Revolver – What’s new?


A new mix of a Beatles album means Mike Carrera comes to help us look at the bonus material and see what has been out before, officially or on bootlegs, and “Revolver” is no exception. This time, however, we also get his thoughts about the new mixes. Of course, your mileage may vary, and the immersive Dolby Atmos mixes will have to wait until they become available through streaming platforms who accommodate these. Over to Mike:

THE BEATLES REVOLVER 2022- SUPER DELUXE EDITION – WHAT’S NEW?

By Mike Carrera

Generally, our focus in this space is to compare the alternate material that had already been in circulation officially and unofficially (bootlegs), however today we will also give a quick overview with a very personal opinion of the most noticeable differences in the new stereo mix (Discs 1 and 5), as well as the Outtakes (Discs 2 and 3), all from the ‘Revolver 2022’ Deluxe Box; without spoiling surprises and detailed facts that you can read in the book that accompanies this release.

DISC ONE- STEREO MIX 2022

Taking risks and presenting something different is appreciated; however, it is not so easy to want to change the history and the ears of those who grew up with the mixes that George Martin and The Beatles released, but it is worth the audacity of Giles and his team, who in some cases gives us things we’ve never heard before thanks to the tools provided by Peter Jackson and his Artificial Intelligence technology to separate and isolate voices and instruments.

01-TAXMAN
A radically different mix. Starting with a detail that many fans have not liked: the hum of the amplifier that is heard in the original mix during the introduction “one, two, three, four, one, two, (cough), TWO , THREE, FOUR”, has been completely removed; on the contrary, it is present on CD4 Outtakes as part of Take 11. Unlike the original stereo mix where basically the right channel carries all the  overdubs: tambourine, cowbell, guitar and vocals; the 2022 mix inverts them to the opposite channel or centers them. The fade out is barely a second longer.

02-ELEANOR RIGBY
As in the case of “Taxman” (and similar to the version of the album ‘Yellow Submarine Songtrack’ from 1999 and ‘Beatles 1’ (the 2015 edition, not the one released in 2000), Giles Martin and Sam Okell ventured to modify the entire structure of the original stereo mix: where McCartney’s vocal tracks are panned to the left and right channels throughout the song – including the well-known 14-second mistake where he only utters “El” from “Eleanor ” and his voice disappears from the left channel and returns until “all the lonely people where do they all come from?”; in this 2022 mix, both channels include Paul’s vocals at all times, without hearing that detail in the stereo mix that many grew up with.

03-I’M ONLY SLEEPING
Better balanced mix. The yawning and bass sound are fully prominent now.

04-LOVE YOU TO
It is a second longer at the end with a sitar note (at 2:57) not heard in previous official stereo mixes, however the fuzz guitar sound is more buried now, losing the essence of the original recording.

05-HERE THERE AND EVERYWHERE
The different vocal tracks that Paul recorded for this song, panned to the left and right channels in the previous stereo mixes have been more unified in this new mix, the differences in tones are being lost due to the vocal harmonies of John, Paul and George -now very prominent throughout the song, which is a point in favor-. As a drawback, the last “whoo-oouu” at the very end of the song as part of those harmonies that we can hear in the left channel of the original mix, is now hidden.

06-YELLOW SUBMARINE
Strangely it is now a reproduction of the MONO mix: The first acoustic guitar chord at the beginning of the song that is omitted in the original stereo mix is there, and John’s reply “a life of ease” at 1:47 after Ringo sings “As we live a life of ease” is also included, so the uniqueness that characterized the MONO mix could lose its value when new generations grow up listening to the 2022 stereo mix and find no difference. “A life of ease” in John’s voice had already been added to other stereo mixes: ‘Yellow Submarine Songtrack’ in 1999 and in the same way Giles integrated it in ‘Beatles 1’ from 2015 (‘Beatles 1’ from 2000 respects the original stereo mix without this phrase).

07-SHE SAID SHE SAID
It could pass as an “alternate mix” because it lets us hear for the first time the two lead guitars separated on the left (this guitar is completely hidden in the original mix so listening to it now is quite a revelation) and right channels, which at a certain point creates the illusion of listening to an alternate take. Ringo’s drums are totally prominent now. It’s a second shorter than the original mix, it fades out on the word “like” in “I know what it’s (fade) like” (2:32), instead the original mix fades out on the word “dead”, from “I know what it’s like to be (fade) dead” (2:33).

08-GOOD DAY SUNSHINE
At 1:58 of this new mix we have a mistake highlighted in the right channel where Ringo’s drums are abruptly muted – on the original mix is almost imperceptible because the sound of the “hit-hat” continues in the left channel fading out almost to the end of the song; however in this 2022 mix, that “hit-hat” from the left channel has also been removed four seconds earlier than in the original mix to leave the final vocal harmonies isolated, which creates a strange and annoying effect, especially if you are listening through headphones.

