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Revolver box set incoming

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Giles Martin has confirmed the Revolver is the next Fabs album for the box set treatment. Rumoured track list below, so now is the time to get those comments of disappointment or derision in early….

Rumoured track lists:

CD1: 2022 Stereo Mix by Giles Martin & Sam Okell
01. Taxman
02. Eleanor Rigby
03. I’m Only Sleeping
04. Love You To
05. Here, There And Everywhere
06. Yellow Submarine
07. She Said She Said
08. Good Day Sunshine
09. And Your Bird Can Sing
10. For No One
11. Doctor Robert
12. I Want To Tell You
13. Got To Get You Into My Life
14. Tomorrow Never Knows

CD2: Sessions
01. Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)
02. Tomorrow Never Knows (Mono Mix RM 11)
03. Got To Get You Into My Life (First Version/ Take 5)
04. Got To Get You Into My Life (2nd Version/ Unnumbered Mix)
05. Got To Get You Into My Life (2nd Version)
06. Love You To (Take 1)
07. Love You To (Unnumbered Rehearsal)
08. Love You To (Take 7)
09. Paperback Writer (Takes 1 & 2/Backing Track)
10. Rain (Take 5)
11. Rain (Take 5/Slowed Down)
12. Doctor Robert (Take 7)
13. And Your Bird Can Sing (First Version/Take 2)
14. And Your Bird Can Sing (First Version/ Take 2/ Giggling)

CD3: Sessions
01. And Your Bird Can Sing (2nd Version/Take 5)
02. Taxman (Take 11)
03. I’m Only Sleeping (Rehearsal Fragment)
04. I’m Only Sleeping (Take 2)
05. I’m Only Sleeping (Take 5)
06. I’m Only Sleeping (Mono Mix RM11)
07. Eleanor Rigby (Speech Before Take 2)
08. Eleanor Rigby (Take 2)
09. For No One (Take 10/Backing Track)
10. Yellow Submarine (Songwriting Work Tape/ Part 1)
11. Yellow Submarine (Songwriting Work Tape/ Part 1)
12. Yellow Submarine (Take 4 Before Sound Effects)
13. Yellow Submarine (Highlighted Sound Effects)
14. I Want To Tell You (Speech & Take 4)
15. Here, There And Everywhere (Take 6)
16. She Said She Said (John’s Demo)
17. She Said She Said (Take 1/Backing Track)

CD4: 2022 Mono Transfer of original tape

CD5: Bonus EP
01. Paperback Writer (2022 Stereo)
02. Rain (2022 Stereo)
03. Paperback Writer (Mono)
04. Rain (Mono)

4

Comments

  2. …..and no 5:1/Hi Rez Stereo Bluray Disc…..but this was probably expected due to original 4 track recordings…..however Giles has been playing with Peter Jackson`s advanced de-mixing gizmo so there may be 5:1 available…..we`ll have to wait and see…..Revolver is probably my favourite Beatles album so CD & LP box sets will be ordered…..why both?…..why not.

    • Good point Baron – I’d be surprised if there isn’t a blu-ray. The Yellow Submarine film has 5.1 mixes of Eleanor Rigby and YS, so I don’t quite get some of the comments from Giles about the technological issues. ER in 5.1 is superb.

    • I expect one, that tracklisting has not been confirmed. Think similar approach to Let it Be with CDs barely half full so that vinyl box will match CD one for the non 5.1 audio content and book

  3. Given the recent Fabs 1962-in-review articles in recent issues of Mojo & Uncut, I’m surprised this isn’t Please Please Me.

    Pleasantly surprised, as I much prefer Revolver.

  5. Afterworders! If the “Fabs” (as we “fans” call the luvverly lads from Lancashire!) have “passed you by” in the past, may I suggest getting to know them through this LP record? It is in many ways the ideal introduction! They wanna hold your hand? Not arf!

