How Does Beatles JAPANESE Vinyl Really Sound ?
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- Опубліковано 8 чер 2024
- Japanese pressings are regarded by many as the best sounding vinyl in the world, but what does it do for The Beatles. Over the decades Japan has issued countless issues of The Beatles albums and there are so many to choose from to collect, but are they worth it?
In this video we take a look at how The Beatles' original albums were released in the 1960's and find out which of the subsequent reissued are worth buying and which are not.
Join us on this fascinating trip and do let us know your thoughts about these amazing records.
0:00 - Opening & Introduction
0:52 - The original 1960's Japanese catalogue.
1:12 - The first two albums.
1:57 - Red Vinyl.
2:36 - The OBI.
3:14 - Appearances on compilation albums.
4:14 - Albums 1964-1970.
8:44 - The 'Famous Record Club' box set.
9:29 - The 1970's album reissue program.
10:36 - Sound quality of Japanese pressings.
11:42 - My favorite sounding pressings.
12:31 - Conclusions.
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I’ve collected Japanese Beatles albums since 1974 . One thing you must understand is in Japan the Odeon label was replaced by the Apple label in 11-1968 or 1968-11 depending where you are - I’m in San Francisco- .
That meant that ALL the Odeon reissues after November 1968 would be on the Apple label .
The main issue is the Ever Clean red vinyl pressings .
I LOVE THEM !
The quality is possibly the best in the world in respect to vinyl.
These albums do sound fantastic even after heavy use .
Obviously you can’t expect a record with deep scratches to sound good , but other than that they are remarkably clean sounding .
The first mono pressing on Odeon Ever Clean are probably the crème de la crème .
What you should take note of is the OR ,and OP Odeon pressings became AP initially in late 1968 .
If you have an AP red wax White Album or Abbey Road those are first pressings to the best of my knowledge - Hey Jude ,and Let It Be as well - You can also tell most early pressing have flip back covers as well.
I’m seventy six years old now, and have been a studio musician on bass ,and guitar since 1967 , ie my hearing is shot on the high frequencies.
The Japanese did not skimp on quality ,yet their prices are far below the UK ,and Italy - which I believe are for the most part as good as it gets overall.
The problem with critiquing vinyl is you must cherry pick .
I would say your biggest bang for your buck would go to the AP White Album, and Abbey Road.
They should be first pressings in either red or black vinyl , which cost a fraction of the UK or even more so Italy .
As I live in the USA ,and worked as a musician in Los Angeles, - I did ONE session with part of the Wrecking Crew before that moniker existed - I’m well ,rather I was well acquainted with Capitol Records .
Capitol in the 1950-early 1960s - prior to the Beatles - pressed great records .
With that said some of the old school bean counters were still there when the Beatles broke in the USA ,and their top A&R dept heads had no idea what they were doing .
As my mothers family is English I got the Parlophone pressings a year or two after only having Capitol Beatles albums to listen to.
When I finally heard the UK pressings I understood what a hatchet job Capitol did on Beatles albums all for the love of money.
I’m not even aware to this day how many Beatles albums Capitol released given that both Vee Jay ,and United Artist also had two complete Beatles albums originally so you must add those to Capitols output in the 1960s.
The older I get the more I appreciate the high end on records. Leave the treble flat,boost bass up all the way on your preamp .
Ps.
Your playback system means much.
Great post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
As the owner of Japanese pressings Of Dark side of the moon and several Talking Heads albums I can confirm the quality of them.
@@trappenweisseguy27 I have a late '70s Japanese pressing of Dark Side of the Moon from that Pro-Use Series that blows my socks off every time I play it, and I don't even have the greatest system in the world. I've been offered $$$ by a few Floyd fans for it, but it's one of those records that's part of my DNA and won't be leaving my house any time soon.
Yup, I don’t even have a turntable right now bud have held onto my Japanese pressings and direct to disc vinyl.
Totally agree about the system, but I advise folks not to get caught up in chasing ephemeral "audiophile" subjective weirdness. Steve Guttenberg, an ex-high end dealer, is a good resource. One can put together a quite decent system for under $1000. The front end will most likely be the most expensive component. I suggest checking out estate sales for possible bargains.
