Abbey Road formats

Here’s a list we found posted on Facebook, purporting to be five formats of the 50th anniversary release of The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” album on September 27.

ABBEY ROAD’ ANNIVERSARY SUPER DELUXE EDITION (4 DISC)

12” x 12” hardcover book to house:

CD1: New ‘Abbey Road’ stereo album mix

CD2: Demos and Outtakes

CD3: Demos and Outtakes

DISC 4 (Blu-ray): Dolby Atmos mix of whole album / 5.1 surround of whole album / hi-res stereo mix of whole album

Book

Limited Edition

Although we have seen a draft of a 3CD track list, this was not final:

CD1

Abbey Road usual track list

CD2

I Want You (She’s So Heavy) [Take 32 + Billy Organ]

Goodbye [Demo]

Something [Demo]

Ballad Of John And Yoko [Take 7]

Old Brown Shoe [Take 2]

Oh Darling [Take 4]

Octopus Garden [Take 9]

You Never Give Me Your Money [Take 36]

Her Majesty [Takes 1-3]

Golden Slumbers – Carry That Weight [Takes 1-3]

Here Comes The Sun [Take 9]

Maxwell’s Silver Hammer [Take 12]

CD3

Come Together [Take 5]

The End [Take 3]

Sun King / Mean Mr Mustard [Take 20]

Polythene Pam – Bathroom Window [Take 27]

Because [Take 1]

The Long One [Trial Edit and Mix]

Something [Orchestral – Take 39]

Golden Slumbers [Take 17]

‘ABBEY ROAD’ ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION (2CD)

Expanded 2CD package features the new stereo album mix on and adds a second CD of demos and outtakes

Limited edition

‘ABBEY ROAD’ ANNIVERSARY EDITION (1CD)

1CD digi featuring the new ‘Abbey Road’ stereo album mix

Unlimited edition

‘ABBEY ROAD’ ANNIVERSARY SUPER DELUXE EDITION (3LP BOX)

12” x 12” lift off lid box to house:

LP1: New ‘Abbey Road’ stereo album mix

LP2: Demos and Outtakes

LP3: Demos and Outtakes

Limited edition

‘ABBEY ROAD’ ANNIVERSARY EDITION (1LP)

180-gram 1LP vinyl featuring the new stereo album mix

Packaging faithful to the original album

Of course, there will also be non-physical formats for purchase or streaming.

31 Responses

  1. Andrew says:

    How many of you owned the old vinyl bootleg Abbey Rd NW8? I hope we can get
    a lot of these tracks in pristine quality one day. Or why don't Beatles Inc
    start a streaming (+ some download?) site with released tracks plus many others
    they're happy to let out in the wilds? Including video, legacy tracks, radio,
    tv and whatever else is of interest! (also solo, Apple artists…)

  2. James Peet says:

    I think Andrew is right, that these remaining tapes not included in the various Super-Duper Deluxe versions should be put out, either streaming and/or buy song for £x.xx. I'm very happy that the demo of Goodbye might be coming out – I thought it was a 1968 recording.

    Does anyone here think that the earlier albums might be given a new mix? I think I'm going to cancel eating for the rest of this year in order to save up for these lovely goodies.

  3. James Percival says:

    Like James above, I am wondering how I am going to pay for all these deluxe editions, with Let It Be following along fairly shortly.
    A remix of all the earlier releases would be fantastic. That stated, this revamp series should have started with Please Please Me in 2013. But until they got onto 4 track there is probably a limited amount of remixing that can be done and assuming the original tracks are still available (which we know from some early singles is not the case).
    I always felt that the 2009 re-releases were too little and too late…

  4. pt1982 says:

    very poor the tracklist (if it is the definitive one) in what is studio takes. What happened with aint she sweet / be bop to lula, come and get it … ?

  5. Tony says:

    i agree it would have been nice to have Come And Get It, but it was included on Anthology and I doubt there are any other takes worth hearing of it. As for Ain't She Sweet, we can only be thankful it won't be incuded, as it is a dreadful, rambling and tedious mess.

  6. Nils says:

    What does [Trial Edit and Mix] mean?

    • Mythme says:

      Its most likey the rough medley lineup with the organ note linking Money with Sun king and Her Majesty still intact

  7. John Rehor says:

    If this is truly the track listing, my guess is those tracks were on Anthology, so no need to reissue.

