The new mix of Sgt. Pepper is excellent. I just got it and haven’t listened to the whole thing on headphones yet, but it sure sounds clean and fresh to me.
Question: I want a CD of the original to compare against. The only thing I can find is a re-mastered version. I have to believe Sgt. Pepper was re-released on CD early on (but I could be wrong about that) so where do I find it?
The bonus tracks are wonderful. Piano for Penny Lane (with a few drum, chime, etc. tracks). Early track of Sgt. Pepper (the song) with just Lennon on vocal (no Paul singing “woke up, got out of bed”) and no lead guitar, no horns. Really interesting stuff for us musicians, and possibly for other fans as well.
I think I must get the extra-stuff edition (with movie & 33 tracks!) and it includes a CD of the original mono mix<–there’s a place to get it!
If you’ve heard it, please post your impressions, judgments, conclusions, and/or complaints.
I’m guessing the first CDs to be cut wouldn’t sound very good. Those analogue to digital conversions in the early days of CDs were very poorly done and it probably wouldn’t sound as good as vinyls at the time.
I bought the deluxe box set, mostly because I wanted the 5.1 mix…it sounds fantastic. The original mono and the new stereo mixes are a little bass-heavy to me, but the surround version is probably the only one I’ll listen to from now on. The bonus tracks/demos are pretty neat…hearing the unpolished tracks really makes you appreciate how much George Martin and Geoff Emmerick brought to project.
My sister, a big Beatles fan, listened to the remastered album and has been raving about it. I dropped a hint to my family that I wouldn’t mind it for my birthday…
I don’t keep up with Beatles release details. I didn’t know there was a 5.1 remix. That would be fascinating. Comparing that with mono would be fascinating, no question.
“A Day in the Life” has a little something tacked on to the end that kind of ruins it for me, like one of those “Scary House” memes that has a ghost jump out at the last second. Remember, this and “Penny Lane” are considered the best of the best, so screwing with it shows questionable judgment. Other songs, like “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” are measurably improved. About half of them, I really couldn’t tell the difference.
Do you mean the run out groove bit? That’s been attached to A Day in the Life on every CD version, although it was only included on the original UK LP.
I don’t agree, I think I have the first CD pressing, and it sounds perfectly fine. I’ve never noticed a thing that wasn’t there in the original vinyl. Beats the heck out of mono, at least.
Does the remix sound better? Maybe. I haven’t heard it yet. But doesn’t anyone care that it sounds different? I’ve had 50 years of listening to the original. I know every nuance in the album. A new mix is going to sound wrong. Things won’t be where they are supposed to be.
Interestingly, I remember when the 20th anniversary came about, and everyone was making cracks about “it was 20 years ago today”. My god, what happened? Where did the last 30 years go? It was just yesterday!
I think the remixes are for those who need to hear the distinct voices and instruments articulated more clearly. I’m one of them. It’s history, and needs to be out there.
The original mix was in mono, for the UK market where stereo hadn’t really taken off. The original stereo was done for the US release without the participation of the band. It was really just putting a few things right & left so they could call it stereo (experts correct me if I’m wrong here). So the director’s cut (the band’s cut) is the UK vinyl mono. If anyone has the BIG set (with DVD/Blu-ray and 5.1 surround) there is a CD of the original mono mix. I would take that as the definitive version. I’m tempted to get the big set just so I can listen and switch back & forth.
My mother, who had her own vinyl copy of Sgt. Pepper when she was a kid, listened to my copy on CD recently. She was shocked by the runout groove bit, having never heard it before. People that had turntables that reset themselves before the runout groove simply never knew it existed even if they listened to it hundreds of times. They certainly don’t play it on the radio either - why would the station want all those seconds of silence/dog whistle/tail end of the last chord instead of moving on?
I was working for the BBC when the 40th anniversary came about. The BBC (or someone) had found the original recording 4 track and mixing desk and got Geoff Emerick who was the original engineer on SP to rerecord the album with contemporary artists. I went down to take some pictures of Jamie Cullum doing one of the tracks.
Firstly, Jamie’s excitement at doing this was immense. And he proper geeked out when he saw the tape that he would be recording onto. Geoff was very friendly, and it was fascinating to watch. Of course with only 4 tracks to work with lots of instruments had to be performed simultaneously and all in one take.
I strongly recommend giving this a listen. It does a great job comparing the original mono to stereo to remastered sounds, as well as telling much of the story behind the process.
No, it’s not a record player issue. The endless end groove wasn’t on (at least some) American pressings. It’s not in my vinyl pressing.
The CD doesn’t do it justice. It should run forever (or at least until you get up and turn it off.) The bit on the CD runs for what? 10-20 seconds. Not anywhere near long enough to get the full (annoying) effect.
