I worked at a radio station in the late '80s and early '90s, and the chief engineer used heavy compression and EQ on the audio before it went to the transmitter. His ultimate goal was to ensure it sounded loud and punchy on a clock radio or car stereo, since research showed that's where most people listened to radio, not on a high end audio system. So his reference player was an old clock radio. If it sounded good on that, then everything was golden. Occasionally, the compression did a number on certain records that came through out-of-phase, like Madonna's Express Yourself, where the lead vocals pretty much disappeared when played through this chain of audio alterations. They had to make a mono version of the song to play on-air, so this wouldn't happen.
Another possible explanation as for why Dave Dexter made the U.S. mixes so vastly different may have to do with equalization curves being used on both sides of the Atlantic. In the U.K., their tape machines would have been calibrated for the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) EQ curve, while the North America used the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) curve. It's possible that when the tapes were sent over from the U.K., this difference wasn't accounted for, and required Dexter to "fix" the mixes using outboard EQ, compression and reverb. Great video, Andrew! I actually didn't realize just how many of the U.S. mono mixes are fold-downs!
Apart from technical issues, how about admitting that the changes were based on greed, arrogance, ignorance, lack of respect for the artists and US omnipotence fixation? All my American Friends were aware of this.
I seriously doubt Dave Dexter had any knowledge of the IEC or the NAB, or any differences therein. And if he did, I doubt he gave it a second's thought. Certainly I have never heard of these considerations, but if they are true, then we would have to look at Dave Dexter in a whole new light. But the simplest answer is usually the correct one, and Dave Dexter probably only ever had one thing in mind: marketing. And we also have to consider the myriad of bands in the British invasion, along with the record labels issuing their music, giving any thought to all things IEC or NAB? I don't see it, but if someone could offer up proof, I would be more than glad to admit I was wrong.
I highly doubt this as a reasonable explanation for why Dave Dexter did what he did. As noted in the video, Dexter apparently was trying to make the Capitol stereo releases sound more like what other US singles and LPs sounded like, although Capitol didn't even release a US Beatles single in stereo until 1969, and that under the Beatles' Apple Records, Ltd. label. Too bad Dexter didn't leave well enough alone and release what EMI sent him each time (George Martin's mixes). Regardless, I have always collected the US releases from Capitol, VeeJay, MGM, Atco, Tollie, and Swan so that is what I like, although the mono releases sounds much better due to not having Dexter's extra reverb and high freqs added (such as so much high-hat on "Meet The Beatles").
Awesome in-depth analysis of the mixes used for the Capitol albums Andrew. Well done. I grew up with the US albums and although I prefer the UK versions, there is still a soft spot in my heart for these albums. I remember when I heard the UK version of She's a Woman for the first time in the early 80's and I was shocked. It felt so thin and clean and I really missed the reverb. Of course now, I prefer the UK version, but I guess you love what you were first introduced to.
I think the reason why Introducing The Beatles was omitted is because they didn’t have the master tape for it while they did for The Early Beatles. If they did want to include it in this set, they would have needed to either request a new tape from Abbey Road, make a copy of a pristine copy of the vinyl, or use the 2009 remaster. They could have also tried to locate a cutting master tape that was sent to the various pressing plants but those tapes probably no longer exist and if they did, they would have been hard to track down.
I thought I knew a fair bit about Beatles recordings - but these videos are educational, entertaining and very interesting! Thank you, Andrew! They are presented in a very fair, balanced and unbiased way, as well as being high quality productions. Your extensive research is obvious and I look forward to looking at more!
I always enjoyed the original USA mixes. I love the duophonic , boosted bass and extra reverb too. Made it sound exciting. Its kitchy but I love it. You cant kill a Beatles song no matter what mix you listen to. The overall impact is in the song and performance anyway and the Beatles were fantastic and knocked us all out.
I've made my own playlist version of the Beatles Rock and Roll compilation (ditched The Night Before for Everybody's got something to hide... makes a great comp!) - and for a 'rock'n'roll' playlist the US reverb/folddown/compressed/louder mixes are perfect - overcooked works well in that context.
Thank you so much for quickly explaining the differences between mixing and mastering. Far, far, far too many people online confuse the two and say things like “I hate the 2009 remixes”. There were no 2009 remixes!
Andrew, also wanted to note that, like the single Paul vocal on the mono "And I Love Her" on A Hard Day's Night and Something New, John's vocal on the intro of "If I Fell" is also single-tracked on those albums, unlike every other mix of that song.
I was 10 when I got my first Beatles album ( Rubber Soul ). I highly doubt that anyone was concerned about the albums kids were buying in the millions , because it was only kids music. No one thought in 60 years we can still be selling these albums to these kids when they are as old as their grandparents are today lol Another great video I have all the original albums ( mono & stereo ) plus the Capital box sets with the US mixes & tons of bootlegs, so at this age (69) I'll just be watching your videos to hear what people think.
What would more interesting is that the kids that's listening to Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Post Malone, Billie Elish & other artists of today will accidently discover there's better music out there like The Beatles, The Stones, Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Motown, Beach Boys, Joni Mitchell, etc, etc. Then they noticed kids that grew up from the Fifties to The Nineties had better music to listen to.
@@kimclark5736 I can't imagine anything being able to top the debut to America of The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show and the aftermath. It was like someone flipped a switch and The British Invasion was on, lol.
How about mixing the stereo USA albums using the Giles Martin mixes and adding Dave Dexters treatments? The original USA box set was a disappointment using British mixes and the American sequences.
What always bugged me was how the cartoons portrayed Ringo as a total idiot. I’ve often wondered how he felt about that. And I never knew that the primary voice actor was Paul Frees, who was the Peter Lorre voice on Spike Jones’ parody version of My Old Flame and dozens of characters in 50s and 60s cartoons. He was even onscreen in the original 50s version of War of the Worlds with Gene Barry.
My Capiphone project blows this all away with content.Andrew,I need to get in touch with Giles and crew,and Universal about it.Having trouble getting thru to people.Even East Iris Studios in Nashville,in charge of this project ,is tough to get thru to.
You made a very good point here when you said that Dave Dexter Jr mastered the 1964 albums to match the sound of other American albums. A great analysis of the mixes and tracks chosen for the US albums, Andrew! I personally would love to see a re release of the American Rubber Soul album!
@@nicknikipediacaulkin5943 Or better, a “Rubber Soul” box set like the ones created for “Sgt. Pepper”, “The Beatles”, “Abbey Road”, “Let It Be”, and “Revolver”. 😎
LOVE your in-depth yet clearly-understood videos, Andrew. I'm a 60 year old American who does not remember a time when the Beatles were not a significant part of my life. Having said all that, at my age it's exhausting trying to keep track of all this information. Easiest solution for us old people? Just go with "everything 1st press", "everything UK" and "everything mono (where available) over stereo" when it comes to vinyl & CD. SORTED....!!! LOL 😄
I grew up with the USA albums. When CDs came out I bought all the Beatles albums available on CD but they were the UK versions. Took me a long while to get used to the different albums and track order. I'm way past that now. The UK versions are the only ones worth listening to. I also have the mono box set on CD now, that's what is real and all that matters.
I wish I'd bought the Mono boxed cd set in 2009. I wasn't focused on music releases that year Now looking at £55 for a "fake" new set (No idea if sound would be dlstinguishable from the genuine release which near mint are circa £200 from 100% rated 2nd hand dealers 🤔
I still kind of prefer the US rubber soul. Like the more folky vibe and the album starts better with “seen a face” than drive my car which to me sounds out of place. I don’t mind losing if I needed someone and nowhere man as much as I love that song. There’s a north missing too forget off hand.
Love the in-depth look at these US mixes! It’s so fascinating how the American audience got something really different in those years. I can’t imagine Dexter or anyone at Capitol imagined people would be studying their every move for some pop band 60 years later.
