Beatles '83 colorband - Magical Mystery Tour

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by JamesD1957, Jul 8, 2013.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. JamesD1957

    JamesD1957 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Cypress, Texas
    Sorry to start another Beatles thread, but can't find the answer I'm looking for. I would like to get one of those reissues, but my question is this: Which version of Strawberry Fields Forever is on this LP? I really prefer the earlier '66 stereo recording, and I do have that on my Capitol original, and Apple re-press. However another mix was introduced in '71, and it's the one used on CD's, remasters, and the like. Seems that the '83 reissues tried to stay somewhat faithful to the originals, but with better vinyl and better sound. Anybody know?
     
  2. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    I have the purple Capitol and it uses the 1966 mix. I think the 1983 does too.
     
    PhilBiker likes this.
  3. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    The colorband reissue contains the 1966 stereo mix. My copy sounds better than the original pressing, but it's still not great sounding.
     
    PhilBiker likes this.
  4. JamesD1957

    JamesD1957 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Cypress, Texas
    Thanks Tommyboy. Keep up the good posts!
     
  5. JamesD1957

    JamesD1957 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Cypress, Texas
    Not great sounding, but what would be better if I'm after that particular mix of SFF?
     
  6. Ben Adams

    Ben Adams Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ, USA

    The German Hor Zu/Apple pressing of MMT.

    Or the 2012 vinyl reissue, which sounds spectacular and is generally one of the most highly regarded releases from that set.
     
  7. JamesD1957

    JamesD1957 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Cypress, Texas
    Yeah, the Horzu definitely gets a lot of votes as far as overall album sound, but it doesn't have the '66 mix of Strawberry Fields Forever. The 2012 definitely doesn't. That's my deal breaker, so I'm after the best sounding vinyl that contains that particular mix.
     
  8. John Carsell

    John Carsell Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northwest Illinois
    The '83 colorband reissue would be your best bet. The '66 stereo mix of SFF can also be found on US and Canadian pressings of 1967-1970.
     
  9. Thesmellofvinyl

    Thesmellofvinyl Senior Member

    Location:
    Cohoes, NY USA
    JamesD1957, does your original Captiol have SMAL-2-2835-B22 3 in the deadwax on side 2? That's what I just played and I think it sounds good. In case you ever stumble upon a copy that looks good to you. Glad to see this thread. It's the first I've seen (or noticed) that mentions the '83 containing this mix.
     
  10. goodiesguy

    goodiesguy Confide In Me

    Location:
    New Zealand
    There's another mix other than the one on CD?

    Where can I find this mix?

    And why the hell did they feel the need to change it on the CD's (along with Help and Rubber Soul).
     
  11. Thesmellofvinyl

    Thesmellofvinyl Senior Member

    Location:
    Cohoes, NY USA
  12. goodiesguy

    goodiesguy Confide In Me

    Location:
    New Zealand
  13. Muzyck

    Muzyck Pardon my scruffy hospitality

    Location:
    Long Island
    I never considered the '83 colorband for this and relied on the MFSL lp. I'll have to keep an eye out. I don't recall ever seeing an '83 colorband of this one, but then again I was not looking for one.
     
  14. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    That is your best option for the 1966 stereo mix.
     
  15. CDmp3

    CDmp3 Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    1967-1970 also uses the 1966 mix. But vinyl (cassette and 8-track) only
     
  16. Ben Adams

    Ben Adams Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ, USA
    I misread your post. Thought you were looking for the '71.
     
  17. empirelvr

    empirelvr "That's *just* the way it IS!" - Paul Anka

    Location:
    Virginia, USA
    This "new" mix dates from when Horzu in Germany wanted to release their own LP version of Magical Mystery Tour using the USA LP's running order in the very early 1970's. (1971? 1972?)

    Horzu requested true stereo mixes of the singles tracks that made up the second side of the LP that were not mixed for stereo back during their original release.

    So, EMI prepared first time stereo mixes of "Penny Lane**," "Baby You're A Rich Man," and a new mix of "Strawberry Fields Forever" specifically for this LP. Since the original 1966 stereo mix of SFF only appeared in the US and Canada (and nowhere else) it might have been a case of clerical error in thinking there was no extant (or officially approved) stereo mix already in the vault like there was for "Hello Goodbye."

    Since SFF was not released in stereo anywhere aside from the USA/Canada, this 1971 mix became the de facto standard stereo mix of the song worldwide ever since. (Along with "Penny Lane" and "Baby, You're A Rich Man" as well.)

    ** I believe there is debate over when the stereo mix of "Penny Lane" was made. I remember reading it made an appearance on a foreign compilation before the German MMT LP suggesting it might have been in the can before Horzu's request.

    EDIT: Meh...I just saw someone above linked to threads that say what I pretty much said here. Sorry for the repetition. :(
     
  18. Frittenköter

    Frittenköter Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
    I doubt Hoer Zu had any say over it. Hoer Zu was a magazine, not a record label.
     
  19. empirelvr

    empirelvr "That's *just* the way it IS!" - Paul Anka

    Location:
    Virginia, USA
    Wikipedia (not always a good source I admit) has it that Hörzu, while being a magazine, also had a record label that was a subsidiary of the Electrola label which was part of EMI. Maybe the request came from Electrola instead...let's juat say the German branch of EMI made the request for clarity's sake. :)
     
  20. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    Aside from the SH threads you might also look at http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beatles/var-1966.html where near the bottom of the page there is a concise description of the two mixes and where they appear (although it is now around ten years out of date).
     
  21. JamesD1957

    JamesD1957 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Cypress, Texas
    Mine has 2835-H36 in the deadwax. It sounds okay, but if there is something better out there on vinyl, I would like to get it.
     
  22. dlokazip

    dlokazip Forum Transient

    Location:
    Austin, TX, USA
    Does anyone know if this pressing sounds better than the UK Parlophone? I know that the colorband is the preferred pressing and that the purple label Capitol sounds pretty good, as well. How do the UK pressings compare? Also, are any of the UK pressings "HTM" pressings?
     
  23. ShallowMemory

    ShallowMemory Classical Princess

    Location:
    GB
    HTM cut the UK version.
     
  24. dasacco

    dasacco Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachussetts
    I have a 1976 orange Capitol label version of this LP with the 1966 mix. MASTERED BY CAPITOL in the deadwax, with "Wally" for Wally Traugott. Sounds fantastic. Easily better than my original, and better than my MFSL copy. The original US 1967-1970 mastered at STERLING with "LH" (Lee Hulko I believe) has the 1966 mix and sounds pretty good but again not as good as my orange label "Wally". I don't have a 1983 colorband issue. The later purple label issue - smaller Capitol logo, "C1" prefix in the catalog number is from the 1987 digital master, thus not containing the 1966 SFF mix.
     
    bluemooze likes this.
  25. dlokazip

    dlokazip Forum Transient

    Location:
    Austin, TX, USA
    My orange label MASTERED BY CAPITOL MMT has "Jay" in the deadwax. It doesn't sound so good.

    I've already read enough about the C1's to be wary of them.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine