The Beatles Comparing US to UK Mono Mixes

[@Parallax2112]

Thank you for this. I had a hard time finding specific details about this release.

[@josephblue4135]

Great that you discovered something new & had a change of mind.

[@richarddylan5421]

Yeah, thanks for the heads up on the box set a few weeks ago i was able to take advantage of it so much appreciated. Im in my 30's grew up with the old records from my uncles, i have to say i appreciate your take on Beatles '65 but for me since thatbis the version a listened to its weird for me when i hear shes a women and i feel fine without the reverb they sound stale in comparison. Perhaps i was conditioned to like the reverb since i cut my teeth on those versions but for my money they are what I prefer. Anyway great channel keep up the good vids.

[@TJRtheOriginal]

Completely understandable. Thanks for sharing your views.

[@djreid]

When you bought the US (Canadian) albums upon first release, there is a great feeling listening to the songs and total album and then playing over and over, it is a great feeling to know that the Beatles just recorded those songs within a couple weeks, so yes, it was a great delight. I have nothing against the UK or German pressings, but for me, Buying the original Canada/ US albums was fantastic. Sure it's still needed because some of the records are now scratched and stains, marks, some liners are gone now, so it is so generous to see the albums fresh like we bought them first hand. The cd's which you hold in the video, I have the set upon release and it's great too ! The Canadian copies we had Twist and Shout album, and Long Tall Sally album, too. But I loved the originals very very much, because it is so unique how the North Americans figured out the song list and did a wonderful job.

[@jupitermadcat]

I have the capital albums, volume one and two box sets. I’m quite happy with them.

[@josephmantineo1376]

Hello TJR, excellent points made!! I wish I could afford everything also but I can’t so I get what I can and enjoy it for what it is I own some of the original capital los from the 60’s and I love those albums they are not in Great shape but I still hold on to them I listen mostly to cd so I want the best sounding cd that are available. Great video keep them coming take care!!!

[@tonymichaels5547]

Hi TJR. Good video. I always find your videos enjoyable. I would ask you to listen to EVERY track on the stereo version of "Beatles '65". The only 2 (stereo) tracks that are drenched in the "Dexter Capitol reverb" are "I Feel Fine" and "She's A Woman". The rest of the album (stereo) sounds fine. The mastering by Ted Jensen is actually a bit more vibrant than the original UK fidelity in my opinion. Take care.

[@kev5621]

Well said good sir. Like what you like

[@750drums]

Well said, TJR. I'm a first-generation Beatle fan who grew up with the US lps. I have no nostalgia for them whatsoever. I was fortunate to get all the UK lps back in 1969, and that is the only way i want to listen to the Beatles. Like you, I wish they would do either Rubber Soul, or the mono box instead of this Capitol set.

[@aminahmed2220]

Awesome video have a great day TJR and also happy Halloween ❤😊

[@tonymichaels5547]

Hi TJR. Good video. I always find your videos enjoyable. I would ask you to listen to EVERY track on the stereo version of "Beatles '65". The only 2 (stereo) tracks that are drenched in the "Dexter Capitol reverb" are "I Feel Fine" and "She's A Woman". The rest of the album (stereo) sounds fine and is pretty much a close copy of the original UK sounding masters. The remastering by Ted Jensen (in the U.S.) is excellent and is a bit more vibrant with more presence than the original UK fidelity in my opinion. Take care.

[@TJRtheOriginal]

Thanks for the tip, I will check it out.

[@MrTwixraider]

Funny, I as a kid got the Beatles 65 album and I always loved it and still love it and I own almost all records of the Beatles, UK, Us and German Versions. But also I am not an audiophile guy and happy about that, because I then enjoy it much more.

[@TJRtheOriginal]

If you enjoy it, then more power to you!

