Beatles Australian Albums

I picked up a copy of Greatest Hits Volume 2 over the weekend and aside from the All My Loving EP this is the only Australian Beatles product I own.

It's on the Parlophone label, which resembles the black and silver I'm familiar with, except this one is teal and silver. The thinness of the disc, and construction of the cover leads me to believe this is a later 70s/80s pressing.

What's interesting is that I'm noticing there is a mix of mixes on this album! I Feel Fine and She's a Woman are most definitely the stereo UK mixes, while Day Tripper and We Can Work it Out are the early US mixes with information in the center channels.

A search of the forum shows that sometimes they used UK plates, other times US plates. Can someone shed some light on the Aussie pressings? It seems like they got their Beatles from many countries, and the album I got is a hodge podge of that.

The pressing is also really really quiet and a bit light in bass depending on the track, but otherwise not too bad. (Given this is the SHF, I felt I needed to comment on the SQ!)

 

Extract from my book "An Overview Of Australian Beatles Records":

Both volumes were conceived in early 1966, with EMI (Australia) requesting stereo tapes from EMI UK for the tracks not already in its vaults. This means that both volumes, despite not being released locally in stereo until February 1967 (Volume 2) and February 1968 (Volume 1), contain the 1965 stereo mixes of I Want To Hold Your Hand, Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out rather than the new mixes that were created by EMI UK in November 1966 for A Collection Of Beatles Oldies. This also explains why the two volumes contain no post-1965 “greatest hits”.

Volume 2’s claim to fame was being the only album worldwide, until the 1980 eight-LP The Beatles Box release, to contain the stereo mix of She’s A Woman.

The mono masters of both volumes were folddowns of the stereo tapes, with only She Loves You and I’ll Get You appearing in true mono, due to the unavailability of stereo mixes at the time of compilation. Both mono volumes were mastered together in 1966. Mysteriously, the stereo version of Volume 1 would not be released until twenty months after the mono release, and twelve months after the release of Volume 2! This is why the Volume 2 sleeve refers only to the mono release of Volume 1. For the stereo release of Volume 1, EMI (Australia) replaced the mono mix of She Loves You with the fake stereo mix created by EMI UK in November 1966.

The covers for both volumes borrowed heavily from overseas releases. Volume 1 used elements from the US Beatles VI and German The Beatles Beat and Volume 2 used elements from the (surprisingly even earlier) US Beatles ‘65 as well as what was left of Beatles VI. Use of these 1965-period photos emphasises the genesis of these albums.

By mid-1973, Volume 1 had sold over 100,000 copies. What is intriguing about both volumes is that, despite the myriad of “greatest hit” packages and assorted themed compilationsreleased over the ensuing years, they never went out of print, selling consistently right up until catalogue standardisation in 1988.

EMI (Australia) exported (at least) Volume 1 mono mothers to HMV (New Zealand) and stereo mothers for both volumes to EMI (South East Asia). HMV (New Zealand) pressed domestic copies of Volume 1 (PMCM-7533) and copies for export to Australia. EMI (South East Asia) pressed both volumes in stereo (S-LPEA 1001/1002) for distribution in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Volume 1 Side 1: Please, Please Me / From Me To You / She Loves You / I’ll Get You / I Want To Hold Your Hand / Love Me Do / I Saw Her Standing There. Side 2: Twist And Shout / Roll Over Beethoven / All My Loving / Hold Me Tight / Can’t Buy Me Love / You Can’t Do That / Long Tall Sally.

Volume 2 Side 1: A Hard Day’s Night / Boys / I Should Have Known Better / I Feel Fine / She’s A Woman / Till There Was You / Rock And Roll Music. Side 2: Anna / Ticket To Ride / Eight Day’s A Week / Help! / Yesterday / We Can Work It Out / Day Tripper.

 

Great information - thanks!

So I finally have (unwittingly) managed to snag a copy of the older stereo mix of I Want to Hold Your Hand...

 

Btw your copy is from 1979.

The album was recut by Otto Ruiter in Jun 1982 (-2 / -2) and it's the one you want. MUCH better sounding than earlier pressings.

 

Get the Aussie "23 Number Ones" and you'll have the 1963 mix as well. We had the '63, '65 and '66 mixes all in circulation at the same time in the eighties.

 

Nifty little gem-of-a-thread, this !

 

Great info - I'll be on the lookout for those matrix numbers.

 

Just look for the eighties black/silver Parlophone label.

 

Any insight on some of the other pressings?

What are some of the copies to go for that will stand up to the U.K. Pressings? Might be a good opportunity to go treasure hunting.

 

There are quite a few. We had UK metal masters supplied from the UK for most of our releases right throughout the entire catalogue and including the early Solo releases such as All Things Must Pass, McCartney and Imagine. Only Stereo exceptions to the rule were A Hard Days Night, Beatles For Sale, Help and The White Album I think. All other Aussie Stereo albums from the 60's to mid 70's will give you UK matrices. Including the Hey Jude Lp. Jae will know exactly. New Zealand also had UK supply as well.
The original albums in acceptable condition are going for highish prices these days however.

 

It's all covered in my book.

 

You sound like a professor I had...


Link please?

 

An Overview Of Australian Beatles Records - Book

Only available in PDF format now (printed copies long sold out). But a steal at only AU$6.95.

 

Downloaded your book a few months ago Jae & was reading it only last night. Well worth the few quid I paid. Why don't you have it re-printed? you're as bad as Bruce Spizer for not re-printing books, lol. Only this afternoon I was listening to the 63 mix of IWTHYH. I love that with my head phones on.

 

My Australian Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and 2 are on the orange label. I guess those aren't considered the best pressings. Will have to look out for the silver and black 80's pressing with the -2 matrix.

 

Bought original Aussie Mono pressings of Rubber Soul and Revolver a few years ago, Rubber Soul arrived badly warped to the extent it was unplayable, tried the old oven trick to warm it up and then flatten it out between two tiles.

Ended in disaster, melted it.

 

Jae's book is essential - honest! I have in many, many cases found Australian (and New Zealand) pressings to actually be a wee bit better than even the original UK pressings. And that is indeed saying something!

Bobby Sutliff

 

Just checked my Greatest Hits Vol 1 & 2, both stereo yellow & black label Singapore pressings.

 

The tough part about the Aussie releases is finding a turntable that runs counter-clockwise.