1966: A Collection of Beatles Oldies ...but Goldies!

 

Parlophone/December 10, 1966. PMC 7016 (mono) PCS 7016 (stereo)

Produced by George Martin All songs composed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, unless otherwise noted. 

Side 1:

She Loves You
From Me To You
We Can Work It Out
Help !
Michelle
Yesterday
I Feel Fine
Yellow Submarine

Side 2:

Can't Buy Me Love
Bad Boy (Larry Williams) This is the new one
Day Tripper
A Hard Day's Night
Ticket To Ride
Paperback Writer
Eleanor Rigby
I Want To Hold Your Hand


Just one new song, the rest is a compilation of previously released singles. Bad Boy had been previously available on a USA album.

She Loves You

basic recording- 1 Jul 1963
additional recording- 1 Jul 1963
master tape- twintrack 2d generation [lost]
mono mixed: 4 Jul 1963. edited. Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

A sonic restoration by Peter Mew, made originally for the CD EP set in 1992, sounds much better than this version and is easiest obtained on 1962-1966 (aka. "The red album") double CD-set.

From Me To You

basic recording- 5 Mar 1963
additional recording- 5 Mar 1963
master tape- twintrack 2d generation

mono and stereo mixed: 14 Mar 1963. edited. Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

 

The new sound added while making "track 2", the second generation-- the vocal in the intro and all the harmonica-- was mixed into both tracks, so it sounds centered when heard in stereo. In fact the master tape of take 8, which is the second generation tape composed of the sound from take 7 plus live sound, appears virtually unmixed.

The mono mix also has a harmonica added during the intro, which is quite interesting since the session tapes as heard on bootlegs do not reveal any such edit piece. From available evidence it appears that the mono mix's intro must have been made by synchronizing two source tapes, not too hard since it is right at the beginning of the song and is quite short. No tape has the harmonica alone, so it would be a section of the instrumental verse that was used. Note slight "phasing" in the drum sound by the end of the intro, in mono, as the synchronization slips.


We Can Work It Out

basic recording- 20 Oct 1965
additional recording- 20,29 Oct 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 29 Oct 1965
stereo mixed: 10 Nov 1965, remixed 10 Nov 1966 for this LP Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

In stereo (1965), the harmonium is moved around: it's to the right during the verses, but to center during the refrains and bridges, and it even drifts to the right in mid-bridge ("fussing and fighting") and end of bridge. By contrast, in the remix (1966) it just stays to the right. But then again, at the very end, the 1965-mix reveals there are two harmonium tracks. The 1966-mix has reverb added to the vocals in places, especially the bridge. The earliest stereo mix can be found on the USA "Yesterday... and Today" LP.


Help !

basic recording- 13 Apr 1965
additional recording- 13 Apr 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 18 June 1965
stereo mixed: 18 June 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD. Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

The mono mix has a different lead vocal from the one on the two stereo mixes. John's voice is rougher all through the mono vocal. The stereo mixes also have a tambourine during the chorus that is not heard in mono. Two examples of differences in the vocal in verse 1: the mono vocal has "and now these days" while the stereo vocal has "but now these days"; on the line "I've changed my mind" the mono vocal has the words evenly while the stereo has them run together. 

Michelle

basic recording- 3 Nov 1965
additional recording- 3 Nov 1965
master tape- 4 track 2d generation
mono mixed: 15 Nov 1965 
stereo mixed: 9 Nov 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Rubber Soul" CD

Another mono mix exists from 9 Nov and can be found on the mono USA "Rubber Soul" LP. It has louder percussion and fades a little longer. 

Yesterday

basic recording- 14 Jun 1965
additional recording- 14 Jun 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 17 June 1965 
stereo mixed: 18 June 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

The mono mix shows an echo effect in the first bridge on "thing wrong, now I long for yesterday", nowhere else, which also sounds somewhat different from the rest of the vocal in stereo. George Martin has said this song has no doubletracking but does have leakage from studio speakers (at an unspecified point).

A squeak--a bow accidentally touching a violin?-- is heard in verse 1 before the string quartet start to play, at left between "I believe" and "in yesterday", in both stereo mixes, but is not audible in mono. A second accident, a plink during the decay at the very end, is heard in both 1965 mixes but not in the 1987 remix.