Regarding bass/treble, I have a graphic equalizer which serves me well (there is also both graphic and parametric EQ add-ons for Firefox). I think you got the EQ backwards. I'm 69, played drums in a rockabilly, 60s garage, punk band in Houston (The Love Noodles), and my high frequency hearing is also impaired. I lower 250Hz and below, and boost 500Hz and above. Perhaps that's what you meant?
I'd just like to share some things:
1. The Japanese version of the "Ballads" compilation album has a unique mix of Norwegian Wood
2. The Japanese insert for the lyrics of Rain attempted to interpret the backward vocals section
Ooh, I didn’t know that. What’s unique about it?
@@clivefernthecamper7831 the Japanese Ballads LP mix of Norwegian Wood has it this way:
Bass - Center channel
Guitar - Center channel
Vocals - Center channel
Percussion - Center channel
Sitar and 12-String - Right channel
"Day Tripper" doesn't have backward vocals. Do you mean "Rain"?
@@TheHollowBodiesBand OHHHH SORRY. Yes, that's the one. Thanks for correcting! Didn't notice it 😅
"Stare it down and nourishes what comes near you" I loved it
I picked up all of the Beatles "Flag Obi strip", U.K. series, as well as the 1986 mono vinyl reissues. I also purchased, possibly all of their Japanese solo vinyl singles, with picture sleeves, at original price. How, you ask? I served in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Tokyo, 1984-'87. It was perfect timing, you might say. I was also able to purchase "The Beatles Box", Japanese and U.K. pressings, while I was over there. Still have them all to this day.
Do you prefer your Japanese or UK Beatles Box? Any major differences?
I love the early coloured mono pressings which I never knew about. There's always something to learn about The Beatles on this Channel. Brilliant.
I’m not sure about Japanese vinyl, but Japanese remastered CD’s sound great. Some people complain they sound too bright, but they get a lot of separation in the musical instruments, more so than the US remasters. I’m not sure if it’s their equipment. Anyone know how they remaster? Their process?
With chopsticks
If the Japanese CD you're about is Abbey Road CD, that is due to pre-emphasis. High frequencies will be boosted when the CD is carelessly ripped-and-played on PC (iTunes-ripped one is OK). As far as I know there is no Japan-unique remastered-CD on market. Another possibility is higher quality of Japan pressing CDs. Off-centricity and dull-edges of pits will deteriorate consistency of the data, this may induce loss of details on the waveform.
I've been waiting a LONG time for this! I have been collecting them for about a year. The red vinyl is gorgeous and can sound really good. The OBI's are also a really nice addition!
Thank you for another superb video, Andrew! BTW, 95 Million People’s Popular Request is now my favorite album title ever.
1982 mono presings have a simple and slim black and red obi with a note "original mono record series". Those are not in blue.
1986 mono issues have an indication of the expiration date for rental-service restriction. So, it's easy to distinguish to each other even without obi.
Decades ago, I received as a gift the Japanese pressings of their BC 13 boxset and the red and blue albums on colored vinyl. Since I already had American versions of the records, I never listened to them. I just checked out the unusual inserts. I was wondering how the sound compares to the European counterparts.
Nice to know you didn't play them so they're all still in mint condition. Long-term thinking is rare
I have the original Japanese Abbey Road as my friends Mum lived there and I think it sounds great. What's more interesting is the single of Come Together/Something which is possibly the clearest mix of Come Together I think I've ever heard.
We had Japanese albums sold in the Los Angeles stores before 1985. And I think today is the Blue and the Red album anniversary. 🥳Thank you for the Blue and Red !
Totally agree with your assessment of Japanese Beatles' pressings. At one time, we owned a sizeable number of Beatles' Japanese pressings. Then, we learned how to listen in a more critical manner, and now we DON'T own a sizeable number of Beatles' Japanese pressings. We've managed to hold onto the late-70's Beatles Collection EAS-50031-44 box-set mainly for the AHDN, which we think sounds better than the UK, or any other pressing that we have heard. The World Records box we also kept, but it has such a dull high-end throughout (which, as discussed in this video, is unusual for Japanese pressings), the UK version is our to-go for listening needs. We can say without reservation that our Japanese All Things Must Pass is better than the UK equivalent, in our opinion. Your mileage may vary....