I LOVE this channel. Having said that, after watching this rather informative video, I get the feeling that unless you are one of the FEW people lucky enough to have bought the original Parlophone mono albums when they were released in the UK, you are absolutely SOL... and will never be able to hear what the Beatles and George Martin intended you to hear...
Having been used to the Capitol (Canada) releases I was very disappointed when I heard the UK versions of I Feel Fine and She's a Woman when they were released on CD in 1987. They sounded dead. I modified them to add some reverb and get closer to what I was used to. The release of the Capitol Albums on CD in 2004 solved it for me.
All my albums were from Canada too. Twist and Shout was a great album. Once the US got the rights in 64 I think Canadas albums were all the same as the US. Pretty sure that the Long Tall Sally album was from the English mixes as it sounds flat compared to The Beatles Second Album from my memory.
According to a Dutch friend of mine, the EMI plant in Holland couldn’t keep up with demand for Beatles For Sale when it was released, so the record shops in Amsterdam took to importing Beatles ‘65 from West Germany to fill the gap. Copies can be frequently found in secondhand record shops there.
I actually really like the Capitol mono mixes. They may not be the definitive way to listen to the songs, but there is a certain charm about them, and they do offer a window into how Americans heard The Beatles. Great channel.
Yes! This is the kind of information that I truly obsess over, haha. And the way you presented the terminology and historical context is masterful! I'm an elementary school teacher, and I see all the care and decisions you put in to your videos. Wanted to say bravo and a big thank you!
@@Parlogram It was, and it made me more certain that I'll get only AHDN soundtrack from this set. Don't have desire (and financial resources) for the rest. I pick only the best. :-)
I own all the capitol releases and of course all the UK versions. As were talking about music released over 60 years ago, that sure says something about the music.Yes, I love that capitol reverb, growing up with it.
The high of this box set is "Thank You Girl". The low of this box set is the flip side, "From Me To You"...because it is missing! Between fold-downs and fake stereo, my head is spinning! Another first-class job, Andrew!
I agree, I wish "Introducing The Beatles" had been included. I grew up listening to that one and like many of the other US albums (stereo included) they contain the mixes that take me back to my youth. I was so pleased when the US albums box set CDs were released. It was like hearing from an old friend again. I prefer to listen to the overloaded with reverb sound of I Feel Fine and She's A Woman from Beatles 65 vs. the dry UK mixes... sometimes. Nice job getting all that mix information out. Some day maybe we'll get releases with all the various mixes... they can be very different like Thank You Girl and I'll Cry Instead as you pointed out. I love that extra harmonica on Thank You Girl. Oh and yes, would love to get that proposed Hollywood Bowl LP from 1964 as an official release.
I saw a video by Kevin Reeves, the cutting engineer for the new set, and he seemed to imply that the new set, whilst being guided by the original releases, will not have the same compression as the originals as modern equipment doesn't need that, and he said that lots of the original instrumentation that wasn't audible on the 1964 releases is now clear. We shall have to wait and see.
Andrew, I'm always watching every Sunday while having something to eat and you are relaxing my friend, once again thank you for the content, the music and the way you produce your videos, cheers from Buenos Aires, Argentina
In the US, buying the six albums individually costs $180. The boxset with the documentary records is an additional $120. I find that ludicrous but I still ended up preordering the box because i had $50 worth of credit that was due to expire at Best Buy. I can live with the boxset at $250 but i would have definitely preferred something other than The Beatles Story as the bonus. That Hollywood Bowl performance you mentioned would have been a killer choice for a US compilation box like this. A book would have been nice as well. I know times are changing but just 7 years ago, I purchased the 2012 Stereo Vinyl Box including every UK album for just $200. Fast forward 7 years and we're paying 50% more for less than half the amount of albums (or exactly half the amount if you consider The Beatles Story an "album"). I'm actually not against having the US mixes because I am the kind of listener who enjoys pouring over various versions and their differences. But they certainly could have given us a better value for our money. Why limit the box to just 1964? Why not provide a more comprehensive US box with releases going at least to Yesterday and Today? I know I'm part of the problem since I support this release with my purchase but part of me hopes it doesn't do well so maybe future releases will require more effort. I'm still proud of myself for not buying the 2023 Red & Blue compilations. I actually went out and bought the AAA 2014 releases instead. It may seem trivial but what really got me to skip the 2023 releases was the fact that they crammed 3LP's into a standard gatefold. Just lazy. That and the track order didn't make sense to me. Here's hoping they step up their efforts moving forward.
in other countries it's worse in terms of what you have to pay as for example, in the UK the prices of the individual albums is $42 American dollars (which would be roughly 32 pounds in the UK) while on the US website the individual albums are listed at only $30 American dollars which if this was consistent wouldn't be a problem but the box set still cost $300 American dollars on the UK website (which is roughly 225 pounds) while the American listing is ALSO $300 American dollars. It just baffles me why there are price changes for the individual albums while the box set is the same price and don't get me started on how much the box set costs in Japan which costs 52,800 yen ($367 American dollars) which is ridiculous in how much of a price jump that is.
Funny, I just recently found a VG+ copy of The Beatles' Story for $2 Canadian. I'm a bit lucky to be able to dig out a lot in the wild here, though. I get it, some things are "must-have's".
Wow, you certainly do your homework, Andrew! I'm buying this set for the memories. Those few days before Christmas waiting for "Beatles '65" is just one of so many of those memories.
Andrew this is an absolutely invaluable post. Great information and easy to understand. Something we can all go back to over time to answer questions and issues. Outstanding. See you next time.
Brian Wilson wanted the Beach Boys' records to sound good on car radios, so he reportedly would play the final mix on a small mono speaker; which may be one of the reasons those songs are still played a lot on radio today.
Funny you should mention that story, because Paul McCartney was also concerned about the final mix of Get Back in 1969. Paul wondered about how the song would sound on a cheap record player. One of the engineers at Abbey Road had brought in a cheap record player to have repaired. Once fixed, Paul was able to hear the mix of Get Back on this record player. The engineer couldn't believe that a Beatles song was decided at the hands of a cheap record player.
Well you didn't discuss The Beatles Story, which has me scratching my head about its inclusion. You would have thought that Beatles VI would have been included instead. But they are probably holding it back for a second box set. Having been a fan since 1964, and collecting Beatles' records from around the world, I'LL BE PASSING ON THIS COLLECTION.
Stellar work, Andrew! As long as we're in 1964 land, to paraphrase John Lennon, "I can listen to you for hours" when you do videos like this. The different mix miniature of the US albums are one of my biggest joys of the Beatles catalog, as well as why I am really looking forward to this release. For me, my biggest questions are 1) why couldn't they get the license for the Introducing The Beatles artwork to keep it a true 1964 box and B) what happens if the demand is not what is expected and we, the collectors, are left hanging yet again without parts of the US catalog not being re-released. I guess time will tell..........
7:40 With all due respect, andrew, thank you, girl on both the mono and the stereo releases of the second album is the true stereo mix folded down, but thanks to dexterhead, he put in reverb. Later that mix was used on a German criticiz lp. I believe called beat beetles, but unfortunately they use the echo from the american version. For years, the only way we get a clean version of thank you. Girl in stereo was through a bootleg. But thanks to past masters, it came decades later
I "grew up" with the UK albums and only recently bought "The U.S. Albums" from Apple Music. From all the knowledge you've imparted to me over the years about various mixing and mastering strategies, BOTH these interpretations of The Beatles catalogue are intriguing. In my youth, I would have "taken a stand" and placed one over the other. To be honest...I like my UK releases a tad more, but the USA mixes both add to and subtract from what I'm used to. Now I know WHERE the reverb came from when I listened to Beatles releases on American radio in the '60s, and WHY it's "missing" from my '80s UK pressings. Mahalo for all the great history lessons! Aloha!