 
I Feel Fine

basic recording- 18 Oct 1964
additional recording- none
master tape- 4  track
mono mixed: 21 Oct 1964 
stereo mixed: 4 Nov 1964 Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

On the original UK "1962-1966 (aka "The red album), the song starts with a second or so of whispering and tapping before the usual opening. This has been trimmed off other stereo releases. German mock stereo (Beatles Greatest 65) actually fades a little longer, and is the longest fade of any mix.


Yellow Submarine

basic recording- 26 May 1966
additional recording- 26 May, 1 Jun 1966
master tape- 4 track 2d generation
mono-mixed: 3 Jun 1966
stereo-mixed: 22 Jun 1966, remixed in 1995 for "Anthology 2", remastered and remixed in 1999 for the "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" release. Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

The guitar comes in right away in mono but after "in the town" in original stereo. At the start of verse 3, a splash sound effect is faded away quickly in mono as the vocal starts, but continues over "and we live a life" in original stereo. John is heard repeating the vocal after the first line of verse 3 ("life of ease") in mono but not until the next line ("all we need") in the original stereo mix. The last line of verse 3 sounds like "in our yellow clubmarine" in mono but "slubmarine" in the original stereo mix. The official lyric is just "submarine".

The "Anthology 2"-mix is deliberately different, and starts by fading into an intro not used elsewhere before a hard edit to the standard version. The first guitar strum is missing as in original stereo. The mix inverts that mix by having the vocal and rhythm tracks centered, and the sound effects, including some not heard elsewhere, to the left and right and relatively louder. John's "life of ease" is heard in verse 3, and Ringo says "slubmarine".

Then 1999 comes along and paints a new picture of the song in vivid colours. It restores the "life of ease" vocal from John, which has always been missing in stereo. John's replies are also being panned across the stereo image from right to left, creating an effect that the submarine is sailing by us. The sound effects are also brought more to the fore on this version.

Quriously, the year after that, the new "1" compilation CD reverted back to the 1966-mix, although digitally enhanced into 24-bit. Why on earth did they remix it so beautifully in 1999 and then forget all about it?

Can't Buy Me Love

 

basic recording- 29 Jan 1964 at EMI Pathe Marconi, Paris
additional recording- 29 Jan at EMI Pathe Marconi, Paris; 25 Feb, 10 Mar 1964
Master tape- 4 track 2d generation
mono mixed: 26 Feb 1964
stereo mixed: 22 Jun 1964, re-mixed in 1993. Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

The mono mix has the rhythm track mixed more upfront, and sounds more powerful, but at the same time the guitar is less audible.

In both stereo mixes (The first one used on the stereo "A Hard Day's Night" vinyl LP, the second one is on the 1962-1966 aka "the red album" compilation double CD set), some of the drum sound appears in the center, fading up in between vocal lines and then back down, giving the impression it sounds this way on the multi-track. However, the outtake from the same day ("Anthology 1" with added reverb) does not have this, so maybe it happened during the work in February rather than during recording. It may make for a better compressed sound in mono but sounds bad in stereo.


Bad Boy

 

basic recording- 10 May 1965
additional recording- none
master tape- 4 track 
mono mixed: 10 May 1964
stereo mixed: 10 May 1964,

 

The mono mix has has bass and drums mixed louder. 


Day Tripper

basic recording- 16 Oct 1965
additional recording- 16 Oct 1965
master tape- 4 track 
mono mixed: 29 Oct 1965
stereo mixed: 10 Nov 1966, Early USA stereo mix made 26 Oct 1965. Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

 

The two early stereo mixes differ noticeably. The lead guitar intro in the 1965-mix starts left and jumps to the right when the other instruments come in; in 1966 it starts in both channels instead, apparently by ADT (artificial double tracking). As the ending begins, after the first "day tripper!", the 1965-mix reveals an off-mike "yeah" by John, while the 1966-mix has a partially successful attempt to fade out the word.