  8. Russell says:

    I only buy these for the unreleased tracks, haven't been real pleased with the "new stereo mixes" so far. But the Yellow Submarine Soundtrack was awesome. Anyway, kind of disappointed at the track list for Abbey Road. There is so much available that we will most likely never get to hear…

  9. wardo says:

    Agreed with John Rehor — neither the Pepper or White Album expansions included everything that was already on Anthology. Still, two full discs of outtakes will be welcome.

  10. Russell says:

    P.S. Rubber Soul would benefit the most from a remix.Just listen to Nowhere Man on Yellow Submarine Songtrack.

  11. Unknown says:

    @rbscuere:
    Come And Get It and Ain't She Sweet were both recorded on July 27, 1969.

    Come And Get It in a solo McCartney session and Ain't She Sweet during the sessions for "Sun King".

  12. James Percival says:

    Just to clarify my feelings regarding the reissues.
    The Beatles were late to the table with the first CD releases, but the first go was a pretty good job and I certainly agreed with the mono mixes for the first 4 albums.
    But why wait until 2009 for the second generation. True, massive sales in the 1990s with the BBC, anthology and 1 releases probably saturated the market, but it still was a long, long, long wait. And then what did we get? Compressed, loud and unsubtle versions of the original mixes…And if sales figures are to be believed, not big sellers either due to arriving after the streaming revolution.
    I'm with Russell – the Yellow Submarine Soundtrack was an absolute revelation and has not been topped.
    So, had the second generation releases happened earlier than 2009, it would have allowed a third generation series from the 50th anniversary of Please, Please Me in 2013. These could have included mono/stereo, outtakes, singles, B-sides, etc. And where possible it could have resulted in new mixes. Again, I think Russell is right about Rubber Soul, but Revolver is the obvious lost opportunity. Starting the third generation with Sgt. Pepper was understandable, but arguably too late.
    Just look at the Rolling Stones catalogue to realise just how slow Apple have been. Many of the original collectors / fans are either deaf or dead now. Apple really missed their market…

  13. Unknown says:

    Hello world.
    Me being a second generation Beatles fan. Turning 50 in 2017.
    I do believe that the Beatles and apple are doing a stellar job. Coming up to the 60th anniversary of please please me where it all started for the guys will be another big year for all us Beatles fans. I can't wait for a box set of an in-depth look at let it be next year as well.
    However I am a little bit disappointed with the amount of takes that are being released on these new additions.
    I would love to see something like the John Lennon's imagine album box it became out last year.
    I would have loved to see some more deeper tracks for us 2nd Generation collectors.

  14. Martin says:

    I hope the version of You Never Give Me Your Money with the extended jam at the end is on this reissue. And what about the extra guitar solo for Something?

    I also hope there are 'orchestral' versions of Golden Slumbers and Carry That Weight.

    We are just lucky to be getting this great stuff. Because of a stand-off between the Stones and ABKCO there will be no deluxe Let It Bleed this year (as there was no deluxe Beggars Banquet or Satanic Majesties either). I am thankful that Apple are putting this stuff out there.

  15. James Percival says:

    Maybe I am a bit too critical of Apple. And possibly the Stones wasn't the best anology, but I do think that the remix / remasters put out for Hendrix, the Stones and the Who have been impressive, including the SACD releases.
    No one can doubt that Apple, particularly under Neil's leadership, protected the legacy. But having trawled the online boards for well over a decade, there is a general feeling that they have been slow. Nevertheless, all the releases have been carefully constructed and well received.
    Unlike many serious fans I am not too bothered about the outtakes. Poor vocals and fluffed guitar solos don't necessarily enhance the Beatles' legacy in my opinion. Yesterday I read Colin Hanton's book and it made me curious about the Percy Phillips' recordings and so I played Anthology 1 for the first time in years. Listening to George mess up his solos on One after 909 wasn't easy listening. What I am interested in is the best possible version of the existing catalogue (and a few unreleased gems which mostly appeared on the Anthology releases). This usually means a remix from the original tracks. The template was set by the Yellow Submarine soundtrack, but I was very impressed with the Lennon remixes from 15 years ago, and the Who's Tommy which sounds tremendous. I bought the deluxe version of Sgt. Pepper and the White, but have mostly listened to the remixed final albums (which are definitely an improvement). So if I had to choose between a definitive version of each album (with the singles, and a few gems, etc) or endless outtakes I would definitely take the former – but that's just my opinion.

  16. James Peet says:

    My feelings about outtakes are this: Apple and the individual Beatles always guarded the unreleased stuff. The official line was that only the best unreleased material would be considered for release. After all this time, surely it should be put out there, via streaming et al. The Beatles' reputations will remain stellar. Nobody will stop loving the Beatles because of a bad take.