              • If Sir Giles Martin had “curated” this the Afterword would be all over it like a rash – as it is, it gets the communal “meh” of disinterest from people who claim to be fans. It’s the album they could have released between Pepper and the White Album, using only non-album tracks they recorded in ’68. By “non-album” I mean albums created as such by the band, not label-assembled comps where they had little or no creative input. That’s a pretty restricted parameter, but it results in a cohesive album – rather than just another playlist of favourites – that sounds like the natural next step after Pepper. It’s also terrific (editing down Hey Jude helps, too). The sequencing isn’t random, it flows like an album, and there’s a surprise “bookend” after Hey Jude that ties the album together (like a rug).

                The artwork uses a contemporary ’68 pattern background and the Richard Avedon shots. I worked on Paul’s image on the front to make it as strong as the others – check out the bleached-out original. The back cover uses the original shot eventually used for “Love Songs” (where Paul was swapped for Ringo).

                Afterword: *crickets*

                • First spotted on FMF – I thought this was a great idea, Mr Saucebox. I downloaded it and I really enjoyed it – but then I’m not a big “feck off”, minutiae-bothering Beatles obsessive. I think I’m on record somewhere on the site, stating that my most played Beatles albums are Past Masters, vol 1 & 2.

                  …I’ll get me coat…

  10. I honestly don’t want to be a downer and each to their own and all that, but I have severe Beatles and Tolkien ague. In a parallel dimension the pickle egg headed volcano dwelling tax dodging shagnasty has just released The Beatles version of LOTR, courtesy of Peter Jackson.

  11. One of the biggest crimes of the Let It Be box is the “bonus” EP. The concept is one thing, but why are 33 seconds of toe-curling studio chat before Don’t Let Me Down? Most sentient humans would consider that song had suffered enough indignity by being relegated to a B side.

    Can anyone recommend some software I can use to cut it off, please?

      • To be fair, the EP is the standalone single and doesn’t belong on the album itself or the ‘sessions’ sets. Also, this could be the vinyl box which may explain the lack of a blu-ray.

        • I wondered that, but would expect a gap in the listings for each disc representing the vinyl sides.

          An EP makes some sort of sense in a vinyl set (I have Let it Be one, bought with a big discount), but little sense in a CD box where all other CDs are about half full.

          • I now think that is the CD version and there is no blu-ray, which annoys me! The Beatles have always, rightly or wrongly, respected the original album format with CD reissues – the most ridiculous instance being the red compilation where one CD would have sufficed. Personally I don’t have a problem with them spreading this stuff out and keeping the remixed single separate and the CDs reflecting the vinyl version, but I know it irks some. I see that the EP is a 7” record in the vinyl set.

            View post on imgur.com

    • Too expensive for me! Ah well, I suppose I’m not the target market. I’m a Beatles nut but also a skinflint, so it’s not a great combination.

      The only deluxe edition I very nearly pulled the trigger on was the white album, but I’m glad I didn’t as all the tracks ended up on Spotify in the end anyway. (Or at least enough of the tracks to satisfy me and make me realise I was right not to splash out on the big box).

      • Surprise surprise I seem to have them all (mostly CD/Blu-ray sets, but vinyl for LIB) However for all but Abbey Road I waited and bought later when reduced to around $80 (50 quid). Abbey Road was a bargain at $40, an early incorrect price on amazon.ca, first 2 sets were the best, next 2 not as good in my opinion. This one may be continuing the trend especially with the CD versions now containing less content than before

  14. Here’s the press release – out 28 October.

    The Revolver album’s 14 tracks have been newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell in stereo and Dolby Atmos, and the album’s original mono mix is sourced from its 1966 mono master tape. Revolver’s sweeping new Special Edition follows the universally acclaimed remixed and expanded Special Editions of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (2017), The BEATLES (‘White Album’) (2018), Abbey Road (2019), and Let It Be (2021).

    All the new Revolver releases feature the album’s new stereo mix, sourced directly from the original four-track master tapes. The audio is brought forth in stunning clarity with the help of cutting edge de-mixing technology developed by the award-winning sound team led by Emile de la Rey at Peter Jackson’s WingNut Films Productions Ltd. The physical and digital Super Deluxe collections also feature the album’s original mono mix, 28 early takes from the sessions and three home demos, and a four-track EP with new stereo mixes and remastered original mono mixes for “Paperback Writer” and “Rain”. The album’s new Dolby Atmos mix will be released digitally.

