Beatles in Mono. (1 Viewer)

[Ockeghem]

[SIZE= smaller][FONT= 'Tms Rmn']This is an interesting "Let It Be / Get Back" factoid which was brought to my attention today. It is included in the "All Music Guide" (Erlewine); I've used this resource on a number of occasions, and I've met and spoken at length a couple of times with Erlewine over the years. (See specifically the wording in boldface below.)[/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT= 'Tms Rmn']
"... so the task was handed over to engineer Glyn Johns. As the group was recording Abbey Road, Johns crafted a Get Back sequence that captured the raw, unfocused nature of the sessions by splicing conversational asides between new songs, revived songs, covers, and brief, jokey tunes. This pretty much mirrored the feel of the Get Back sessions, and the record got fairly close to release -- including an airing of an acetate on a Boston radio station -- before it was scrapped at the last minute."[/FONT]

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Source: [/FONT][FONT= 'Tms Rmn']http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,2741279,00.html[/FONT]

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[FONT= 'Tms Rmn'] -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, [/FONT][FONT= 'Tms Rmn']All Music Guide[/FONT]

 

[Nelson Au]

Scott and others-

I've been reading this thread on and off. I read one of your comments about For No One. That is one of my favorite songs from that album. It reminded me of an incident in College back in 1979. We had a text book in the Literature class. One of the poems we were to study and discuss was Eleanaor Rigby. Pretty heavy stuff for a 24 year old McCartney at the time to compose!

I also discussed For No One in addition, but that song was far simpler to analyze. For grins, and I realize this is kind of off-topic, but I pulled out that literature book. It asks some questions about Eleanor Rigby. Perhaps I've been doing Star Trek trivia too long, but it might be fun to see if you guys can answer some of the questions!

1. How does the first stanza establish Eleanor Rigby's Character?
2. What does the portrait of Father McKenzie contribute to our understanding of the theme of the lyric?
3. What significance has the juxtaposition of Father McKenzie's writing "a sermon that no one will hear" and "darning his socks in the night" (stanza 3)?
4. What was the significance of Eleanor Rigby's dying in a church? Why was no one saved?
5. What answers, if any, does the poem suggest to the questions in the last stanza?

Thank you for indulging me and my flashback to college....

The mono versions of some of the songs I've heard is pretty fun! I'm Only Sleeping is kind of cool, the way some instruments that were suppressed before are now right in front and center!

 

[Ockeghem]

Originally Posted by Nelson Au

Scott and others-

I've been reading this thread on and off. I read one of your comments about For No One. That is one of my favorite songs from that album. It reminded me of an incident in College back in 1979. We had a text book in the Literature class. One of the poems we were to study and discuss was Eleanaor Rigby. Pretty heavy stuff for a 24 year old McCartney at the time to compose!

I also discussed For No One in addition, but that song was far simpler to analyze. For grins, and I realize this is kind of off-topic, but I pulled out that literature book. It asks some questions about Eleanor Rigby. Perhaps I've been doing Star Trek trivia too long, but it might be fun to see if you guys can answer some of the questions!

1. How does the first stanza establish Eleanor Rigby's Character?
2. What does the portrait of Father McKenzie contribute to our understanding of the theme of the lyric?
3. What significance has the juxtaposition of Father McKenzie's writing "a sermon that no one will hear" and "darning his socks in the night" (stanza 3)?
4. What was the significance of Eleanor Rigby's dying in a church? Why was no one saved?
5. What answers, if any, does the poem suggest to the questions in the last stanza?

Thank you for indulging me and my flashback to college....

The mono versions of some of the songs I've heard is pretty fun! I'm Only Sleeping is kind of cool, the way some instruments that were suppressed before are now right in front and center!

Nelson,

I had a similar class, but in ninth grade (High School). Our teacher gave us Beatles tunes as well as tunes from other groups. I chose The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel). It was a lot of fun hearing what students' perceptions of the lyrics were for that one.