[@jonathanmurphy3141]

I had the US albums, after the Red/Blue & Sgt.Pepper in 1978. My brother and I were taken to see "Yellow Submarine" at a film festival, that summer. I was 9, my brother was 11. Eventually we started obtaining the British albums at record stores, as imports, and noticed the differences in sound mixing. We had the deluxe Red & Blue last Autumn. I am surprised too that we haven't gotten a box for "Rubber Soul" too. Rubber Soul was recorded quickly - Some general knowledge of the practice tracks, and unreleased. These early albums "could" include a disc of Live concerts. They could include the Mono. The could include the American version to compare, as it was prized by musicians like Brian Wilson. There could be an announcement next week-??? I was talking about this topic with my brother recently, and would it be understandable like if Please, Please Me, and With the Beatles were in the same boxset; cover on either side. or if EMI has the rights to My Bonnie/Inspite of the Danger/Cry for a Shadow be included-??? Or will Anthology be re-vamped in time, as. some tracks have to be included on the Dexlue Boxes-?

[@DevlinDomini]

Can’t afford to spend much on entertainment, so thx 4 sorta vindicating one of my few purchases. Lol - The US albums for nostalgia, the UK ones for fidelity - that’s my feeling on it.

[@kevincorcoran6493]

I have the Beatles 65 album in stereo that I bought in 1979. It is on the orange Capitol label. Particularly I have to respect we disagree on some songs. I realized there is Reverb on it it's so obvious but I think I feel fine seems to come across as a much stronger song with Reverb. My opinion only

[@farrellmcnulty909]

I'm okay on the Rubber Soul issue because of half the album being remixed and sounding NICE!

[@jameswilson7084]

I only remember the double A-sided single "I Feel Fine" and "She's A Woman" being badly drenched in reverb on "Beatles '65". "She's A Woman" almost comically done so. 😊😁

[@beatmet2355]

I didn’t get the 2014 box, either. I bought them piecemeal at first, but didn’t stay with it before the price became prohibitive. At one time, they were about $20 each.

[@jjquinn2004]

U.S. vs. U.K.: doesn't matter anymore. AFter watching The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, I bought the Beatles' 45s from 1966 to about 1969. Then started buying LPs. I remember buying them when the newer ones were released, and then I completed the older ones, back to "Meet the Beatles". Fast forward, moved overseas and started buying CDs, beginning with 1987, whenever I could find them in the Middle East. Then, in 2009 I bought the complete set. Finally, I've been buying newer, re-mixed versions (or whatever that call it!), from the newest to the "oldest" inc up to and including "Revolver". That means that, although I listened to my U.S. version from the last 60s to the mid 80s, I've been listening to the UK versions for over 37 years. So, don't need any more U.S. versions!

[@rael2099]

I got the Love Songs double album with the gorgeous Richard Avedon photograpy. Its a compilation I'm very fond of. I listened to it once I got my vinyl records set up ready and it sounded terrible, thin, tinny, without punch. I guess it was the Capitol treatment and I suspect I will experience the same if I manage to get my own mexican copies of the Capitol records again that seem to vary not just on the cover art but also on the track listing. The 2009 George Martin remixes are the definitive versions for me.

[@BeatleDustino]

Beatles 65 is crazy with that reverb. I like to listen to it every now and then, but just as a curiosity. If I can find that box $140 again, I’ll probably get it. But not at $300 or even $200. 😳

[@billleary5779]

It’s interesting that you called out Beatles 65 as the one you didn’t like as that is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to the heavy reverb and echo especially with I Feel Fine and She’s A Woman…..the stereo version are terrible and although I grew up with those I still only listen to those mixes for nostalgia. For the mono versions of those two songs George Martin created special mixes to suit the US market and Capitol still added additional reverb on top of George Martins which is probably why it sounds bad. I appreciate you giving your opinions hope you enjoy the US CD set. Thanks for sharing!

[@Sugarnaut]

She’s a woman in stereo sounds like a lame string band. In mono, the reverb is awesome and sounds like badass garage rock. Started listening to the Beatles in 1981. I bought only UK versions of the albums and missed out on a lot of wonderful songs that were 45 only.

[@kevinlee3182]

No apologies required. We in Canada, with an exception of the first two British albums having Canadian counterparts, grew up With the the US albums and grew accustomed to the Dave Dexter mixes and heavy reverb of I Feel Fine and She’s A Woman. I bought import copies of Beatles For Sale and Rubber soul and was amazed how different they sounded. I prefer the UK mixes but still enjoy the Capitol versions. Sadly the Canadian distributors of the new vinyl coming out are overcharging us for these.