    Revolver Special Edition (Super Deluxe): 63 tracks
    * Digital Audio Collection (stereo & hi res 96kHz/24-bit stereo + mono + Dolby Atmos)
    * 5CD (stereo & mono audio) with 100-page hardbound book in a 12.56” x 12.36” slipcase
    * 4LP+7-inch EP (stereo & mono audio) on half-speed mastered 180-gram vinyl with 100-page hardbound book in a 12.56” x 12.36” slipcase
    DISC 1: Revolver (New stereo mix): 14 tracks
    DISCS 2 & 3: Sessions (stereo & mono): 31 tracks
    DISC 4: Revolver (Original mono master): 14 tracks
    DISC 5: Revolver EP: 4 tracks
    “Paperback Writer” & “Rain” (New stereo mixes & Original mono mixes remastered)

    Revolver Special Edition (Deluxe): 29 tracks
    * 2CD in digipak with a 40-page booklet abridged from the Super Deluxe book
    DISC 1: Revolver (New stereo mix): 14 tracks
    DISC 2: Sessions highlights + “Paperback Writer” & “Rain” (New stereo mixes): 15 tracks

    Revolver Special Edition (Standard): 14 tracks
    * Digital (New album mix in stereo & hi res 96kHz/24-bit stereo + new Dolby Atmos mix)
    * 1CD in digipak (New stereo mix)
    * 1LP (New stereo mix) on half-speed mastered 180-gram vinyl
    * Limited Edition 1LP vinyl picture disc (New stereo mix) illustrated with the album cover art

    Across all the configurations, Revolver’s Special Edition showcases the GRAMMY®-winning original album artwork created by The Beatles’ longtime friend, German bassist and artist Klaus Voormann. The Super Deluxe CD and vinyl collections’ beautiful book features Paul McCartney’s foreword; an introduction by Giles Martin; a thoughtful, enlightening essay by Questlove; and insightful chapters and detailed track notes by Beatles historian, author, and radio producer Kevin Howlett. The book is illustrated with rare and previously unpublished photos, never before published images of handwritten lyrics, tape boxes, and recording sheets, as well as 1966 print ads and extracts from Voormann’s graphic novel, birth of an icon: REVOLVER.

    Following the December 1965 release of their groundbreaking album, Rubber Soul, and after wrapping up that year’s tour dates, a late decision to cancel shooting plans for a third Beatles film, A Talent For Loving, would have a significant effect on the creation of Revolver. The time allocated for filming and recording songs for a soundtrack was removed from the band’s schedule, allowing the group to take a four-month break before the Revolver recording sessions began. “One thing’s for sure,” John said a few weeks before the band’s return to the studio, “the next LP is going to be very different.”

    On April 6, 1966, The Beatles gathered in Studio Three at EMI Studios (now called Abbey Road Studios) for their first Revolver recording session. With their producer George Martin flanked by recording engineer Geoff Emerick and technical engineer Ken Townsend, they went in blazing, starting with “Tomorrow Never Knows”. John’s ethereal vocals (fed from his mic through a rotating Leslie speaker), innovative tape loops – including Paul saying ‘ah, ah, ah, ah’, which when sped up produced a sound similar to a seagull’s screech – converge with Ringo’s thunderous drum pattern, George’s tamboura drone, and a backwards guitar solo. “Tomorrow Never Knows” propelled The Beatles and popular music into exciting new terrain. In an interview before Revolver’s August 5, 1966 release, Paul explained to NME, “We did it because I, for one, am sick of doing sounds that people can claim to have heard before.” Revolver’s Special Edition also features The Beatles’ first take of “Tomorrow Never Knows” from the April 6 session and a mono mix that was issued on a small number of records before the LP was recut with the correct version.

    The next day, The Beatles returned to Studio Three, completed most of their “Tomorrow Never Knows” recording, and started work on the first version of “Got To Get You Into My Life”. As heard on the Special Edition’s Sessions One, this recording sounds very different from the released track. Revolver’s Special Edition also spotlights two more stages of the finished track’s evolution: an unreleased mono mix and a special mix highlighting the overdubs of three trumpets and two tenor saxophones.

