The Red Album is iconic. Leave it alone! So what if it is light on Revolver? Means there is more to discover when a fan buys that album. What the Beatles liked gave us the entire Beatles catalogue (whether originals or covers) which makes your point invalid. Who knows what they (Beatles) think now about 1973? Two are dead and the other two have quite sketchy memories. The Beatles also liked Alan Klein. They wanted him in. Except Paul. This was clearly a source of continued friction.
No it doesn't make my point invalid. Many bands hate their earlier material. Rush hated their pre 1980 songs for a long time. Or an album that is liked by fans may be disliked by the band. Half of Rubber Soul was put on RED. Were they leaving it to fans to explore then? Just because the Beatles like a song does not make it good.
As I mentioned previously. The Beatles opinions created, edited and refined their own music which has given us this wonderful catalogue of beautiful and inspiring music. They didn't work in a vacuum. Their opinions form the crucial part of artistic dialogue, which arguably in their solo careers is missing or reduced, resulting in a mixed bag of content from the great to the maligned.
It's funny, in the last bit you can hear John talk about "remixes" from the "mono recordings". In another interview (or maybe another point in this one) he complains about them using stereo remixes and not the original mono versions, that's when he said they turned Revolution into "a piece of ice cream". That goes to show how unfamiliar he was with the original stereo mixes, it seems up until the White Album their music was mono as far as he was concerned.
I never got John's ice cream references. John said that The Beatles worked so hard to sound like one unit and stereo (according to John) made them naked and exposed. I can see his point. On The RED album they should have used the mono mixes up to 1964 at least.
No stereo remixes. Just stereo mixes. You can see how John viewed stereo back then. To him a stereo mix was remix of the mono. As opposed to a stereo mix from the 4 track. Very biased against stereo. I could see mono for up to maybe 1964. And mono for the stuff off Rubber Soul. But by 1973 mono was dead. No one wanted to hear it anymore. I made a mono RED and BLUE CD for Uncle Jack. He hated it. Told me 4x speed was too fast for a for a good CD Burn. Anyway the RED mono sounds like well.....Like 1966. But the BLUE mono sounds biazzare. Since all the later stereo stuff is gone. I had to add extra songs to the BLUE or it would be short.
Yes, the first CD edition in 1993. Yes, "remixes" is John's term, that's what I meant. He didn't seem to recognize the original stereo mixes and thought they were new remixes made for the compilations.
To be fair, there was no stereo mix of Revolution in the UK that I'm aware of prior to 1973, so maybe some of the stereo versions were 'new' to him?
Maybe, but if you read the interview, he wasn't talking just about Revolution, he used it as an example. It's pretty clear he wasn't familiar with the stereo mixes: "I presumed they would just copy them from the masters and put them out. I didn't even listen to it until it was out, and I took it back, and I played it, and it was embarrassing, you know. I mean, some of the tracks survived, but it was really embarrassing. Some fool had tried to make it stereo, and it didn't work. Because, you know, there's a difference between stereo and mono, obviously. And if you mix something in mono and then try and fake it... you lose the guts of it, you know. And a lot of them lost. The fast version of Revolution was destroyed, you know. It was a heavy record and then they made it into a piece of ice cream"
But how would he come to such a conclusion when John never heard the stereo mixes before 1966 anyway? That is bizarre. Yes, remixes for the RED and BLUE albums. Done by me. Guaranteed no one will like them. O.k. first off I am gonna remix A Hard Day's Night. Gonna make those bongos super loud and pan them hard right. Put some upper bass EQ on them to. Maybe some reverb. The effect return channel will go hard left. Yes, come any closer and I will remix the whole thing. Stand back! I am warning you! Don't make me do it.
Most Rock musicians are known for having crappy hi-fi sets. I don't know why. Agreed. Revolution was still good in stereo but it lost a lot of stones from the mono mix. I hate mono but even I know the mono mix is superior. What does John mean by ice cream?
I guess he meant something sweet and soft, which I don't think the stereo Revolution is, but it certainly loses the punch and weight of the mono version.
Have you heard the LOVE remix of Revolution? That is the way it should sound. Too bad Giles cut the ending off sharp. I have an edit of that mix with a quick 0.5 second fade out.
They were fine in the vinyl era. That they remained cannon in the CD era was beyond dumb. (Same with Hot Rocks) Doesn’t matter in a post-CD world as much, but it’s still bonkers to me that they still exist as entities instead of something better taking their place.
This is what I think. Somewhere back in the CD era when it still mattered, a definitive box set could have been released. A four disc set could have contained almost every song mentioned on this thread. A nice booklet, a reasonable price, and they could have sold a staggering amount of copies.
Yes, that mix restores some of the guts of the mono version in a balanced stereo mix. But for some reason the mono still sounds wilder to me, it's one of those "haunted" mixes that seem to be the definitive form of a song for some reason (another example being Happiness is a Warm Gun). Don't forget many people grew up with them and represent their entry to the Beatles' music. So they have become classic albums in their own right, even though they are compilation albums.
My favorite part was the 62-minute red album still being sold as a $30 double CD in the 90’s. Insane. I’m not crazy about early CD-era box sets full of already released tracks. At that point, with 5 hours of stuff, just listen to the original albums. But certainly a double-disc, fully packed compilation specifically designed for the format would’ve sold an insane amount of copies in the 90’s had it existed, and would’ve been a better product than the format-restricted 1. We live in a world of playlists, so it doesn’t matter now, but they certainly dropped the ball during the CD era.
