Main Stage

“Strawberry Fields Forever”…In True Stereo

Aug 252007

Here’s another case of a song I’d already loved (in fact, this is one of my top 2 or 3 favorite Beatles songs) demonstrating, in true stereo on the 1971 German release of Magical Mystery Tour, previously untapped depths. How gripping is the intro with the added space of the true stereo mix?

The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (German true stereo mix)

I don’t know about you, but I find this mix to have even more allure than the version we’ve all grown up with and loved. As with so many of the arrangements on this album, a sense of unease is more palpable with the greater clarity, width, and depth.

Light Love Songs

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 252007

Sometimes I have it up to here with “heavy” love songs, you know, those I’ll rip my heart out and stomp it into the floorboards for you, baby types. I like the feeling of being in love as much as the next guy, but love shouldn’t be a burden and love songs shouldn’t be a set up for heartbreak. No, I can’t go for that.

I typically like my love songs light and breezy. I was listening to The Zombies song “I Want Her, She Wants Me”. That’s a sentiment I can get behind. Colin Blunstone is so sweet and innocent. The backing musicians are just as tender. It’s no wonder the girl wants him. He’s a teddy bear in horn-rimmed specs! Dionne Warwick’s “You’ll Never Get to Heaven if You Break My Heart” – there’s another light love song.

I’m no teddy bear – don’t think I’m fooling myself – but if the love song’s not about outright gettin’ it on, then let my love open the door after politely knocking, you know what I mean? With rare exceptions (eg, “Don’t Let Me Down” and other, similar Lennon psychodramas), I have little desire to meditate on how downright emotionally dependent I am on the love of my life. Do you prefer your love songs heavy or light?

“Hello Goodbye”…In True Stereo

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 242007

Ciao!

“Hello, Goodbye” is another one of those slight yet “cinematic” Paul numbers in which Paul and Ringo get to work up a mustachioed groove.

The Beatles, “Hello, Goodbye” (German true stereo mix)

Again, the sawing strings get under the skin better than on the original, and the definition around the vocal effects is sometimes shocking. Sometimes I feel like I’m hearing the full resonance of the echoes, man. Then there’s that euphoric drum break on the coda. Check it out!

Last Man Standing: Bands Named After Lyrics of Other Bands

Posted by sammymaudlin

Aug 242007

Lyrics and/or Song Titles count. Cite the source for those of us that are lyrically challenged. (Hint: I got this idea from a recent RTH post.)

I’ll get it rolling with:

Baby Lemonade– from Syd Barretts song of the same name
A Cetain Ratio– from Brian Eno’s “The True Wheel”

All-Star Jam

Posted by Gerry Todd

Aug 232007

What if I am the man? What if collectively we are the man?

“I Am the Walrus”…In True Stereo

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 232007

Even better than the real thing

Does anyone recall the segment in Geoff Emerick‘s fantastic book, Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles, in which he describes his feelings over the recording of “I Am the Walrus”? Emerick details from the time he heard John’s unimpressive (in the engineer’s opinion) demo through the bizarre instructions that seemed to be covering for a less-than-stellar song through the final overdubs and mix. At the final mix, it all home for Emerick and, in his opinion, justified the entire recording process. Well, I can’t imagine a 7-year-old boy hearing “I Am the Walrus” and not having his mind blown, but Emerick’s story could apply to much of this album.

The Beatles, “I Am the Walrus” (German true stereo mix)

Because I came to this song loving it without reservation, the richly textured true stereo mix of “I Am the Walrus” is very easy to love but the degree to which my experience is heightened is nowhere near that of some of the previous cuts. I do love those sawing strings. Who hasn’t dug this period of Beatles recordings and not wanted to jam a mic as close to a bowed instrument as possible?

“Your Mother Should Know”…In True Stereo

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 222007

The Beatles, “Your Mother Should Know” (German true stereo mix)

Yet another song I lifted the needle on religiously as a boy, the German true stereo version of “Your Mother Should Know” is very cinematic. This is another phrase that I cringe at stating in public – next I’ll go on about some movie that sucked but had a “great screenplay” – but the air around Paul’s bass, the piano, and the vocals really do fulfill a desire to create a sound Paul had been plucking away at for some time and had never done so well. I’ll take this song over “When I’m 64” and “Honey Pie”, for instance, not that that’s saying much. Still, this mix of “Your Mother Should Know” should have been the final word on Paul’s “granny” songs, thereby saving the world from Give My Regards to Broad Street.

Older Entries Newer Entries