    One of George’s most important songwriting influences is heard in “Love You To”. The previous year, his deepening interest in Indian music and learning how to play sitar had brought him together with Ravi Shankar, who became his close friend and occasional musical collaborator. The Beatles began recording “Love You To” in Studio Two on April 11, the third anniversary of the UK release of “From Me To You”. Taken with the whole of Revolver, the short three-year span between these songs illuminates the band’s astonishing creative progression. “It was one of the first tunes I wrote for sitar,” George later recalled. “This was the first song where I consciously tried to use the sitar and tabla on the basic track.” With George on sitar and vocals, Paul on tamboura and vocal harmony, and university student Anil Bhagwat on tabla, the song’s intricate arrangement began to take shape over several takes. Overdubs included an additional harmony vocal by Paul, omitted from the released version but now faded up in a mix of Take 7. Revolver’s Special Edition also features Take 1 and a previously undocumented and only recently discovered rehearsal for the song with George playing sitar and Paul on tamboura.

    Between April 13 and 16 in Studios Two and Three, The Beatles recorded their chart-topping “Paperback Writer” single (with layered harmonies, riffing guitars, and Paul’s booming bass lines) and its B-side “Rain” (achieved with tape machines slowed down for the recording and mixing processes). Prior to the single’s release on June 10 (May 30 in the U.S.), The Beatles spent a couple of days away from recording to shoot several promotional films for both songs with director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who would later direct the Let It Be film. In addition to the songs’ new stereo mixes and original mono mixes, Revolver’s Special Edition features “Paperback Writer” Takes 1 and 2 – Backing track and two versions of “Rain” Take 5: one at the actual speed The Beatles played it and the other, a slowed down evolutionary mix used to create the master tape.

    The album’s opening track, “Taxman”, was recorded across three Studio Two sessions in April and May. One of three songs on the album by George, in “Taxman” he expresses his frustration with the UK’s ‘super-rich’ tax rate at the time (90%), with a vocal wink to the “Batman” TV theme song. In a 12-hour session on April 20, The Beatles recorded and mixed the first version of “And Your Bird Can Sing” (for this song, the Special Edition features two Version One/Take 2 recordings and Version Two’s Take 5), then began recording “Taxman”. They returned to the song the next day, laying down George’s foundational guitar, Paul’s bass and his dynamic, raga-style guitar solo, and Ringo’s drums and cowbell. Revolver’s Special Edition also features Take 11, with falsetto backing vocals by John and Paul with different words from the released version.

    “Yellow Submarine” was recorded on May 26 and June 1 in Studios Three and Two, respectively. The iconic, sunny rite of singalong passage for children everywhere and a favorite for the young-at-heart began quite differently than it finished. Parts 1 and 2 of the Special Edition’s songwriting work tape for “Yellow Submarine” reveal the song’s evolution from a rather sad verse sung by John over acoustic guitar – “In the town where I was born / No one cared, no one cared…” – to its adaptation by John and Paul to suit the jollier subject matter of the chorus. Revolver’s Special Edition also includes “Yellow Submarine” Take 4 and highlighted sound effects (a complex and merry sonic seascape, including Mal Evans’ sand-shoveling and Brian Jones’ glass-clinking) for listeners to journey with The Beatles through the song’s progression. “We were really starting to find ourselves in the studio,” Ringo explained later. “The songs got more interesting, so with that the effects got more interesting.”

    The Beatles’ final Revolver recording session took place in Studio Two on the evening of June 21, 1966 into the wee hours of June 22, just one day before the band traveled to Munich to start their international summer tour. The lyrics for “She Said She Said” drew upon the memory of a disorienting day of misadventure The Beatles had experienced in Los Angeles. Having received George’s help to create a whole new song from some unfinished fragments, John led the group through the rehearsals and recording while the clock ticked away the last remaining session time. Revolver’s Special Edition also features John’s home demo for the song and Take 15 – Backing track rehearsal, with its introductory speech revealing convivial banter between The Beatles as they worked out the arrangement (later praised by composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein as “remarkable” with “real inventions”).