I love I'm Only Sleeping. The backward guitar in that one has fascinated me for years. The ordering of pitches in reverse is interesting to analyze.

Your questions regarding Eleanor Rigby are interesting. I believe I have heard these before, but I'm not sure where. It may have been in a book I read on the Fabs.

 

[Nelson Au]

Scott-

Wow, I don't think the High School I went to was as progressive to bring in a discussion of Eleanor Rigby! Or maybe I didn't have a Literature class in High School. One's life experiences and background surely will influence their perceptions of the lyrics. For example, I was reading yesterday a wiki entry on Eleanor Rigby and it mentions that she was someone who cleans up after weddings at a church. I didn't know there was such a person who did that! I just thought she was picking up the rice at a church after a wedding as one does who may have been sad and lonely and wished she had that life.

I listened to A Hard Days Night, Revolver, Sgt Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour last night. The changes and the way the songs are mixed for the most part don't sound too different from the older stereo set. But I can hear the subtle to not so subtle differences when they are there. And from a different point of view, I really like them. I like them because it's like hearing it for the first time in a way. The extended fade out or the more forward sounds of a vocal or particular instrument is a great surprise. I did note one song, and I didn't make note of the title, the bass line at one point was not as strong as it was before on the older CD release, and it was one of the elements of the song I liked. Sad to see it lost. It is cool to have this set as the alternate versions.

Regarding "Your Mother Should Know", yes, it sounded awful! The vocal sound okay, but the rest sounded like it was under water. On a release of this caliber, one wonders if it was intended.

 

[Carlo_M]

Given how good the stereo version of YMSK sounds [and despite being a different mix they worked from largely the same individual tracks to create the mono and stereo mixes], I'm going out on a limb and say it wasn't intentional in the sense that The Beatles wanted it to sound like it's "under water" (which I agree it does on the mono album).

Rather, since the people who worked on this were adamant that they were only remastering the best available master tapes and not going back to the original instrument tracks to create an entirely new mix (or attempt to faithfully recreate the mixes forty years later) I'm going to guess that the best mono master they had of that track was simply not in good condition and they did the best with it that they could, and we got the result.
I can't imagine they worked on the catalog as long and as diligently as they did only to royally mess up that track. I'm guessing the original master they worked didn't survive the test of time very well.

 

[EricW]

i have a question regarding We Can Work It Out: at the 25 second mark, when it gets to
"think of what you're saying / you can get it wrong and still you think that it's al[COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]right[/COLOR] "
there's a muddled word at the same time as [COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]right[/COLOR], is there a story behind this?

 

[Anthony Hom]

Originally Posted by EricW ">[/url]

i have a question regarding We Can Work It Out: at the 25 second mark, when it gets to
"think of what you're saying / you can get it wrong and still you think that it's al[COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]right[/COLOR] "
there's a muddled word at the same time as [COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]right[/COLOR], is there a story behind this?

[/QUOTE]At 25 seconds there is an oddity:

 

[Mike Frezon]

Man! This thread reads, at times, like a Star Wars thread.

Not that that's a bad thing...

 

[EricW]

okay thanks for the answer (though i still think it sounds like Ringo

 

[Anthony Hom]

Originally Posted by EricW 1:07 (PM/Blue Album, not LIB)
[FONT= 'Times New Roman']After the words "For though they may be parted," there is a whisper, possibly "Stop, John/It". Rumour has it that it's "Excuse me", as a result of John having just parted.[/FONT]

 

[Ockeghem]

I received my stereo box yesterday. Wow, what a treat. If I was thinking previously that the packaging had to be similar to the mono set, then I was wrong (thank you, Carlo!) The gatefolds are superb, and the photographs and booklets inside are wonderful. As for shelving, I believe I will be putting this case on the shelf horizontally, as it seems to sit better that way and as far as viewing the labeling is concerned.