The Red and Blue were my gateways. But now, almost 50 years later, they seem to be relics of a different age. I can see them staying in print as vinyl collections, but ONE has replaced them both. I tend to think there should only be one compilation in print at a time. And I'm glad Rock and Roll and Love Songs didn't make the digital crossover.
True. Good points. I think my attitude is the problem here. I look at this as being for an actual release. So I won't drop anything and try to put on what is the best Beatle songs. RED ALBUM: 1962 - 1966 I Saw Her Standing There......Is this not regarded as a great Beatle classic? Or am I just taking out of my behind. Mono mix of course. If I Fell.......Regarded highly. Even by non-pop music critics of the day. A beautiful song. I Should Have Known Better (Reel Music edit) ....From the opening notes it screams, "listen to me!!" I can't find a Beatle fan/lover of F4 who doesn't love this song. They may sound wierd but this song seems to be on The Red Album, as if they accidentally left it off..... Taxman (John Morris 2020 Remix) ** A masterpiece. Words our great. "....And your working for no one but me..." Followed by ear splitting Paul guitar solo.. One of the best songs off Revolver. A Beatle Classic. This ain't no album filler. And then it decides between Got To Get You Into My Life vs. And Your Bird Can Sing. The last track being the most underrated song in the Beatles catalog. Or am I talking out of my garbage disposal shute? One of my top 5 favorite Beatle songs. Ahhh, there lies the problem. I must be biased here. Is the song really that good? Anyone want to chime in? BLUE ALBUM: 1967 - 1970 All Together Now (1999 remix) / Hey Bulldog (1968 stereo mix)..... Two of the best tracks of of the Yellow Submarine Soundtrack album which was ignored back in 1973. Takes were not highly thought of by the Beatles. All Together Now sounds like this famous children's song from the 1930's. Acoustic and silly kiddy lyrics. Infectious! Makes you feel happy. Or am I talking out of main bottom exit? Good Morning (1967 stereo mix) Sgt. Pepper Reprise (2017 remix) / A Day In The Life (1967 stereo mix). - These 2 would be as 1 track .........A Day In The Life always sounded wrong too me. Not the song but the intro. Reprise was the opening. They should be together. For my new Blue Album release I would have Good Morning / Reprise / A Day In The Life as 2 separate tracks. All three right after the other. Just like the first 3 tracks of Pepper are sequenced on the BLUE ALBUM. Birthday (remix).....I am not a big fan. I like it. A nice rocker but not a big fan. But people love it. Even people who hate the Fab 4 love this song! Gets a lot of air play. This is why it should go on the Morris 2020 Blue Album. I was thinking of Hapiness Is A Warm Gun. Not too sure here..... Two Of Us.......A big beautiful acoustic song sung by John And Paul. And yet it is passed over. Just lovely harmonies and nice chords. It feels like Blue Album material. But, I could be talking out of my Emergency Escape hatch. Abbey Road Medley......A definite yes but no. It is too much of the album. Not for release. If I was making a copy for a friend then I would put the track on. And I think of this edited Blue Album as being released. So I must think practical and for the public. 16 minutes is too long! O.k. no I one shoot me but if I could, I would leave a 10 second gap at the end of THE END and tack on HER MAJESTY. - All one track of course. I do feel strongly about: IF I FELL I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER (edit) TAX MAN SGT. PEPPER REPRISE (2017 remix) / A DAY IN THE LIFE ( 1967 stereo mix) - 1 track. Altogether Now (1999 remix) TWO OF US Someone mentioned knocking GIRL out for IF I NEEDED SOMEONE . Any thoughts on this?
I still think an 80 minute "Red" and an 80 Minute "Blue" would me nice. 160 Minutes total should be able to provide great coverage, and if not just remove all songs that duplicate "1," and replace them with even deeper catalog tracks. That would be kind of cool, then folks could get all three albums for their kids with no duplication!
Huh? What is fakes? They didn't put ADT on the stereo version of Revolution or any other track on The Blue (Except I Am The Walrus Half way.) It was mixed from the same 1 inch 8 track, 1 inch 4, or the quarter inch half track that the mono mix was mixed from. The "Fake it" comment from John Lennon makes no sense. He should have just said, "Bad mix." How do you fake a stereo mix of a song when you have all the tracks that the mono mix had? If you only have 3 tracks, what are you supposed to do with them. Center - left - right is fine. Nothing fake about it. Some were just bad mixes. Faking it is a non- sequitur here. And hundres of stereo songs from the 1957 - 1963 period were just Vocals Left - music right. Nothing fake about it. This is why I usually ignore what The Beatles had to say about Beatle stereo mixes.
Good idea. But The Blue Album runs way over 80 mins. I think you can shove all of the RED and BLUE onto Two CDs. But I am not sure. Maybe a kind and wise member could chime in on this. Someone who I haven't blocked out already. The list just keeps on a growin'. Some members want to discuss....and some just want to vent and gripe. I have neither the patients nor the mental health to deal with the nonsense. They aren't any tracks one could leave off of The Blue Album. Of course I am thinking for the buying public. But I have often thought of a nice 2 CD set. But some of Blue tracks would have to go on Disk-1. The double Blue Album is pretty good. You could leave off: Across The Universe Old Brown Show Fool On The Hill. Not my choice. I love these songs. But at 80 minutes for a Blue Album something has to go. I really don't care for COME TOGETHER that much but regardless it is a great track. A classic! Screw what fat John doesn't like? That guy is a dope anyway. He wears yellow construction boot laces in black shoes. (500 members all click the LIKE button at once.)