    By 4am on June 22, The Beatles finished “She Said She Said”, wrapping up their Revolver recording sessions. The album’s final mono and stereo mixes were completed that evening, and the next day The Beatles were once again off and running on tour. They would next return to Abbey Road in November 1966 to begin recording Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

    Released on August 5, 1966, Revolver spent seven weeks at number one on the UK albums chart, and a double A-side single with “Eleanor Rigby” and “Yellow Submarine” topped the UK singles chart for four weeks in August and September. In the U.S., Capitol released an 11-track version of Revolver, which spent six weeks at number one on Billboard’s albums chart. “I’m Only Sleeping”, “And Your Bird Can Sing”, and “Doctor Robert” had been previously plucked from the sessions for Capitol’s North American release of the Yesterday And Today compilation album in June. That album’s sleeve was originally printed with the infamous “butcher cover” before pre-release controversy resulted in Capitol recalling and re-covering well over one million mono and stereo LPs with an innocuous photo of The Beatles gathered around a trunk.

    TheBeatles.com
    #Revolver
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    REVOLVER SPECIAL EDITION
    Tracklists

    SUPER DELUXE [5CD + 100-page hardbound book in slipcase | digital audio collection]
    CD1: Revolver (New stereo mix)
    1: Taxman
    2: Eleanor Rigby
    3: I’m Only Sleeping
    4: Love You To
    5: Here, There And Everywhere
    6: Yellow Submarine
    7: She Said She Said
    8: Good Day Sunshine
    9: And Your Bird Can Sing
    10: For No One
    11: Doctor Robert
    12: I Want To Tell You
    13: Got To Get You Into My Life
    14: Tomorrow Never Knows
    CD2: Sessions One
    1: Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)
    2: Tomorrow Never Knows (Mono mix RM 11)
    3: Got To Get You Into My Life (First version) – Take 5
    4: Got To Get You Into My Life (Second version) – Unnumbered mix – mono
    5: Got To Get You Into My Life (Second version) – Take 8
    6: Love You To (Take 1) – mono
    7: Love You To (Unnumbered rehearsal) – mono
    8: Love You To (Take 7)
    9: Paperback Writer (Takes 1 and 2) – Backing track – mono
    10: Rain (Take 5 – Actual speed)
    11: Rain (Take 5 – Slowed down for master tape)
    12: Doctor Robert (Take 7)
    13: And Your Bird Can Sing (First version) – Take 2
    14: And Your Bird Can Sing (First version) – Take 2 (giggling)
    CD3: Sessions Two
    1: And Your Bird Can Sing (Second version) – Take 5
    2: Taxman (Take 11)
    3: I’m Only Sleeping (Rehearsal fragment) – mono
    4: I’m Only Sleeping (Take 2) – mono
    5: I’m Only Sleeping (Take 5) – mono
    6: I’m Only Sleeping (Mono mix RM1)
    7: Eleanor Rigby (Speech before Take 2)
    8: Eleanor Rigby (Take 2)
    9: For No One (Take 10) – Backing track
    10: Yellow Submarine (Songwriting work tape – Part 1) – mono
    11: Yellow Submarine (Songwriting work tape – Part 2) – mono
    12: Yellow Submarine (Take 4 before sound effects)
    13: Yellow Submarine (Highlighted sound effects)
    14: I Want To Tell You (Speech and Take 4)
    15: Here, There And Everywhere (Take 6)
    16: She Said She Said (John’s demo) – mono
    17: She Said She Said (Take 15) – Backing track rehearsal
    CD4: Revolver (Original mono master)
    Album tracklist (same as above)
    CD5: Revolver EP
    1: Paperback Writer (New stereo mix)
    2: Rain (New stereo mix)
    3: Paperback Writer (Original mono mix remastered)
    4: Rain (Original mono mix remastered)