@@BaccarWozat Indeed...I would have wholeheartedly agreed back in the 1960-1980s. When I compared the 1980s CD with my UK LP pressings, I was taken aback! And...again...when I finally listened to "The U.S. Albums" with Apple Music's paid downloads, I was even MORE surprised by the difference. Both approaches are very interesting to this OAP now, though. They take me back to different decades of my life. The U.S. albums sound like what I heard in my Dad's car when we moved to the U.S.. They're all lo-fi and jangle-y sounding. Almost like listening to The Beach Boys. My UK LPs take me back to the UK and sitting quietly in my halls of residence picking out every detail and nuance. So? I like them both for different reasons. Having lived around the globe now, I've seen and heard different renditions from the same artists arranged and mixed differently for different countries. I've learned to value them all, and I feel grateful and privileged to be able to listen to the various versions. It all worked out in the end for me.
Understand mastering was absolutely in its infancy at this stage. It really didn’t even exist. When the master left the control the person running the lathe was supposed to print it just as it is. But they wouldn’t. They would add eq and compression sometimes. Sometimes the producer/artist liked it and sometimes not. But all did see the potential in tweaking the master (mixes) if done right. Mastermind was born at this point. Mid. Late 60s. There wasn’t even mastering suites just speakers in the lathe room. So what I mean is, there WAS room to improve the idea back then. From what I remember dexter got at least album right in regards to mastering. I forget which one but Andrew said one of the earlier ones sounded better than the UK ones. If memory serves correctly
@@mumbles215 Fascinating! I believe the FIRST thing I heard about mastering was that recordings made even in the 1930s and '40s couldn't use all the bandwidth the wire recorders of the day could handle, because the shellac 78s would skip. Back in the 1950s and '60s, compression was needed to prevent skipping 45s and LPs. I wish I could have heard some of the reel-to-reel recordings made in those days. It's said less compression was needed on reel-to-reel recordings. Sadly, I owned a Pioneer RT-909 for only a couple of years in the 1980s...but I never found any pre-recorded tapes for it. I was disappointed, for as a device to record LPs and such...it was no great shakes in that department. Ah, well...CDs came out shortly before I let my machine go...
Thanks Andrew, enjoyed your explanation and mono counts of all the different Mono variations on the upcoming Beatles Box Set. Very well done as always.
I'm happy to stay with the two CD sets of Capitol albums for these mono mixes. I think the best way to hear The Beatles in Mono is with the British mixes. I have mono editions of Yesterday & Today, and A Hard Days Night on vinyl LPs. To those, I would add a US pressing of Revolver to have everything up to Sgt. Pepper in mono. I doubt there are specific differences for Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour between the US and UK mono mixes.
I prefer Paul's single track vocal on the mono And I Love Her. It was also a single track intro vocal by John on the mono If I Fell, that I preferred. I remember having the A Hard Day's Night album on the original United Artist label and if I'm not mistaken, I believe the Beatles songs were in mono but George Martin's instrumental music was in stereo. I bought The Early Beatles back then, but then I needed to buy Introducing the Beatles for the two missing songs. I actually had two different versions of Introducing the Beatles, one featuring Love Me Do and PS I love You, and the other one featuring Please Please Me and Ask Me Why. But those two song titles were mislabeled on the album. Speaking of mislabeling the song Tell Me Why was labeled as tell me "who" on the A Hard Day's Night album. There were a lot of mistakes back in the day. As always, great upload!
They already released a better version of this box set back in 2014, it's called "The US Albums". It had both Mono and Stereo mixes, and It used the dedicated UK mono mixes for all songs (except for a few with unique dedicated US Mono Mixes), and it had all of the Capitol albums instead of just seven.
The 2014 US CD sets are definitely the way to go - this overpriced set is purely for the vinyl fetishists. I like 12" sleeves as much as anyone....but not for hundreds of dollars extra!
With all the detail you provided on the mixes, what stood out for me was how you first referred to the "Please Please ME" album, and then followed it up with a "Please PLEASE Me" shortly after. When I was growing up in the 60s, long before I actually HEARD the song, I thought it was the former, with emphasis on the ME. When I finally heard the song, I had to correct it in my head to emphasize the second PLEASE. Sorry for the tangent, but as I'm not interested in buying more vinyl, the rest was enjoyable to hear, but not consequential to buying decisions. Thanks for the video!
Very odd that Capitol chose to include "The Early Beatles" in a 1964 set when they have a good number of their own 1965-issued US LPs to create a 1965 Capitol mono box set including "The Early Beatles", "Beatle IV", the US version of "Help!", and "Rubber Soul". each of these being different than the UK Parlophone LPs (and their mixes). They should have done separate 1964 and 1965 mono box sets. Many so-called Beatles fans that I know aren't even aware of the various US-only LPs and think that only the UK LPs exist. Too bad that Capitol missed a big opportunity here. Great analysis of the mixing and mastering process and, overall, of the new box set, Andrew!
It’s interesting that Capitol didn’t have the foresight to ask EMI for true stereo and mono mixes and just do their own thing but I am sure they felt they could do better and create something more suitable for the US market. I don’t have a problem with any of these records and they are all great listening experiences. Thanks for doing a deep dive into the mixes Andrew…..very informative and entertaining! Thanks
Capitol didn’t see the need to put that much effort in something that everyone (including the Beatles) thought would only a passing fad that would be gone and forgotten within a year or two. “A HARD DAY’S NIGHT” was filmed in black and white only to cut costs and the intent of the movie was to generate new interest on the diminishing record sales of passing fad
Hi Andrew your very informative video has helped me come to a decision I am now happy with. I won't buy the box but select couple of the individual releases so I thank you very much. All the best Ross
When I started collecting Beatles albums, I always spent the extra money for the uk parlophone or German Odeon imports that were in STEREO. When the cd catalog was released on parlophone, I passed on the first four because of the mono designation. I know the early recordings were two track voices/instruments , but I actually enjoyed those.
Always a pleasure watching and learning new info from your videos. I am kind of disappointed for this Beatles release like that from last year. I was looking forward to a new Stereo Remix of Rubber Soul CD boxset like the Revolver 2022 release using Peter Jackson's sound tech. I guess I will have to wait again another year or so. I just hope they will re-release a remastered Anthology 1/2/3 sometime soon. Possibly a release of an Anthology 4.
Grew up 70s with these US albums, however Tower Records in Hollywood had the UK imports, which was half the fun of listening to these now historic albums.
Andrew, this is all very interesting to me. Being Australian, we followed the UK line (with quite a few extra singles plus 2 greatest hits albums in the mid 60s). Great info!!
Loved this video and really appreciated the breakdown of what mixes are included on each album. I have the Bruce Spizer book on the Capitol albums in America. Highly recommended to anybody who wants to delve deeper. Good job, Andrew.
Great video, as always, Andrew. Although I grew up with these records, I have no desire to revisit them. Got my UK albums in 1970, and that's all I listen to. There is nothing at all to recommend the Capitol "arbitrary selection of songs records". BTW, the Capitol vinyl was always extremely noisy.
Thank you for the in depth information on the break down of the mono tracks. As a avid Beatles music listener I will listen to the differences explained. This gives a fresh listen to Beatle tracks I so much enjoy.
Andrew, you did a great job inserting the cartoon leadin to the/your commercial. I looked forward to Saturday morning when the cartoons first aired. I wasn't fooled by the voices and that didn't detract from the enjoyment. As Macca said, "...it's the bloody Beatles...".
I've never heard a remastered version of any album that didn't sound exactly like everything before it. Bands should start remixing albums. Queen are about to release a completely remixed version of their first album and from what I have heard from the preview it is going to sound spectacular!
Thanks for the follow-up video on this set, always great to have your background info in a nice, concise manner. Still on the fence for the box, but I may pull the trigger thanks to Amazon’s pre-order price here in Canada.
Always interesting Andrew. So much detail here concerning real mono, fake mono etc. I think so far in this time of anniversary collections, remixed/remastered music, my favorite mono release has been The Who Sell Out. This was released in a super duper deluxe collection. In this mono remaster of the album, the sound is powerful and exciting. It literally rocks!
It's a fascinating story of how The Beatles albums were remixed for the US Market and how Capitol shamelessly exploited the Band's popularity with what seemed like an endless stream of albums consisting of already released material. I have however pre ordered my copies of Meet The Beatles and Beatles '65. Over the last few days I have been playing my CD box set of these albums from 2004 and I have to say that the CD mix of The Beatles Second Album dosen't sound too bad at all, playing it as I am through a new generation of stereo and speakers from the system I had 20 years ago. But these "new" mono mixes are going to be an interesting listen, and how they sound hinges on whether or not I go on and buy anymore of these newly released albums. I do hope that they carry on with these releases as I would like to get a copy of Yesterday and Today, preferably with the original "Butcher Cover", and I've never owned a copy of the US Rubber Soul album on vinyl.
Imagine that! A for profit corporation shamelessly exploiting a popular artist to make money. Unheard of. I thought Capitol was involved purely for altruistic reasons.
@@markmigliore333There Is a difference between smart business men and ignorant greedy salesmen with no respect for artists Remember Ted Turner colorizing Classic flicks and saying "Last time I checked they belonged to me". But any display of good taste gets the same reaction in the US: "If you're so smart how come you ain't rich?"
I think Dave wanted to make the mixes for the audience in the USA and did what he thought was right. Having bought Beatles 65 and then a German copy of Beatles for Sale, I was amazed at how different the two mixes were. This was very through and might pick this up when released.
If I had to choose just one of these Capitol Mono albums, then it would have to be The Beatles' Second Album. This very album features a fine selection of Beatles originals combined with excellent cover tunes, making this one a real Rock and Roll album!
Great Review of the US albums Andrew. Captiol made the mixes very unique same with the UK mixes. I like both. I even have the German pressing of Something New and Beatles 65. Both albums to sound like the George Martin mixes. great video Andrew look forward to the next one!! Have a great day!
Of course I'll buy it...if someone offered me absolute mint condition mono copies of The Beatles first 7 Capitol albums for 230 quid I'd bite their hand off. A box as well it's a no brainer.
The right channel of every Duophonic version is another tape generation down from the left channel, of course. Tape delay. So if the Duophonic tape is third-generation, the right channel is technically fourth generation.
Good point! That never crossed my mind but makes sense. What a mess those duophonic mixes are. That’s why I’m glad that the mono versions of the US albums are being released and not the “stereo”
Funny thing. The Mexican version of A Hard Day's Night (named 'Yea Yea Yea' here) bears the same front cover design as the 'Something New' album, but the track listing is more like the UK album with some exceptions.
Awesome job Andrew! I think that scrapping “The Early Beatles” and “The Beatles Story” … and including a new version of “Introducing The Beatles” with adding “From Me To You”, “There’s A Place” and “Misery” would have made much more sense. It never fails to amaze me that companies like Apple Records would not get a feeler out there to see what “fans” would actually like in a box set or other type of rerelease. Oh well. I already own all the Capitol CDs from the previous two box sets and I have most of the US albums so I won’t be getting this. Plus … The box set price is crazy … just to get The Beatle’s Story” which totally sucks in my opinion.
Andrew, thanks for this wealth of information clarifying the sources for the various tracks on these early Beatles records! Just an additional note to your comment on the single tracked Paul on And I Love Her, John’s vocal on the intro to If I Fell is also single tracked and sounds marvelous. I prefer it to the common double track intro. When I Get Home also features a slightly louder piano in the middle eight (bridge) at about 1:20 into the song. It’s a very bluesy piano sound lacking in all other mixes. I already own original mono and stereo copies of all the US vinyl releases, but will be happy to buy these new mono releases. I’ll be getting the individual albums, unless the box set comes down dramatically. The Beatles Story is pretty lame… not worth spending the extra bucks for. If it was a “bonus disc” included for free when buying all the other discs then yes, I’ll take it! But for $120 extra Apple can keep it.
It's hard to imagine an artists album being changed like that. To spend time arranging the order of your songs and make it sound the way you want only to have some record executive say "F you! I can make it better!". And to make up completely different albums on top of it. It boggles my mind.
Greedy people are arrogant. Butchering 3 albums they released a 4th one of flip sides songs belonging to earlier projects and assortend BS. I'm sure they thought "These limeys will be forgotten pretty soon, let's milk'em dry before dumb Kids tire of this crap"
I suppose it was only a matter of time before the sins of Capitol past would return to haunt us. But as creatures of habit, we do become enamored to a certain playing order; I admit it took me a long time to thoroughly ingratiate myself to the song line-ups of the UK pressings, but the sound improvement was worth it. And to their credit, Capitol did have the good economic sense to include many of the hit singles on the albums as well. A millennial I know who grew up on his parents' compact discs was recently shocked when he heard a U.S. pressing of Rubber Soul open side one with I've Just Seen A Face. He couldn't imagine side one opening with anything other than Drive My Car. While I sympathized with his view, I also remembered my own initial opposite struggle with adapting to the UK version. So it's all relative. But at the end of the day, enjoyment of the music is all that really matters....
A nice lot of detail as usual Andrew. As these albums have no memories for me I won't be buying them particularly as i have the Capitol 1 and 2 CD sets. I hope anyone that buys the vinyl are pleased with the pressings.
Hi Andrew a great video thank you 👍🏼 I found it very interesting the differences between mixing and mastering! May be this would make a great video in itself! I will put the boxset on my Christmas list!
I worked at a radio station in the late '80s and early '90s, and the chief engineer used heavy compression and EQ on the audio before it went to the transmitter. His ultimate goal was to ensure it sounded loud and punchy on a clock radio or car stereo, since research showed that's where most people listened to radio, not on a high end audio system. So his reference player was an old clock radio. If it sounded good on that, then everything was golden. Occasionally, the compression did a number on certain records that came through out-of-phase, like Madonna's Express Yourself, where the lead vocals pretty much disappeared when played through this chain of audio alterations. They had to make a mono version of the song to play on-air, so this wouldn't happen.
Another possible explanation as for why Dave Dexter made the U.S. mixes so vastly different may have to do with equalization curves being used on both sides of the Atlantic. In the U.K., their tape machines would have been calibrated for the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) EQ curve, while the North America used the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) curve. It's possible that when the tapes were sent over from the U.K., this difference wasn't accounted for, and required Dexter to "fix" the mixes using outboard EQ, compression and reverb. Great video, Andrew! I actually didn't realize just how many of the U.S. mono mixes are fold-downs!
Apart from technical issues,
how about admitting that the
changes were based on greed,
arrogance, ignorance, lack of
respect for the artists and US
omnipotence fixation?
All my American Friends were
aware of this.
I seriously doubt Dave Dexter had any knowledge of the IEC or the NAB, or any differences therein. And if he did, I doubt he gave it a second's thought. Certainly I have never heard of these considerations, but if they are true, then we would have to look at Dave Dexter in a whole new light. But the simplest answer is usually the correct one, and Dave Dexter probably only ever had one thing in mind: marketing. And we also have to consider the myriad of bands in the British invasion, along with the record labels issuing their music, giving any thought to all things IEC or NAB? I don't see it, but if someone could offer up proof, I would be more than glad to admit I was wrong.
I highly doubt this as a reasonable explanation for why Dave Dexter did what he did. As noted in the video, Dexter apparently was trying to make the Capitol stereo releases sound more like what other US singles and LPs sounded like, although Capitol didn't even release a US Beatles single in stereo until 1969, and that under the Beatles' Apple Records, Ltd. label. Too bad Dexter didn't leave well enough alone and release what EMI sent him each time (George Martin's mixes). Regardless, I have always collected the US releases from Capitol, VeeJay, MGM, Atco, Tollie, and Swan so that is what I like, although the mono releases sounds much better due to not having Dexter's extra reverb and high freqs added (such as so much high-hat on "Meet The Beatles").
