Abbey Road 50th contents, outtakes and sound quality thread .. only

Steven Wilson posted on Instagram yesterday that he was recently interviewed by Mojo about the Abbey Road remix (which Mojo is called their reissue of the year). He says spoiler alert - “I think Giles Martin and Co did a fantastic job!”

Steven Wilson on Instagram: “I was recently interviewed by @mojo4music about my thoughts on the recent @thebeatles Abbey Road remix (their reissue of the year) and the…”

Looking forward to reading the full interview but I guess it’s a solid thumbs-up from Steven

 

Yes, this photo's from Octopus's Garden piano/bass overdub on 17 July 1969.

When The Beatles recorded the basic track takes of Oh Darling, George didn't have a beard. But yes, he played bass on it.

On 26 April 1969, the Beatles recorded the basic track takes of Octopus's Garden with Ringo on drums and guide vocal, Paul on bass and George (lead) and John (rythm) on guitars.

Later on 17 July 1969, when the photo was taken, Paul and George overdubbed backing vocals with Ringo blowing bubbles and Paul and George overdubbed piano and bass.
Howlett does mention it: "(…) bass notes of a piano and a guitar doubling them on track four".
The guitar is the Fender Bass VI.

 

Where can this Fender Bass VI overdub can be heard in the MOGG?

 

I was at my local high end audio dealer last night. I noted an Abbey Road box and asked if they had an Atmos setup. They did. They put me in a side theater room and fired it up.

It was a really fun experience hearing my favorite album in a different way.

He asked which track I wanted to hear. I chose You Never Give Me Your Money, so I wound up listening to the album to its end from that point, then it started up again from Come Together, so I heard the album kind of sideways in terms of sequencing. I say this because I think it took me a few songs to really get used to some of the more subtle placements. For example, at least the way I heard it, Ringo's lead vocal on Octopus' Garden was dead center, but his double tracked vocals were mid room but higher up near the corners of the ceiling. Yet the lead guitar seemed to be directly opposite me on the sides of the room. It's almost a subtle distinction but I noted more of that as I listened.

I felt like it was sort of uneven in that some tracks felt more forward centric, while others had obvious pinpoint placement and others even had movement of elements (the white noise on I Want You was moving all over the room like it was alive). I wish that the drums were a bit more consistent. They were more up front on some tracks and kind of buried in the mix on others. Also, I kind of wish the drums could have been centered, but that's just personal taste. Speaking of drums, Oh Darling was a revelation. I have listened to this album several zillion times but Oh Darling has very had so much punch - mostly due to the kick drum (where did that come from?).

Overall, pretty fab.

 

Essential for the outtakes, the remastered LP is well presented but lacks the punch and clarity of my 2/1 original. Listening to the banter alone is worth the price paid. I especially loved the noise complaints during that late-night session. St. John's Wood is a residential area with some of the highest property values in London. The bankers and lawyers probably looked down their noses at this lot making a racket.

 

When there was the noise complaint from the neighbors, it was in the Soho area of London as The Beatles were recording at Trident Studio. They were not at EMI Abbey Road.

 

Thanks Arnie!!

 

Don't thank me. I was the one complaining about the noise that they were making! I was trying to have a nice meal at a Chinese restaurant in Soho, and all I could hear was "I want you so bad" over and over again. All I wanted was a good Wonton soup. Jeez...

 

So, if you're correct, Howlett is contradicting himself.

On page 34 of the de luxe book he says George: guitar, backing vocals and Paul: bass, piano, backing vocals.

But on page 35 he says "(…) bass notes of a piano and a guitar doubling them on track four", which, according to you, means George is overdubbing the bass guitar.

So on page 34 George doesn't play bass and on page 35 he does play bass.

Is Howlett wrong or is your interpretation wrong?

 

I'm with Howlett on this.

John says "It got a bit faster, Ringo!"

And incidentally, at the end John says "Yeah, we'll have 'im, we'll have 'im!". He then adds, " There was only the one . It was worth it for that ... And you came out before it . That's alright.".