09-AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING
They applied a slight effect on the vocals to make the song sound more powerful. The change is very noticeable when compared to the original stereo mix in phrases like “You’ll say you’ve seen seven wonders”, “When your bird is broken, will it bring you down?. You may be awoken..” or “ But you can’t hear me, You can’t hear me” after “And your bird can swing”. It’s a matter of tastes and approaches.

10-FOR NO ONE
A second example (“She Said She Said” being the first) of the contribution that Peter Jackson’s technology brought to this project. For the first time, piano and harpsichord – both played by McCartney – are separated and highlighted on the right and left channels respectively (the original 1966 mix concentrates all the basic instrumentation on the right channel).

11-DR. ROBERT
This mix injects new life into the song but there are no radical differences. More details about this track are described below (CD2 OUTTAKES TRACK 12).

12-I WANT TO TELL YOU
The initial guitar note is slightly more prominent during the fade-in, although the tape hiss as the volume starts to rise was removed (very noticeable in the original mix using headphones).

13-GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE
In the original stereo mix, the organ played by John Lennon starting from 2:10 is faded out at 2:15 on the left channel and returns at 2:19; however in this new mix the organ never stops playing although it is more hidden. The original stereo version fades out as Paul yells “Every Single Daayyy!” (the MONO version does not include this vocal overdub at the end), but in this 2022 version we have the track with two additional seconds and we hear, in addition to the previous scream, the words “Every Single Day of My (fade-out)”, which in the MONO mix we can hear in full (“Every Single Day of My Life” along with an additional seven seconds of more McCartney vocal ad libs and an extended brass section).

14-TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS
A much more powerful mix. The bass at full.

Photo: Robert Whitaker

DISC TWO- OUTTAKES PART 1

1-TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS (TAKE 1) 03:29PARTIALLY NEW
Recorded under the working title of “Mark 1”, previously available on ‘Anthology 2’ (3:13). The opening is half a second longer in George Martin’s version, however Giles delivers the full take at the end with an extra 18 seconds and slightly faster than his father’s mix. Both releases are required to have the full take.

2-TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS (MONO MIX RM 11) 03:02 – PARTIALLY NEW
Remix Mono (“RM”, which does not stand for “Reduction Mix” by the way. Stereo remixes are abbreviated “RS”) number 11 of this song was selected and sent to produce the master of the ‘Revolver’ LP in the UK. Weeks later and at the request of George Martin himself, the production of the LP had to be stopped so that RM 11 could be replaced by RM 8 (available on Disc 4 –MONO MIX, Track 14 of this new collection), however several copies went on sale. Unlike all the versions that have circulated for years, which come directly from this initial pressing  -matrix XEX-606 1-, this 2022 version comes from the master tape and we can hear for the first time engineer Geoff Emerick at the beginning say “RM eleven”. There are widely documented differences in RM 11: Tape loops appear and disappear at different times, John’s voice is more prominent, it lasts 3 seconds longer at the end with the piano sound.

3-GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE (FIRST VERSION / TAKE 5) 04:08 – PARTIALLY NEW
The first minute and seven seconds lets us hear a dialogue between John, George Martin, Paul and Ringo about how they should start the song. Including Harrison’s count-in, Take 5 is six seconds longer at the beginning and six towards the end compared to the version that appeared on the ‘Anthology 2’ album, plus we now have it in stereo.

4-GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE (SECOND VERSION / UNNUMBERED MIX) 02:33NEW
The fuzz guitar present here was later replaced by the brass section (although it is audibly buried in the background in the official mix or in the 5.1 isolations available on bootlegs). This surviving mix of Take 8 includes a different lead vocal from Paul than the final version as well as some experimental harmonies towards the end – “Get You in..into my liiiiife” – almost at the same spot as “I need your love”, I need your love” on Take 5 (previous track).

5-GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE (SECOND VERSION / TAKE 8) 02:40  – PARTIALLY NEW
Previously heard as “background music” by hundreds of people attending the ‘Love’ show in Las Vegas as they took their seats (Giles created a collage of instrumental tracks, lasting close to an hour as people filed in, and included some alternate versions). This almost instrumental take (with headphones it is possible to hear Paul’s guide vocal on the right channel that sometimes just improvises “laa-la-laa-la-la-la”). The brass section is already present before the additional overdubs: vocal tracks, tambourine, organ, etc. A few audience recordings of this ‘Love’ background music have been in circulation among collectors and partially on Bootlegs, albeit in much lower quality than what we now have. The 2022 Deluxe Box lets us hear part of the “Three, Four” count-in, as well as the ending without fading.