My EAS-50031-44 sounds much better than UK , especially from With the Beatles to Revolver.AP Rubber Soul is better than EAS one.IMHO
Very cool video Andrew. Thanks for sharing this!
my favorite thing to watch while i eat. low-key, informative, and just about the perfect length. would love to see a video about the japanese singles sometime!
Always enjoy your clips. You have tons of fascinating info and your clips are very professionally made.
Thank you, Paul.
Super interesting Andrew. Thanks. You really presented that complicated catalog well.
As always, extremely high quality content in your videos. Thank you so much!
Thank you, Arjuna. Glad you like them!
Very interesting and informative as always. Thanks so much!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I can't speak, so much, on the Japanese vinyls, but I absolutely know that early 80s versions of the cassette tapes were amazing! Some of these tapes (I specifically recall Sgt Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour) had different mixes/longer fade-outs. This trend continued into some of the solo releases of the former Fabs.
Chilean Cassettes from 1993 blows away the japanese tapes, the Chrome pre recorded Chilean tapes are the best sounding cassettes from the beatles ever made
Another great, enjoyable, informative video!Back in the mid 80s, after finishing university in Canada and starting a paying job, I was introduced to the Japanese Flag series from a friend who was somewhat older than me. I was blown away by the quality in both packaging and sound. I had only the US versions of the LPs up until that point. I then sought out and purchased most of them, primarily the UK versions.
Japan in general usually has incredible pressings. They press with quality in mind of quantity, they can be harder to find but it's sound quality is amazing.
Thanks again for another informative video.
Great Video Andrew!! I bought the Beatles Japan albums on the CD box set. They sound great!!
Very interesting. Thank you very much Andrew! 🙏
Thanks for watching, John.
Thanks again Andrew for a wonderful video. These are quickly becoming a Sunday tradition at my house. I don't have any direct experience with the flag (EAS) series, but I've always heard that they, like MFSL ,suffer from questionable eq choices. Conversely, while the EAS series might not be a great alternative to European pressings, I have been very impressed with the AP (Beatles Forever) Series. I have a pristine copy of Abbey Road (AP-8815) and I think it compares favorably to my -2/-1 UK pressing of Abbey Road. Everything that makes the UK so good is also present on my copy. Realistic and full bass, crisp but not overly brittle highs, and warm mids. When I want a big smile on my face I pull out the UK because it just has that extra something (life like presence) , but when I want to hear every detail of Abbey Road, I pull out the AP series. If the UK is life-like, the Japanese is more clinical and 3-D. The only problem that might be an issue is that side 2 suffers from a slight tape flutter issue, which I believe is prevalent on other AP series pressings.
Excellent video, Andrew San :)
Hi Andrew, as always an intriguing video. I have a handful of Beatles Japanese LP pressings. The Obi Flag series looks desirable and I have seen the whole series up for sale as a set a couple of times. Your explanation about the sound quality surprised me. I guess I should do a comparison with my UK & Australian pressings. Take care. Cheers mate 👍😊
A nice and informative video about a subject I didn't know much about. I never went through the 'trouble' of collecting Japanese vinyl pressings but I bought a Japanese stereo pressing of Revolver from 1976 on a record fair in Utrecht for a colleague and he was very happy with it. That is as far as I got....
Thank you for this video on the Japanese pressed album series. I have a complete set that I started collecting in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I thoroughly enjoy them and, in my humble opinion, they sound great. The very sturdy album jackets are also a plus. Thanks again for yet another informative video.
Thanks for watching, Stephen.
Andrew happy Easter. Thank you for another wonderful video. Great information as always, the Beatles history is ever fascinating.
Thanks Chris. Same to you.
Fascinating stuff as always, I didnt really know anything about the Japanese pressings until now. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Once again, a fascinating insight into Internaional Beatle records. Many Thanks.