Paul doesn't seem so sure and says ,"Er, I think we'll listen to it ...".

 

A succulent Chinese meal? So YOU'RE that guy!

 

I just got home from Soho and we did have some Wonton soup! Join us next time

 

Getting my Abbey deluxe box tomorrow FINALLY!! along with my Jimi Hendrix Songs For Groovy Children box set in snail mail.

ABBEY ROAD JIMI HENDRIX MUSIC SATURDAY. 11/23/2019

 

The bass in the whole song is played by Paul.

As for "overdubbed guitar", it's just that George used Fender Bass VI instead of a 'regular' guitar, that's all.
He didn't play bass line on it, just some notes together with a piano.

Think of it like Ringo overdubbing just the snare drum in a few distinct places in a song.

 

Thanks for the explanation.

Howlett tends to explain up to a certain point and then leaves some things a bit vague. He should have said " bass notes of a piano and a bass guitar doubling them (played by George) " OR " George: guitar, backing vocals, overdubbed bass notes ".

I prefer to have more information rather than less !

It's not because you don't play an instrument throughout a song that you don't play that instrument. For example, for You Never Give Me Your Money we know Paul plays tubular bells, but he sure doesn't play them all through the song.

 

I just received the Super Deluxe Box today. On first listening, I like the mix and the sound of the remix. I haven't got to the sessions CDs yet, although I have streamed the whole set, but it's not the same as listening to CDs or vinyl.
The book is beatutiful, but pedant that I am, I was disappointed that the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal was incorrectly referred to as "Le Reine Elizabeth" not "La Reine Elizabeth" as it should be.

 

You're a little too pedant for your own good !

Its name is Le Reine Elizabeth.

Presumably because it's the abbrevaition of L'Hôtel Reine Elizabeth and Hôtel is masculine.

Here's the name with the peace sign for the Bed In exhibition held in the hotel foyer this year.

 

Thanks, I was thinking that may have been the case. I researched it, but couldn't find anything definitive.
I like the set even more now, knowing that that was not an error!

 

As I've already pointed out, some of the detail Mike gives concerning The Ballad of John and Yoko (take 7) is not that good.

I've just looked on his site and this has not been corrected.

 

I didn't know Mike had a "site". I repeat, he's been a wonderful and inspiration source here. Not sure what needs correcting, if anything. Ron

 

Maybe he doesn't have a site. I googled Mike Carrera and Abbey Road and this article came up.

The Daily Beatle: Abbey Road – What’s new?

Regarding The Ballad of John and Yoko, Mike liked my post where I said the following.

"John says "It got a bit faster, Ringo!"

And incidentally, at the end John says "Yeah, we'll have 'im, we'll have 'im!". He then adds, " There was only the one . It was worth it for that ... And you came out before it . That's alright.".

Paul doesn't seem so sure and says ,"Er, I think we'll listen to it ...". "

Maybe Mike can't correct it if it's not his site.

 

Looking a bit more at Mike's notes I've noticed some more strange things.

Concerning I Want You, Mike mentions hearing 'John's moog' where Howlett tells us it's an unused extra guitar part (which makes sense since the moog was only added later on August 8th).

Concerning Something, Mike gets his references mixed up. He says the Anthology 3 take has the piano where in fact it's the one without the piano.


So, basically, I can see anomalies in the notes for three songs out of the first four. Hence my surprise concerning Mike's 'attention to detail'.

 

Was this question ever answered in the thread?

 

I think it's obvious that stuff is being held back.

When Apple saw that the Pepper box sold well, it seems to me that they gave Kevin Howlett for the White Album (and now for Abbey Road) the remit to mention lots of things that are not on the sessions tracks.

Why, for example, mention that there was a quick jam of 'Who Slapped John?' and 'Up A Lazy River' during the Sun King session and not put it on the record?

 

I doubt that was the real reason.

I mean, on Anthology 3 we got Junk from Paul's first solo album and a group version of All Things Must Pass.