6-LOVE YOU TO (TAKE 1) 02:38  – NEW
Imagined by many as the ‘Holy Grail’ of unreleased Beatles sessions, it resembles the acoustic demos Harrison prepared years later for his solo album ‘All Things Must Pass’. Once considered to appear in ‘Anthology 2’, it was scrapped. It is introduced by its working title “Granny Smith Take One”. A basic take with Harrison on acoustic guitar and vocal, and Paul McCartney doing a vocal harmony three times.

7-LOVE YOU TO (UNNUMBERED REHEARSAL) 01:33  – NEW
George and Paul practicing on the sitar and tamboura in an instrumental rehearsal with a bit of pain in Harrison’s fingers at the end.

8-LOVE YOU TO (TAKE 7) 02:53  – NEW
Geoff Emerick announces “Granny Smith take seven, this is reduction of take six”. The take still lacks the long introduction released in the official version, however the rest of the overdubs are present: vocals, tambourine, fuzz guitar and McCartney’s vocal harmony that was omitted from the final mix during the following phrases: “You don’t get time to hang a sign on me”, “But what you’ve got means such a lot to me” and “They’ll fill you in with all their sins, you’ll see”.

9-PAPERBACK WRITER (TAKES 1 & 2 / BACKING TRACK) 03:35  – PARTIALLY NEW
The first 21 seconds of Take 1 (the announcement, brief warm-up rehearsals, and George Martin saying “All yours Paul!”) widely available on bootlegs for years, have been omitted from this release; however Take 2 in its real instrumental version before the overdubs appears for the first time, although some bootlegs have also tried to recreate it. The “Take 2” that circulates on unofficial discs comes from a more advanced stage in the recording with multiple vocal overdubs and some instruments.

10-RAIN (TAKE 5 / ACTUAL SPEED) 02:35  – NEW
A big reveal in this 2022 Deluxe Box. This is how “Rain” was recorded, fast and then slowed down to get another texture (in Geoff Emerick’s words). We have the backing track with Paul’s bass overdub also at this speed; John marks the beginning with “One, Two” and it is possible to hear at the end some words from Harrison. If we slow this version down to approximately -17,642 we’ll get exactly the length of the next track (3:11, both start and end at the same time), matching the speed of the official version.

11-RAIN (TAKE 5 / SLOWED DOWN FOR MASTER TAPE) 03:11  – NEW
Once the tape was slowed down (the “One, Two” count-in can now be heard at a very slow pitch), John recorded two different vocal tracks that we can clearly hear here before they were mixed together in the final version, left and right channels respectively. The left vocal track shows some slight differences in the way of singing that do not match the second vocal of the right channel, for example in “They run and hide their heads” and “They might as well be dead” or in the first “The weather’s fine”. This first vocal track is almost imperceptible in the final mix. ADT (Artificial Double Tracking) was applied later. The backing vocals, tambourine, and the backwards tape with John’s voice towards the end are still missing at this stage.

12-DOCTOR ROBERT (TAKE 7) 02:57  – NEW
Another myth that busts with this 2022 release is the supposed phrase “OK Herb” that Lennon mentions towards the end and that is only possible to hear on the MONO mix of the ‘Yesterday…And Today’ LP. Here we have the unedited take in its original length with count-in and all the vocal overdubs (still without ADT and we clearly hear John sing “BOB Robert” on two occasions), maracas, lead guitar and harmonium; and what John says at the end is: “OK ehh, we’ll-“, there is a cut  but the track continues and Paul whispers “No YOU won’t” (Kevin Howlett says in the accompanying book that the phrase is “No WE won’t”, but amplifying this fragment shows us the actual word).
The official versions (MONO and STEREO) have 41 seconds removed to leave it at 2:11. The edit was thought to happen before the first “Well well well, you’re feeling fine” at 00:56 during the guitar riff, however the full take shows us that the edit take place at a different spot. At 01:52 of the officially released version at the end of the second bridge “Well, well, well, he’ll make you” right after “Doctor Robert” the cut occurs (from 00:01:53.641 to 00:02: 34.815 using this Take 7), to return after the penultimate “Doctor Robert” as follows:
With BOLD the 41 unused seconds are shown and with RED the points where the edition was made for the official version.
Well, well, well, you’re feeling fine
Well, well, well, he’ll make you -Doctor Robert (EDIT)

Ring, my friend I said you’d call- Doctor Robert
Day or night he’ll be there any time at all
Doctor Robert
He’s a man you must believe
Helping anyone in need
No one can succeed like Doctor Robert
Well, well, well, you’re feeling fine
Well, well, well, he’ll make you- Doctor Robert 
(EDIT)
Ring, my friend I said you’d call- Doctor Robert
Ring, my friend I said you’d call- BOB Robert
Doctor Robert
(End)

But it is not the only change that was made to the final mix in 1966: the maracas were removed during the two “Well Well Well” verses for the MONO UK and the STEREO version (including this 2022 mix), but not for the MONO mix for the United States on the LP “Yesterday…And Today”, where the two verses contain the maracas, same as this un-edited Take 7 (and during the third verse “Well Well Well” not used in the official versions, in addition to the maracas, Ringo’s drumming never stops).

