Do you have a source? I've never read this anywhere. I'm not saying it hasn't happened. I'm only saying I've never read anything that specifically says that EMI had used the same tapes, the same plating etc...anywhere else. If that had happened. The HorZu pressings wouldn't have the fervent following it has. The MMT HorZu wouldn't be fetching big money it still does. I would also think that word of mouth would be pointing Beatles fans to the different pressings and formats. Please site your sources.
The HorZu Magical Mystery Tour is popular because people like the way it is mastered, and because it is the only pre-1987 record available which presents the entire album in stereo. But (aside from I Am The Walrus) it features the exact same mixes which appear on every post-1987 version of the album. It is (I think) the only place to obtain the unedited US mix of Walrus, but aside from that its content is not at all rare anymore.
the red mono EAS albums are pretty FAB to my ears - not the best sounding Beatles mono LPs, but gorgeous to look at, super (dead) quiet vinyl surfaces and quite listenable. I like the 1982 pressings more than the 1986(7?) ones - latter sound a little more oddly eq’d. the stereo black EAS albums are nowhere near as good sadly. back to the Horzu MMT - I have one of the good pressings with the magic matrix numbers and it is superb sounding - though not quite NM condition. A fun artifact, no longer as crucial as it once was but nice.
Some well researched info here: The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations although it hasn't been updated for a long time now, and the entry for Walrus is largely incorrect.
I have an Apple A1/B3. It sounds very nice. Incidentally, the A1 side was likely cut from the same tape copy sent to Germany in 1967 and used for the double EP there. It sounds good as well. Also, curiously the 1967 Odeon single with 'I Am The Walrus' in mono seems to me to be a fold of the German stereo version. I don't know if anyone else has corroborated this though. I wonder if the A-side 'Hello Goodbye' is also a fold? Love the goofy sleeve on this one.
That’s what I would have thought (and no doubt good to know for those still searching for a copy). Obviously online hype has pushed up the price some sellers think they charge. But the “right” version was in print and readily available for the best part of a decade, so I wouldn’t have thought copies would be super-scarce. Certainly, the store where I got mine in 2017 had at least one other copy in the racks.
Great thread. I didn't see this logo pictured but this is what I have, bought maybe a decade ago. Matrix is A-1/B-3: The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour Plus Other Songs Looks like that's true stereo? Found some more info here: Magical Mystery Tour (1967) - About The Beatles "The notable German edition: Magical Mystery Tour Plus Other Songs The German edition of Magical Mystery Tour is notable for offering, for the first time, true stereo remixes of 3 of the non-soundtrack songs found on side B: Penny Lane, Baby You’re A Rich Man, and All You Need Is Love. In reality it wasn’t until the second version of the album, released in 1973, that these songs were featured on the album. There are three main versions of the album: First version, released 1971 (matrix SHZE 327 – A-1 and SHZE 327 – B-1). The first version is the same as the 1967 Capitol US edition, which utilized duophonic or “fake stereo” versions of Penny Lane, Baby You’re A Rich Man, and All You Need Is Love. The cover features a red/pink Hörzu logo in the upper left. This version was also released in 1973 as Odeon 28 642-7. Second version, released 1973 (matrix SHZE 327 – A-1 and SHZE 327 – B-3). The second version utilized the 1969 stereo mix of All You Need Is Love from the Yellow Submarine LP as well as new stereo mixes of Penny Lane and Baby You’re A Rich Man. It also included a brand new remix of Strawberry Fields Forever with greater stereo separation, improved percussion, and moving of the left to right panned cello and trumpet heard at the edit point of the song to only the right. This cover features the black and orange Hörzu logo in the upper left (pictured above), and an Apple-branded variation released around the same time features the Apple logo in the upper left instead. This is generally considered to be the best-sounding stereo vinyl pressing available. Third version, released 1976 (matrix SHZE 327 – A-1 04449-A1+C and SHZE 327 – B-3 04449-B1+C). The third version has a smaller deadwax area with the same matrices as the second version and features significantly heavier bass. It features the Apple logo in the upper left of the front cover."
