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NEW YORK (NY) - Could it really be getting better? That was a fair question on the lips of the crowd assembled last Friday, April 28, at New York City's World of McIntosh Townhouse. The Second Disc was privileged to be among those members of the press assembled for a "first listen" to the upcoming 50th anniversary stereo remix of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, due for release on May 26 from Capitol, UMe, and Apple Records.
Jeff Jones, the chief executive of Apple Corps, and Giles Martin, producer of the Anniversary Edition and son of the late Sir George Martin, hosted this intimate playback session in which they debuted the stereo mix that will be presented in the upcoming 4CD/DVD/BD box set on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray (the latter two formats in high-resolution audio, naturally) - as well as on standalone CD, and 2-CD and 2-LP versions. (Read all about those right here!)
Following an introduction from Jones, the genial, dapper, and passionate Martin took the stage to explain how this new stereo version was crafted (with selected A/B demonstrations). Explaining that the original stereo mix was "kind of a throwaway" for The Beatles - who did not attend the stereo mixing session, whereas they had taken a great interest in the mono mix - he also explicated the various differences between the 1967 mono mix and stereo mix. The stereo treatment of "She's Leaving Home," Martin revealed, was "not what Paul wanted." As for "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," John Lennon's lead vocal lacked the same "beautiful quality" as on the mono mix. Martin's mission for his new stereo mix was to recreate "the feel of the original mono," by paying homage to its balances and imaging, while adapting them for a stereo soundscape. Martin stressed that the mix was intended to pay respect to both his late father and (the very-much-alive) engineer Geoff Emerick, as well as to accurately capture the sound and spirit of the remarkable, and remarkably youthful, "24, 25-year olds making noise in the studio."
GILES MARTIN
Martin also offered tantalizing previews of the bonus material that will be featured on the reissue, playing Take 3 of "Fixing a Hole" with a false start and studio chatter. Describing his father George as a "satellite dish for [The Beatles'] ideas," Martin pointed out that the hope for the additional material was to better illuminate "the journey" and "the background of how [the tracks] were constructed." Based on the material played, it's clear that he more than succeeded. The producer also broke down "A Day in the Life" by playing an abortive, alternate ending, and astutely noting The Beatles and George Martin's willingness to explore various sonic avenues. Indeed, "the greatness comes from choosing the right idea." After all, The Beatles were simply "people with great ideas - who changed the world."
So did Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, often voted as the greatest album of all time. When the time came to hear the entire new stereo remix from start to finish, the assembled crowd was more than ready. As soon as those familiar notes began, each journalist in attendance had a different physical reaction. Heads were bobbing. Feet and hands were tapping. Bodies, seated, were moving and swaying. Still others, eyes closed, were completely still, while other heads were lowered and furiously scribbling. One thing was clear: this is music you can feel - and particularly, for this project, feel anew despite however many years of history you might have with this record.
For those who ever felt The Beatles were "soft," Martin and his collaborator Sam Okell's remix - as promised, faithful to the spirit of the original mono but with the dimension and spatiality that only stereo can deliver - quickly disposes that notion. This Sgt. Pepper's is undoubtedly a "heavy" record. Keith Allison (a friend of The Second Disc) revealed on Facebook that he had listened to the remix with his longtime friend Ringo Starr, and Ringo was pleased that his drums could finally be heard. Indeed, it's as if a veil of haze has been lifted from both the drums and the bass. Both instruments have newfound clarity and presence throughout the remix, resulting in a driving rock sound that's nonetheless completely faithful to the original playing and the punchy attack of the mono mix. That Sgt. Pepper's is a benchmark of melodic rock has never been clearer. "Lovely Rita" has never sounded more dreamlike, nor has "Within You Without You" sounded more transporting or "A Day in the Life" more powerful. There's still nothing like Sgt. Pepper's, and this remix offers a vibrant new way to experience it.