13-AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING (FIRST VERSION / TAKE 2) 02:12 – PARTIALLY NEW
14-AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING (FIRST VERSION / TAKE 2 / GIGGLING) 02:21  – PARTIALLY NEW
The actual count-in from Take 2 appears for the first time on both tracks (in ‘Anthology 2’ and ‘Anthology Video’ John’s intro comes from Take 1). Provisionally considered best, several overdubs were made: lead vocals by John and Paul, a second vocal by John in two verses, bass, tambourine and two different lead guitar solos one on top of the other in the middle-eight and the riffs towards the end.
Completely “familiar” for fans these two versions, although the first (TRACK 13) was only possible to obtain in MONO using the filter to isolate or remove certain elements -Out of phase Stereo ‘oops’- using the ‘Anthology 2’ version; now  appears in stereo although it is exactly the same version with all the overdubs mentioned above and with an additional second never heard before towards the end when the engineer stops the tape.
TRACK 14 shows another stage of overdubs onto Take 2 (previously available on ‘Anthology 2’ in a different mix, with the two guitar solos on the right channel and the basic track on the left); we now have an extra 11 seconds over the intro with studio talk, and John and Paul ready for their vocal overdub attempt that ended in uncontrollable laughter, and we only hear one of the two guitar solos on the right channel, so it gives the illusion of being another version (in one of the DTS audio channels of the ‘Anthology Video’ the other guitar solo is the one that is isolated). The two versions (‘Anthology 2’ CD1 TRACK 19 and the mix of Giles CD2 Track 14) are necessary because they let you hear differences in sounds and voices that John and Paul are making while recording their overdubs. In George Martin’s mix for ‘Anthology 2’, for example, John can be heard intentionally “chewing saliva” after McCartney says “Now, right” just before the first line “You tell me that you’ve got everything you want” which comes from the second vocal overdub (the ‘Giggling’ one was the third) which is no longer audible in this 2022 release; but we can hear Paul also “chewing saliva” and exhaling at the start of the take before the “Now, right” as part of this third vocal overdub.

Officially and in Bootleg we have different stages of this First Version:
1- Take 2 with guide vocals from John and Paul without overdubs or laughs, bass or tambourine. It still lacks a guitar solo in the middle-eight (similar to what is heard in the left channel on ‘Anthology 2’). Available on Bootleg. Paul is heard saying at the end “That’s it… yeah”.

2- Take 2 only with John’s second vocal in the verses “When your prized possessions..” and “When your bird is broken..”; in addition to  bass, tambourine and the first guitar solo overdubs. John is heard saying at the end “That was it, wasn’t it?”. Circulates among collectors.

3- Take 2 with the following overdubs: John and Paul on lead vocals, John’s backing vocal in two verses, bass, tambourine and two different guitar solos. Available on the Revolver CD2 TRACK 13 Deluxe Box Set 2022 and on bootleg is the “without laughs” version ripped from the official ‘Anthology 2’ CD using the ‘oops’ audio technique circulated for years. John is also heard saying at the end “That was it, wasn’t it?” from the previous overdub.

4-Take 2 with the attempted vocal overdub that ended in laughter, available in different mixes on ‘Anthology 2’, ‘Anthology Video’ (with lead guitar #2 isolated on a DTS audio channel along with handclaps from John and Paul and a nasal noise he makes, only audible in this mix), and ‘Revolver 2022 Deluxe Edition’ CD2 Track 14 (with lead guitar #1). In all of them you can hear at the end “That was it, wasn’t it?” coming from the second overdub.

DISC 3- OUTTAKES PART 2

1-AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING (SECOND VERSION / TAKE 5) 02:18 – NEW
The group decides to re-record this song in a different arrangement six days later. The track opens with John’s words before Take 1: “Okay boys, quite brisk, moderato, foxtrot!”and is linked with Take 5, which received some overdubs. Excellent separation on the left channel (The original backing track. At the end Ringo stops earlier and tells John “I couldn’t carry on”), and on the right channel the overdubs (John’s lead vocal, lead guitar, vocal harmonies by Paul and George as well as a very particular three-vocal harmony “ahhhhhhhhhhh” not used in the final version). It’s now close to the version that was officially released.