Thanks for watching, Duncan. Glad you enjoyed it.
Great overview - I have bought over 20 Japanese Beatle albums including a few red vinyl copies. I particularly like Flag series. I am a sucker for great physical media and graphics. I particularly like sleeves and gatefolds including Japanese version of Help with US style gatefold but UK content.
I agree that many japanese pressings lack bass, but I have the 1st pressing of Abbey Road and it sounds great, with a good ammount of bass.
The second from '72 does as well.
Yes. The first thin green Apple and Beatles Forever series are mastered from the same sources which have more bass than the country flag series.
@@fbt25 Aye, the YEX-749 1S3 / YEX-750 1S2 matrix.
@@TheHutt Beside being pressed from mostly the same sources, the first pressings might even have slightly more bass than the Beatles Forever series due to the thicker vinyl.
My buddy up in North Jersey sold me his 40 bins of mostly Beatles,Andrew,I think I mentioned it From most every country you could think of(originals,mind you)He had a few Everclear Odeon original OP's without the OBI's though.A Hard Day's Night and Rubber Soul were 2 of them.He had some EP and 45 Everclear red vinyls as well.All gone now,unfortunately,now.He has gotten more though.I need to see him,I guess.
Another fascinating video Andrew
Thanks Kevin.
I have the 1969 reissue of Please Please Me, it’s my first LP from Japan. I like how the tracks are moved around as it works pretty well.
Another great review Andrew!!
Thanks again, Tiger!
My '76 Japanese Abbey Road sounds fantastic, even better than my mid-70s UK press. Doesn't go for too much on Discogs. Well worth.
I have a few Japanese pressings. One is an EP from Revolver, which sounds great. I also have a Sgt. Pepper, which I haven’t listened to in quite awhile, and an Odeon red vinyl of the 1962-1966 double LP that I’ve only listened to once. I may have another that I can’t recall.
Anyways there’s a guy who owns a record store, the In Grove, and a UA-cam channel here in the US who really talks down the Japanese pressings. Not only for the Beatles, but for others as well.
Great Episode ! I have a friend in Japan that has a copy of Sgt Pepper on the Apple 🍏 label! It was released by Toshiba EMI
Great video thanks
In my area, a regional record store chain had kept up a constant stock of Japanese issues on Apple. These would be late 1970s early 1980s pressings and certainly not the colored vinyl versions you've shown here. Following the death of John Lennon, the chain immediately bought up extensive stock of Japanese issues, following the UK and US issues. The chain stocked so many that by 1981 and 1982, they dropped the price on them to match domestic pressings. The sound of the earliest albums was pristine, but to me RUBBER SOUL and REVOLVER sounded extremely flat, at least in my opinion. Soon enough that chain sold out of the Japanese pressings of SGT. PEPPER on out and I never heard them. 40 years have passed now, and I've never had a look inside those earliest pressings you've shown here. Thank you.
Wow! You certainly did your homework on this one. Talk about complicated.😳Is there any particular reason for the Obi strips? Thank you again, Andrew.
The obi strips were included so that original album art was not altered. All the relevent info in Japanese was written on the obi strip
Purely for marketing purposes. They were common on all Japanese LPs, and remain so.
Hello Andrew, it was really neat to see the Japan originals from the 60's! My experience has been that the 1976 "flag" series are pretty bright sounding, but the early 70's "Beatles Forever" series can be pretty nice if not the equal of the best UK and German pressings.
This year I got a japanese UK flag of Live From The Hollywood Bowl from 1977, superb condition of both cover and record plus all the insert, together with a Metal Blade Records first pressing of Lizzy Borden's Murderess Metal Road Show had been my best and most valuable vinyl purchases in 2022.
I have Japanese vinyls of Meet The Beatles and The Beatles' Second Album. But mine were released by Apple. They are first pressings. I still have them and the OBIs that came with them. I bought them in the seventies, in Vancouver B.C. I like the track listings on both of them.
I would love to add some Japanese Beatles records to my collection. Great video today Andrew! Lots of great information today! Keep up the interesting entertaining content and have a happy Easter, oops sorry about that, I guess Easter is already over over there in England. Hope you had a great Easter Andrew👯♂️👯
Thanks Patty.
