copies of "Revolver" and 2 of the White Album. Kinda hard to believe they don't have a whole lot of unreleased material....it seems lots of groups do.
Chart Hit [Level 6]
did you hear that haunting version of "Because" in the movie Kevin Spacey movie (can't remember the title of the movie right now)....I thought it was beautiful. And why do you suppose the tribute show "Come Together....a night of John Lennon's Music" has never been released on DVD? It has some magical performances on it (most of which are on YouTube but an official release would be nice). Sean Lennon was astonishing.
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
Because they aren't part of the original canon, so to speak. Love is a 21st-century mash-up. Rock 'n' Roll Music was a redundant compilation put out in the mid-70s, much like the equally needless Love Songs. Live at the BBC only came out in 1994.
Granted, there are a few inconsistencies like the '87 remixes of Help and Rubber Soul, as well as the fact that Magical Mystery Tour as we now know it was a North American release. The original UK was just an EP, although it was later changed to the US version, but even then the now-standard mix of "Strawberry Fields Forever" wasn't done until 1971 or something like that.
There was the "blue box" from the early 80s, which was simply regular UK copies of their albums, although this was sought in the US because Americans only had the Capitol versions with the butchered tracklistings, added reverb, and wonky EQ. It's sought-after because all Beatles LPs after 1987 were digitally-sourced, but it's not *that* valuable.
Much more sought-after was the mono box, which was the the only time the mono versions had been available since about 1970, and also the last time they were issued until now. Also, many of the records were made using the original UK stampers from the 60s.
No group's recordings have been as exhaustively documented as The Beatles, and there's very little unreleased material left. Most of what's sitting in the vaults is just alternate takes and minor mix variations. The one big exception is Live At The Hollywood Bowl, which hasn't been reissued simply because they thought it sounded dreadful.
Platinum Record [Level 8]
There are so many different versions and alternate mixes that were put out, they should make an extra CD just of those, a la Rarities. The US version of I'm Looking Through You with the false start, for example. Or the longer ending of And I Love Her, or the longer version of I'll Cry Instead. The US Magical Mystery Tour cassette I have is different from the CD in that the B side is mainly fake stereo versions of the mono mixes with the exception of Strawberry Fields Forever. And All You Need Is Love runs some 5 seconds or more longer than the stereo mix on the CD version.
I've always been fascinated with alternate mixes and interpretations of the Beatles material. One track they should have put out as part of Anthology was Aerial Tour Instrumental, which was the early mix of Flying. The Lost Lennon Tapes played quite a few alternate mixes, which I think were from John's collection of acetates. I don't know if those mixes were one-offs for the acetate pressings, and were not actually saved on master tape.
I was hoping to get the mono discs, because of the different mixes from the stereo versions, but the price is kind of high. The only Beatles set on CD I invested in was that EP collection. It wasn't all that great or different, but the mono mix of the Magical Mystery Tour did have a couple of tracks that sounded slightly different from the stereo mix, like I Am The Walrus.
Like I said, it would have been nice if they had put those alternate mixes as a Bonus CD of rarities or even just as extras on each album. I think the only CDs that are going to have extra tracks are Help and Rubber Soul monos, which will contain the 1960s stereo mixes as a bonus.
Disco Funk
Platinum Record [Level 8]
Actually, when you listen to Please Please Me, the stereo separation is pretty good. Sure, the vocals are off on one side, but the instruments are spread out evenly across both channels. It's With The Beatles where it's really bad, with instruments-only on one channel, and vocals only-on the other. The one exception on that LP was Money, which for some reason was put in a well-balanced mix and I think the vocals are even centered. It almost sounds like it was a 4 track recording, but I haven't read anything that points to that being the case. I think I Want To Hold Your Hand is considered the first song they did with 4 tracks.
Disco Funk
Chart Hit [Level 6]
how are the songs on the "Love" release different from their original versions? And is there a DVD available of the "Love" live show?
Chart Hit [Level 6]
in what way are mono versions superior to stereo versions? I have both the mono and stereo versions of the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" and the mono version sounds flat, while the stereo version is much brighter and more lively, at least to my ears.
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
I'm not familiar with Pet Sounds so I couldn't say whether the mono version is a genuine mono mix or merely a fold-down.
To answer your question, it depends on the original song, but generally, the monos are more focused, punchier, better instrument balance, and better editing. A few have effects that are not on the stereo versions (like flanging on some of the vocals on "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", the "cluck" guitar at the end of "Good Morning, Good Morning").
In the case of the 2-track recordings, the stereo is nearly unlistenable: vocals in one channel, instruments in the other. Painful in headphones. Most of the Beatles other material was done on 4-track, and that's simply not enough to create a convincing stereo spread.
Platinum Record [Level 8]
I think Brian Wilson was the person who either mixed Pet Sounds or oversaw it's mixing. From what I understand, he was deaf in one ear, so mono was the only way he could really hear it. I don't know if he had a hand in mixing the stereos or if they left it up to the engineer to do it.
I've heard similar things about the Beatles recordings. In some cases (I think probably from '65 onwards), the guys were there at the time the monos were mixed, but when the stereos were mixed, they didn't hang around and left it up to the engineers.