2-TAXMAN (TAKE 11) 02:35  – PARTIALLY NEW
This is the same version as previously available on ‘Anthology 2’, but at a different speed -one second faster- and with a radically different mix than the one George Martin delivered, which was much more “pleasing” to fans for splitting to the left and right channels the different overdub processes, however Giles has integrated them into his mix on both channels, although it does not detract from the excellent separation of Harrison’s two lead vocals. It’s three seconds longer at the start before “One, Two, Three, Four” and four towards the end after Paul’s bass riffs -where ‘Anthology 2’ fades out.

3-I’M ONLY SLEEPING (REHEARSAL FRAGMENT) 00:46  – PARTIALLY NEW
Also available on ‘Anthology 2’, now one second longer at the beginning and nine seconds towards the end with an interesting dialogue from George Martin giving his thoughts on this experimental arrangement with a vibraphone – until the tape cuts.

4-I’M ONLY SLEEPING (TAKE 2) 02:26  – PARTIALLY NEW
16 seconds of this take can be heard in Ron Howard’s documentary ‘Eight Days A Week’ and also on bootlegs, although this full sequence reveals that it comes after the “Take three” announcement is heard. The arrangement of Take 2 is similar to the first take released on ‘Anthology 2’ which makes it unappealing now and is only 1:15 long, John makes a mistake and the take is stopped, the third take is immediately announced but the dialogues between George Martin, John and Paul continue (including the brief 16-second improvisation available on ‘Eight Days A Week’). Giles must have given other songs a chance of which he only chose a single take, the balance in favor of certain tracks is very evident and songs that could reveal much more in studying their recording processes were ignored.

5-I’M ONLY SLEEPING (TAKE 5) 02:41  – NEW
Similar to the way of recording “Rain”, at a very fast speed and then slowing it down, giving a completely different atmosphere. Another one of the surprising outtakes selected for this 2022 collection. John and George on acoustic guitars, Paul on bass and Ringo on drums. Instrumental take with an extended intro.

6-I’M ONLY SLEEPING (MONO MIX RM1) 03:04  – NEW
It joins the other officially available variants: RM5, RM6, RS1 and RS2, released on the Mono and Stereo LPs of “Yesterday..And Today” in the US and “Revolver” in the UK.
The most noticeable difference (besides the fact that we hear seven seconds before John’s count-in as the tape starts recording) is that it is the only released mix that includes the sound of the backwards guitar throughout the middle bridge in which you can also hear Paul’s yawn -from 02:02 and until 02:10 (between “..sleeping” and “Keepin’ an eye..”). A more interesting version is the one that many attendees were able to hear prior to the ‘Love’ show in Las Vegas, forming part of the tape that Giles prepared with alternate versions, that instrumental version available on bootlegs includes the backwards guitar solo for most of the track, and on all bridges except the first one, unlike any of the released mixes.

7-ELEANOR RIGBY (SPEECH BEFORE TAKE 2) 02:10  – PARTIALLY NEW
Seven seconds were already available as part of the interspersed dialogues in the video game ‘Rockband’, later on bootlegs. George Martin asks Paul if he wants to hear the differences in the arrangement with and without vibrato and at the end of two short demonstrations, Paul doubts he has heard any radical difference but the musicians and Martin have different opinions. A very interesting track in this 2022 boxed set.

8-ELEANOR RIGBY (TAKE 2) 02:17  – NEW
The announcement “Take Two” opens this track. Differences during the chorus when compared to Take 14, used for the master and available on ‘Anthology 2’, although not so radical as to be selected on this boxed set in stead of additional alternate takes of “Taxman”, “Doctor Robert” , “Good Day Sunshine” or “I Want To Tell You” (which is very punished in this collection) with an actual participation of the group. The decision to include more versions of “popular tracks” always has its risks. It would have been much more interesting to have Paul’s demo, which partially circulates on bootlegs and apparently no longer exists in its entirety.

9-FOR NO ONE (TAKE 10 / BACKING TRACK) 02:21  – NEW
“Take Nine… Ten” the engineer corrects himself at the beginning. Those that circulate on bootlegs regarding Take 10 are from the overdub session, and not to the tenth take as initially recorded, a backing track with only Paul and Ringo present. Ringo asks Paul at the end “What do you think?”, McCartney replies “I think..” and the tape ends or is cut.

10-YELLOW SUBMARINE (SONGWRITING WORK TAPE / PART 1) 01:01  – NEW
John’s unknown demo which started off as a melancholic composition and would end in a happy song adored by young and old. One of the biggest revelations that this 2022 collection gave us along with the next track that could completely change the stories of who composed what.