[@gretschviking]

The only Canadian album having a UK counterpart is “Beatlemania: With The Beatles”.

[@cuda426hemi]

If you missed it, you missed it. By red n blue LPs the original stampers and lacquers are way gone, the master tapes are tired. I worked at the tower in the 80s and by then the vinyl sounded nothing like the original pressings done by all the different factories across the USA. Those sounded fantastic. They sound much better than any UK vinyl because the USA had the RIAA curve which was a certain compression algo that made the records louder and tighter. We had a killer component stereo as a kid in '63 on - Dynaco 70 tube powered with Altec & EV 2 way cab speakers, Garrard T table - very "Playboy" for '63 so I grew up spoiled on good sound while others had huge Magnavox boomy TV/Record players still. Also it is a MYTH that the Beatles gave a DAMN about what Capitol records did to their releases up to Pepper. You forget Capitol refused the 1st LP and all the singles to begin with; they were happy enough Alan Livingston & gang got their sh•t together in time to take advantage of what ED SULLIVAN WAS HANDING TO THEM. I think only after they stopped touring aka no longer a band that they got prissy about their studio LP song sequencing on Rubber Soul & Revolver but still would never utter a criticism of their employers back then notwithstanding crybaby George of course; Only A Northern Song comes to mind. The only "official" Beatle record strategy was the bit about not putting singles on LPs which of course was pretty stupid as in the USA we bought singles and LPs and one didn't negate the other and in fact if one really liked the single and B side we would get the LP; a different way of looking at using the singles to mkt the LP. Lastly I think "Duo-Phonic" "stereo" is to blame much more than Dave Dexter for "sweetening" the Beatles mixes...the Dexterized Mono mixes are fine; ANY Duo-Phonic mix Dexterized or not is kind of hinky. We'd flip the mono/stereo switch on the stereo to compare because we usually bought both stereo and mono versions when they came out - 1st pressings of course. $2.98 v $3.75 big deal. Still got 'em all - even w/scratches they sound better than 80s and on vinyl. That Capitol Records CD Vol 1 pkg and Vol 2 are the closest thing to being back in '64 in the USA. If you buy Vol 2 good luck finding it and it must be the "correct" set because the first batch that went out went out with a couple inaccurate original Capitol mixes - check barcode. 🌿

[@denniswood1437]

I ordered the 1964 Capitol Mono set from Merch Bar for $154 total with tax and shipping during their sale and they are a reputable company that I've ordered from in the past. It should be a fun set but maybe not for audiophiles.

[@tankmchavocproductions6907]

This was a nice video to watch, good to hear your opinion on it. However, I’m very exicted for the new releases… The more I listen to different masterings of the Beatles, the more I realize how much I don’t like the 2009 remasters, mono or stereo. I’ll admit the sound is cleaner, more pleasurable on first listen, but my problem is… They did everything they could to remove the “balls” of those recordings. Ringo’s snare is non-existent, the cymbals are flat, and the guitars are sort of hiding in the background. The Beatles were never meant to sound high-quality. They were meant to sound energetic. And in my opinion, the 2004 CDs get that right, whilst still vastly improving on the sound quality of the original vinyl records.

[@bilguana11]

The CD box 2 sounds better, but both sets are will mastered given what they had to work with. What nobody mentions anywhere is that the original Parlophone Beatles releases were highly compressed so as to fit seven songs per side, thus they sounded flat and had to be frequency limited.

[@TheDylandProductions]

Just a word of warning if you do ever decide to get the Capitol Vol. 2 set - most were issued with the incorrect mono mixes. (fold downs of the U.S. stereo) Do some research on the corrected sets. Unfortunately, it looks like there are more incorrect sets than corrected ones. :( Although Help and The Early Beatles were both fold-downs anyway.