It's always interesting to see the difference between other pressings
Wonderful presentation! I have a Japanese vinyl version of Yesterday and Today which has a great gatefold design. It had an Apple OBI strip, but as you mentioned, the sound quality lacks bass. Although not a Beatles LP, I have a 1972 Badfinger Straight Up LP that has a great laminated cover but also fine sound quality as well.
I recently purchased a big pile of Japanese vinyl. It wasn't something I was planning to do, but I started collecting laserdiscs during lockdown and because Japan was a big market for those, a lot of the best bargains come from that country. One seller that I've bought a lot from, Good Squid, occasionally sells vinyl as well and when I saw what he was selling I thought I'd give it a go. I've not listened to everything yet as there really is a lot of records in that lot, but I've found them to be a mixed bag so far. The Rolling Stones Japanese releases mostly sound amazing. The Beatles Japanese releases vary greatly. Some seem to be mixed differently as some elements seem to disappear in the mix, perhaps this is just due to the quality of the tapes or the EQing. There's a couple where the vocals are almost buried. Others though sound really good. As you mention, the Japanese vinyl is always of the highest quality and the Japanese tended to really take good care of the records and so there's rarely any surface noise, it's very crisp and clean sounding. The best Japanese Beatles albums I've heard are on the same level as the local Australian pressings, the worst are just okay. It's a good way to get some of those albums in great condition for a decent price though. A lot of the reissues here tend to be rather expensive. Then there's also the US albums which are very hard to find here. The Japanese pressings of these albums are a good and much cheaper alternative.
Was unironically looking forward to this for a week.
It's Andrew: Who wouldn't wanna watch a vid with him in it?
Great video again Andrew.
Glad you enjoyed it
I had a whole tone of excellent to mint vinyl for years. I collected it from the 1980's onwards. Some of it was worth a lot of money. I sold the collection. I ripped most of it onto a digital format. I cannot tell the difference. Its sounds great. Its easier to play, i still enjoy the music as much.
One correction: The Japanese LIB box set came in a domestically printed box, not an imported UK-printed box. The book was printed by G&L in the UK (the only place the book was printed).
The box was also printed in Germany, Canada, Spain, Mexico, Peru and Argentina.
Step 1 . Drop the needle
Step 2 . Locate the bass knob
Step 3 . Wind it up
… & enjoy !
Another excellent episode. I agree about the sound of these pressings. I master albums here in Canada and always found it fascinating how little bass they put on their pressings. But that seems to be with Beatles pressings...having collected a lot of Japanese pressings of other bands (Rush..Kiss. ..Frank Zappa...David Bowie)..I think the mastering engineers in Japan got the message and started using the dreaded V - Eq setting...where there was a lot of bass and treble. .but a very scooped mid range.
Personally I find the flag series a hard listen. ..but I enjoy the 2003 Japanese DMM remaster pressings. They are in Mono and sound great.
Thank you, Mark.
Brilliant video Andrew. I collect the flag series. Love the quality and the fact that most have an Apple label. Yes the sound lacks a little low end but still sound very detailed to my ears. They actually continued up to no 40 although the higher ones didn’t have the flag obi or the number in the Apple
Glad you enjoyed it, Edward.
Thank you again! Very nice presentation! I would have been interested in knowing a little more about the source tapes for the Red / Blue albums and Magical Mystery Tour LP format. Did they take the US duophonic MMT cuts or did they properly source the stereo mixes? I think that the bass situation can be modified by people adjusting their systems. It gets frustrating for people to adjust based on each album, but if the entire country has a particular sound on their pressings, then you can have a universal adjustment for the equalizer.
MMT was US-sourced. It was not before Germany issued the LP in its second pressing that the new stereo mixes were done.
Thanks! That is so sad!
The flag series albums were common to see in Australian record stores in the 80s. They never appealed to me enough to purchase them. Another great video Andrew..thank you 👏
Thanks for watching, Steve.
