Re: Beatles in Mono.
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Originally Posted by Keith Paynter
The last three albums were never deliberately mixed for mono, which was pretty much phased out by this time. YS was available in mono, but was simply a fold-down from stereo to mono, hence unneccessary in a mono collection, so in essence, THEY ARE putting every mono release in the box set.
Ockeghem;
I was recently able to complete my UK mono LP collection with imports (thanks to some unnamed sources), Rubber Soul being the last. I got SGT Pepper, Help!, Revolver and YS out of a 'cracked' UK vinyl Mono Red Box back in the mid-80's (I think somebody was really hardcore for the White Album, but couldn't afford the whole set). I also have a handful of Japanese import UK/US issues (not red vinyl though) that were taken off display and left in backroom storage at a favorite record store, and I can tell you, they are amazing!
That said, the later issued 'Please Please Me' LP in stereo does have some minor differences. The mono singles and b-sides for 'Love Me Do' and 'PPM' have had processing done, and the stereo version of 'PPM' is an entirely different edit, thanks to alternate takes being used to assemble the section following the 'middle eight' - Lennon sings the wrong lyric, laughs at his mistake in the first 'come on', and Martin tries to fly in the chorus tag from another take to double up the finale, but is of by a fraction of a section, causing a very noticeable delay effect.
I could go into a lot of mix difference for many of the songs in the original canon, but web research will easily do that for you.
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Keith,
Yes, those are some differences (the specific edits you speak of) that I've been aware of for many years. Additional to the recording variations, there are several mistakes on Beatles tracks that are quite interesting to analyze and appreciate (the piano part in
Good Day Sunshine being one of the more obvious ones).
As far as Beatles research is concerned, I usually begin with W. Everett's two books on the Fabs. They're first-rate, and a joy to read. But a knowledge of music is helpful, since he goes into key relationships, Schenkerian analysis, etc. for many of the works. It's a fascinating historical account as well, and really takes you back to those days in vivid detail.
lukejosephchung,
At last count, I was up to 276 LPs and around 300 CDs, plus several 45s, EPs, green and red vinyl recordings, over 100 cassettes, etc. I believe I have recordings from twenty-one different countries. To give you a feel for the kind of Beatles collecting I do, I have eleven different recordings of
Don't Bother Me -- including at least one iteration in the eerie key of E-flat minor. The
ethos for that particular rendition is haunting, and it remains my favorite recording of that work. It's an enjoyable hobby. But being a musicologist, I also do it for the analytical and compositional-chronological aspects.
If you want a legitimate copy on CD, ALL of the Fab Four's dedicated mono mixes are being released on September 9th as a separate collector's box edition, complete with a bonus 2-cd set of the dedicated mono mixes that weren't included in the original UK albums!