[@gretschviking]

Cool video but you’re either forgetting or are unaware that, except for “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “This Boy”, every track on “Meet The Beatles is a fold down and not the dedicated mono mixes. Same applies to all the songs from “With The Beatles” plus “Thank You Girl” on the “Second Album”. That’s why they sound so lifeless. Supposedly, the mono mix of “You Can’t Do That” is unique to the western hemisphere. IIRC, “Long Tall Sally” and, perhaps, “I Call Your Name” are early or alternate mono mixes as well. The mono “Something New” is loaded with weirdness. All the tracks from “A Hard Day’s Night” are early rough mixes. “I’ll Cry Instead” is at its original, superior, full-length which was only available in the western hemisphere. “When I Get Home” features an alternate vocal on the line “til I walk out that door” plus “And I Love Her” features the single tracked vocals (verses only). All the mono songs which appear on the US version of “AHDN” are the same on “SN”. As for “Beatles ‘65”, the only songs to feature extra reverb are “I Feel Fine”, “She’s A Woman” and, I think, “I’ll Be Back”. The stereo mixes of those three definitely have extra reverb. Problem with “IFF” and “SAW” is they are “duophonic stereo” (fake stereo). To this day, no one knows what dopey Dave Dexter was thinking when created them. They are easily the worst ones ever made. George Martin made mono mixes specifically for the American market. He added reverb and shortened the fades. In his infinite wisdom, Capitol’s Dave Dexter added more reverb on top of Martin’s. Note: Contrary to what anyone here on You Tube or elsewhere claims, those two hellish fake stereo mixes are not on the German “Beatles ‘65” album. Odeon created their own crummy duophonic mixes from the longer dedicated UK mono 45 versions of the songs. As for me, I’m in the minority but I absolutely love the US mono mix of “I Feel Fine”. One of the greatest moments in the history of recorded music really stands out. That would be Lennon’s guitar riff and Ringo’s slamming drums after the solo in the middle. The dry and doinky UK mono mix doesn’t hold a candle to it.

[@dougiemilnephotography756]

It wasn't so much that George Martin made mixes specifically for the American market - there are only 27 variants across the entire Beatles mono and stereo catalogue. But if Capitol were demanding new material, as they often did, he would run off a second mix for the US immediately after creating a mix for the UK market, rather than copy the UK tape, which would have resulted in a drop in audio quality. Which makes sense, as he would have had the four-track multi track tapes lined up and ready to go. Because of demands from Capitol, the US also often got earlier mixes than the UK - the three Revolver tracks which wound up on Yesterday and Today are a case in point. To my mind, of the 27 mixes which differ between the UK and the US, only I'll Cry Instead is superior, because the US got the longer version which the Beatles had originally intended. When George Martin mixed the stereo version, he made an edit in the wrong place, creating a shorter version of the song. Rather than go back and fix the edit, he simply trimmed the mono mix to match. When A Hard Day's Night came out in the US it had the longer mono mix and a longer stereo version created using fake stereo. The long mix was created in true stereo for the US Albums Box Set in 2014, where it appears on the A Hard Day's Night album. The shorter version of the song is also included in the box, in both true mono and stereo, on Something New.

[@derekroberts6654]

How would you compare the Mono “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper’s LHCB” from the 2009 Mono Box to the Mono discs from thier “Revolver” deluxe box and the “Sgt. Pepper” box? When i first heard the mono versions from the box (i downloaded the original mono tracks of “Revolver” from Amazon But the mono “Sgt Pepper” i ripped from CD) i was like.. THIS the BEST sounding Beatles albums i ever heard! I listen to the mono more than the remixed stereo even though i like the remixed too.

[@silversurfer493]

TJR, the Beatles Second Album in stereo is also drenched in reverb & echo. They also narrowed the stereo a bit - the difference to the original UK stereo is massive. In addition, the mono is a fold down of the stereo. And these are 3rd or 4th generation tape digital versions. The original 60ies pressings sound clear and natural (although a bit shy in the bass department). And the US versions sound "OK" but are definitely inferior to the original.s Again, MY opinion.

[@ArmandoMPR]

Do the Beatles not have available for sale the mono box set on cd? I tried looking for it and didn’t see it. I don’t get that. The vinyl box set I get, but the CDs should always be available, in my opinion.

[@goldrag3163]

Likely out of print.