11-YELLOW SUBMARINE (SONGWRITING WORK TAPE / PART 2) 04:39  – NEW
John’s demo now morphs in the studio, alongside Paul, into the foundation that would gradually evolve into the song we all know. At this stage of composition, John asks Paul to sing it and he will only accompany him on the guitar to which McCartney disagrees, that John is the one who knows how to sing it. The lyrics are still in development, although the initial verse is practically complete –with slight differences in some words. Paul joins in on the choruses during “We all live in a yellow submarine” but also interjects the words “Look Out” and “Get Down” during “Yellow submarine, yellow submarine”. In total, during this writing session, we can hear four different attempts, two complete and two false starts.

12-YELLOW SUBMARINE (TAKE 4 BEFORE SOUND EFFECTS) 02:35 – NEW
The next stage of overdubs onto Take 4 is included here: Ringo’s vocals and backing vocals by John, George and Paul, recorded at a different speed, 8 seconds faster than how we have them in the final version. At the beginning there are four seconds of studio talk and John strumming some chords on his guitar and giving the count-in (as heard in the mix on Rockband, later on bootlegs), and the ending has no fade-out, so we hear the full performance.

13-YELLOW SUBMARINE (HIGHLIGHTED SOUND EFFECTS) 03:00 – PARTIALLY NEW
Another track that could have given up the space it occupies to another song. This is the same version which George Martin gave us on the ‘Real Love’ CD Single in 1996 promoting ‘Anthology 2’ in a more unified mix in the sound effects; the only difference from the 1966 version is that it has no fade-in or fade-out so it is a second longer at the beginning when the tape started recording the marching sounds and Ringo’s spoken introduction to John’s poem “Yellow Submarine. And we will march to free the day..”, and sixteen seconds extended towards the end, also with John, Paul and George vocalizing “We, We, Weee” (same as the Rockband mix), and John says “I didn’t think that was the end actually”.

14-I WANT TO TELL YOU (SPEECH & TAKE 4) 01:21 – NEW
This is when you wonder if they really do it for the fans or are they just focused on trying to keep the times on each CD very limited to match the LP releases. George was severely punished on this box with the alternate material from his compositions or they thought that so many versions of “Love You To” was more than enough.
The first 22 seconds correspond to the dialogues prior to Take 1:
George Martin: “What do you call it, George?”
John Lennon: “What’s it called?”
George Harrison: “Oh, got no name”
John Lennon: “Granny Smith Part Friggin’ Two!”
Ringo Starr: “Tell You. That’s a nice title”
John Lennon: ‘You’ve never had a title for anything, except for “Don’t Bother Me” (the final part is blocked by the voice of Emerick)
Geoff Emerick: “Laxton’s Superb” (which is another type of apple, just like the working title of “Love You To” was “Granny Smith”).
Take 4 is announced but only lasts 39 seconds into its performance before being stopped, someone walked in while the red light was on and there is some funny dialogue between Paul and George Martin, however that doesn’t make up for 39 seconds.

15-HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE (TAKE 6) 02:27 – PARTIALLY NEW
Released as ‘Take 7’ on the CD Single ‘Real Love’ promoting ‘Anthology 2′, is the same take – contrary to another review that says it is a different one -, number six which now appears without the vocal harmonies from Take 13 that George Martin combined this version with in 1996. Paul’s voice is clearer on Giles’ mix and is five seconds longer than the one his father did, including McCartney’s count-in.

16-SHE SAID SHE SAID (JOHN’S DEMO) 01:08

The many different John’s demos for this song have been circulating for years. The first four seconds in this collection come from a first session at home when the song was still called “He Said He Said” and we hear John: “Hello, Helloou, Oke” (they cut the tape before John finishes the word “Okey”) , however on bootlegs we have this same dialog complete with an extended “Okeey” and in better quality. At 00:05 it links with the longer demo that John recorded weeks later and with the lyrics already modified to “She Said”, unfortunately the quality is poor compared to what is circulating on bootlegs, as they applied too much noise reduction filter. Space that could be used in something else maybe.

17- SHE SAID SHE SAID (TAKE 15 / BACKING TRACK REHEARSAL) 03:22 – NEW
Backing track recorded during the rehearsal session. Some of the opening dialogue between Ringo, Paul and John comes from Take 2 – we hear the engineer say “Two” – and 3. “She Said She Said” was the last song to be recorded for the album and the dialogues added here reflects the group’s need to record an additional song to complete it:
John: “Come on now, Come on Come On!, Last track last track!”. Paul: “Keep going, keep going!” and it’s McCartney himself who gives the count-in for Take 15.