    I'm 47, in poor health, and I worry that I'll not be around to hear this stuff.

  17. James Percival says:

    James, sorry to hear about your health concerns. I'm 56 and in pretty good nick, but very much thinking about how many years I have left. After all these years why not release absolutely everything through streaming / downloads? I think we will all agree about that.

    The problem with outtakes and legacy is that the Beatles were not trained musicians / singers and we know – think Quincy Jones from a year ago – that this is one area they are vulnerable to criticism. John and Paul were two of rock music's great singers, but they both had off days. George certainly lacked fluency and consistency and we have had people like Geoff Emerick slagging him off quite heavily. The main thing I took from the Anthology project was that they nearly always got it right when it came to the final version.

  18. bob katz says:

    Love the Beatles, saw the Beatles, but I've purchased the same songs too many times now to be suckered into buying the now "super duper grand deluxe" edition of 50 year old songs.

  19. Titenhurst says:

    Hope these releases will be covered in Lewishons Hornsey Road tour

  20. Raphaël Vandenberghe says:

    Even the unreleasd stuff is great !Is even greater as we listened million times to the LP's & CD's…so welcome the demos and all the rest 🙂

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  22. James Peet says:

    Firstly, I think we're all agreed: EvaniaFlo is not really interested in the Abbey Road release…

    James (Percival), I totally agree. There are some fairly rough outtakes, such as, "That Means A Lot", but they are interesting to people like us. I was disappointed with Geoff Emerick's book because of his stance towards George. The Beatles were human, but they didn't have feet of clay either, and to write a book about the Beatles and lay into George is a little disingenuous. Quincey Jones' comments were mean-spirited in my opinion, the music released in the 60s is fantastic, beautiful and exciting – if there are bum notes all through the archive, it just shows how right the Beatles and George Martin were in the selection of "best take".

    One thought arises, now we have the Super Deluxe Sgt. Pepper's and White Album, does this mean the door is closed to other unreleased material from these sessions? I hope not.

    I hope you manage to stay healthy for many years to come, James! x

  23. Martin says:

    Quincy Jones is full of shizer…. The Beatles were all about human chemistry and the common touch. Who cares if they weren't 'great musicians'? They made great records and beautiful songs. Just like the Byrds: McGuinn wasn't a great singer, Michael Clarke wasn't a great drummer. But David Crosby is right when he says 'There were only ever five Byrds' and they were magical together. Same goes for Joy Division: Ian Curtis was both unique and unusual, Hooky played his bass in an unorthodox way, Stephen played his drums at amazing speed and Bernard wasn't a guitarist like Page or Hendrix. Doesn't mean that Joy Division weren't great though, because they were. It's not about who can do what (I also think Emerick was a tw@t for slagging George after he died), they were not called the Fab Four for nothing. We will never see their like again and if Jones wants virtuoso noodling he can easily find it somewhere else….

  24. Martin says:

    Anyway, I think McCartney and Starr were one of the best rhythm sections ever.

  25. db says:

    Does Abbey Road really need a stereo remix?
    No, it's good already. But Rubber Soul and Revolver would benefit from that, and the whole boxset treatment. But when? 2025/6?

  26. mike5103 says:

    It is amazing how progressive the Beatles were during creation of their music and how they afraid of releasing now something not perfect in outtakes. Actually not all of them were working as firewall of outtakes release, two Georges were the best in preventing release of outtakes as not interested for fans. The door for outtakes is closed forever.
    In this point it is very funny to see drops of Beatles material with continues rerelease of Egypt Station and Lennon catalog, that is out of my understanding.

  27. Russell says:

    A few more ramblings from me…
    As I approach my 60's, I too wonder if I'll live long enough to hear all of the outtakes and unreleased gems. But I have to remind myself, who would have ever thought that we'd get 3 Volumes of Anthology, 3 (so far including Abbey Road) super deluxe editions, The Lennon demo box set, deluxe McCartney reissues and many other goodies? It's something that I never thought would happen. The many bootlegs I've acquired over the years just made me yearn for more! I love the false starts, strings breaking before the take is complete and most of the other anomalies that have been captured on tape. The only things that I cannot listen to repeatedly are things such as the gazillion edit pieces on songs like Thank You Girl. I often think of my dear friend Brad, he wanted these things as much as, maybe even more, than I did. Sadly, he passed away shortly before the Love remix CD. So I always feel a little guilty when I criticize any of these releases. Brad never got to enjoy anything other than the bootlegs. But oh how I would LOVE a good stereo remix of Rubber Soul…

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