The Beatles on TAPE: The Story of The EMI Cassettes 1967-1987

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  • Опубліковано 3 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 286

  • @tomscotland
    @tomscotland 4 роки тому +29

    As much of a music fan and record collector I am, I really enjoy the nostalgic element to your videos, which are crafted with obvious care I must say.

  • @dwcinnc
    @dwcinnc 3 роки тому +16

    As long as you are in a world where CDs do not exist, nothing beats the sound of vinyl.

    • @shawnfranklin9581
      @shawnfranklin9581 10 місяців тому +8

      I will be pro cd til the day I gone and buried!

    • @Keither754
      @Keither754 8 місяців тому +3

      Hey, vinyl still even sounds better than *some* CDs 😂

  • @whatspadethinks
    @whatspadethinks 3 роки тому +7

    9:17 The look of a collector staring into the abyss of the unattainable...I feel your pain my brother.
    One of the best historical music retrospective channels on the platform. Great job...and cheer up.

    • @Parlogram
      @Parlogram  3 роки тому +3

      Thanks. I'm more cheerful these days ;)

  • @wanderer1955
    @wanderer1955 4 роки тому +70

    It was the BBC screening of the Beatles movies that enabled me to record Let It Be on Betamax. I recorded all the other Beatles films that year too. I still have Let It Be on now transferred to VHS, but all the other Beatles movies have since been released on DVD. When they released Help! ( Restored version) we had a release party at the Old City Barge pub in Richmond where scenes for Help! Were filmed. We invited actor Victor Spinetti along to the party. Victor Spinetti appeared in almost all the Beatles movies. We were completely astonished when he actually turned up😨😨😱 He was great telling us stories of him and the Beatles.

    • @binghamguevara6814
      @binghamguevara6814 4 роки тому +1

      your story sounds too good to be true. Nice story though.

    • @wanderer1955
      @wanderer1955 4 роки тому +3

      @@binghamguevara6814 And a true 1, 2.😀👍

    • @jessierussell8011
      @jessierussell8011 4 роки тому

      That must’ve been great.
      I would’ve loved to of gotten the remastered yellow submarine 1999 on video and two disc DVD set I’m hoping that they will release it.
      I would also love to get the Beatles a hard days night the first remastered version and also the remastered version of help from 2005 I believe.

    • @frommetoyou5305
      @frommetoyou5305 3 роки тому +2

      I Think Cassettes Are Worse Than Vinyl And CD

    • @adamlane6453
      @adamlane6453 3 роки тому +4

      @@frommetoyou5305 Where Did You Learn That It Was Normal Or Acceptable To Capitalize Every Word In A Sentence And Why Haven't You Figured Out That It's Obviously Incorrect? Have You Not Noticed That Nobody Else Does This?

  • @markkopernicky3489
    @markkopernicky3489 4 роки тому +35

    Another excellent video. I'm actually a cassette collector as well. I actually like the sound of cassettes...but keep in mind at of the quality comes from your cassette player and how well you maintain it...cleaning the heads and making sure all the moving parts are properly lubricated.
    The interesting thing about cassette is that really. ..it is what vinyl lovers are searching for..the search for something that sounds as good as the master tapes..now I'm not saying it's as good. ..but really cassette does what analog tape does...it dulls top end a bit...it handles bass very well and adds compression. ..as tape normally does.
    Now again. ..another factor is mastering. ..being an engineer who does mixing and mastering. ..I always approach a cassette release much different then mastering for CD or vinyl for that matter...when this is done...the results are fantastic.
    I have a few Maxell chrome cassettes in which I made my own copies of albums that sound fantastic and for a long time were my go to versions.
    Just some food for thought.
    Looking forward to your next episode.
    Mark Anthony K
    Projekt Gemineye

    • @Parlogram
      @Parlogram  4 роки тому

      Thanks for watching, Mark.

    • @tutenvanman2715
      @tutenvanman2715 4 роки тому

      I only have about 1000 because I picked them up mainly to play in the car, so don't call myself a collector. Worse cassette In the land of pink and grey by Caravan ..why cause one side is about 7 minutes longer than the other. Plus in the late seventies/early eighties bootlegs were mainly cassettes if you wanted something modern. I ordered the Church live cassettes once and when they never arrived was a bit angry but checking I had ordered shows yet to be performed. They eventually arrived and was not disappointed. Modern artists started off on cassette too like Porcupine tree/Steve Wilson. Those American slip in ones were a bit naff. There were some side entry ones too. Weird. There was even a cassette magazine not a mag about cassettes but one made on cassettes. Sometimes singles came with a free cassette of the same songs.

    • @Parlogram
      @Parlogram  4 роки тому

      @@tutenvanman2715 The cassette magazine was called 'SFX'.

    • @KasiusKlej
      @KasiusKlej 4 роки тому +1

      I switched to digital format decades ago, but I remember all the difference the tape made, be it played on any of my eighties radios or our car, the difference between a thing recorded best on TDK, BASF or Sony cassette from a LP, and an official release replicated of who knows what generation from Yugoton company. I remember Abbey road EMI original tape. That sounded good on Grundig machine. The kid had to puncture the speakers with a toothpick to improve the overall sound of course. Never had to use Dolby system with the Beatles and that's about all I rememebr and about Ferromagnetic tapes being shite. It's just a memory now, but experience listening to tapes used to be better in a way than is now in digital age. Is it because analog tape handles bass very well or because younger ear hears better I don't know, but I can say there was more noise on cassettes, but from that noise you could hear Beatles guitars better.