I ripped all of the CDs to my home and work computers. My oldest daughter is chomping at the bit to watch the mini documentaries, which I did last night. I rather enjoyed them, and thought that they were a very nice introduction to each of the thirteen albums. I liked how the wrap-up of each album gave you between five and ten seconds to soak in the album covers -- that was a nice touch, and with this band, it is entirely understandable that one would want to do that. As a Beatlemaniac for over forty years, I sat there mesmerized watching the documentaries. There were a few clips I had never seen before. It was particularly enjoyable for me to see a performance of Till There Was You and Baby's In Black. Additionally, some of the footage in India was new to me. (If these clips are all culled from Anthology, my apologies -- I don't own that 5-DVD set. But I will be picking that up over the holidays.)

Note to Jack Gilvey: Yes, my copy of the White Album was also difficult to remove. I was careful, and though it was in there tightly, I was able to slide the gatefold out gently. I'm almost wondering if the outer mini-box around the gatefold was necessary. In any event, a super collection for sure. I am very pleased that I decided not to forego either of these boxed sets.

 

[Sam Favate]

Originally Posted by Ockeghem
I am very pleased that I decided not to forego either of these boxed sets.

Yeah, I have to agree. I considered getting one or the other, but when it came down to it, I had to get both. (Thumbs up to Amazon for being cool about a few things: When I complained that their shipping the Mono box in a padded envelope resulted in a ding and a crease in the box, they refunded me 20%; when I complained that my copy of Hard Day's Night in the Stereo box didn't come with a booklet, they refunded me 20% - which I used a portion of to re-buy HDN; I will give the disc sans booklet to a friend.)

I haven't had a chance to compare the Sgt. Pepper booklet to the one from '87. Were there changes? Other than Paul's '08 note, it looks very much the same.

I think I prefer most of the albums in mono, although there are some exceptions - which is probably due to my history of how I listened to them. I haven't had a chance to listen with headphones yet; when I do, it will likely mean I will notice even more subtleties.

I also like how the stereo box stands tall and looks like the monolith from 2001.

 

[Nelson Au]

Congratulations Scott! I am rushing out to pick-up Star Trek TOS S2 on blu ray this morning, so I hope they might have some restocking of the Stereo box set!

 

[Ockeghem]

Originally Posted by Sam Favate




Yeah, I have to agree. I considered getting one or the other, but when it came down to it, I had to get both. (Thumbs up to Amazon for being cool about a few things: When I complained that their shipping the Mono box in a padded envelope resulted in a ding and a crease in the box, they refunded me 20%; when I complained that my copy of Hard Day's Night in the Stereo box didn't come with a booklet, they refunded me 20% - which I used a portion of to re-buy HDN; I will give the disc sans booklet to a friend.)

I haven't had a chance to compare the Sgt. Pepper booklet to the one from '87. Were there changes? Other than Paul's '08 note, it looks very much the same.

I think I prefer most of the albums in mono, although there are some exceptions - which is probably due to my history of how I listened to them. I haven't had a chance to listen with headphones yet; when I do, it will likely mean I will notice even more subtleties.

I also like how the stereo box stands tall and looks like the monolith from 2001.

Sam,

I too prefer the mono recordings, but like you wrote there are some exceptions. I've elected to create my album lists consisting of thirteen albums (e.g., 1-10 in mono. and 11-13 in stereo, with Past Masters included as 14A and 14B). But I have them all ripped both ways for those days that I want a change.

LOL regarding the monolith. I hadn't thought of that. (Side note: That film is in my top three all-time for the genre, and if push came to shove, it would probably hold the top spot.)

 

[Ockeghem]

Originally Posted by Nelson Au

Congratulations Scott! I am rushing out to pick-up Star Trek TOS S2 on blu ray this morning, so I hope they might have some restocking of the Stereo box set!

Nelson,

Thanks. Now I'm experiencing the joy of listening to these as you did a week or two ago. Have fun with purchasing TOS.