@@matthewsteger9540I think it’s a mixture of all considerations, although mostly mercenary.
Awesome in-depth analysis of the mixes used for the Capitol albums Andrew. Well done. I grew up with the US albums and although I prefer the UK versions, there is still a soft spot in my heart for these albums. I remember when I heard the UK version of She's a Woman for the first time in the early 80's and I was shocked. It felt so thin and clean and I really missed the reverb. Of course now, I prefer the UK version, but I guess you love what you were first introduced to.
Cheers! Glad you enjoyed it.
" ... but I guess you love what you were first introduced to." 👍
I think the reason why Introducing The Beatles was omitted is because they didn’t have the master tape for it while they did for The Early Beatles. If they did want to include it in this set, they would have needed to either request a new tape from Abbey Road, make a copy of a pristine copy of the vinyl, or use the 2009 remaster. They could have also tried to locate a cutting master tape that was sent to the various pressing plants but those tapes probably no longer exist and if they did, they would have been hard to track down.
I thought I knew a fair bit about Beatles recordings - but these videos are educational, entertaining and very interesting! Thank you, Andrew! They are presented in a very fair, balanced and unbiased way, as well as being high quality productions. Your extensive research is obvious and I look forward to looking at more!
Thank you! Glad you like them!
Anyone ever notice the extended ending to A Hard Days Night on the original US cassette release? "You Know I Feel Alright" is repeated one extra time.
I always enjoyed the original USA mixes. I love the duophonic , boosted bass and extra reverb too. Made it sound exciting. Its kitchy but I love it. You cant kill a Beatles song no matter what mix you listen to. The overall impact is in the song and performance anyway and the Beatles were fantastic and knocked us all out.
I've made my own playlist version of the Beatles Rock and Roll compilation (ditched The Night Before for Everybody's got something to hide... makes a great comp!) - and for a 'rock'n'roll' playlist the US reverb/folddown/compressed/louder mixes are perfect - overcooked works well in that context.
Thank you so much for quickly explaining the differences between mixing and mastering. Far, far, far too many people online confuse the two and say things like “I hate the 2009 remixes”. There were no 2009 remixes!
True. The same thing happens when people use 'counterfeit' and 'bootleg' interchangeably.
Andrew, also wanted to note that, like the single Paul vocal on the mono "And I Love Her" on A Hard Day's Night and Something New, John's vocal on the intro of "If I Fell" is also single-tracked on those albums, unlike every other mix of that song.
I was 10 when I got my first Beatles album ( Rubber Soul ). I highly doubt that anyone was concerned about the albums kids were buying in the millions , because it was only kids music. No one thought in 60 years we can still be selling these albums to these kids when they are as old as their grandparents are today lol
Another great video
I have all the original albums ( mono & stereo ) plus the Capital box sets with the US mixes & tons of bootlegs, so at this age (69) I'll just be watching your videos to hear what people think.
What would more interesting is that the kids that's listening to Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Post Malone, Billie Elish & other artists of today will accidently discover there's better music out there like The Beatles, The Stones, Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Motown, Beach Boys, Joni Mitchell, etc, etc. Then they noticed kids that grew up from the Fifties to The Nineties had better music to listen to.
@@blachubearboo
Love your cartoon lead in to the commercial!
Well whatever they did to The Beatles music back then, it sounded great to us even on AM radio here in the U.S. I can't wait to get this set.
Yes! It was the most exciting sound I've ever heard and will never be topped in my opinion.
@@kimclark5736
I can't imagine anything being able to top the debut to America of The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show and the aftermath. It was like someone flipped a switch and The British Invasion was on, lol.
It’s amazing all that was released in one year.
0:52 Finally, a picture of the great man himself!
There is another video on the channel that has images from Harry's leaving drinks at Abbey Road also :)
ua-cam.com/video/jBUfqEDvm48/v-deo.htmlsi=hE9XaYiiHk_ymEBb&t=1110
How about mixing the stereo USA albums using the Giles Martin mixes and adding Dave Dexters treatments? The original USA box set was a disappointment using British mixes and the American sequences.
My GOD those Beatles cartoons were god-awful - - which makes them a lot of fun to watch😅😅😅
So bad it’s good
What always bugged me was how the cartoons portrayed Ringo as a total idiot. I’ve often wondered how he felt about that. And I never knew that the primary voice actor was Paul Frees, who was the Peter Lorre voice on Spike Jones’ parody version of My Old Flame and dozens of characters in 50s and 60s cartoons. He was even onscreen in the original 50s version of War of the Worlds with Gene Barry.
My Capiphone project blows this all away with content.Andrew,I need to get in touch with Giles and crew,and Universal about it.Having trouble getting thru to people.Even East Iris Studios in Nashville,in charge of this project ,is tough to get thru to.
@@Le-fishe-au-choculat Right?
@@ronmartin4212 he looked at his bank balance and felt OK with it
You made a very good point here when you said that Dave Dexter Jr mastered the 1964 albums to match the sound of other American albums. A great analysis of the mixes and tracks chosen for the US albums, Andrew! I personally would love to see a re release of the American Rubber Soul album!
@@nicknikipediacaulkin5943 Or better, a “Rubber Soul” box set like the ones created for “Sgt. Pepper”, “The Beatles”, “Abbey Road”, “Let It Be”, and “Revolver”. 😎
LOVE your in-depth yet clearly-understood videos, Andrew. I'm a 60 year old American who does not remember a time when the Beatles were not a significant part of my life. Having said all that, at my age it's exhausting trying to keep track of all this information. Easiest solution for us old people? Just go with "everything 1st press", "everything UK" and "everything mono (where available) over stereo" when it comes to vinyl & CD. SORTED....!!! LOL 😄
I grew up with the USA albums. When CDs came out I bought all the Beatles albums available on CD but they were the UK versions. Took me a long while to get used to the different albums and track order. I'm way past that now. The UK versions are the only ones worth listening to. I also have the mono box set on CD now, that's what is real and all that matters.
I wish I'd bought the Mono boxed cd set in 2009.
I wasn't focused on music releases that year
Now looking at £55 for a "fake" new set (No idea if sound would be dlstinguishable from the genuine release which near mint are circa £200 from 100% rated 2nd hand dealers 🤔
I still kind of prefer the US rubber soul. Like the more folky vibe and the album starts better with “seen a face” than drive my car which to me sounds out of place. I don’t mind losing if I needed someone and nowhere man as much as I love that song. There’s a north missing too forget off hand.
Love the in-depth look at these US mixes! It’s so fascinating how the American audience got something really different in those years. I can’t imagine Dexter or anyone at Capitol imagined people would be studying their every move for some pop band 60 years later.
I love hearing about this stuff. The Harry Moss cut of dark side of the moon sounds fantastic
I LOVE this channel.
Having said that, after watching this rather informative video, I get the feeling that unless you are one of the FEW people lucky enough to have bought the original Parlophone mono albums when they were released in the UK, you are absolutely SOL... and will never be able to hear what the Beatles and George Martin intended you to hear...
Having been used to the Capitol (Canada) releases I was very disappointed when I heard the UK versions of I Feel Fine and She's a Woman when they were released on CD in 1987. They sounded dead. I modified them to add some reverb and get closer to what I was used to. The release of the Capitol Albums on CD in 2004 solved it for me.
All my albums were from Canada too. Twist and Shout was a great album. Once the US got the rights in 64 I think Canadas albums were all the same as the US. Pretty sure that the Long Tall Sally album was from the English mixes as it sounds flat compared to The Beatles Second Album from my memory.
@@es330 I'd choose Twist and Shout over Introducing The Beatles or the Early Beatles any day.
According to a Dutch friend of mine, the EMI plant in Holland couldn’t keep up with demand for Beatles For Sale when it was released, so the record shops in Amsterdam took to importing Beatles ‘65 from West Germany to fill the gap. Copies can be frequently found in secondhand record shops there.