    • @jessierussell8011
      @jessierussell8011 4 роки тому +1

      I love cassettes as well Mark cassettes are one of the greatest things ever I just love all recorder technology whether it be a wax cylinder 78 4533 years cassettes and CDs cassettes are really great.

  • @PaulinaAngel
    @PaulinaAngel 4 роки тому +10

    For my birthday this year, my dad got me The Beatles Collection tape box set, first time seeing them in person. Was very interested when I saw that Parlophone did the switch of the openers of Abbey Road like the Capitol cassette releases. It was awesome to hear that Sgt Pepper Inner Groove at the end of the Sgt Pepper cassette.
    There can be a argument of what sounds better, the vintage first pressings vs the 1980's, but this is only on the bases of Capitol US Albums on Cassette, which I own multiple copies of, if only you can see my wall.
    I'm so happy you did this video, not many people talk about the cassette issues of The Beatles albums, they tend to be overshadowed by their Vinyl and CD counterparts. And you are so lucky to get those MMT EPs in that video, I've been wanting to get the EP for quite sometime, someday.

    • @enricosanchez894
      @enricosanchez894 4 роки тому

      Did the White Album cassette end side A with Ringo yelling, "You'll have to turn the tape over!"?

    • @PaulinaAngel
      @PaulinaAngel 4 роки тому

      Enrico Sanchez nope, it ended with Revolution 1

    • @enricosanchez894
      @enricosanchez894 4 роки тому

      @@PaulinaAngel That's a shame. It's on UA-cam under the title, "The Beatles - Turn The Tape Over".

  • @billleary5779
    @billleary5779 4 роки тому +8

    I was buying the Beatles US albums on vinyl in the early 1980s as well as a few cassettes. I did come across a Please Please Me cassette on import in 1984. It was cheaper than the US albums but it was non refundable. The track listing was different than the record but since I had never heard the original vinyl I didn’t mind. It had a gold cover with a white cassette and red printing. The sound quality was terrific and sounded much like FM radio. Thanks for sharing.

  • @dhpbear2
    @dhpbear2 4 роки тому +12

    I was introduced to 'pre-recorded' cassettes in 1969. They used the CHEAPEST tape back then!
    I recorded the TV using the mic as well, until I found out I could connect a line-level jack and use a patch-cord!

  • @andygaines9686
    @andygaines9686 4 роки тому +4

    Fascinating. I remember that week of Beatles films! I too, never got the point of pre recorded cassettes and I only had a couple if them (no idea why!)

  • @MegaChris1963
    @MegaChris1963 4 роки тому +2

    Brilliant video Andrew thank you. I also recorded the whole of AHDN onto cassette and played it endlessly. I almost learned the whole script by heart. We had rented one of the early Philips video recorders in 1979 with the big square tapes and recorded all of the films which I still have.

  • @mars7934
    @mars7934 4 роки тому +4

    Great video and info as always. My first ever copy of Rubber Soul was the earlier version of the cassette with the 'jumbled' track listing. How I loved that tape (and the vintage 65 stereo mixes contained within it)! Need to make a play list now! Thanks!!

  • @jimnield6484
    @jimnield6484 4 роки тому +12

    Another interesting and informative film. I hope you might also cover some of the compact disc box sets at some point

  • @meanderer06513
    @meanderer06513 4 роки тому +6

    I've got early 1980s Japanese EMI/Odeon Beatles cassettes. The only differences in the songs (that I remember) were: George counting the beats in the last bars of the instrumental bit of "Within You Without You", and some of the sound effects in "Magical Mystery Tour" were different. I probably should listen to these tapes again some day...

  • @MsSteve70
    @MsSteve70 4 роки тому +1

    Throughly enjoyed this, and spot on as always! I gathered my UK Beatles cassette collection together to watch. Thanks very much for making the video... I shall certainly consider becoming a member of the channel. Marvellous work.

    • @Parlogram
      @Parlogram  4 роки тому +1

      Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it

  • @lundsweden
    @lundsweden 3 роки тому +1

    Great review, I am binge-watching all your Beatles stuff now!

  • @francoalvear2010
    @francoalvear2010 4 роки тому +1

    Fantastic, excellent video. Your channel is one of the best Beatles channels around, REALLY. The videos are so well done. A pleasure to watch 👏👏👏

    • @Parlogram
      @Parlogram  4 роки тому

      Thank you very much, Franco!

  • @ceruleanblu3184
    @ceruleanblu3184 4 роки тому +2

    I held my portable tape player’s microphone up to the TV speaker while Free as a Bird and Real Love played during The Beatles Anthology telecast. Analogue workarounds even in the 1990s!

  • @rifyrafi
    @rifyrafi 4 роки тому +5

    As a teenager, I too recorded “A Hard Days Night” on my cassette recorder when it TV aired here in the States back in 1978. I listened to it repeatedly mimicking their super cool Liverpudlian accent for hours to impress my bandmates days later. I then bought every Beatles cassette I could find. I’m sure the UK versions were superior. Those were the best of times.

  • @stevelang6727
    @stevelang6727 4 роки тому +1

    Great video....I have nostalgic feelings towards my first few Beatles cassettes, Sgt Pepper and the Blue 67-70 album. Played em to death back in the early 80's

  • @peterg6286
    @peterg6286 4 роки тому +1

    Loved this video. Brought back lots of memories of my old tape collection. Thankfully no super rare and expensive ones thrown away or lost over the years!!!

  • @derosa1989
    @derosa1989 4 роки тому +1

    Another fantastic video Andrew! Beatles fans love your efforts!

    • @Parlogram
      @Parlogram  4 роки тому

      Thank you. Glad you like them!

  • @jamesvernon1852
    @jamesvernon1852 Місяць тому

    My first Beatles i bought was the albums on the 1987 cassettes...this was my first foray into the uk catalog and i was impressed

  • @jimellison4822
    @jimellison4822 2 роки тому

    Thanks for clearing the release date and letters

  • @clivefernthecamper7831
    @clivefernthecamper7831 2 роки тому +1

    I haven’t played cassettes for a while, but just got the blue box on cassette. Listening to the Beatles albums with the song order messed up is a slightly disorienting experience. I’m enjoying it, and rediscovering my youth with cassettes again.

  • @ianmansfield68
    @ianmansfield68 3 роки тому

    OMG what a trip down memory lane - I remember that Christmas edition of the Radio Times and the 'Beatles at Christmas' season....I even remember the page headers you showed here.

    • @Parlogram
      @Parlogram  3 роки тому

      Glad you enjoyed it, Ian. Happy days.

  • @casperguylkn
    @casperguylkn 4 роки тому +2

    The Mobile Fidelity cassette of Magical Mystery Tour in true stereo is close to the Horzu. It used the actual tapes from EMI as well. One generation earlier. Half Speed mastered.

  • @davejacquith4960
    @davejacquith4960 4 роки тому +5

    You are right about the German vinyl MMT, the best sounding version one can get. So in keeping with your thoughts on how it sounds, I will take my vinyl copy of it and tape it on my very fine Sony 555ESG on a metal tape. And after that, I shall add the appropriate graphics for the case. It’ll be a one off and unique for me. Enjoy your informative videos muchly.

  • @nandokinks
    @nandokinks 4 роки тому +2

    Another great video, my dear friend!!!! I learn a lot from you... thank you very much!!!

    • @Parlogram
      @Parlogram  4 роки тому +1

      Thank you, my friend. I look forward to your next video.

  • @afrose71
    @afrose71 4 роки тому +2

    Back in the day, recording vinyl onto good high bias tapes always sounded better than pre-recorded tapes.

  • @48musicfan
    @48musicfan 3 роки тому

    Very informative! Thank you, Andrew.

  • @brianh4596
    @brianh4596 4 роки тому +3

    Thank you for the terrific review of the Beatles on cassette 😀. I enjoy listening to cassettes, remembering times long past. I have a good deck, which brings out everything the format has to offer. Always looking to pick up more of them. On another topic, the number of and timing of the commercials is terrible. Seems like every two minutes, a pair of them interrupted you in mid-sentence. I’m in the USA, where about a month ago, u-tube decided to automatically add random commercials throughout videos over eight minutes in length. This was pitched as a way to increase revenue for the channel, and of course u-tube. Sorry for the rant, I am just frustrated with this decision. Again, a terrific review and channel, thanks. Best regards, Brian.

  • @glennprangnell5767
    @glennprangnell5767 Рік тому

    I clearly remember Christmas 1979. I was 16 years old and was working at my first job. I finished work early on that snowy Friday in December and rushed home, excited at the prospect of seeing Magical Mystery Tour for the first time which, along with the Shea Stadium concert, were the only Beatles films I hadn't seen up to that point. The other movies, including Let It Be, had been screened several times throughout the '70's and I always watched them. And yes, I recorded them all on the ubiquitous portable cassette recorder. Those were the days, my friend.

  • @enricosanchez894
    @enricosanchez894 4 роки тому +1

    Around the same time as you, I made a cassette of A Hard Day's Night when a local rock station broadcast the audio of the entire movie. I later pointed my trusty mike at my black and white TV's speaker to record Help when it aired on The 3:30 Movie. When A Hard Day's Night came out on VHS, I simply borrowed another VHS recorder to make a copy of it. Now, I have the movie's audio on my mp3 player.

  • @ashith1297
    @ashith1297 3 роки тому

    I'm a huge Beatles fan and I am interested in sound recording technology. Your videos are perfect for me. Thank you so much

    • @Parlogram
      @Parlogram  3 роки тому +1

      Glad you like them, Ashith.

  • @jfk-od2wy
    @jfk-od2wy 3 роки тому

    great video! early pre-recorded cassettes generally used low grade normal bias tape & cheap shells. by around 1984 some manufacturers started using Cro2 higher grade tape & that was a giant improvement.