"It's a good album," Martin observed in his dryly witty manner upon concluding the playback. He and Jeff Jones then closed the afternoon with a Q&A session, offering further insights into their process. Some effects had to be recreated for the new remix, while others were preserved on tape. (Happily, the team was able to use the same gear at Abbey Road as during the original album production.) Martin noted "Fixing a Hole" and "A Day in the Life" as two of the more difficult tracks to remix, requiring multiple attempts before they were able to get it right. Jeff Jones stressed that there is no template or "five-year plan" for future Beatles releases, and that each proposal from within is considered on a case-by-case basis. Apple Corps' hope is to grow the audience "from the ground up," from 10 to 80...and based on fresh yet faithful projects such as this, one can only hope they succeed in furthering the legacy of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
Could this classic album actually be getting better? Yes, indeed. Look for The Second Disc's review of the Anniversary Edition of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on Friday, May 26.
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It's worth noting that if Apple Corps wanted to create a similar project for "Magical Mystery Tour" that previous remixing projects( for the "Yellow Submarine" & "Magical Mystery Tour" DVD & Blu-ray releases) mean that there already are 5.1 surround mixes for all of the MMT songs, except "Baby You're a Rich Man", though the song "Magical Mystery Tour" would likely have to be remixed anew to eliminate the spoken part that is exclusive to the film. All of the already existing 5.1 mixes were done by Peter Cobbin, Apple's previous remixer of choice.
In other Beatles news, I was watching a YouTube unboxing video for the George Harrison vinyl box and I noted an odd departure from authenticty. As anyone who has ever owned a Beatles group or solo L.P. on the "Apple" label will know, the "Side 1" label shows a whole apple, while the "side 2" shows the inside of an apple after it has been sliced open.
In the reissue of George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" 3-L.P. set(in the new vinyl box, the first and second records use the "side 1" label design on both sides of the record. Is it an error or is it intentional?
The previous vinyl reissue of "All Things Must Pass" while hardly an audiophile grade pressing (it was pressed by the dreaded "Rainbo Records", who pressed the defect-riddled U.S. pressings of the 2012 stereo Beatles vinyl reissues) reproduced the appearance of the original 1971 U.S.A. "All Things Must Pass" 3-L.P. set very exactly, even down to the label texture, the ring mark on the label, the font and the catalog number. The only way to tell that it wasn't the 1971 original was because the records and the box were very slightly thicker than the originals.
On a very pricey $350 vinyl box, fans have reason to expect authenticity. Oddly, two other Apple L.P.'s in that boxed set have the correct "side 2" label design. I have the previous vinyl reissue of "All Things Must Pass", plus original pressings of "Wonderwall Music", "Electronic Sound", "Living in The Material World", plus "The Concert For Bangladesh", and CD's of Harrison's entire Apple & Dark Horse discography and high resolution downloads of the Apple albums. If I were ever to buy the new vinyl box, it will be largely as a piece of memorabilia.
Normally the idea of remixing any album, which is etched with all it's nuances into all of our synapses, is unthinkable.... that was until I heard the 40th Anniversary remixes done by Bruce Botnick of The Doors catalogue.
As Bruce demonstrated, when remixes are done with attention to the details of the original masters and trying only to achieve the full demension of what those masters could have been (ie: not having to worry about limitations due to antiqued sound reproduction devices) even the most beloved album such as Sgt. Pepper can be refreshed.
I wasn't a fan of the remixes Giles Martin did for Yellow Submarine - The Soundtrack but that was a different situation. Yellow Submarine - The Soundtrack didn't exist before so taking graces with the mixes didn't mess with history. Sgt Pepper's is another story and I'm willing to give Giles and the Apple gang the benefit of the doubt so I guess that I'll be on board for this Beatles event.
Giles Martin didn't remix "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" - the credits for that album list Peter Cobbin, assisted by Paul Hicks (son of the Hollies' Tony) and Mirek Stiles. For Giles Martin's remix work, see "Love" and the 2015 reissue of "1."
Thanks for the correction Steve .
Just a bit of fact-checking.
