The BEATLES "Paperback Writer" ... In mono!

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by obcbeatle, Aug 26, 2017.

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  1. andrewskyDE

    andrewskyDE Island Owner

    Location:
    Europe
    The vocal echo effects in the mono mix are even better.
     
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  2. obcbeatle

    obcbeatle Forum Resident Thread Starter

    A lot of good info here!

    Yesterday ... when I started this thread ... I was listening to the Hey Jude LP (original from 1970 ... got it as a kid!). As soon as Paperback Writer played I immediately did a double take while listening to the main guitar riff. It was panned left and kinda' weak compared to another version I'd heard in the past. And then I thought of my Beatles Mono 2009 CD's. I was pretty sure the guitar was "hotter" in that mono mix of PW. Sure enough ... I put that disk in and it knocked my socks off! I had forgotten just how great a guitar mix that mono version is! It is a classic guitar riff (I'm a guitarist). Probably one of my top 10 favorites from that era. Apparently Paul played it ... per another post(s) in this thread. Not surprised really. Paul played some amazing guitar licks while with The Beatles. But then that's what made The Beatles such a great band. Paul, John and George all three were such melodic guitarists and vocalists. Of course I'm biased since I play guitar :)

    Anyway ... glad I bought the Stereo AND Mono CD's around 2009/10. But the Mono's were expensive! Of course if I'd know that the vinyl would be released a few years later (my favorite medium) ... I would have waited. But all these new releases masters/mixes are just too much $ for me to run after. Luckily I have the CD's plus a lot of the original/reissue LP's on Capitol/Apple (I know ... but us Americans at the time didn't have much choice) :shake: But we still have the music :cool:

    Thanks for all great replies and comments!
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2017
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  3. dudley07726

    dudley07726 Forum Resident

    Location:
    FLA
    Paul played many "heavyish" guitar solos. I'm sure the distorted guitar in All Too Much is him as well.
     
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  4. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    That's pretty much always the tradeoff it seems. The stereo mixes always seem to give you more of the air in the voices and acoustic instruments, the sound of the room ... that's why declaring "better" is always so subjective. It really comes down to preference.
     
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  5. obcbeatle

    obcbeatle Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Agreed. That's what is so nice about having the stereo AND mono mixes.

    When I was first learning to play guitar (1970's) ... stereo was a godsend for me. I could pan left or right to hear better just a particular guitar part ... and try to figure out how to play it on my guitar. Of course I went through a LOT of vinyl as I was picking up and dropping the tonearm repeatedly to hear the guitar part(s) ... to learn them (this was before I had tape ... and CD's were a thing of the future) :( Anyway ... I grew up on the stereo mixes of The Beatles (U.S. here :wave:) ... and got used to it. Mono Beatles is still kinda' new to me. But I love it too! So bottom line ... there is room for both ... at least to my ears. To me they are just different mixes and they both have their advantages (as has already been said elsewhere in this thread) :) Thanks!
     
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  6. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    The mono "Revolution" single is the balls. I have a first press Aussie single, still pressed on Parlophone, and it sounds amazing. Lennon's guitar is right in your face!
     
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  7. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    I never got to hear the mono mix until maybe 15 years ago and WOW! I remember thinking "now that rocks!".
     
  8. DrJ

    DrJ Senior Member

    Location:
    Davis, CA, USA
    Isn't that the one on UNSURPASSED MASTERS Vol. 3? Description fits. Good fun, yes - but I much prefer the finished version with all the effects myself!
     
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  9. bherbert

    bherbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Africa
    Check out the 1 Plus version by Giles Martin. It's even better than the original mono.
     
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  10. ecoutez

    ecoutez Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    I love these threads: give out lots of information and different versions with descriptions of various nuances to listen to. What a good music forum is all about. Thanks!
     
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  11. Schoolmaster Bones

    Schoolmaster Bones Poe's Lawyer

    Location:
    ‎The Midwest
    That's awesome! I still have my CD:

    [​IMG]
     
  12. vudicus

    vudicus Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I read an explanation as to why UK 45's in the 60's were cut very loud. Not sure how much truth there is to it, but it does make a lot of sense.
    Apparently it was done so if a song was played on a jukebox in a crowded bar, the song could still be heard by as many people as possible.
    Bigger audience = bigger sales.
    The distortion is there on mint unplayed records because they are cut too loud. It's like an early form of the brickwalled crud we have to suffer with CD's today.
    It didn't matter to most vinyl buyers in the UK back then as they played them on whatever they had at home which was most likely not audiophile gear.
    Things like those old Dansettes would not show up the inherent flaws in the pressings.
    Now when you play those mint/unplayed 45's on hifi/audiophile gear, the cutting flaws are very apparent.
     
