US Albums mixes used

15 Responses

  1. Unknown says:

    Will you be at beatlefest?

  2. wogew says:

    I'm going to try to pop in there at some point.

  3. S e as garotas que erraram says:

    Why didn`t they preserved the same mixes from the first release? I won`t be getting the same experience as it was given on the period these albums were firstly pressed on US, right?

    Can I say that this US Albums box set is a rehash of the 2 volumes of Capitol Albums that weren`t continued?

    thanks!

  4. Unknown says:

    This is confusing as hell- especially since its the MASTERING, as much or more than the MIXES, that set the US LPs apart from the UK albums!

  5. wogew says:

    To be fair, Universal Music couldn't go right with this boxed set. Had they used the same mixes as the Capitol Albums boxed sets, they would have been criticised for repacking the first eight which people had already bought, as well as for an inferior sound compared to the UK remasters. Some times the original US Capitol master tapes were duplicates of duplicates. So they went for another experience; correct track order, artwork and inner sleeves, the best sound experience, but sprinkled with the unique US mixes and a nice touch with the butcher/trunk cover sticker thing. Too bad they forgot about some of those unique US mixes. But you knew they would have to make a few mistakes, they always do.

  6. Unknown says:

    Where Is The Magical Mystery Tour?

  7. Whitcomb says:

    One thing that puzzles me about this collection: In the Capitol v. EMI list of mixes, numerous songs, particularly on "Beatles VI" and "Rubber Soul," are listed as "remixes." Does this mean they were remixed exclusively for this collection, or from 2009, or from even farther back?

  8. wogew says:

    Back in 1987, George Martin remixed the songs on the stereo UK "Help!" and "Rubber Soul" albums for CD. In 2009, his mixes were reproduced for the remastered stereo albums. It's those remixes that are indicated.

  9. Brian Fried says:

    I disagree, Roger.

    Had they used the same mixes as the Capitol Albums, fans would have had to choose between (a) selling the originals and going for the full box, or (b) skipped Beatles Story and just buying the albums they didn't have after the first two.

    They didn't forget about those unique US mixes: they intentionally omitted them. The booklet basically calls the fold down and duophonic mixes inferior and not worth releasing, despite it being a clear part of the feel of the album.

    Universal Music cheaper out. They did not bother bringing in an engineer for these albums: instead, they assembled these albums as if in iTunes, taking the existing mixes and putting them in right running order. Fades and timing between the tracks make it sound uneven.

    My recommendation to those considering this box still? Don't. All that money for just packaging: it's just not worth it.

  10. wogew says:

    Steve Shorten had this to say:
    Technical info on the new Beatles "US Albums" boxed set:

    An analysis of the iTunes LP manifest included with the new "US Albums" boxed set shows exactly which recordings on the set have been completely remastered and which were sourced (from which sources) from the 2009 mono and stereo sets. Rather than needing to rely on auditory judgments, this method relies on unique identifiers (XID codes) used by Apple (the computer company) for each master they sell.

    Intriguingly, an examination of the XID codes also shows that Apple has assigned XID codes to the tracks from the 2009 boxed set "The Beatles in Mono" which has yet to be released via iTunes.

    Mono masters unique to the new set include Long Tall Sally, I Call Your Name, I'll Cry Instead, And I Love Her, Any Time at All, When I Get Home, a SECOND mono version of And I Love Her, I'll Be Back, She's A Woman, I Feel Fine, Help!, Michelle, I'm Only Sleeping, Dr. Robert and And Your Bird Can Sing.

    Stereo masters unique to the new set: If I Fell, Help!, The Word, I'm Looking Through You, We Can Work it Out and Day Tripper.

    All stereo tracks originally appearing on the UK Help! and Rubber Soul albums use the 2009 remasters of George Martin's 1987 remixes EXCEPT for I've Just Seen a Face and It's Only Love which utilize the 2009 remasters of the original 1965 mixes which appeared as bonus material on the mono Help! CD.

    All alternate mono mixes that originally appeared on the US LPs ARE included in the new set.

    Alternate stereo mixes that originally appeared on the US LPs but are NOT included in the new set include: Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand and I Call Your Name. In addition, stereo mixes that appeared on the 1969 Longines (Capitol Record Club) pressing and all tape issues of "Yesterday and Today" (and later Capitol pressings of the LP starting around 1978) which are NOT included in the new set: I'm Only Sleeping, Dr. Robert, And Your Bird Can Sing.

    The new master of I Call Your Name (mono) may be in error; there seems to be no difference between this and the version on Mono Masters. The two mixes of And I Love Her (mono) found on the new set seem to be identical, but the version contained on the soundtrack LP runs at a slower speed. The new masters in mono and stereo of Help! include the James Bond Theme intro but do not represent alternate mixes of the song (the stereo version seems to utilize the 1987 remix; this needs to be confirmed).

  11. Rob says:

    This comment has been removed by the author.

  12. Rob says:

    This comment has been removed by the author.

  13. Mark says:

    Trying to figure out what is different about the stereo mix of "If I Fell." Brennan. only lists one stereo mix used on both Something New and the UK A Hard Days Night. Of course, the U.S. stereo copies of the A Hard Days Night soundtrack had the "panned" version. Secondly if it is a different mix, is it on both the A Hard Days Night and Something New discs in the new box set?

  14. Mark says:

    I think I've answered my own question on "If I Fell" after further comparison. The mix is the same but (similarly to "And I Love Her") it plays slower on the stereo Something New album. Additionally, "It's Only Love" and "I've Just Seen A Face" are both the 1987 remixes and NOT the 1965 original stereo mixes. This is apparent for "I've Just Seen A Face" by the additional echo placed on the track in the '87 remix which is not on the '65 stereo mix but does show up on The U.S> Albums box set. For "It's Only Love" the give-away is the first chorus. Notice the difference in the double-tracked vocal on the secong time John sings "It's Only Love." There was a fix to this on the '87 remix, that also shows up on The U.S> Albums box set. Aside from that, I think all the other (very valuable) info on the mixes used is 100% right on.

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