  • @michaellennon13
    @michaellennon13 3 роки тому

    As to the reel to reel, I'm not into cassettes either. But, i have to share my story because that's how I discovered The Beatles. It was summer 1999 when I went with my dad in the storage room to find something he wanted (was already into music in general and loved to play LPs in our vintage turntable). There I found a big Tupperware full of cassettes. I asked him if I could take it, he agreed, and the very first cassette i picked up was The Beatles Love Songs collection. Yesterday was the first track I heard. That was it! I was hooked! I spent many many hours listening to the songs again and again trying to figure out the lyrics (a lot of the times with my mum's help :P ) so I could learn to sing them myself. That method helped me a lot in the following years while I was studying English. And that's how it started for me.

  • @jasonwhiton174
    @jasonwhiton174 Рік тому

    I had a similar tape player as a kid and also made audio recordings of some of the Beatles (and Bond) films off my small TV in the mid-1970s :)

  • @pabloperezsepulveda4768
    @pabloperezsepulveda4768 3 роки тому +1

    Great job dudeñ; i have chilean and brazilian cassettes in my collection, from the 70's, 80's and 90's.
    Greetings from Chile.

    • @Parlogram
      @Parlogram  3 роки тому +1

      Thanks for watching, Pablo and greetings from Austria!

  • @Tezca20
    @Tezca20 Рік тому

    Hi, I just bougth Rubbersoul in XDR, and the dynamics are simply great. The balance on treble and bass is wonderful. I will look to find the whole set. Thanks.

  • @OldMod67
    @OldMod67 4 роки тому

    A timely video, as I was discussing the tape issues with my son only a few days ago. It's the 'gold' releases I remember, not that I bought them on cassette. I happened to mention that I thought the track listing was fiddled with (seems I remembered that correctly!) Christmas '79 was indeed a real high for Fab fans (wiped out in '80, of course) and I was majorly excited as a 12 year old fan. Unfortunately, I didn't have my own tape machine, so no TV taping then, but do recall borrowing my Dad's radio/cassette player attempting to record Radio Luxembourg 's Beatle Hour, poor reception making it worthless on playback! Look forward to your next video, thanks

  • @tomgray6093
    @tomgray6093 4 роки тому +1

    A very enjoyable presentation !

  • @will89687
    @will89687 4 роки тому +3

    It's fascinating to see how primitive (and how much of an afterthought) graphic design was in these UK cassette releases right up to the end. EMI could have learned a lot from its German affiliate.

  • @analoguecity3454
    @analoguecity3454 3 роки тому

    You are such an interesting person! Your knowledge is great, and you are very articulate! I really enjoy this channel , makes me crave to listen to a Beatles album 😁

  • @mjanovec
    @mjanovec 4 роки тому

    Great information, as always. Fascinating to look at the Beatles on this format. My first ever Beatles purchase was the cassette of Rock and Roll Music, Volume 2. I then bought the Red and Blue albums, along with Something New. It was at that point that I figured it was much smarter to buy the albums on vinyl and record my own cassettes for my Walkman. That way, once I wore out my cassette copy, I just needed to make another.

  • @radiomindchatter7994
    @radiomindchatter7994 2 роки тому +1

    My first prerecorded Beatles cassette was Abbey Road...and it sounded great!

  • @navinverma2826
    @navinverma2826 4 роки тому

    Once again thanks for a most informative video

  • @rthrth2802
    @rthrth2802 4 роки тому

    All I can say is you certainly know your stuff. This took me to an unusual place regarding the Beatles. Very interesting. Just when I thought I knew it all...

  • @MrLukejosephchung
    @MrLukejosephchung 3 роки тому +1

    Andrew, you need to do a second video history of the Beatles on Mobile Fidelity audiophile cassette which comprises of 5 albums mastered in real time on chrome cassettes using Dolby B noise reduction. The albums were Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour, all using true stereo EMI master tape. I own these cassettes and they genuinely rival the best vinyl pressings in sound quality!

    • @Parlogram
      @Parlogram  3 роки тому +1

      I will if I can find some!

  • @ghostcruncher1043
    @ghostcruncher1043 10 місяців тому +1

    I have an XDR version of Revolver. The track list is completely rearranged. Good Day Sunshine is Track 1 for example

  • @MrDirtybear
    @MrDirtybear 4 роки тому +9

    I feel quite shy of encouraging you in the endeavour but there is only one old format left not reviewed by you; 8 track cartridge. What fun you could have with showing us old technology with that video.......

    • @flyingkillerrobots877
      @flyingkillerrobots877 4 роки тому

      Don't forget the venerable Playtape! ;)

    • @gregrishel4283
      @gregrishel4283 4 роки тому

      @@flyingkillerrobots877 weak.....as usual

    • @michaelturner4457
      @michaelturner4457 4 роки тому

      Another old format, Minidisc, I'm sure there's Beatles on MD, but probably Japan only.

    • @gregrishel4283
      @gregrishel4283 4 роки тому

      @@michaelturner4457 I have no idea what you just said .....or how it pertains to my post

  • @bobsoldrecords1503
    @bobsoldrecords1503 4 роки тому

    Another informative video Andrew. Thanks.🙂

  • @joshuaanri1556
    @joshuaanri1556 4 роки тому

    what a video! very interesting the changes between the tape generations. I got a mexican versions of some US albums like yesterday and today from 1971 and a white album versión from 1973, this one had a lot of changes in the track listing with the original opening (back to the ussr) in the side 2 opening this version open with wild honey pie and the tape ends with revolution 1 and revolution 9. all of these tapes have the dolby system but the players are very expensive nowadays and a very big part of them don´t have the dolby system to "improve" the quality of the cassette.