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  13. maui jim

    maui jim Forum Resident

    Location:
    West of LA
    Does this have the mix Mr. Hoffman spoke of?
     
  14. Schoolmaster Bones

    Schoolmaster Bones Poe's Lawyer

    Location:
    ‎The Midwest
    The bootleg mix? No, this is the proper mono single mix.
     
  15. bherbert

    bherbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Africa
    I've been comparing Paperback Writer on Mono Masters to PW on 1+. The biggest problem with the 1+ remix is that the intro harmony is mixed far too loud. So the problem here is that I have to turn the volume down. Because I have to turn the volume down, I miss out on hearing the intro riff loud. PW is a song you need to play loud to appreciate the impact of the drums and guitar. The extremely loud vocals make it impossible. When I listen to the Mono Masters version I can listen to it loud because the intro harmony is not mixed overly loud. Therefore I can appreciate the intro riff and drums without bursting my eardrums. I'm starting to understand why people complain about overly loud mastering. It makes for an uneven listening experience. Sorry for the essay. It's just an insight that I had today. Cheers
     
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  16. Evan L

    Evan L Beatologist

    Location:
    Vermont
    Mono is definitive on this!(i.e. It rules).
     
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  17. Adam9

    Adam9 Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй.

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Cool to listen to this version, but I still prefer the guitars and drums (in the mono) up front and centre and LOUD!
     
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  18. bherbert

    bherbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Africa
    What I'm enjoying about the Mono Masters cds is that the music is mixed quite soft dare I say. All I have to do is turn up the volume and it sounds great! My whole life I have been listening to very loudly mastered cd's where you don't have to turn the volume up much. You don't have much control over the listening experience. With the mono masters the volume is perfect and the vocals are not mixed too loud. I can get the volume right and it just sound nice and even.
     
  19. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Look, I'm trying to be patient so I'll type this out all over again. The Beatles stereo stuff off CD that you have been listening to has been squashed a bit to make it much louder. Squashing the sound like that removes dynamic peaks and makes the quiet parts as loud as the loud parts. And a treble boost that gives everything a hard, glassy sound. This is what I call a no-no. Something I would never do in mastering, ever. The Beatles MONO stuff on CD was spared this treatment. You have a volume control? Let your ears recover for a little while and then play the Beatles mono CDs. Keep your hand on your volume control. When the music starts, you simply turn it up to the required volume and enjoy.

    It's ironic that back in the 1960s the Beatles MONO stuff was actually mixed to be much louder than the stereo versions and if the stereo CD mastering had been as good as the mono you would have easily heard that.

    Now, when (in another post) you said that you thought the mono stuff sounded "muddy," that worries me. The Beatles in mono is a lot of things but muddy isn't one of them. In fact, each mono mix sounds different from the others, some leaner, some fuller, some thinner, some more bass, some more treble, etc. They were mastered pretty much "flat" in mono on the CD mono box set (thank you, Lord.) So muddy concerns me. It's possible that you're stereo isn't telling you the truth if all the monos have the same muddy sound to you. Could be your gear.

    Onward.
     
  20. bherbert

    bherbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Africa
    Noted. Thanks
     
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  21. Dylancat

    Dylancat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cincinnati, OH
    MONO

    The way to go for this song


    (And so many others...)
     
  22. Keith V

    Keith V Forum Resident

    Location:
    Secaucus, NJ
    If Capitol put it in "Yesterday" ...and Today, I suspect it would have sounded incredible in duophonic
     
  23. AndyK235

    AndyK235 Forum Resident

    yes, Paperback Writer and Revolution (wow! Revolution is really raw, heavy and loud in mono, but Lennon's scream in the intro isn't as dramatic) are two examples of songs that are distinctly different in mono, but I would argue that the two track stuff from the earlier years that has instruments hard panned to the left and vocals to the right (like All My Loving) is the stuff that needs to be heard in mono the most, especially if you listen on headphones or widely spaced speakers.
     
  24. AndyK235

    AndyK235 Forum Resident

    I was caught off guard when I first listened to I want to Hold Your Hand in mono. It is a much heavier song than the stereo version I was used to. That was one I didn't see coming.
     
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  25. nikh33

    nikh33 Senior Member

    Location:
    Liverpool, England
    Paul McCartney once said that they were all thrilled with the sound John's guitar made on I Want to Hold Your Hand, yet it's all but inaudible in stereo. In mono, it powers the track. (On the Anthology DVD, you can hear an outtake of the song where John says "I love that!" as he plays the opening chords.)

     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2017
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