Not true that “the original stereo mix was ‘kind of a throwaway’ for The Beatles” and that they “did not attend the stereo mixing session”.
The Beatles were certainly present on at least some of the stereo mixing session. They were definitely there for the stereo mixes of ‘Sgt. Peppers’ Lonely Hearts Club Band’ and ‘A Day in the Life’. Not only they attended, but as Lewisohn puts it, they were “keen” to do so. As for others sessions, it’s not always so easy to tell, because sometimes the Beatles were at Abbey Road the day a certain stereo mix was made, but it’s uncertain if they were recording or attending the mix. So Giles Martin's speculation is as good as anyone's, 'cause he wasn't there either.
Bu if we take, for instance, in A Day in the Life, the Beatles were definitely there for the stereo mix, and the band+George Martin gave inputs that were specific to the stereo mix, such as the slow vocal panning of John’s (and Paul’s) vocals from the right channel to the left one and vice versa.
So if, say, the new mix gets rid of that stereo effect… well it may be a way of “paying respect to […] Geoff Emerick” (who’s on video saying he never liked it) but they’re actually taking away an integral part of the recording as The Beatles, not Emerick, had envisioned.
For ages, EMI/Parlophone has released the stereo Pepper as the “go to” version, and altogether dismissed the manufacturing of mono, which has been unavailable for decades. Now they’re saying the opposite.
Obviously Giles Martin has his own agenda, he has to market this new “product” now. That’s why it’s so important to double-check whatever sales-pitch or post-truth they’re trying to sell you… because that’s what’s happening here. Living is easy with eyes closed...
Stereo was dominant in the US, not in the UK — and, because of that, The Beatles' team often mixed the whole mono product first before turning to the stereo mixes. This is why there are far less variations between UK and US mono compared to stereo: if the stereo mix was not finished (or even started), copies of the sessions tapes were handed to Capitol to mix on their own based on the already done mono.
However, by the end of the sixties, this was no longer the case. "Get Back" is the first single to have no mono mix. Yellow Submarine is the first LP not to have a mono mix either. None of the compilation albums of the seventies and eighties were in mono.
Thus EMI presented the stereo mix as the ultimate one — and, more importantly, the UK mix, not only because it had the inner groove that had been chopped from US pressings, but because George Harrison had objected to the way the US version sound when he heard it while visiting California. (The Beatles, then, is the first LP to be the same on both sides of the pond.)
Nowhere is the switch to stereo more notable than the initial reaction to the first four CDs, which were mono only. At the time, Martin said that was how The Beatles wanted them — establishing the domination of mono. Later, it would be said he didn't have enough time to mix a proper stereo mix.
Now that Capitol is owned by Universal, they are going with "as The Beatles intended it" for this album because — quite frankly — it will work as a selling point, especially since the mono mix has been a limited quantity item: it was part of the mono box set, and that's it, so now it will be something different in most peoples' eyes.
Actually, the reason that Geoff Emerick's involvement with Beatles archival projects ended after "The Beatles Anthology" CD's, is because Emerick opposes creating new remixes of already released performances. As for Peter Cobbin's remixes for the CD "Yellow Submarine Songtrack", created by re-sychronizing two,three or four 4-track "stages" (to obtain a larger amount of individual vocal or instrumental tracks to mix from), Emerick refered to this re-synchronization process as "a joke".
What I said is - there's a video interview where Emerick says he never liked the stereo effects on ADitL, but it was Martin's idea (certainly with Lennon's input, maybe McCartney's too) so he had to go along with it.
My point is that there's a reason for most of the stereo mix choices, and that many of these choices were made by Martin and/or the band. I'm really annoyed with all the marketing bull**** going around, trying to convince us that the old stereo mix is worthless, that it was done almost unbeknownst to the band, while all these years that very same stereo mix has been pushed by EMI/Parlophone/Universal as the go to version, actually the only one made commercially available. They probably think that fans are totally brainless, or with no long term memory...
George said he never heard the stereo mix of Pepper until the CD came out. He didn't like it and thought they'd added extra things after the event.