  • @mikegee8074
    @mikegee8074 2 роки тому

    I bought an adaptor that you could connect to the speaker inside the TV with a pinch clip to record direct from the TV of all the Beatles films that they showed at Christmas 1979 without having to use a microphone. It gave a good recording. I still have the cassettes .

  • @jeremytravis360
    @jeremytravis360 4 роки тому

    I never knew that they produced so many versions. Amazing research.

    • @bugman27m
      @bugman27m 2 роки тому

      I now own 102 different versions of the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour Cassette.

  • @sw2442
    @sw2442 4 роки тому +2

    A very informative and highly entertaining video...being from the U.S., I really didn't have much knowledge of the history of the U.K. cassettes. I would like to suggest a comparison between the British and American cassettes, but it would be clear cut...the U.K. tapes will probably wipe out the U.S. releases.
    Incidentally, I did the same you did recording A Hard Day's Night off the TV when I was younger, but all I did was record the songs, not the whole movie. I'm happy to see I wasn't the only one to do that.
    Any plans to do videos about the U.S. albums or the CD releases?...I'd really enjoy that. Thanks for a great video.

  • @Mariazellerbahn
    @Mariazellerbahn 3 роки тому

    2:00 What I did was to solder a pair of wires from the TV speaker to a jack socket, then plug the tape recorder into the jack socket. That prevented anyone coming into the room talking over the recording.

  • @HandyAndyTechTips
    @HandyAndyTechTips 4 роки тому

    Very interesting. I like your relaxed presentation style, too. Subbed.

  • @childrenofminervaofficial4316

    My first copies of The Beatles' albums I owned were on cassette. Surprisingly, the 1987 Capitol XDR releases of Please Please Me to Revolver had the song order jumbled as were The White Album and Abbey Road.
    Nevertheless, I cherished those cassettes and played them until they wore out in the early 1990s, when I replaced them with the CDs.

  • @MarcellDAvis1103
    @MarcellDAvis1103 4 роки тому +1

    It's always great to hear those stories you have!

    • @Parlogram
      @Parlogram  4 роки тому

      Glad you like them. More to come!

  • @bradjones1977
    @bradjones1977 4 роки тому

    I've recently acquired a superb complete set of XDR cassettes housed in a Beatles-branded "bread bin" style box! I understand similar boxes were issued for the vinyl and CD versions.

  • @alanthorne3921
    @alanthorne3921 3 роки тому

    About thirty years ago I remember having that ' cigarette pack' White Album tape kicking around in a box of tapes in my car.Long gone of course.

  • @alexshelbourne3549
    @alexshelbourne3549 4 роки тому +3

    Another awesome video, they’re all great. Have you considered publishing a reference book of Beatles physical media releases? If not, you should, I’m sure lots of us would buy one.

  • @dhpbear2
    @dhpbear2 4 роки тому +2

    The 'dusty gold'and 'plain biscuit' top part of the label looks SO much better that the white w/black text which looks like a bootleg!

  • @michaelturner4457
    @michaelturner4457 4 роки тому

    Enjoyed this video, very informative. The only Beatles I had on cassette was the XDR of Sgt Pepper, I bought in 1988.
    BTW IMO it would be interesting to see a video about Beatles on 8-track, for some real track order butchering?

  • @danielmetcalfe8347
    @danielmetcalfe8347 4 роки тому +1

    I've never listened to any of the cassettes (I never liked them as a format) and some of those tracklists make my toes curl 😂😂 but thanks for another great video!

  • @olliehawes7873
    @olliehawes7873 2 роки тому

    Great video!

  • @maxmeister5064
    @maxmeister5064 2 роки тому +1

    Another very interesting issue, certainly from my personal perspective.
    Thinking back now, it would actually have been much more logical for me to posess pre-recorded cassettes (or MusiCassettes, as they were called in my home country Germany). After all, I was the proud owner of my own few Beatles vinyl LPs at a VERY!! tender age, but of course didn't have a record player of my own, so I'd always have to beg either me dad (sapphire stylus alert!!) or some brother for a spin. However I did own a tiny cassette recorder, which was used for all kinds of funny microphone-point recordings as well as cassettes I had my older siblings record for me. And as I knew from several listens with friends, the German Electrola Beatles MusiCassettes from the 1970s and 80s were very fine, with thumbs up sound quality and no jumbling of running orders whatsoever. Apparently tape waste was not an issue for the wealthy FRG 😄
    Anyway despite all the given circumstances, it was largely the vinyl I went for. If it was cassettes, it was self-recorded stuff from my siblings' LPs that I hadn't but wanted. There was some kind of stigma to pre-recorded cassettes back then. They were simply deemed "no good", at least compared to vinyl, for no real (reel?) reason. Well that is, in one respect they clearly and by far fell behind: longevity. So, only in houses where there either wasn't a record player or the kids weren't allowed near it were cassettes to be found, and even if so, the other kids went like whispering, poor kid, when he wasn't looking you know, but not sympathizingly but rather mockingly...
    As for the aforementioned jumbling of sequences on those first generation British cassettes: why did Misery have to be put to the beginning of Please Please Me at all, when I Saw Her Standing There with that ever-suitable count-in was also on Side 1? I don't get it, nor does anybody else I guess. What track to kick of Help! other than Help!? I Need You seems in fact a bit at a loss here - why not I've Just Seen A Face? It DID work for real elsewhere, didn't it? Well...I guess that's all water under the bridge now...