I actually really like the Capitol mono mixes. They may not be the definitive way to listen to the songs, but there is a certain charm about them, and they do offer a window into how Americans heard The Beatles. Great channel.
Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it.
That's quite interesting, I did not know that the German Beatles '65 had alternate G Martin mixes!
Yes! This is the kind of information that I truly obsess over, haha. And the way you presented the terminology and historical context is masterful! I'm an elementary school teacher, and I see all the care and decisions you put in to your videos. Wanted to say bravo and a big thank you!
Thank you so much!
5:43 - So, this box set is a mixture of various mixes...
Again, very detailed, informative and useful video!
Glad it was helpful!
@@Parlogram It was, and it made me more certain that I'll get only AHDN soundtrack from this set. Don't have desire (and financial resources) for the rest. I pick only the best. :-)
I own all the capitol releases and of course all the UK versions. As were talking about music released over 60 years ago, that sure says something about the music.Yes, I love that capitol
reverb, growing up with it.
I'm still pretty excited about this release, especially that they're being released as single albums too.
The high of this box set is "Thank You Girl". The low of this box set is the flip side, "From Me To You"...because it is missing! Between fold-downs and fake stereo, my head is spinning! Another first-class job, Andrew!
I agree, I wish "Introducing The Beatles" had been included. I grew up listening to that one and like many of the other US albums (stereo included) they contain the mixes that take me back to my youth. I was so pleased when the US albums box set CDs were released. It was like hearing from an old friend again. I prefer to listen to the overloaded with reverb sound of I Feel Fine and She's A Woman from Beatles 65 vs. the dry UK mixes... sometimes. Nice job getting all that mix information out. Some day maybe we'll get releases with all the various mixes... they can be very different like Thank You Girl and I'll Cry Instead as you pointed out. I love that extra harmonica on Thank You Girl. Oh and yes, would love to get that proposed Hollywood Bowl LP from 1964 as an official release.
Appreciate all the hard work that goes into these videos. The history & personal anecdotes you provide are really eye-opening for younger fans
Thank you kindly.
I saw a video by Kevin Reeves, the cutting engineer for the new set, and he seemed to imply that the new set, whilst being guided by the original releases, will not have the same compression as the originals as modern equipment doesn't need that, and he said that lots of the original instrumentation that wasn't audible on the 1964 releases is now clear. We shall have to wait and see.
That's encouraging news! Thanks for letting us know.
Excellent presentation, well done and well restart!
Thank you kindly!
“researched” not “restart”. Autocorrect strikes again!
Great information, Andrew. Thank you for my weekly Beatles history lesson.
My pleasure!
Andrew, I'm always watching every Sunday while having something to eat and you are relaxing my friend, once again thank you for the content, the music and the way you produce your videos, cheers from Buenos Aires, Argentina
Glad you enjoy them! Thanks for watching.
Nice clip of the swinging blue jeans at the beginning!
I so look forward to every new video. Always so well done. Thanks.
Glad you like them!
In the US, buying the six albums individually costs $180. The boxset with the documentary records is an additional $120. I find that ludicrous but I still ended up preordering the box because i had $50 worth of credit that was due to expire at Best Buy. I can live with the boxset at $250 but i would have definitely preferred something other than The Beatles Story as the bonus. That Hollywood Bowl performance you mentioned would have been a killer choice for a US compilation box like this. A book would have been nice as well.
I know times are changing but just 7 years ago, I purchased the 2012 Stereo Vinyl Box including every UK album for just $200. Fast forward 7 years and we're paying 50% more for less than half the amount of albums (or exactly half the amount if you consider The Beatles Story an "album"). I'm actually not against having the US mixes because I am the kind of listener who enjoys pouring over various versions and their differences. But they certainly could have given us a better value for our money. Why limit the box to just 1964? Why not provide a more comprehensive US box with releases going at least to Yesterday and Today?
I know I'm part of the problem since I support this release with my purchase but part of me hopes it doesn't do well so maybe future releases will require more effort. I'm still proud of myself for not buying the 2023 Red & Blue compilations. I actually went out and bought the AAA 2014 releases instead. It may seem trivial but what really got me to skip the 2023 releases was the fact that they crammed 3LP's into a standard gatefold. Just lazy. That and the track order didn't make sense to me.
Here's hoping they step up their efforts moving forward.
in other countries it's worse in terms of what you have to pay as for example, in the UK the prices of the individual albums is $42 American dollars (which would be roughly 32 pounds in the UK) while on the US website the individual albums are listed at only $30 American dollars which if this was consistent wouldn't be a problem but the box set still cost $300 American dollars on the UK website (which is roughly 225 pounds) while the American listing is ALSO $300 American dollars. It just baffles me why there are price changes for the individual albums while the box set is the same price and don't get me started on how much the box set costs in Japan which costs 52,800 yen ($367 American dollars) which is ridiculous in how much of a price jump that is.
Funny, I just recently found a VG+ copy of The Beatles' Story for $2 Canadian. I'm a bit lucky to be able to dig out a lot in the wild here, though.
I get it, some things are "must-have's".
Wow, you certainly do your homework, Andrew! I'm buying this set for the memories. Those few days before Christmas waiting for "Beatles '65" is just one of so many of those memories.
I received it as a Christmas present, too - in mono. Stereo was $1 more, back then.
@@total.stranger Yup. $3.98 and $4.98. I remember it well.
Andrew this is an absolutely invaluable post. Great information and easy to understand.
Something we can all go back to over time to answer questions and issues.
Outstanding. See you next time.
Glad it was helpful!
Brian Wilson wanted the Beach Boys' records to sound good on car radios, so he reportedly would play the final mix on a small mono speaker; which may be one of the reasons those songs are still played a lot on radio today.
Funny you should mention that story, because Paul McCartney was also concerned about the final mix of Get Back in 1969. Paul wondered about how the song would sound on a cheap record player. One of the engineers at Abbey Road had brought in a cheap record player to have repaired. Once fixed, Paul was able to hear the mix of Get Back on this record player. The engineer couldn't believe that a Beatles song was decided at the hands of a cheap record player.
Well you didn't discuss The Beatles Story, which has me scratching my head about its inclusion. You would have thought that Beatles VI would have been included instead. But they are probably holding it back for a second box set. Having been a fan since 1964, and collecting Beatles' records from around the world, I'LL BE PASSING ON THIS COLLECTION.
Beatles VI is from 1965 so it isn’t eligible for this set.
Stellar work, Andrew! As long as we're in 1964 land, to paraphrase John Lennon, "I can listen to you for hours" when you do videos like this. The different mix miniature of the US albums are one of my biggest joys of the Beatles catalog, as well as why I am really looking forward to this release. For me, my biggest questions are 1) why couldn't they get the license for the Introducing The Beatles artwork to keep it a true 1964 box and B) what happens if the demand is not what is expected and we, the collectors, are left hanging yet again without parts of the US catalog not being re-released. I guess time will tell..........
Cheers Pete.
I agree. I would definitely have bought "Introducing the Beatles" but have little interest in "The Early Beatles".
Andrew, you continue to amaze us. I did not know that radio stations may apply their own reverb and/ or compression.
Keep up the exemplary work
Thanks, will do!
7:40 With all due respect, andrew, thank you, girl on both the mono and the stereo releases of the second album is the true stereo mix folded down, but thanks to dexterhead, he put in reverb. Later that mix was used on a German criticiz lp. I believe called beat beetles, but unfortunately they use the echo from the american version. For years, the only way we get a clean version of thank you. Girl in stereo was through a bootleg. But thanks to past masters, it came decades later
I "grew up" with the UK albums and only recently bought "The U.S. Albums" from Apple Music. From all the knowledge you've imparted to me over the years about various mixing and mastering strategies, BOTH these interpretations of The Beatles catalogue are intriguing.
In my youth, I would have "taken a stand" and placed one over the other. To be honest...I like my UK releases a tad more, but the USA mixes both add to and subtract from what I'm used to.