 

[Sam Favate]

Originally Posted by Ockeghem
LOL regarding the monolith. I hadn't thought of that. (Side note: That film is in my top three all-time for the genre, and if push came to shove, it would probably hold the top spot.)

The other day, I had left the box set sitting on the floor. I put my 8-month old son down on the blanket nearby while I went to get something. I came back a minute or so later and found him holding himself up with his arms, staring at the back of the box (with the album thumbnails), completely quiet. He was in silent awe! That's what made me think of the monolith. (Fortunately, I got a few pictures of him and the box.)

Today on my ride to work, I listened to some of the stereo mixes of the early singles (on Past Masters). Not nearly as good as the mono mixes. And I'm not even a mono purist. As I have mentioned, I am looking forward to what I see as the inevitable release of 5.1 mixes, along the lines of what was done for Love.

Scott, by all means, pick up the Anthology DVDs. Besides the great documentary footage, you will hear the music sound better than it ever has.

BTW, I also recently picked up the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Live DVD set (I know, I know, most expensive month ever) which has a lot of Beatle moments, including Mick Jagger's induction of them, George and Ringo's acceptance, Paul's induction of John, and Paul's (eventual) acceptance of his own induction. Many of them are featured in the performance segments, which appear unedited for the first time. The jams were terrific in the Hall's early years, such as Jagger and Springsteen dueting on I Saw Her Standing There.

 

[Ockeghem]

Originally Posted by Sam Favate




The other day, I had left the box set sitting on the floor. I put my 8-month old son down on the blanket nearby while I went to get something. I came back a minute or so later and found him holding himself up with his arms, staring at the back of the box (with the album thumbnails), completely quiet. He was in silent awe! That's what made me think of the monolith. (Fortunately, I got a few pictures of him and the box.)

Today on my ride to work, I listened to some of the stereo mixes of the early singles (on Past Masters). Not nearly as good as the mono mixes. And I'm not even a mono purist. As I have mentioned, I am looking forward to what I see as the inevitable release of 5.1 mixes, along the lines of what was done for Love.

Scott, by all means, pick up the Anthology DVDs. Besides the great documentary footage, you will hear the music sound better than it ever has.

BTW, I also recently picked up the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Live DVD set (I know, I know, most expensive month ever) which has a lot of Beatle moments, including Mick Jagger's induction of them, George and Ringo's acceptance, Paul's induction of John, and Paul's (eventual) acceptance of his own induction. Many of them are featured in the performance segments, which appear unedited for the first time. The jams were terrific in the Hall's early years, such as Jagger and Springsteen dueting on I Saw Her Standing There.

Sam,

That's a nice story! "Moonwatcher" would be proud of your son.

Yes, the Anthology set is on my list. I will be picking that up (or it will be given to me as a gift) over the holidays. I will be watching the entire series sometime in December or January. Back in the mid-1990s, I was in graduate school for many years, so things like the Beatles Anthology series got put on hold when they first aired or were distributed.

Last night, we watched the mini documentaries included in the stereo set. A good time was had by all.

My daughter has been looking at both the mono and stereo sets for a few days now, and continues to ask me how there are a dozen or so albums in both of the sets, and yet I own over 250 LPs of the Beatles. There are several legitimate albums that I own which are not included in the set, of course. But still, this could take a while to explain....

 

[Carlo_M]

And "because Daddy's crazy" isn't an acceptable answer? j/k

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Hey, Scott -- YOU NEVER BOUGHT THE ANTHOLOGY??!! I had to check twice to make sure it was YOU I'd been reading!

Seriously now - you must remedy that, my friend.

 

[Nelson Au]

Yes, one of the really cool aspects of Anthology is seeing and hearing The Beatles themselves recount the particular song or instance or situation they are covering in that disc. I like the chronological way it's presented, so it's cool to hear them break down the touring situation of 1965 and how John went nuts, or the incident in Philippines, or how the Sgt Pepper project evolved.