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mjb50
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| Posted: 22 November 2021 at 1:43pm | IP Logged
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aaronk wrote:
Brian W. was kind enough to answer it for me recently. Here is what he sent to me in a private email, which nicely summarizes it.
For the singles, as far as I know, the only differences between the UK and American are:
Ask Me Why, the flip of the 1962 VeeJay pressing and the UK pressing of "Please Please Me," is completely dry, not even a hint of reverb, and has never been issued on CD that way. (Many claim that "Please Please Me" is that way, also, but IF this is true it might only be for the 1962 pressing. The 1964 VeeJay single pressing has a different flip, and I BELIEVE it used the album version... if there is a difference at all.) |
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Does anyone here actually have the dry versions of "Ask Me Why" or "Please Please Me" they could share?
There's a public torrent site with a rip of the UK 1976 reissue 45, and Steve Hoffman says this record contains the original versions, but both songs on that rip have lots of reverb on the vocals and guitars. I don't know where anyone gets the idea either of them are "dry". After matching levels & EQ, I can't tell any difference from the album versions.
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Brian W.
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| Posted: 25 November 2021 at 4:32am | IP Logged
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I think I might have “Ask Me Why” as an MP3 somewhere, but it’s at home
and I’m out of town. I no longer believe that “Please Please Me” is different
from the UK pressing. I got it in sync with the American version, matched
the EQ, and I can’t tell where it switches over. But “Ask Me Why” is
definitely dryer on the UK pressing. Also, one of the Beatles recording
chronologies lists additional work being done on “Ask Me Why” at a later
date, after the UK single was released.
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Brian W.
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| Posted: 25 November 2021 at 4:42am | IP Logged
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Here we go. The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations
acknowledges the original Parlophone single as being a different mix done
several months earlier than what ended up on the album:
ASK ME WHY
basic recording- 26 Nov 1962
additional recording- none
master tape- twintrack
(a) mono 26 Nov 1962.
UK: Parlophone R4983 single 1963.
US: Vee Jay VJ 498 single 1963.
(b) mono 25 Feb 1963.
UK: Parlophone PMC 1202 Please Please Me 1963.
US: Vee Jay VJLP 1062 Introducing second issue 1963, Vee Jay VJ 581
single 1964.
CD: EMI CDP 7 46435 2 Please Please Me 1987, EMI single 1988
Edited by Brian W. on 25 November 2021 at 4:44am
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mjb50
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| Posted: 25 November 2021 at 10:18pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for looking into it. I saw that Usenet guide (version 2 and version 3). The latter says about "Ask Me Why", The original mono mix, the “dry mix” [a], has no added reverb. The second mono mix, [ b], is a “wet mix” by contrast. It features a complementary amount of reverb. The later mix is the one used for all subsequent appearances including the CD single, since there was one designated official digital mix.
I just tried another comparison in Audition, after getting the EQ to match, and applying some dynamic range compression to the album version to match the 1976 reissue single. The compression effectively raises the volume of the solo reverb tails during the brief pauses in the song, which can seem like "added" reverb, but it's really not. However, I'm of the opinion now that the album mix "Ask Me Why" does have very slightly more reverb in some spots, e.g. in the vocal "you tell me things I want to know" at 1:17.
But the single mix is definitely is not dry, and the difference is far from obvious. This is reminding me of the 1996 Byrds remixes, many of which are impossible to discern from the originals. So I can't completely rule out something different on "Please Please Me", especially given the comments by Steve Hoffman, but I'm having a hard time tracking down the original UK single. Well, they're out there, but they're quite pricey these days.
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Brian W.
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| Posted: 01 December 2021 at 9:04pm | IP Logged
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More info: I was looking over my recently acquired book, "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions" by Mark Lewisohn, considered the top expert on this subject. The UK Parlophone "Please Please Me" single is listed as being released in January of 1963.
Lewisohn specifically says the below in his entry for 11/30/62. The info in brackets is mine.
30 November 1962
"[Later] On 25 February 1963, when George Martin and Norman Smith were remixing for the "Please Please Me" LP, they used this day's [11/30/62] mix of "Please Please Me" for the mono version [of the album] but did a new mix, from takes 16, 17,
and 18, for the stereo."
So the claims of some fans online that reverb was added to the song "Please Please Me" on 2/25/63 when they were mixing the album would appear to be bogus, especially since Lewisohn is very clear that a new mix of "Ask Me Why" (its flip side that does
have added reverb on the album) was created on that date.
Edited by Brian W. on 01 December 2021 at 9:08pm
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PopArchivist
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| Posted: 20 October 2022 at 5:21pm | IP Logged
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For anyone interested I just got the Super Deluxe Revolver set that came out from the Beatles.
Since I have the 2009 stereo rips I compared and the stereo on the 2022 set is better balanced and what it should sound like to my ears. Eleanor Rigby is a perfect example. On the 2022 deluxe both sides of the stereo are balanced, where in the 2009 stereo you get one dead listening side while the other side is going at :35 in for example. Hard to explain but the gist of it is that it just is a better mix they finally got the stereo right IMHO.
As an extra disc it also includes paperback writer and rain stereo and mono. Keep in mind this is the first album pre-Sgt Pepper where often the stereo got terribly ignored because the Beatles were all about the mono. This is the first time I can say I enjoyed listening to the stereo without the unusual panning that the Beatles were mastered with.
https://www.goldminemag.com/reviews/the-beatles-super-deluxe -edition-of-revolver-will-please-the-cd-collector-too
Edited by PopArchivist on 20 October 2022 at 5:36pm
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"I'm a pop archivist, not a chart philosopher, I seek to listen, observe and document the chart position of music."
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Jack45
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| Posted: 07 February 2024 at 7:24pm | IP Logged
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The Help! (soundtrack) CD that was released in 1/2014 has what I believe to be the 45 version of "Help!" with the "James Bond" intro tacked on for the mono version (the stereo version is correct). The Beatles '65 CD has what I believe are the British stereo mixes of "I Feel Fine" and "She's a Woman."
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Hykker
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| Posted: 09 February 2024 at 5:57am | IP Logged
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Yah Shure wrote:
Best alternative: track down the last editions of the Capitol Starline reissue 45s on the black/rainbow colorband label
from the late '80s-early '90s. It's been a long time since I listened to them, but most of these still featured the Capitol mono 45 mixes
where applicable, even if not cut as hot as the original U.S. 45s had been. The pressings were done by Specialty, using quieter vinyl
than the earlier (late-'60s to mid-'80s) reissues manufactured by Capitol's own plants. |
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Had to laugh when I read that. Was it possible to find noisier vinyl than Capitol used on their 45 in that era? Crackle city!!
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Topic: a few Beatles updates