Now I know WHERE the reverb came from when I listened to Beatles releases on American radio in the '60s, and WHY it's "missing" from my '80s UK pressings.
Mahalo for all the great history lessons! Aloha!
The UK releases were how the original work was intended to be heard. Capitol had no acceptable excuse to alter it.
@@BaccarWozat Indeed...I would have wholeheartedly agreed back in the 1960-1980s.
When I compared the 1980s CD with my UK LP pressings, I was taken aback! And...again...when I finally listened to "The U.S. Albums" with Apple Music's paid downloads, I was even MORE surprised by the difference.
Both approaches are very interesting to this OAP now, though. They take me back to different decades of my life.
The U.S. albums sound like what I heard in my Dad's car when we moved to the U.S.. They're all lo-fi and jangle-y sounding. Almost like listening to The Beach Boys.
My UK LPs take me back to the UK and sitting quietly in my halls of residence picking out every detail and nuance.
So? I like them both for different reasons.
Having lived around the globe now, I've seen and heard different renditions from the same artists arranged and mixed differently for different countries.
I've learned to value them all, and I feel grateful and privileged to be able to listen to the various versions.
It all worked out in the end for me.
Understand mastering was absolutely in its infancy at this stage. It really didn’t even exist. When the master left the control the person running the lathe was supposed to print it just as it is. But they wouldn’t. They would add eq and compression sometimes. Sometimes the producer/artist liked it and sometimes not. But all did see the potential in tweaking the master (mixes) if done right. Mastermind was born at this point. Mid. Late 60s. There wasn’t even mastering suites just speakers in the lathe room. So what I mean is, there WAS room to improve the idea back then. From what I remember dexter got at least album right in regards to mastering. I forget which one but Andrew said one of the earlier ones sounded better than the UK ones. If memory serves correctly
@@mumbles215 Fascinating!
I believe the FIRST thing I heard about mastering was that recordings made even in the 1930s and '40s couldn't use all the bandwidth the wire recorders of the day could handle, because the shellac 78s would skip.
Back in the 1950s and '60s, compression was needed to prevent skipping 45s and LPs.
I wish I could have heard some of the reel-to-reel recordings made in those days. It's said less compression was needed on reel-to-reel recordings.
Sadly, I owned a Pioneer RT-909 for only a couple of years in the 1980s...but I never found any pre-recorded tapes for it. I was disappointed, for as a device to record LPs and such...it was no great shakes in that department. Ah, well...CDs came out shortly before I let my machine go...
Nice summing up! As for Y&T, they should release it with a big peelable "Suitcase" sticker and a "Butcher" cover underneath. :)
Thanks Andrew, enjoyed your explanation and mono counts of all the different Mono variations on the upcoming Beatles Box Set. Very well done as always.
Glad it was helpful!
Andrew!!! The best!! Great job!!👏🥳🕊️
I always enjoyed the four George Martin orchestral tracks on the HDN album.
Many thanks for the insight on the breakdowns...AND...........The Swinging Blue Jeans was more than a bit of alright!!!!!
I'm happy to stay with the two CD sets of Capitol albums for these mono mixes. I think the best way to hear The Beatles in Mono is with the British mixes. I have mono editions of Yesterday & Today, and A Hard Days Night on vinyl LPs. To those, I would add a US pressing of Revolver to have everything up to Sgt. Pepper in mono. I doubt there are specific differences for Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour between the US and UK mono mixes.
I prefer Paul's single track vocal on the mono And I Love Her. It was also a single track intro vocal by John on the mono If I Fell, that I preferred. I remember having the A Hard Day's Night album on the original United Artist label and if I'm not mistaken, I believe the Beatles songs were in mono but George Martin's instrumental music was in stereo. I bought The Early Beatles back then, but then I needed to buy Introducing the Beatles for the two missing songs. I actually had two different versions of Introducing the Beatles, one featuring Love Me Do and PS I love You, and the other one featuring Please Please Me and Ask Me Why. But those two song titles were mislabeled on the album. Speaking of mislabeling the song Tell Me Why was labeled as tell me "who" on the A Hard Day's Night album. There were a lot of mistakes back in the day. As always, great upload!
They already released a better version of this box set back in 2014, it's called "The US Albums". It had both Mono and Stereo mixes, and It used the dedicated UK mono mixes for all songs (except for a few with unique dedicated US Mono Mixes), and it had all of the Capitol albums instead of just seven.
The 2014 US CD sets are definitely the way to go - this overpriced set is purely for the vinyl fetishists. I like 12" sleeves as much as anyone....but not for hundreds of dollars extra!
wasn't those with the 2009 remasters?
With all the detail you provided on the mixes, what stood out for me was how you first referred to the "Please Please ME" album, and then followed it up with a "Please PLEASE Me" shortly after. When I was growing up in the 60s, long before I actually HEARD the song, I thought it was the former, with emphasis on the ME. When I finally heard the song, I had to correct it in my head to emphasize the second PLEASE. Sorry for the tangent, but as I'm not interested in buying more vinyl, the rest was enjoyable to hear, but not consequential to buying decisions. Thanks for the video!
Love that single tracked ' And I Love Her' and the extra harmonica on 'Thank You Girl'. But 'She's A Woman' (in a cave) is ridiculous!!!
Very odd that Capitol chose to include "The Early Beatles" in a 1964 set when they have a good number of their own 1965-issued US LPs to create a 1965 Capitol mono box set including "The Early Beatles", "Beatle IV", the US version of "Help!", and "Rubber Soul". each of these being different than the UK Parlophone LPs (and their mixes). They should have done separate 1964 and 1965 mono box sets. Many so-called Beatles fans that I know aren't even aware of the various US-only LPs and think that only the UK LPs exist. Too bad that Capitol missed a big opportunity here.
Great analysis of the mixing and mastering process and, overall, of the new box set, Andrew!
It’s interesting that Capitol didn’t have the foresight to ask EMI for true stereo and mono mixes and just do their own thing but I am sure they felt they could do better and create something more suitable for the US market. I don’t have a problem with any of these records and they are all great listening experiences. Thanks for doing a deep dive into the mixes Andrew…..very informative and entertaining! Thanks
Thanks Bill. Glad you enjoyed it.
Capitol didn’t see the need to put that much effort in something that everyone (including the Beatles) thought would only a passing fad that would be gone and forgotten within a year or two.
“A HARD DAY’S NIGHT” was filmed in black and white only to cut costs and the intent of the movie was to generate new interest on the diminishing record sales of passing fad
Hi Andrew your very informative video has helped me come to a decision I am now happy with. I won't buy the box but select couple of the individual releases so I thank you very much. All the best Ross
Glad to be of help, Ross!
When I started collecting Beatles albums, I always spent the extra money for the uk parlophone or German Odeon imports that were in STEREO. When the cd catalog was released on parlophone, I passed on the first four because of the mono designation. I know the early recordings were two track voices/instruments , but I actually enjoyed those.
Always a pleasure watching and learning new info from your videos.
I am kind of disappointed for this Beatles release like that from last year. I was looking forward to a new Stereo Remix of Rubber Soul CD boxset like the Revolver 2022 release using Peter Jackson's sound tech. I guess I will have to wait again another year or so. I just hope they will re-release a remastered Anthology 1/2/3 sometime soon. Possibly a release of an Anthology 4.
Grew up 70s with these US albums, however Tower Records in Hollywood had the UK imports, which was half the fun of listening to these now historic albums.
Andrew, this is all very interesting to me. Being Australian, we followed the UK line (with quite a few extra singles plus 2 greatest hits albums in the mid 60s). Great info!!
I remember when "Hey Jude" single was released a lot were returned due to jumping and were quickly replaced.
Loved this video and really appreciated the breakdown of what mixes are included on each album. I have the Bruce Spizer book on the Capitol albums in America. Highly recommended to anybody who wants to delve deeper. Good job, Andrew.
Thanks for giving us the details.... that's why Im here. And, I appreciate your enthusiasm.