On both the early stereo mixes, the lead guitar track suddenly goes silent twice around 1:50-1:55, to cover a tape or recording problem. The first spot is after the first "tried to please her" line, where, with no vocal, one side of the mix just goes dead silent, and the second spot is under the second "tried to please her". A bootleg of the whole take reveals a squeaky tape noise at the first spot and some problem with the guitar sound for more than 10 seconds thereafter (possibly this section is a drop-in, recorded over the original sound on the track). The mono mix and the 2000 stereo mix has this all fixed somehow; there the guitar may have been dubbed in from another verse or take.


A Hard Day's Night

basic recording- 16 April 1964
additional recording- 16 April 1964
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 23 April 1964
stereo mixed: 22 Jun 1964. Remixed for the CD "1962-1966" in 1993. Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

A USA cassette version from 1968 has the ending riff repeated five times instead of three (done by editing). The 1993 stereo remix has a better centered lead vocal than the 1964 one.


Ticket To Ride

basic recording- 15 Feb 1965
additional recording- 15 Feb 1965
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 18 Feb 1965
stereo mixed: 23 Feb 1965, remixed in 1987 for the "Help!" CD. Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

The stereo versions fade a little longer than mono. In the 1965 stereo, the whole track has been given a bass boost to make up for poor bass guitar sound. The bass guitar has better presence in the 1987 stereo remix but the rest is less bassy and the vocal sounds sharper.

Paperback Writer

basic recording- 13 Apr 1966
additional recording- 13,14 Apr 1966
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 14 Apr 1966
stereo mixed: 31 Oct 1966 (2 different mixes) Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

The mono mix is more powerful, with louder drums and a compressed dynamic range. Ringo's drum tapping during the a capella "paperback writer" can be heard a little in mono, fading up a few taps before the guitars come back in. The backup vocal track is unusually "dirty", and in stereo unintended sound can be heard at a few points-- particularly, before the last "paperback writer" (about 1:45), a hrrmph and then very quiet tries at the right note (earlier in the song, a miscue starting the second group of "Frere Jacques" is noticeable even in mono). Mono has more echo, notably a long "write write write" after the last verse. Lastly, the mono mix fades later, after the 6th "paperback writer" instead of near the start of the 5th one.
There were three stereo mixes made the same day, and two of them have been released. The obvious difference is that left-right is reversed, and the only other difference noted is that one of them (on the USA releases "Hey Jude" (1970) and "1962-1966" (1973) has the backing vocals a little louder. It could be they are the same mix with both stereo reversal and a slight change in balance that makes the side with the backup vocals louder

Eleanor Rigby

basic recording- 28 Apr 1966
additional recording- 29 Apr, 6 Jun 1966
master tape- 4 track 2d generation
mono-mixed: 22 Jun 1966. 
stereo-mixed: 22 Jun 1966, remixed in 1995 for "Anthology 2", remastered and remixed in 1999 for the "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" release. Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

The ADT (artificial doubletracking) in stereo (1966) continues into "Elean" in 1st verse, a really glaring mistake. The lead vocal, perhaps too prominent in both mono and stereo (1966), sounds stronger in mono. The "Anthology 2" mix omits the vocals, and remixes the string tracks. The 1999 stereo-remaster takes a beautiful song and makes it better. The strings are separated, like on the Anthology-mix, but here Paul's vocals are added, and we get the feeling he's sitting in the middle of the string octette.

Quriously, the year after that, the new "1" compilation CD reverted back to the 1966-mix, although digitally enhanced into 24-bit. Why on earth did they remix it so beautifully in 1999 and then forget all about it?

I Want To Hold Your Hand

basic recording- 17 Oct 1963
additional recording- 17 Oct 1963
master tape- 4 track
mono mixed: 21 Oct 1963
stereo mixed: 7 Nov 1966 Digitally remixed in 2000 for "1".

An earlier stereo mix was made on 8 Jun 1965, and was used for some german LP releases, such as Beatles Beat, and Beatles Greatest 65, as well as a 1965 australian compilation and the dutch Beatles Greatest from 1967. This mix had the lead guitar louder and the handclaps slightly louder, and somewhat more bass sound. En even earlier stereo mix, made by George Martin exists from 21 Oct 1963, and surfaced briefly on an australian reissue of the single in 1976. It has the rhythm instruments far left and vocal far right, like a twintrack mix, leaving the lead guitar isolated in the center, which sounds odd since it only plays fills. Surely sending this master to Australia was an accident.

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