GOOD DAY SUNSHINE ¿?????
The Beatles recorded six takes of the basic track for this song, all of which survive and are described in the book that accompanies this release, take one was selected for the overdubs; but it seems that Giles was not satisfied with any alternate take or overdubs and left this song off the outtakes disks in favor of other songs with too few differences or too many repeats compared to previous official releases, which seems like a strange decision since in the Anniversary box set of ‘The Beatles AKA The White Album’, have no extra alternate takes – “Dear Prudence” for example-, they decided to give us some channel mixes or without fading in or out, to ensure that all songs could be present, they could have done the same here.

Ringo shows off the back of the new Revolver boxed set.

DISC 4- MONO MIX

It does not present any difference and this mix has been very well documented for many years with each of its variations. We save space.

DISC 5 EP- STEREO MIX 2022

1-PAPERBACK WRITER
The drums are surprisingly clear compared to the original mix. One of the best achieved in this 2022 mix, although there are certain elements in George Martin’s mix panned to the right or left channel that we were used to that are no longer audible in the 2022 versions or have been mixed to the “center”. Same case with “Rain”.

2-RAIN
Is a second shorter than the original stereo version where you can hear on the right channel during the fade-out at 02:59 a very hidden “Rainnnn” that is no longer present here, coming from the vocal harmonies, exactly at end of John’s backwards vocals.
A total waste of space for a CD with only 10 minutes and 51 seconds (just to unify the LP version with a Bonus EP), which could well have been included on CD 4 and make the box more accessible to fans – and whoever wants an EP can purchase the vinyl version.

38 Responses

  1. Brian Hunt says:

    A great review, as always; sadly, the very short CDs (to stop vinyl fans from moaning) and the lack of a 5.1 mix on Blu-Ray make this an inessential purchase – at least until the inevitable price drop after Christmas…

  2. olivernutherwun says:

    Great review. That waste of space where the EP is would easily fit a blu ray…..(but then the entire set could fit on one blu ray – as any XTC fan can tell you!)

  3. Ronald says:

    In the 90s, all three Anthology releases were triple LPs and double CDs. Why can’t they do that now?

  4. mg says:

    They removed the amp hum from the Taxman intro???!! What the…….?!!!!!

  5. Dave says:

    Aren’t there 4 songs on the EP? Why are only 2 mentioned?

  6. TW says:

    How is the quality of the mono sound on this release? Any noticeable sonic improvement from 2009 mixes?

  7. James Peet says:

    I think we’re quite a hard bunch to please with these releases. I’m going to treat it like I have done with the other new mix packages. Namely, to listen out for new sounds and enjoy that. What we want the album to sound like, and what they can do are probably two different things. The best of the Beatles is already out there with the original discography. This time next week, I’ll know for myself what is what. Enjoy!

  8. rondordrecht says:

    slightly disappointed that the spoken intro of Yellow Submarine is still the same as on the Real Love CD single, why not the full 31 seconds instead of only 14??

  9. Fiendish Thingy says:

    Looks like another continuation in the tradition of Two CD’s Worth Of Music For The Price of Five…

  10. Dave says:

    How on earth did this leak so early? I’ve heard rumours that it was someone on the Steve Hoffman forums?

    • Brian from Canada says:

      Leak to the Internet or have this story leak? If it’s this story, then it’s likely that Universal knows some reviews get published before the release and allow it – plus this is for dedicated Beatles fans only.

      If it’s the album/box set online for downloading, then big jeers to the person who did that because the Abbey Road track leak led to making it harder to get information about Beatles releases due to fears of leaking. It’s also possible that, instead of being from the Hoffman boards, it’s someone who has access to digital editions for uploading/has found the files on streaming networks, because the Beatles are not the only ones to have upcoming releases already posted around apparently.

  11. David A Earley says:

    It will be a great addition. I love these sets. I would have liked a Blu-ray DVD like the other sets but oh well. I kind of understand why they do the small EP CD, keeps the released singles stuff separate from the other stuff. I buy this stuff more for the collector in me than the music itself anyway. I really do like the outtakes though.

  12. RICHARD OWEN says:

    I do believe that the reply vocal “a life of ease, etc.” on “Yellow Submarine” is Paul and not John.

  13. Andre says:

    Revolver original vinyl sounds much better..what a waste of money..

  14. Blakey says:

    We are just lucky to get these reissues. If Paul hadn’t opposed Klein (and the ‘other three’), ABKCO could have owned and controlled all this stuff. And, as Beatles fans, we are so blessed compared to Stones fans (I am both). I doubt any of us first generation Stones fans will ever see any rarities or deluxe reissues like the Beatles sets of recent years. As Paul himself pointed out, there’d have been no Anthology, no 1+. And the same applies to the Giles produced reissues and the Get Back series. A deluxe Beatles box set – of any kind – is better than none at all.