Thanks!
My pleasure!
Thanks for the info on the mixes Andrew
Great video, as always, Andrew. Although I grew up with these records, I have no desire to revisit them. Got my UK albums in 1970, and that's all I listen to. There is nothing at all to recommend the Capitol "arbitrary selection of songs records". BTW, the Capitol vinyl was always extremely noisy.
Thank you for the in depth information on the break down of the mono tracks. As a avid Beatles music listener I will listen to the differences explained. This gives a fresh listen to Beatle tracks I so much enjoy.
Glad it was helpful!
excellent video. so much info that sends me back to my LPs to listen. can't wait for the box and your detailed review.
I have a couple of HTM pressings and they’re wonderful
I say it to everyone I know “Andrew is the best in the game!” Thanks again!
Andrew, you did a great job inserting the cartoon leadin to the/your commercial. I looked forward to Saturday morning when the cartoons first aired. I wasn't fooled by the voices and that didn't detract from the enjoyment. As Macca said, "...it's the bloody Beatles...".
Glad you liked that.
Another great video, Andrew.
Glad you enjoyed it, Gabriel!
Great video Andrew. Now we all know what we are getting on the box . Can’t wait
I've never heard a remastered version of any album that didn't sound exactly like everything before it. Bands should start remixing albums. Queen are about to release a completely remixed version of their first album and from what I have heard from the preview it is going to sound spectacular!
Great video and helps make this Box Set more attractive to purchace.
Thanks for the follow-up video on this set, always great to have your background info in a nice, concise manner. Still on the fence for the box, but I may pull the trigger thanks to Amazon’s pre-order price here in Canada.
Always interesting Andrew. So much detail here concerning real mono, fake mono etc. I think so far in this time of anniversary collections, remixed/remastered music, my favorite mono release has been The Who Sell Out. This was released in a super duper deluxe collection. In this mono remaster of the album, the sound is powerful and exciting. It literally rocks!
It's a fascinating story of how The Beatles albums were remixed for the US Market and how Capitol shamelessly exploited the Band's popularity with what seemed like an endless stream of albums consisting of already released material. I have however pre ordered my copies of Meet The Beatles and Beatles '65. Over the last few days I have been playing my CD box set of these albums from 2004 and I have to say that the CD mix of The Beatles Second Album dosen't sound too bad at all, playing it as I am through a new generation of stereo and speakers from the system I had 20 years ago. But these "new" mono mixes are going to be an interesting listen, and how they sound hinges on whether or not I go on and buy anymore of these newly released albums. I do hope that they carry on with these releases as I would like to get a copy of Yesterday and Today, preferably with the original "Butcher Cover", and I've never owned a copy of the US Rubber Soul album on vinyl.
Imagine that! A for profit corporation shamelessly exploiting a popular artist to make money. Unheard of. I thought Capitol was involved purely for altruistic reasons.
@@markmigliore333There Is
a difference between smart
business men and ignorant
greedy salesmen with no
respect for artists Remember
Ted Turner colorizing Classic
flicks and saying "Last time
I checked they belonged to me". But any display of good
taste gets the same reaction
in the US: "If you're so smart
how come you ain't rich?"
Many thanks Andrew!
I think Dave wanted to make the mixes for the audience in the USA and did what he thought was right. Having bought Beatles 65 and then a German copy of Beatles for Sale, I was amazed at how different the two mixes were. This was very through and might pick this up when released.
If I had to choose just one of these Capitol Mono albums, then it would have to be The Beatles' Second Album. This very album features a fine selection of Beatles originals combined with excellent cover tunes, making this one a real Rock and Roll album!
Great Review of the US albums Andrew. Captiol made the mixes very unique same with the UK mixes. I like both. I even have the German pressing of Something New and Beatles 65. Both albums to sound like the George Martin mixes. great video Andrew look forward to the next one!! Have a great day!
There's a good video of Norman Smith where he talks about wanting to get the sound of a live performance for the early albums.
Of course I'll buy it...if someone offered me absolute mint condition mono copies of The Beatles first 7 Capitol albums for 230 quid I'd bite their hand off. A box as well it's a no brainer.
The right channel of every Duophonic version is another tape generation down from the left channel, of course. Tape delay. So if the Duophonic tape is third-generation, the right channel is technically fourth generation.
Good point! That never crossed my mind but makes sense. What a mess those duophonic mixes are. That’s why I’m glad that the mono versions of the US albums are being released and not the “stereo”
“You Can’t Do That” on “The Beatles Second Album” and “I’ll Be Back” on “Beatles ‘65”feature unique U.S. mono mixes.
Funny thing. The Mexican version of A Hard Day's Night (named 'Yea Yea Yea' here) bears the same front cover design as the 'Something New' album, but the track listing is more like the UK album with some exceptions.
Awesome job Andrew! I think that scrapping “The Early Beatles” and “The Beatles Story” … and including a new version of “Introducing The Beatles” with adding “From Me To You”, “There’s A Place” and “Misery” would have made much more sense. It never fails to amaze me that companies like Apple Records would not get a feeler out there to see what “fans” would actually like in a box set or other type of rerelease. Oh well. I already own all the Capitol CDs from the previous two box sets and I have most of the US albums so I won’t be getting this. Plus … The box set price is crazy … just to get The Beatle’s Story” which totally sucks in my opinion.
Andrew, thanks for this wealth of information clarifying the sources for the various tracks on these early Beatles records! Just an additional note to your comment on the single tracked Paul on And I Love Her, John’s vocal on the intro to If I Fell is also single tracked and sounds marvelous. I prefer it to the common double track intro. When I Get Home also features a slightly louder piano in the middle eight (bridge) at about 1:20 into the song. It’s a very bluesy piano sound lacking in all other mixes. I already own original mono and stereo copies of all the US vinyl releases, but will be happy to buy these new mono releases. I’ll be getting the individual albums, unless the box set comes down dramatically. The Beatles Story is pretty lame… not worth spending the extra bucks for. If it was a “bonus disc” included for free when buying all the other discs then yes, I’ll take it! But for $120 extra Apple can keep it.
...besides, you can find a copy of The Beatles' Story rather cheap
Stellar video as always. Thank you!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
It's hard to imagine an artists album being changed like that. To spend time arranging the order of your songs and make it sound the way you want only to have some record executive say "F you! I can make it better!". And to make up completely different albums on top of it. It boggles my mind.
Greedy people are arrogant.
Butchering 3 albums they
released a 4th one of flip sides
songs belonging to earlier
projects and assortend BS.
I'm sure they thought "These
limeys will be forgotten pretty
soon, let's milk'em dry before
dumb Kids tire of this crap"
I suppose it was only a matter of time before the sins of Capitol past would return to haunt us. But as creatures of habit, we do become enamored to a certain playing order; I admit it took me a long time to thoroughly ingratiate myself to the song line-ups of the UK pressings, but the sound improvement was worth it. And to their credit, Capitol did have the good economic sense to include many of the hit singles on the albums as well. A millennial I know who grew up on his parents' compact discs was recently shocked when he heard a U.S. pressing of Rubber Soul open side one with I've Just Seen A Face. He couldn't imagine side one opening with anything other than Drive My Car. While I sympathized with his view, I also remembered my own initial opposite struggle with adapting to the UK version. So it's all relative. But at the end of the day, enjoyment of the music is all that really matters....
Thank you for answering my question. Very informative video (once again).
Happy to help!
A nice lot of detail as usual Andrew. As these albums have no memories for me I won't be buying them particularly as i have the Capitol 1 and 2 CD sets. I hope anyone that buys the vinyl are pleased with the pressings.
Hi Andrew a great video thank you 👍🏼
I found it very interesting the differences between mixing and mastering! May be this would make a great video in itself! I will put the boxset on my Christmas list!
Glad it was helpful!
Amazing job you did with this Video. Thank you, boy!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks, Andrew! You’re keeping us informed and entertained, once again!