    SUPER DELUXE VINYL [limited edition 4LP+7-inch EP + 100-page hardbound book in slipcase]
    LP One: Revolver (New stereo mix)
    Side 1
    1: Taxman
    2: Eleanor Rigby
    3: I’m Only Sleeping
    4: Love You To
    5: Here, There And Everywhere
    6: Yellow Submarine
    7: She Said She Said
    Side 2
    1: Good Day Sunshine
    2: And Your Bird Can Sing
    3: For No One
    4: Doctor Robert
    5: I Want To Tell You
    6: Got To Get You Into My Life
    7: Tomorrow Never Knows
    LP Two: Sessions One
    Side 1
    1: Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)
    2: Tomorrow Never Knows (Mono mix RM 11)
    3: Got To Get You Into My Life (First version) – Take 5
    4: Got To Get You Into My Life (Second version) – Unnumbered mix – mono
    5: Got To Get You Into My Life (Second version) – Take 8
    6: Love You To (Take 1) – mono
    7: Love You To (Unnumbered rehearsal) – mono
    Side 2
    1: Love You To (Take 7)
    2: Paperback Writer (Takes 1 and 2) – Backing track – mono
    3: Rain (Take 5 – Actual speed)
    4: Rain (Take 5 – Slowed down for master tape)
    5: Doctor Robert (Take 7)
    6: And Your Bird Can Sing (First version) – Take 2
    7: And Your Bird Can Sing (First version) – Take 2 (giggling)
    LP Three: Sessions Two
    Side 1
    1: And Your Bird Can Sing (Second version) – Take 5
    2: Taxman (Take 11)
    3: I’m Only Sleeping (Rehearsal fragment) – mono
    4: I’m Only Sleeping (Take 2) – mono
    5: I’m Only Sleeping (Take 5) – mono
    6: I’m Only Sleeping (Mono mix RM1)
    7: Eleanor Rigby (Speech before Take 2)
    8: Eleanor Rigby (Take 2)
    Side 2
    1: For No One (Take 10) – Backing track
    2: Yellow Submarine (Songwriting work tape – Part 1) – mono
    3: Yellow Submarine (Songwriting work tape – Part 2) – mono
    4: Yellow Submarine (Take 4 before sound effects)
    5: Yellow Submarine (Highlighted sound effects)
    6: I Want To Tell You (Speech and Take 4)
    7: Here, There And Everywhere (Take 6)
    8: She Said She Said (John’s demo) – mono
    9: She Said She Said (Take 15) – Backing track rehearsal
    LP Four: Revolver (Original mono master)
    Album tracklist (same as above)
    Revolver EP (7-inch vinyl)
    Side 1
    1: Paperback Writer (New stereo mix)
    2: Rain (New stereo mix)
    Side 2
    1: Paperback Writer (Original mono mix remastered)
    2: Rain (Original mono mix remastered)

    DELUXE [2CD in digipak with 40-page booklet]
    CD 1: Revolver (New stereo mix)
    CD 2: Sessions
    1: Paperback Writer (New stereo mix)
    2: Rain (New stereo mix)
    3: Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)
    4: Got To Get You Into My Life (Early mix)
    5: Love You To (Take 7)
    6: Doctor Robert (Take 7)
    7: And Your Bird Can Sing (First version) Take 2
    8: Taxman (Take 11)
    9: I’m Only Sleeping (Take 2) – mono
    10: Eleanor Rigby (Take 2)
    11: For No One (Take 10) – Backing track
    12: Yellow Submarine (Take 4 before sound effects)
    13: I Want To Tell You (Speech and Take 4)
    14: Here, There And Everywhere (Take 6)
    15: She Said She Said (Take 15) – Backing track rehearsal

    STANDARD [1CD | digital | 1LP vinyl | limited edition 1LP picture disc vinyl]
    Revolver (New stereo mix)

    • My biggest gripe is the exclusion of a blu-ray disc with the high res content and surround mix. This is going to be digital only, so I assume only those with certain streaming services can get it. I do stream, but only via my stereo, and I really don’t want to faff around working out how to put streaming through my 5:1 system….just give me an effing disc!

      • I think you’ll be able to, ahem, acquire download entirely legally the hi-res files, not just stream them. Which, I am told, M’lud, could theoretically be used to make a DIY 5.1 disc, should you happen to know any tech-savvy ne’er do wells.

        • Hopefully a download card with the big sets should that be the case, rather than another thing to buy, although I will applaud if it is available separately as otherwise will only get the 2 CD set I think.