Interesting stuff. A question, though. I am familiar with the phrase "fold down" in the context of converting stereo to mono, that is simply combining 2 tracks to 1 for a mono release, rather than producing a dedicated mono mix. What do you mean by "fold down" on a stereo release like this? Again, I am familiar with "fake stereo" techniques (rechanneled, duophonic, etc.) used to convert 1 track into 2, often with poor sounding results. But if anything I would call that a "fold up", or "unfold", but in any case how is there any conceptual folding at all happening in mono to stereo techniques? Or are you guys just using "fold down" in this context to equate with "fake stereo"? Thanks. Oh, and also, if I am simply listening to my boring 2009 stereo box MMT songs, what have I got there in terms of the true stereo tracks on the optimal Hor Zu releases being discussed here?
You are correct, the term "fold down" should not be used to denote fake stereo. The one person who used the phrase "fold down stereo" earlier in the thread was in error. As noted above, every post-1987 version of MMT (including the 2009 stereo box) features the exact same mixes that are on the Hor Zu release, with the one exception of I Am The Walrus. Prior to the digital age, the contents of the Hor Zu were rare, but that is no longer the case, with the exception of I Am The Walrus. And I will note that one way in which the Hor Zu is not optimal is that it features the inferior 1971 stereo remix of Strawberry Fields, rather than the superior original 1966 stereo mix. Sadly, that original mix (which was commonplace prior to 1987) has become a rarity as it's never been digitally released.
I'd like to clear up some incorrect info. Nope. Was not Odeon. Was a club version. My copy contains the B-3 matrix, but according to Discogs both matrix variations seem to exist. The Apple version was in no way released at the same time as HörZu. EMI Electrola ceased their partnership with the HörZu label in 1974. Re-releases of former HörZu titles under Apple logo happened around 1976. This is just wrong. The +C matrices signify DMM cuts which were introduced at Electrola in popular music around 1983-84. That's when that release happened.
More or less. As noted, the 1987 CD and every stereo release of MMT since then feature the exact same mixes as the Hor Zu record, with the exception of I Am The Walrus. The Hor Zu features the unedited US stereo mix of Walrus, while all post-87 releases feature the UK stereo mix.
A quick summary: Every stereo release of MMT features the exact same mixes for tracks 1-5 and 7. The differences: Original US album: I Am The Walrus: November 6, 1967 stereo mix with first two beats (apparently) edited off Strawberry Fields: 1966 stereo mix Penny Lane, Baby You're a Rich Man, All You Need is Love: fake stereo Hor Zu: I Am The Walrus: November 6, 1967 stereo mix, unedited Strawberry Fields: 1971 stereo remix Penny Lane and Baby You're a Rich Man: 1971 stereo mixes All You Need is Love: 1968 stereo mix 1987 CD (and all subsequent stereo releases): I Am The Walrus: November 17, 1967 stereo mix Strawberry Fields: 1971 stereo remix Penny Lane and Baby You're a Rich Man: 1971 stereo mixes All You Need is Love: 1968 stereo mix
The stereo "walrus" I know of had true stereo until halfway through, then went into rechannelled stereo after the radio bits.
I have a MMT reissue from 1995 on vinyl, it has a black sticker on the cover limited edition. It’s suppose to have the true stereo mixes of a few songs on side two. I’m assuming this from the 87 cds.
Nope, that would be too easy. The US Rarities is a frankensteined creation featuring the UK stereo mix of Walrus with a section of the (longer) US mono single mix edited into it around 1:30-1:37 (NB: The US mono single mix is longer than every other mix because it has a couple beats that were edited out of other mixes). To the best of my knowledge, the Hor Zu is the only place to get the unedited US stereo mix.
The EAS Red Monos were a completely different animal. EAS Stereos were pressed circa 1976 (very bright -- at least the several I once had and sold off). EAS Red Monos had two runs -- 1982 and 1986 (I have six of the 1982 pressings). For Stereo, the AP pressings (from circa 1969) are much better, IMO. And of course, you can't beat the Japanese for the quality of their silent vinyl composition.