With that Yellow Submarine Song Track record, they tried to make the mixes more balanced by doing stuff like putting the drums down the middle. But I think certain things were lost in the process. Like on Hey Bulldog, I liked the 'thunk' sound of the bass as the strings were plucked on the original mix, but on the song track, the plucking was gone. All you got was the 'ambient' bass sound. With the exception of With The Beatles and I think the original mix of Rubber Soul and some Help! tracks, I think the instruments are reasonably well balanced for 60s recordings.
I haven't bought Love, but I've heard snippets, and it's just a bunch of samples of beatles tunes layered on top of each other. It's cool, but it's not music the beatles intended to make.
Disco Funk
Chart Hit [Level 6]
no one in my area is doing that....funny how people have different buying and selling habits in different areas. Where I live in Northern California, vinyl albums by the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath command high prices, often about twice as much as the readily available CD versions of the same titles.
Platinum Record [Level 8]
Getting rid of the CDs before having the new ones is a bad idea. Suppose they really mucked it up and the previous release was better? I know that's a stretch, considering those CDs were more than 20 years old, but it could happen. I know with DVDs, sometimes a previous version turns out to have been done better than a later release.
Disco Funk
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
That's definitely good advice.
A lot of "remastered" CDs are worse than the previous ones: crushed dynamics, goosed EQ, heavy NR causing that lifeless sucked-out sound. Many were worried that any "remastered" Beatles discs would suffer these modern maladies, like the 1 compilation did.
However, apparently this was all taken into consideration during the remastering process. The discussions over it (and there is MUCH discussion!!) has revealed that very, very little NR and limiting were used, and there is no limiting at all on the mono box. Certain things which were done wrong the first time around (i.e. mono tapes played back with a stereo head, causing phase problems) were fixed, plus A/D converters are a lot better these days too.
It seems they made a real effort to get everything right this time, because this is probably the last time these recordings will be mastered for CD.
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
*****
On a somewhat similar note.
We've got some local excitement up the road here a bit in Atascadero :
Long "lost" original Beach Boys session tapes have turned up here !!!
The story of how John came to possess the tapes is murky at best. Apparently “a guy he knew” had them, and not just these three, but perhaps as many as nine reels. John had a friend he went to school with in Torrance who knew a guy who lived near the Wilsons in Hawthorne. Somehow the boxes of tapes traveled from one teenager to another, eventually landing in Lance’s hands. One thing is certain: They weren’t stolen from Capitol Records.
Lance stored the reels all these years, never playing them. They’d be sitting in his closet still if it weren’t for a New Times article I wrote about local author and Beach Boys expert Jon Stebbins, who had written a book about Dennis Wilson. After seeing the story, Lance contacted me and said he had some old Beach Boys tapes and wanted to talk to Stebbins about them. I put the two in contact.
-----
Lance’s tapes were the only multi-track versions in existence of six classic Beach Boys songs. (including DON'T WORRY BABY) If Brother Records, Inc. and Capitol wanted to present a new stereo remix of any of these songs, these tapes were their only chance.
Historically they’re extremely important as well, and their excellent condition, not to mention the wealth of outtake material and fascinating studio chatter, make them a rare look into the very private world of early Beach Boys recording sessions.
Here's the full story:
New Times SLO | Publishing Local News and Entertainment for over 20 years in San Luis Obispo County
*****
Baby, take me
high upon a hillside
high up where the stallion
meets the sun
Platinum Record [Level 8]
I guess in the end, how well they do the CDs will depend on the listener. I would love to get my hands on the mono, but the price is way too steep, plus I don't have Beatles music on heavy rotation. Every so often I'll feel like pulling out a CD, but that hardly happens. I guess I'll just wait for the reviews to make my mind up.
Remicks, that's a pretty cool story. I didn't realize the Beach Boys had missing master tapes. Funny how music was considered disposable back then, literally. I hope the guy got a ton of money for those three tapes. If they were the only copies in existance, then they were invaluable. Capitol stands to make tonnes of money with those, so it stands to reason that the guy should get a good cut. I wonder if he negotiated a percentage of future sales of the songs? Would he even be able to?
I think the Beatles were lucky that all of their master tapes were archived and stored fairly early on. There are 4 songs (5 if you count one of them as two) which don't have the original multi-track masters in existance: Love Me Do (the original version and the re-recording that appeared on the Please Please Me LP), PS I Love You, She Loves You, and I'll Get You. I don't recall if Sie Liebt Dich, which is in stereo, was created from the master tapes of the original She Loves You recording, or if it was a re-recording. The second half of I Am The Walrus was also mono only, but they made it fake stereo for the stereo version. The master tapes exist for the backing track and vocals, but the King Lear radio broadcast that is dubbed into the mix was done live onto the mono mix, if I'm not mistaken.
Disco Funk
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
I'm just the opposite, I really like their early stuff before they went too hippy-dippy.
...ya gotta beat the street......
Double Platinum Record [Level 9]
It's a re-recording.
Yup, along with the shortwave radio effects.
*** Forum Leader / Moderator ***
Have my copy! They sound like they have never sounded before. Even for peeps who already own all the Beaps, it's money well spend!
Chart Hit [Level 6]
I seem to have lost interest in the Beatles Remastered box shortly before it was released for 2 main reasons: First, it excludes Beatle albums I wish it included (sorry if I'm repeating myself, but Rarities, Live at the BBC, Love Songs, Rock and Roll Music) and second, I just don't think my ears are sharp enough to tell the difference between remastered and the Beatle CDs I already own.
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