  • @flyingkillerrobots877
    @flyingkillerrobots877 4 роки тому +2

    Oddly enough, the US 1987/88 cassettes (which arrived with the remastered first Beatles CDs in 1987 ) came out with the remastered music and, for the first time, featured the UK album titles and artwork BUT used the 1970-73 (that was used into the 80s ) UK art AND the original messed up UK running order for the tracks. In 1992 this series was reissued once again, the only difference being an Apple logo added somewhere on the cover, usually rather inartfully . Also, several UK EMI cassettes in 1970 were made in the US (including 'McCartney' and 'Let It Be"). (source: I own them).

    • @Musicradio77Network
      @Musicradio77Network 7 місяців тому

      The Beatles on cassette first introduced in the US by around 1968 or so when Capitol was the first to put them on cassette, either have the “Dome” logo or the “Target” logo, or perhaps the Apple logo.

  • @aydinstone
    @aydinstone 2 роки тому

    It hadn’t occurred to me until you said it that I too only ever bought one pre-recorded cassette! (We’re around the same age). I also recorded the complete Ready Steady Go repeats of the mid ‘80s upstairs from my portable b/w telly onto cassette.

  • @Bliggick
    @Bliggick 2 роки тому

    Sometime in the '70s North American prerecorded cassettes were encoded with Dolby noise reduction to eliminate hiss. You had to have that system on your tape deck and switch it on for that Dolby encoded cassette to reduce hiss.

  • @rcpsammy7186
    @rcpsammy7186 4 роки тому

    All I can say is...DAMN!
    Another killer video 📹

  • @TheWodasi
    @TheWodasi 4 роки тому +2

    my very first cassette was the "white album" must have been xmas 68-69 ,, outstanding i think its still one of their best ...

    • @mbvideoselection
      @mbvideoselection 4 роки тому

      Which of course ironically in the US came in a black box with gold text!

  • @shakcmusic
    @shakcmusic 4 роки тому +2

    Nice to see! Cassettes are a bit underrated IMO. As long as they're in good condition, working properly and played on a hifi deck they can be surprisingly acceptable. I like the beige early 1980s edition UK tapes best overall - the XDRs are from the 1987 digital remasters. Technics '90s decks are great to play pre-recorded cassettes on, especially the RS-AZ 6/7 series

  • @jessierussell8011
    @jessierussell8011 4 роки тому

    Very well done with the cassettes Andrew
    My introduction to the Beatles was a compilation of them I believe was released on Cassett I’m not sure when it’s called the Beatles one he’s released on a 7 inch 45s.
    The first Beatles album that I bought was on CD on compact disc.
    I think the 2009 stereo box that sounds a lot better than the 1987 versions because when cities were invented at the time, all of the Beatles catalog was pretty murky to say the least.
    You can also do do The history of the Beatles on CD that would be cool.

  • @resident-z9m
    @resident-z9m 2 роки тому

    About the only Beatles prerecorded cassette I bought was The Beatles Second Album. That was because Thank You Girl was moved from track two on side one to the last song on side two. Thank You Girl replaced She Loves You as the final cut. When the US Albums set came out, I recreated the cassette version on CD, all mono. Its funny how moving just one track effects the entire album.

  • @TheGuitarHistorian
    @TheGuitarHistorian 3 роки тому

    My first Beatle cassettes were the ratty seconds of my parents’ Red and Blue albums, which I proceeded to play until the tape became entangled in my cheap GE boombox forever. Somewhere, in a landfill somewhere, lies that cassette player. I often wonder how it’s getting on.

  • @fnjesusfreak
    @fnjesusfreak 4 роки тому

    I grew up with the Beatles on tape, but from Capitol - mostly the US cuts (blue spine XDR), though at one point I had the 1987 remaster of PPM, with gold color inlay.

  • @tenniscollector
    @tenniscollector 4 роки тому

    Good one Parlogram.

  • @dummytree
    @dummytree 2 роки тому

    I had such a crap record player (and scratched overplayed records) when I was young, that purchasing pre-recorded cassettes of mid-price albums was a huge sonic upgrade for me. I loved the format. But of course, as you pointed out, they were late 80s/early 90s tapes, and they were much better quality at that point.

  • @ferkara8223
    @ferkara8223 4 роки тому

    I have the same cassette collection since a lot of years. Also the sólo albums of all Beatles after 1970. And everything in vinyl and cd.

  • @tyronerodgers
    @tyronerodgers 4 роки тому +1

    Another great vid! Kudos!

  • @luvmyrecords
    @luvmyrecords 2 роки тому

    The green Capitol collector's club issue of "Magical Mystery Tour" was the one issue on the U.S. that was in true stereo.