I would agree on the sound quality for the early releases, but there are three Japanese vinyl pressings I find to be pretty good -the red and blue issues from 2014 and Let It Be…Naked.
I've managed to get myself an original Japanese Come Together/Something and Get Back/Don't Let Me Down. They are beautifully clear, and Don't Let Me Down especially sounds ethereal and has so much presence in the room.
I bought a 1982 Japanese pressing of 'Please Please Me' ten years ago from a used book /vinyl store for $29.99 (a real steal in near mint condition) and thought it sounded amazing. I'vd since collected every red vinyl pressing from '82 with the thin black obi. Still like to play them, but I think the 2014 mono has them beat; fuller sound with more bass. Thanks again, Andrew.
Thanks for watching, Richard.
I never got involved with the Beatles Japanese pressings. Largely because I wasn't aware of them until the late '70's/early '80's, when this one record store near me started selling Beatles import albums. I looked at them, curious to see the American flag OBI's, and their song listings. The albums looked good, but by that time, I had already collected the US pressings. Didn't have the money at the time to invest in imports with a higher price tag.
There is an amazing fact about the Japanese Odeon and Toshiba releases (Capitol, Liberty, Kapp, etc) but only until 1968 including the Beatles releases... The year and month when the record was pressed is etched in the rounout of the record always at 12 o' clock on side one!!!! There you can find a two digit code, the number corresponds to the year and the letter corresponds to the month. So, for example D4 means pressed on April 1964.
Like that you can check when the particular record you own was pressed!!! Also for example a first pressing of a record can have different codes as it may have been pressed in different months.
Unbelievable as it may sound, these codes were only decoded around 10-15 years ago by one japanese collector in collaboration with others through a massive code cross check of their owned copies. Until then it was not known what they meant.
Therefore, by cross-checking a big sample of codes pertaining to one particular record, it can be reasonably determined on which month and year it was first pressed .
Dear sir, Thank you for your very informative program on the Beatles Japanese albums!! I commend you on your knowledge of the subject. My name is Kenneth Jeys and I live in Denver...Anyway back in 1984 when I was just getting out of the military I was stationed at Albuquerque new Mexico and answered an ad in the local paper where someone listed original vinyl albums for sale. I ended up buying most all of them that he had. He had been in the Vietnam War and had bought a few of his albums over in Japan. HE had a Japanese Beatles white album he had bought over there and the number on the front is no. A.041365. The Beatles is embossed or raised in the cover and the records are red vinyl numbers as 8570 and 8571 and yex numbers under them as well. The album has the listing of song titles in Japanese as well as English, and has an original which may not be original...the album has the poster and pictures in the black UK sleeves, and the poster has Japanese lettering on it as well as the lyrics to the songs in English. It was made by Toshiba musical industries Tokyo I always understood the the first 50,000 albums were red vinyl and the rest were plain black, but I could be wrong about that.....as I mentioned, the album number is no. A041365. What can you tell me about this album as far as it being an original 1968 or 1969? Thank you. Sincerely Kenneth jeys..ps the album on the lower back has Japanese lettering on it also.
I don't seek out the Japanese versions as a rule, but I do have a couple from the "Flag" series that I think are pretty decent. Lovely, quiet pressings and sleeves made from thicker cardboard stock. Slightly off topic, but the crown jewel in my Beatle collection as regards issues from Japan is a CD of "Abbey Road" on Odeon (CP35-3016). I purchased it in a Hi-Fi shop a few years into the CD revolution but way before anything of The Beatles catalogue had been legitimately released on compact disc. Not sure how it slipped out but it is a fantastic sounding version of "Abbey Road", equally on par with Mobile Fidelity or recent re-masters. And no lack of low end, to be sure.
Hi Andrew
Love the video on the beatles records
I have no Japanese records but I did get to beatles records form Singapore
Not in the best condition but nice to have Andrew keep up the good work you do dave.
There really should be a video about the Singapore-Malaysia-Hong Kong pressings.
In the distant past I collected quite a few Japanese LP's as I liked the low noisefloor of the vinyl and the quality of the record covers. As I improved my equipment over the years, the limitations of th SQ became more obvious. I do need to sell my Japanese collection.
