I’d love to know what’s meant by “new remix tape” as these are clearly not new mixes from the original albums.
So, hey, once again, it has come up that the original UK masters were not used for this set. This time it's Michael Fremer speculating - not stating - that "the story then" was that MoFi went to England and made digital copies using a Sony F1 digital recorder, and MoFi used those for this set, and infers the Capitol tape for MMT. It's not. It's the UK master from that time, which was a copy of the US master. While Mr. Fremer certainly would have connections most of us don't have, he is not stating unequivocally that the UK tapes weren't used. He's telling a story he heard back then. He also states that "the tapes shown on the album sleeves are not the actual Beatles tapes." I agree with that if he means the reels themselves (it's the same reel in all the photos), and while I can't speak for them all, the log sheet for Sgt. Pepper on the MoFi LP matches exactly with the one pictured in the 2017 Sgt. Pepper box set. The newer picture obviously shows entries that occured since the photo was taken for the MoFi set - see below. And yes, I don't see an entry for MoFi in the log, but based what I've read in this thread, and the solid affirmative from our host, not a "what I've heard," (read through this thread) I'm convinced the UK masters were used for the set. If not I'm open to proof that they weren't. Not speculation, someone who is in the position to say so clearly stating so. As for the sound, well, it was great when I first got it in 1982. Compared to the US LP's I was used to, in fact, it was a revelation. Having a better system now and access to UK pressings has of course changed that. For sound, get a BC-13. They, too, are from the UK masters.
Do NOT believe him. We already have a thread here with lots of evidence to contrary, including Steve Hoffman's attestation, and interviews with Stan Ricker and Herb Belkin of MFSL. Beatles MFSL The interview with Stan Ricker link I posted in the thread is no longer good. Here's the link at Archive.org: Cardas Audio Derek
I am pretty sure that the note for EMI Safety Copy in March 1982 represents something that was done just before those tapes were sent out to MFSL. It is the last entry in the photo on the MFSL jacket. Remember that these notes are for EMI use of these tapes. There's no real reason for them to have put a notation on the box about sending them offsite. The only notes on any of the boxes relating to MFSL are the ones that Stan Ricker and Gary Giorgi improperly wrote on the MMT box the first time that they used it. Fremer has a vivid imagination and does very little filtering of it. There isn't much reason to follow him any more.
Can anyone tell me how thick these albums are? I don't see anything definitive online. I do see they are supposedly denser Japanese material but are they 120grams, 180, 200? Thanks - Matt
Digital technology at the time of the MoFi box was pretty crappy, and if they had gone through a digital intermediate, tell tale signs would be there. The MoFi Beatles box has its issues, which have been well documented, with respect to smiley-faced equalization and use of the wrong MMT master. But that's probably the beginning and end of the content issues. A falsified mastering chain does not appear to be likely. It's unlikely that MoFi was using a digital intermediate until sometime after the next coming of MoFi, post bankruptcy.