          • I have been pondering getting just the 2 CD set for starters and then seeing if the big super de luxe box comes down in price later – I was really looking forward to this, but the issue of no blu-ray and the outrageous price has made me think twice. I already have it in mono in the mono box, so basically all I am missing by getting the 2 disc version are some of the Sessions tracks, and the book, of course – but the the price difference is £100, and those missing tracks will be available to stream anyway. By comparison, the superb White Album set has 6 CDs and a blu-ray for £85 (current price, and I think I paid that on issue), while the much maligned LIB box has 6 discs for £80.

            • Yeah, my advice is to wait. I pre-ordered the Pepper box and it had dropped to two-thirds of what I paid before it had even arrived. I have the rest of the CD boxes, and I’ve paid no more than about 50 quid for any of them.

    • Going to listen to this now and report back in a moment. I must admit I quite like the hard stereo separation of the original. Even by beatle standards its brutal : as far as I remember all the instruments are hard panned left until the guitar solo. So let’s see what they have done with the remix…

        • That sounds great! Ringo’s entire kit has real umph. Wonderful cymbals. I like the cowbell on the left and the tambourine on the right. The vocals are great but the guitars are awesome. McCartney’s solo is centred with extra snarl. Fab!

          Great start, Giles and Sam. Keep up the good work.

                • Yes. But I don’t have a record player to play it on.

                  There is a lot of fawning over the original vinyl. Nowadays, they moan about de-mixing artifacts, but ignore the jumps, pops and crackles that come with vinyl after about six plays.

                    • Back in the days when vinyl wasn’t fetishised, when they were just “records”, which I’m sure I can’t be alone in remembering, nobody was droning on about “warmth”, or “artifacts”, or anything but the music. Not infrequently, you had to take the record back because it was noisy or skipped or was warped or the hole wasn’t in the middle or whatever. This shift to obsessing over the sound as opposed to the music is a marketing-led distraction to make buying stuff attractive after pop music ceased to be a real creative force.

                      So let’s talk about remasters, remixes, immersive multi-disc editions, because that’s all that’s happening right now. Woke me up when someone writes a song as good as Bridge Over Troubled Water, or releases a first album as good as Can’t Buy A Thrill (OEAA).

                    • I wouldn’t necessarily disagree. However, I’m still playing LPs I bought nearly fifty years ago and they sound just fine. If my record player had knackered them after six plays (as per Tiggs’ comment) then that wouldn’t be the case.

                    • I was exaggerating to emphasise the point. Besides, getting the beggars in and out of the sleeves without touching the grooves was a fag….it’s not just the equipment that damages them, they get damaged by simply existing.

                    • Absolutely. Some of the best-sounding records I own are in the In Mono box – they’re copies of the original 60s pressings, taken straight off the master tapes, pressed onto sturdy modern vinyl. All the benefits of modern, without 60 years of wear and tear.

                      I’ve played them to death on a modern (well, 1972 vintage) record player and they still sound box-fresh.

                      The mastering of the In Mono CD set was done differently (digitally in 24/44.1).

                    • I find it almost impossible to get CDs out of the jewel case without snapping the little plastic lug things and, by the time I’ve spread jam over the surface, the buggers won’t play.

                    • I’m sure Michael Rodd’s advice was to lick the jam off the playing surface, before attempting to shove the disc in the drawer…

                    • I have the mono vinyl LP of Revolver from when it was reissued a few years ago. It sounds ace!

  17. Was that press release written by Fat Boy J.?
    “Universally acclaimed” remixed and blah, blah = “World beating track and trace.”
    Admittedly £135 isn’t as much as £37,000,000,000, but who’s counting?

    I’m visiting that there London next week and I’m setting aside exactly £135 to buy 60s stuff I haven’t already got, and CDs I will actually play.

  22. I’m pleased I kept my original albums and the first CDs.

    Listening to a Celebration of Love Me Do thing on BBC Sounds today a whole load of strange, over-stated, never-there-before bits crept into some of the recordings.

    The songs were played in a rough order of release, and I only noticed it with the later ones… A Day in the Life, Dear Prudence, Come Together, Let It Be etc.

    Strewth… these are the ones Martin Junior has had a go at and are now the go-to ones for Radio 2!!!
    Seriously, you can have them.

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