Hello. I'm Japanese collector. I also think that Japanese records have a lively treble range. Or should I say, those has clear and crisp sound.
The quality of the vinyl is very high, but it is not comparable to the British records of the 1960s. So I always looking for UK original in good conditions!
I boughr many Japanese pressings and very satisfied with them. I had the Blue Box Set. Please Please Me was a disappointment as Miaery and There's A Place was in stimulated stereo
Spot on. At one time, when I had a cheaper turntable stereo set, I purchased and played the Japanese vinyl. But the high end was just to much for me when played on a better system.
Sold my Japanese albums.
Great episode! My Japanese HEY JUDE LP sounds much more dynamic than the U.S. pressing. The same can be said for my Japanese pressing of YESTERDAY AND TODAY. But as you say, Andrew, that’s just my opinion! Cheers!
Thanks for watching, Matthew.
It seems with these Japanese vinyl issues that they look good but don't sound so good! I would say that they are still worth collecting though. Thanks for a great explanation about these releases, Andrew, which I didn't know much about!
I remember buying the stereo Beatles For Sale in the UK flag series in the early 1990s as it was a good way of getting a stereo version of the album when it wasn't available in the UK.
Seem to remember getting it from the Beatles Shop in Matthew Street and it wasn't too expensive.
I though it sounded good and it's a good pressing. Wish I'd have got some more of these!
My old record shop used to have these in large quantities and I seem to remember that they were selling at a premium price.
I have learned to pretty much avoid Japanese pressings, though (unless the recording was made in Japan to begin with).
Which is a shame because I think the manufacturing quality of Japanese lp's is generally exemplary.
Alas, I agree with you that the sound just isn't there...
Thank you for another interesting presentation and keep up the good work!
Well done! Excelent review. For some reason, they're much easier to find here in Brazil than the european releases. The country flag series seem to have slightly less bass than the Beatles Forever series. Their solo career albums were also released on these series, as well as on the first thin green Apple obi. The 2000's catalog re-release is also pretty good, the albums are all heavy-weight Direct Metal Mastered.
To me, the gold standard for Beatles recordings are the re-released mono versions from the master tapes done a few years ago. Great analog sound and very cheap.
Thanks again.!!!
i have the older japanese red vinyl pressings. About 10 of them. Also the beatles story boxset on odeon. It came with booklets etc.I believe it was the first beatles boxset ever.
Have try get some!!!!!!❤
Hi,the mid-70s Japanese issues(eas series) sounds good to my ears.
very interesting that Mono pressings came back. I was also surprised that in Japan they ended these pressings so early.
I have some japanese pressings that sounds fantastic, like the original The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees, but on the other hand some that sounds just ok, like a 1977 reissue of Lennon's Mind Games. However, they are all dead quiet vinyl, which I do appreciate as well, and mostly come in nice packaging, including inserts, obis and booklets, for instance. In some cases records originally released in single covers everywhere, might be released in gatefold covers in Japan, as you have pointed out by showing the Yesterday and Today japanese album. Cheers, Andrew! Nelio.
Cheers Nelio!
Hi,the mid-70s Japanese issues(eas series)sounds good to my ears
wow. I'd love to see a video talking about The Beatles In Italy album
Odeon Ever Clean records are practically immortal. Both my discs (Beatles' Hits, Long Tall Sally) are absolutely silent and pristine after 41 years. Both still have their original lyric sheets and protective sleeve too. I'll say that the sound is definitely different, it's less sweetened and clear. Closer to a Capitol 45, really. Not to imply they're bad to the ear, they're actually rather satisfying.
I had AHDN,Beatles For Sale and Rubber Soul on original "Everclean"red vinyl Odeons.Didnt have the Obis,of course.Just picked up a Let It Be on green Apple Everclean.
Those translucent red pressings make me crave Lifesavers for some reason.
just bought a Japanese Magical mystery tour with obi!
