Magical Mystery Tour early VHS versions question

I read that in the MEDA/Media Home Entertainment versions, there's a splice in the opening title track. Any other places where there are film splices?

 

The VHS has the original Lennon " roll up roll up " at beginning of MMT song ?

 

Yes, alexpop. All versions until the 1997 DVD. Which is why I stick with the 1988 VHS only, whenever I watch the film.

 

Blu Ray is missing " roll up " as well ?

 

Think i have to get the vhs.

 

So what about the MEDA/Media versions? Where else are there splices?

 

Original vhs had a special George Martin stereo mix I believe.

 

No, I think MEDA/Media was in mono, right?

 

The MEDA was in mono and looked like absolute puke. It was a cruddy transfer of an even more cruddy print. I wouldn't be surprised if it was essentially an unauthorized release simply because Apple was in a coma at that time.

Get the '88 Furmanak VHS.

 

The Japanese Laser Disc also has (in much better quality) the same "differences" as the VHS version. It's my "go-to" version of Magical Mystery Tour.

It also has the very best stereo mix of the music that I've ever heard... "Fool On The Hill" is breathtaking..


If only they had followed the plot of Tony Barrow's book (which was cohesive and actually had a "plot"), it'd been a much better film.

 

The regular American Laserdisc had the superior Ron Furmanek soundtrack in it as well. Back when Apple was actually doing things right, instead of by botched-up nepotism now.

 

So does the Beta version.

 

I found a listing of early VHS/Beta tapes here. Supposedly the 1978 tape (Media M-1019) is at least visually upgraded on the 1981 version (M-430).



I have a couple of the 1981 VHS tapes, which are terrible, but are these the only way to get the original mono soundtrack on home video?

I'm mildly curious why anyone would be interested in where film splices would be in these?

 

I want perfect copies of film mixes for all the songs in the mono versions of the film.

Perhaps there could also be 16mm copies made before 1988, without the splices?

 

I agree, it would be great if the original mono soundtrack were available in better quality. It's disappointing that it hasn't been included on the digital releases.

But the 1981 NTSC tape is horrible. I don't know where there are film splices, but I'm not sure it would matter much because the audio quality is so bad anyway.

There was an early Australian PAL VHS copy. Maybe it is better. I think there is a boot of a BBC broadcast that should be mono. Or maybe a transfer from an old film copy will turn up.

 

I think the Media version also played repeatedly on TV. Not sure if it was "Night Flight" or some other program, but MMT seemed to always be playing every month or so for years, always late at night.

 

Have you taken a look at all the different outtake DVDs that came out end of 2017? I have over 25 different Videos ( Different countries) tapes including both Meda and Media and a Beta Media version but I do not own a VHS or Beta Video Player.

 

"Night Flight" on USA network did indeed show the MEDIA version of "Magical Mystery Tour." And rather bizarrely, The Disney Channel showed the remastered version of "Magical Mystery Tour" in conjunction with their US premiere of "The Making of Sgt. Pepper" in 1992.

There is a fairly nice copy of a BBC broadcast out there, if one knows where to look for such things.

One thing that I did not realize until a couple years ago is that "Magical Mystery Tour" was produced at 25 frames per second, which makes sense as it was intended for PAL television broadcast. When checking out a MEDIA VHS of "Magical Mystery Tour" recently, I could tell the film was transferred at 24 frames per second, as the soundtrack plays slower than one would expect. I was not as sensitive to such details the last time I would have watched this version back in the mid 1980s.