  • @davidheafield1436
    @davidheafield1436 4 роки тому

    Cracking stuff Andy , thought you might have given an honourable mention to the Heineken tape , an oddity in their catalogue

    • @Parlogram
      @Parlogram  4 роки тому

      Fair point Dai, but I limited myself to the original albums. Covering the compilations would have been too much.

    • @davidheafield1436
      @davidheafield1436 4 роки тому

      Parlogram Auctions ...I agree Andy , I’m only troublemaking ...but it would have been nice to told a short story about it for those that don’t know it...
      I’ve got the tape but I once saw the tape , empty “flashed” can and a small point-of-sale card for it at a car boot sale , I should have picked it really..ah well

  • @no.7593
    @no.7593 4 роки тому +2

    Very interesting indeed. I certainly prefer cassette tape to CD where the Beatles are concerned, I also recently noticed Prince 'Graffitti Bridge' is better on tape to the degree that there are instruments I can hear on the tape that I cannot on the CD. CD seems to sterilise so much of the content. Cassette tapes last longer - still listening to tapes from 1970's whereas all my CD's from 1990's have failed.

    • @jessierussell8011
      @jessierussell8011 4 роки тому

      Well actually the cities have gotten a lot better, when the Beatles really leased a catalog on CD for the first time back in the 1980s, they were very murky it’s not the CD some cells, it is all about the engineers on how they mix the CDs and remaster them I especially really love the remix remastered of the Beatles albums you should check them out.
      They’re really great.
      If you want to get the Beatles catalog you can definitely get them on the Beatles stereo and mono box that’s which was remastered in 2009. I love all recorder technology including cassettes LPs CDs 45s and all 78 I’ve yet to hear wax Ellender’s.

  • @KevinTheCaravanner
    @KevinTheCaravanner 3 роки тому

    I remember that Christmas when the BBC screened all those Beatles movies. Me and my brother we Beatles mad and had no idea there were movies for Magical Mystery Tour and Let it Be. We were SO excited. The only problem was we weren't allowed to watch A Hard Days Night on Christmas Day because we had some family thing to attend. Amazingly, to this day I've still not seen A Hard Day's Night. I'm keeping it for the 60th anniversary in a few years. Will the 60-year wait be worth it?

  • @EssexDog
    @EssexDog 4 роки тому

    I still have a few of Beatles' tapes. Here in Mexico the tracklist in tapes were alternated probably for manufacturing costs.

    • @FernandoMartinez-ms6ls
      @FernandoMartinez-ms6ls 4 роки тому

      Por cierto no tenian buena calidad de sonido debido a la calidad de la cinta aunque eran grabados con dolby, aún asi al accionarlo se cortaban las altas frecuencias

    • @EssexDog
      @EssexDog 4 роки тому

      @@FernandoMartinez-ms6ls tengo un deck de Sony con el cual algunos se escuchan relativamente mejor, pero es que antes las cintas eran las de más baja calidad.

  • @kingshearer2
    @kingshearer2 3 роки тому

    I managed to get an early UK first issue of 'the White album' on cassette a few weeks back sounds amazing played through my walkman! It's the edition released before the gold top issue. It's got a white top with the tape having the usual yellow labels.
    Just need a few of their early albums to complete my early white top issue Beatles collection on tape (revolver is the exception being a black top)

    • @Parlogram
      @Parlogram  3 роки тому +1

      The cigarette box 'White Album' cassette is a bit of a holy grail for me.

    • @kingshearer2
      @kingshearer2 3 роки тому

      @@Parlogram Aye, do they pop up on ebay much?
      Also, is there a book you can buy which lists all the different cassette releases for rock and pop ?

  • @VoiceofFox
    @VoiceofFox 4 роки тому +2

    I remember the BBC showed all their films on consecutive nights right after John Lennon died too. Never seen Let It Be since.

    • @fretboardmaster70
      @fretboardmaster70 3 роки тому +1

      I remember watching Help on BBC, right after his death. That was the start of something very big for me musically

  • @shakcmusic
    @shakcmusic 4 роки тому +1

    Another point to mention - when I was investigating these albums as a kid I would often borrow the cassette from the library. So I became used to the altered running order of the albums. When I bought the CDs/vinyl it felt a bit weird hearing them correctly!!

  • @bigboxbobby2
    @bigboxbobby2 4 роки тому

    As an aside to this fascinating and informative video on Cassettes and as you mentioned your first attempt to record the soundtrack of AHDN on audio tape; my friend Dennis bought an early VHS Video Recorder from one of the handful of shops that were springing up at that time in 1979 and I begged him to record the Beatles films being shown on TV during the Christmas period, in the expectation that I would one day buy a machine to show them on, which I duly did but not for another couple of years! Unfortunately he accidentally taped over Magical Mystery Tour which was the one I was most looking forward to seeing for the first time - I was mortified and had to wait ages for the eventual release on home video which annoyingly was taken from the U.S. print and missed out Hey Bulldog. Another wait ensued before the full uncut version was made available on DVD. Are you planning to do a Beatles Home Videos and DVDs Video one day? I hope so. keep em coming. thanks

  • @netmusicdotcom
    @netmusicdotcom 3 роки тому

    Love your videos! Any plans to do one on the rare format, Playtapes? I have Magical Mystery Tour and a few non-Beatles ones as well and would love to learn more about them from one of your deep dives.

  • @RANDOMRAPRAD1O
    @RANDOMRAPRAD1O 4 роки тому +1

    Hello there Parlogram, this was an incredibly in-depth video, I really enjoyed finding out more about the UK titles. As an expert in your field, I wonder if you could help out with a quandary I have.
    What do you know about versions of The Beatles cassettes from Singapore, Malaysia & Hong Kong circa 1982 ?
    I'm in London, and I recently discovered 3 The Beatles cassettes in collection of a family member that lived in Japan for a while in the 80s. They moved around Asia during the period, and sadly, they passed away recently but their collection has been donated to myself as im a cassette collector.
    As well as adding a heap of them to my own archive, I wanna sell 3 titles that look MINT [or as near as].
    They are 20 Greatest Hits [Cream EMI case], Rubber Soul [Cream EMI case] and Please Please Me [Black EMI case] but I cant find them on either EBAY or Discogs. I can find a copy of PPM on Discogs [see below], but my copy has a different shell label. All mine have beautiful glossy labels [in white with clear crispy shiny red print] with the words Buatan Malaysia printed on em, and on each j-card are the words TERBITAN & EDARAN: EMI [M] SON, BHD 8 JLN MURAI DUA KOMPLEKS BATU KL. I found British versions of the same titles in the archive too and THEY had been played, but these Malaysian ones look like they've been played once, if that. RS looks mint.
    Because 148 people WANT THIS version on Discogs www.discogs.com/The-Beatles-Please-Please-Me/release/9122385 and mine has a variation of that version [it says Buatan Malaysia on the shell, they all do], I'm curious to know if they are worth alot or ALOT ! I ask because I would think that every version of every The Beatles title, across all formats, would be listed on Discogs, but neither of these 3 are...
    ANYHOO, if you know, or if you know someone who might, please dont hesiate to pass on my info, and cheers, any help is appreciated.
    Dont hesitate to HMU if you can help, either on here or at craig@randomrapradio.com - MANY thanks in advance !

  • @mrmjb1960
    @mrmjb1960 3 роки тому

    The gold colored label covered continued in the 1980s with both the Parlophone and Apple labels printed on both the covers and labels.

  • @pantofis
    @pantofis 3 роки тому

    I bought XDR cassettes of "Please Please Me" and "A Hard Day's Night" in 1991. They have the stereo mixes, even though the spine says "mono"! A year or so later I bought "With The Beatles", but sadly that did play in mono... Anyone else encountered that phenomenon?

  • @horowizard
    @horowizard 4 роки тому

    My first copy of Abbey Road was a U.S. Cassette. I couldn't understand why everyone else's experience of the tracks had the openers of the sides reversed until I got hold of a U.K. Vinyl pressing.

  • @imnotangry7594
    @imnotangry7594 4 роки тому +5

    Technics RS-TR333 has only 20~17kHz on normal tape playback. Of course the sound frequency is poor. Even the metal tape playback frequently is up to only 18kHz.
    I have a 1987 Japanese issue of Rubber Soul with XDR. The sound frequency was up to 19kHz on Pioneer T-1100S when azimuth is correct.

    • @shakcmusic
      @shakcmusic 4 роки тому

      Fair point, I had a Nakamichi DR-3 that was 20-20k on all tape types. I never measured the frequencies of tapes when I had it though, just listened! Sounded good!!

    • @rubberchix
      @rubberchix 2 роки тому

      Nerd

  • @frankowalker4662
    @frankowalker4662 2 роки тому

    Ha ha, that's the same tape recorder we used for the ZX81 and the ZX Spectrum in the 80's. LOL.

  • @dimitriballas5283
    @dimitriballas5283 4 роки тому +3

    Not the best sounding quality but Beatles prerecorded cassettes served their purpose and they served it well....Whenever the turntable was not accessible there was always a cassette player somewhere around to put in those cassettes and press the play button...
    The cassettes I had were the early 80s Greek versions with blue or green lettering stamped on a light beige cassette, the inlay cards were white and all songs were running in their proper order...

  • @peterfrost1611
    @peterfrost1611 2 роки тому

    I remember recording hard days night on my old Philips cassette recorder..lol...but unlike most of my mates..I found the advantage of the headphone output or aux din output on the TV so no need to keep quiet during recording.. wasn't much a fan of pre recorded cassettes because of the poor sound alongside dolby B that sounded horrendous...so in the end recording vinyl to cassette without any dolby..-tape hiss wasn't a problem compared to compressed noise reduction!- was always better quality..provided one had both decent hi end decks ..sgt peppers 1975 cassette I once had bought from hmv Brighton...age 12 ....this was first time listening to this album so was very excited... but one thing I noticed on lovely Rita piano solo that jumped ...
    Good memories without any doubt .

  • @ChrisMezzolesta
    @ChrisMezzolesta 3 роки тому

    I had to go look & see if they did the same thing in the US, my parents gave me Abbey Road and McCartney on cassette when they first came out, those tapes are long gone, but it did raise that question as to how I originally heard this album, and it must have started with Here Comes The Sun after all! It had a paper label with an Apple logo. McCartney added Oo You to the end of Side 1 for the same reason, so that's how I remember hearing it, with Momma Miss America starting off Side 2. Wish I still had them.