Are you going to a video of the 5 export cd box sets for Japanese export only (JBCDBOX1-5)? I’m pretty sure they were pressed in the UK for the Japanese market. I remember having JBCDBOX2. 🙂
Would love to hear your thoughts and comparison on the original Beatles 1 album and the 2015 remixed Beatles 1
We've already done a video on that: ua-cam.com/video/FJ4wWKO9uNA/v-deo.html
@@Parlogram thanks! I’ll watch :)
Very interesting, I remember seing at the SAM record store (It was the biggest in Canada back then) in Montreal at around 30$ in the late 70s, a Japanese pressing of the Beatles White album.
The vinyl was white!
I agree with the lack of bass. They also sound a bit sterile to my opinion, but they are pretty much free of clicks and distortion. The initial run of 7" singles and EPs were also pressed on the red Ever Clean vinyl. They also in the 70's pressed the Sgt Pepper and Abbey Road picture disc LPs and released the 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 sets in their respective colours.
Figuring, as a young collector, that ANY foreign pressing was better than a USA copy, I bought an imported version of "A Hard Day's Night"...from Uruguay. The problem starts immediately when someone, during the mastering process adjusted the levels mid-song. That pressing sounds like this, "...and I've been WORKIN' like a dog!"
I got rid of it.
I bought a flag edition of Beatles oldies pressing the other day at a local record shop and it was a great surprise, definitely worth the 15 dollars I payed for it and an upgrade from a Mexican vinyl pressing I had from years ago
Personally, I think the 70s Japanese 'Flag Series' pressings sound great with plenty of rich bass and the covers are nice and thick plus there's the bonus poster in some of the albums as well. The cover artwork isn't as good as the English pressings. I first started buying them in the mid 80s and I clearly remember being knocked out at how good they sounded.
Andrew, have you considered a video on the 'Help!' and 'Rubber Soul' albums, telling the story of the remixes done in 1987 by George Martin, which are now core catalogue. Or maybe the 'Magical Mystery Tour' story from two EP's, the abysmal US stereo pressing with the duo-phonic tracks on side two which became core catalogue in the mid 70s to the Abbey Road 2009 remasters?
I was very reluctant to watch this video, as I didn’t want it to open a rabbit hole where I felt I had to go collecting the Japanese pressings. Then I remembered that Japanese pressings has not featured highly in your video about the best sounding Beatles albums, so thought it would be safe to watch. Happily, it didn’t convince me to buy these albums, as I like to hear the low end. Very interesting to hear the story of the pressings, though, and certainly they look like high quality productions, particularly in terms of sleeve design.
You can get the Abbey Road (the AP version with the green Apple obi). One of the finest-sounding versions out there (not counting the UK -2/-1 of course).
I’ve got the UK -2/-1 which sounds great, so I’m happy with that one.
@@clivefernthecamper7831 Well, I have the one, and the other, and some others, too :)
Good morning Andrew. What do you think about japanese Rubber Soul with blue OBI from 2004?
The Japanese pressings, especially in the past, tended to have a higher end mix with a lower bottom. This was by design. They did this because of the housing styles the Japanese tended to live in. Too much bass caused issues for neighbours and even the dwellers themselves. But, the Japanese pressing quality is second to none as far as the vinyl goes. The Everclean pressings were supposed to be 4 times more dust resistant and about 8 times more static resistant than regular black vinyl records. But their down side was that they had softer grooves which made them wear faster than regular vinyl records. You needed to have the pressure set at low for the tone-arm.
By the way. Toshiba’s Everclean records were not a sales gimmick for collectors like the coloured records were of other record companies, but were a serious attempt at making high quality vinyl. The dark red colour was part and parcel of the chemical mixtures used to manufacture the Everclean records.
For me, they are well worth having though despite the lows being sacrificed a bit. I don't have any of The Beatles' ones but the others I do have are fantastic. I have just a few of the Everclean records; and one that really sticks out is Jeff Beck's album "Truth" from 1968. When I compare the US against the Japanese Everclean pressing, there is no comparison.
Note: An exception to sound quality being great top and bottom was the first issue of the Pink Floyd album "Dark Side of the Moon" (EMI Harvest Odeon EOP-80778 with the 2,000 JPY price obi).