Would Hey Jude have been even better if it were recorded at EMI instead of Trident Studios?

By 1968, The Beatles could record pretty much wherever they wanted. They did experiment a little in this regard. One of the "experiments" was Hey Jude. I'm not sure how others feel about this, but I always thought Hey Jude didn't have the same great sonics that almost all the other Beatles records have. Interestingly, I thought this long before I knew it was recorded somewhere else. Then when I learned it wasn't done at EMI, it was like, there's your reason! Obviously, Hey Jude was a huge hit, so I guess it sounded pretty good to everyone but still I have to wonder, would it have sounded and been even better (if that's at all possible) if it had been recorded at EMI instead of Trident. Thoughts?

 

Yes. "Baby You're The Rich Man" too. Studio itself was fifth Beatle. You can tell when he's sitting out.

 

I thought BYARM had fantastic bass which was better recorded at that time than any bass recorded at EMI

 

I don't think Hey Jude sounds bad at all. So, who knows.

And it's Baby You're A Rich Man, not The. And that song sounds fantastic.

 

I don't think that Hey Jude is sonically inferior to any other Beatles recording.

 

Was this session for Hey Jude at Trident because they had a functioning 8 track & Abbey Road was still using 4 track until a few months later when they too switched over to 8 track ?

Or was Abbey Road booked that day ? Was it for the tracking session, or orchestral overdub ? What was the purpose of going to Trident ?

 

Trident is an excellent studio. Just remember Ziggy Stardust and Crime of the Century.

 

How can you tell it's a "he"??

 

Any particular reason boss?

 

Exactly. Thanks, Steve. I'm not sure what the group was thinking at that point, but boy, the idea of that song being recorded at EMI. Breathtaking.

 

But maybe, just maybe, Paul wouldn't have been as inspired to hit those incredible vocal heights as he did on the released version had he been in the same ol' Studio Two. For me, it's Paul's incredible vocal which really elevates this song into the stratosphere.

 

The White Album would have sounded better if the whole thing was recorded at Trident with Roy Thomas Baker and Robin Cable instead of George Martin and Chris Thomas

 

Yikes!

 

Imagine if Magical Mystery Tour was produced by John Anthony.

 

So true. I think the performance is killer all the way around, but just doesn't "sound" as good. But yes, there's a lot to be said for being "inspired."

 

I defiantly remember at the time when playing my 45 that BYARM had a different overall sound, I thought that it was new more modern sound/recording equipment

 

The drums in particular have a very flat sound on Hey Jude.

 

I've always thought that Hey Jude is a better recording than it is a song.

I mean, the song is really good, but that recording/performance is awesome.

Also, I think Ringo is the star of the show on Hey Jude. Fantastic groove!

 

[sarcasm]What a shame, might have sold more too..[/sarcasm]

 

Better producers for Beatles albums

Please Please Me ~ Joe Meek
With the Beatles ~ Frank Guida
A Hard Day's Night~ Greenwich and Barry
Beatles For Sale~ Sam Phillips
Help~ Norrie Paramor
Rubber Soul ~ Gary Usher
Revolver~ Terry Melcher
Sgt Pepper ~ Norman Smith
MMT ~ John Anthony
Yellow Submarine~ Brian Wilson
The White Album ~ Baker/Cable
Abbey Road~ Todd Rundgren
Let it Be ~ Phil Spector

 

I think it's a great record as is. What advantage would EMI have over Trident? Acoustics?

 

That's probably the "tea towel" effect.

 

Thicker carpet maybe?

 

Guy Stevens