    • Danny Jones says:

      If we had had the exact same content but over less CD’s at less of a cost, then i believe most people would be happy. It’s not the content thats the “main” gripe, its the rip off deal they are giving people

      • David says:

        I’d appreciate more cds. No one is forcing anybody to buy it. You can get it all on Spotify or another music provider.

        • Danny Jones says:

          nobody is ever forced to buy anything (necessities aside). That’s got nothing to do with having an opinion on whether or not something is value for money. If you don’t try and hold people to account then they just rip you off.

          • olivernutherwun says:

            Good point Danny. Fans (of anything not just the Beatles) should be the last people defending marketeers ripping them off – devoted fans have no issue being sold good product (as everyone here has, no doubt, demonstrated many many times) – and as long as good product is provided the cash keeps coming in and everyone is happy. Burn fans too many times with poor value product (and we all need to say out loud (good as the material on it is) the Super Deluxe Revolver set is an over-priced ripoff) – and the golden goose gets cooked – and then everyone loses.
            The irony is that (back in the day) the Beatles (on record) provided great value for money – 14 songs (when most albums were 12), singles and albums didn’t repeat each other etc – whereas now there are few legacy groups more mercenary than the Beatles factory (Janie H perhaps?).

          • David says:

            Well I see your point. Maybe if I had collected everything Beatle under the sun then I would be disappointed in this set. But for me, it sounds great. Some songs sound better to me. Maybe in reality they aren’t but I’m living in my reality. I’m glad I bought it. It’s been known for a while what was in it, so people could have cancelled.

  15. TW says:

    It seems like there was come creativity in the mixing being done in this release as the above story relates but that was also true way back when the first stereo mixes were released. I always remember John’s statement that if you really want to know what sound the Beatles wanted, listen to the mono mixes; they never bothered with the stereo mixes until Abbey Road. Having said that, is it possible to remix the mono sound from the original source tapes to have a clearer mono sound with more dynamic range and definition?

    • nateboy2 says:

      I wonder that, myself. I assume there would be severe phasing issues, since the multitracks have each track captured separately.

    • William Campbell says:

      Giles Martin isn’t interested in dynamic range and sonic detail. He isn’t qualified to be anywhere near Beatle recordings. The mastering of this set is all over the map. Abrupt fades, brick walling, jarring sounds appearing and disappearing. And he’s probably using Beats earbuds with an Apple computer. He is in WAY over his head. There are easily thousands of more qualified people that could do a much better job. The only reason he got it was that his last name was Martin.

      • TW says:

        I have to agree somewhat with your point of view. “All over the map” describes my experience with the White album. Although my ears are older these days, on the White Album remixes I found (at times) on different tracks a mix of clear and delightful improvement, regression (some instruments and vocals pushed down in prominence) and a lack of understanding on my part how on how some tracks were addressed in the name of sonic improvement. I thought that I heard some phase shifting on some tracks….almost as if there was a tape head misalignment or tape degradation in some quadrants of the reel during the remixing…

        • olivernutherwun says:

          I have no problem with the Giles Martin remixes – they’re all good – but it’s only the stereo Sgt Pepper that’s an improvement on its predecessor – all the others are different…but equal to their predecessors. So there’s something else that should have been in the ‘deluxe’ set – the original album in stereo/mono on one disc (like the US album re-releases were), along with ‘Yesterday and Today’ (with its different mixes of three Revolver tracks). Plus (of course) that %$#$# missing blu ray! So many missed opportunities. I’d love to know who put the set we finally got together and how they made their decisions. Because no one I’ve spoken to (or read online) can make any sense of it.

          • Ronald says:

            If the box set had included Yesterday and Today and the American version of Revolver, I think they should have had the Butcher cover, rather than Klaus’s masterpiece.

  16. Mike says:

    The love you to with George on acoustic def isn’t acoustic guitar.its an electric played in unplugged

    • Dr. Pepper says:

      It sounds like an (unmiked) acoustic guitar to me, bleeding from the vocal microphone placed near Georges mouth.

  17. Oh Pete says:

    Take 15 of “she Said, She Said” is interesting. Paul has said he doesn’t remember playing on the track after a possible “row”, but there he is, counting it off on this version.

  18. David A Earley says:

    Haven’t got my box set yet, being delivered. But listening on Spotify, I’m really loving the mix. There was a few songs on here I wasn’t a big fan of like She said she said and Dr. Robert and they have really improved them in a way that I like them a lot now. Of course maybe since they weren’t in my rotation, they just feel better. Haven’t gotten to listen to all the other but I’m really liking it so far. Maybe even more than the other sets. Definitely worth my money anyway.

  19. Andrew French says:

    Just can’t understand why the original speed rain mix has the overdubbed bass part on it. Listening to it you can clearly hear this was recorded after the tape was slowed down so the bass is now sped up and it just sounds ridiculous.

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