The Beatles Remasters: What Are The Mono Mix Differences?

I did the same thing . And got no reaction.

Rockband extraction reveals that Paul´s shouting at the end of the Sgt. Pepper Reprise is on tambourine/maracas percussion track.
I always thought that shouting is on separate track and is faded up in mono mix. But it clearly isn´t. The only way how to boost Paul´s shouting at the end is to boost the low mid frequencies. Which must have been done during the original mono mixing and NOT done during the stereo mixing and all of the later remixes (Anthology, Love).

 

Gee, I gotta buy this book!

 

Stereo mix is missing the first guitar chord, leaving Ringo's voice all by itself (never the best idea).

After Ringo sings the line "And the band begins to play", the voice that calls out "All right, let's hit it!" on the mono mix is faded out too quickly on the stereo mix, leaving him saying "All right, let's h-".

John's (sorry, it IS John!) "A life of ease" is missing on the stereo mix due to another mixing error which brings the fader up too late, also chopping off a tiny bit of the "Everyone of us" line.

I hear "Easy, baby!" not "Yes, it's very nice".

 

I was expecting some impressive bass on that track, but when I heard the mono I was pretty disappointed. The stereo is underrated.

 

Are you referring to Revolution or PW?

 

Growing up with the stereo mix, I always thought it was somone yelling "alright, lads!"

 

I think he's talking about PW, due to its famously fat "lead" bass guitar line.

He's right that the stereo mix has the bass a little louder in the mix (probably because it practically gets it's own channel in the stereo mix, opposite the guitar - which, of course, is the fatal flaw of that stereo mix, and the same flaw as the 'Revolution' stereo mix, only having the guitar on one side).

Oddly enough, the mono "Rain" doesn't suffer this "subdued" bass problem.

PW is one of the tracks on the mono remasters that, IMO, could have done with a bit more tinkering. For whatever reason, this problem was only exacerbated by the clarity provided in the recent remaster.

Pawnmower, if you can, all you need to do is EQ your PW to bring out the bass (use the mono "Rain" as the guidepost for how much).

After that, I doubt you'll feel the stereo mix "underrated" any longer...

 

Same here. Though I always heard it as "alright, all!"...

 

Same with If I Fell as well.

Evan

 

I kind of prefer the stereo mixing error. The way it fades up, it's like the submarine's resident lunatic has just overheard the song and come scrambling of a closet (or something) to add his bit.

 

PW.

There was all this talk of how bassy the PW mono was.. and that's sure not on the CD.

 

Help! Mono & Stereo

I don't have this book....yet, but I read about these photographs and the reasoning behind the CTS visit in May '65. Is it certain that this wasn't from Jan '66 when they secretly re-recorded Help! for the Shea Stadium soundtrack? As far as I can tell, CTS was a 3 track facility at this time, primarily used for film overdubbing. There seems to be no documentation on the process. It's just interesting to me how they took a master tape to CTS (presumably mono without the vocals), re-did the vocals and remastered it back at Abbey Road because they didn't like the original take. Lewisohn just mentions that a couple of mono mixes were created on April 14th and another in June for the final release. No details beyond that.

 

Original Help! thread

It would be great if you could track it down...

 

Help! thread

Hi Grant, it would be great if you could track it down...

 

I've always found Beatles mixing variations thoroughly interesting (I got the bug when I was about 11), but I've also found that many of the differences do not necessarily rise to the level of necessary or interesting beyond the point of curiosity.

If you were to make a compilation of alternate mixes that you like hearing regularly, which do not supplant the primary mix, but have something musically or otherwise to offer, such that you would not want to be without it, what would would be on it? Also, you might parenthetically include what you consider the primary mix, if it's not the UK stereo mix.

Here's my list of Beatles songs I need more than one mix of:


I Want To Hold Your Hand - US Duophonic (primary: UK mono)
This Boy - US Duophonic (primary: UK mono)
She Loves You - US Duophonic (primary: UK mono)
I'll Get You - US Duophonic (primary: UK mono)
And I Love Her - US Mono (primary: UK mono)
I'll Cry Instead - long version (primary: UK mono)
I Feel Fine - US mono single
Help - single/movie mix
I'm Looking Through You - untrimmed US stereo
Tomorrow Never Knows - first pressing UK mono
And Your Bird Can Sing - US Stereo
I'm Only Sleeping - US Mono
Yellow Submarine - mono
Strawberry Fields Forever - US Stereo
Penny Lane - US promo single
Lucy in the Sky - mono
Magical Mystery Tour - film mix
It's All Too Much - film mix
I Am The Walrus - US mono single
Across The Universe - birds mix
Don't Pass Me By - mono
Helter Skelter - mono
Happiness Is A Warm Gun - mono
Honey Pie - mono
Savoy Truffle - mono
Let It Be - album mix (primary: single mix)

I only included mixes that were released during the non-CD era. I didn't include some superior mono mixes such as She's Leaving Home, because I feel that they ARE the primary mix and I don't even need the stereo one.

 

Yes, the photos are definitely spring 65: George is wearing the 'Shea Stadium' jacket they first wore in public in April 65, and John is in his Dylan hat phase which he'd left behind by late 65.

 

Several of the Hard Day's Night/Something New tracks had unique mono mixes done for the US.

 

Lewisohn's books are 20 years out of date now.

This was all definitively settled several years ago, after Recording The Beatles came out. Like all things Beatles, there are several threads/posts in the archives here on the topic. There was even a documentary on 'Love' (one of the many), where Giles Martin briefly makes reference to the CTS incident...

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/s...&highlight=recording+beatles+help+mono+single

 

Has someone mentioned "Your Mother Should Know" in mono has a bad effect on the vocals and a distorted end that rivals the entire distorted Revolver LP?

 

The Beatles one

 

Oh, I've got that.

 

Any good?

 

Help! & CTS mono mix

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the link on the Help! CTS story. I see this was discussed at great length! I didn't want to open up another can of worms but it looks like the discussion got quite heated. I think its fair to say that Lewisohn may have been in error on a few details (probably because there wasn't full documentation). Afterall, he was working on a mammoth project and Help! was just one of many, many recording sessions covered in his research. I do recall him mentioning that "Recording The Beatles" made his "Sessions" book look a little embarassing...