[@BuffaloBeatle]

Dr Ebbetts transfer sound much better than those Capitol CD sets. I hope they do the stereo set in the future but it seems I’m one of the very few that enjoy the fake stereo, added compression and reverb applied to some of the US albums.

[@zlonxman]

I still don't understand why Apple/Beatles Inc. would now prioritize the re-release of the early American-Capitol records. As you've pointed out, TJR, the Beatles HATED those albums with their severely butchered song-shuffling, editing, and overly reverbed sounds. I too get the nostalgia thing for American consumers, but still... I think Apple jumped the shark when they switched from remixing the classic albums to re-releasing the Red and Blue albums (which The Beatles also didn't really care for). This year would have been the ideal time to remix A Hard Day's Night, being the 60th Anniversary. If we're lucky, we may get a properly remixed Rubber Soul, but we all have to wait another year and get a little bit older. If we're lucky. But the way things are going, I'm not counting on it.

[@ronmartin4212]

The Capiphone project!!!Mind-blowing,in the works,catalog-spanning collection.23 albums on Odeon(1album),UA (2 soundtracks)Capitol and Apple imprints.Film mixes,later fades on certain tracks,everything in mono and stereo,etc.Hopefully,next year.

[@slamjackson2137]

Releasing half of them 10 years after the entire UK catalog isn’t exactly prioritizing, especially considering how important it was for The Beatles to break into the US, which was and is considered the largest Beatles market. People are really mad that they’re NOT ignoring a major facet of Beatlemania.

[@itslikethesamebutdifferent8020]

@@slamjackson2137i think it’s because the US albums are subpar in terms of mixing, messing up the UK studio albums with having songs all over the place etc, something the Beatles themselves hated Capitol for doing. Yes it was important for the Beatles to break into the US market however, they were gonna do it their way which meant the US was gonna have to come to them, not the other way around. That means they were reluctant to go over to the US and start at the bottom of the bill and have to work their way up given that they were international superstars already, they would have to have the number one record in the country, which they did. Additionally, most people prefer the UK studio albums over the US compilation, or any other market around the world, album releases for a reason, they are better quality. That’s why people are disappointed for not getting a 60th year anniversary A hard day’s night super deluxe edition and probably why they dropped in price from $300 to $150.

[@farrellmcnulty909]

In your last sentence, I thought you were going to say "they're going to crucify me".

[@slamjackson2137]

There’s a lot of inferior stuff on the US albums due to the nature of it being made from copies. The UK albums are higher fidelity, as they should be. There’s also some fresh stuff, and unique stuff, not to mention unique albums where “they reshuffled and ruined the UK album!” doesn’t apply. There’s a lot of crap that gets whispered down the echo chambered lane by people who never even bothered to play them. The albums are what they are, but they’re an important part of Beatles history. It’s not a competition, it’s history, and the hoards of cranky, entitled Beatles freaks are crying again. What else is new. The UK purists need to lay off the smell of their own farts. It’s just music, and damn good music.

[@dougiemilnephotography756]

The title is wrong. With the exception of 27 tracks, the US got identical mixes to the UK. The difference was the mastering that was applied to the US versions by Dave Dexter Jr. The Capitol Albums Volumes 1 and 2 box sets contained only the albums which were mastered by Dexter. But this brings me to my point: you are comparing Dexter's 1964 and 1965 masters with The Beatles In Mono box, which was mastered in 2009. So it's really not a fair comparison - the box set is bound to sound better because it was mastered specifically for CD. A far better comparison would be to compare the 1987 CDs with the two US boxes.These used the original 1963/64/65 Parlophone masters, which, like the Dexter masters, were designed for 60s record players.

[@mortonwilson795]

" ... a bit muddier, but not HORRIBLE". Hardly a ringing endorsement 😂 I can understand why a lot of Americans whose first exposure to The Beatles have a nostalgic affection for the records that introduced them to the Fabs. Perfectly fine. for the listener it's subjective - you like what you like. That said Capitol messed with the actual mixes that were approved by George Martin & the Beatles adding reverb and playing with compression etc. The person who actually did this 're-mastering' (if you can call it that) did not like the Beatles music. And then, to add insult to injury Capitol execs re-packaged the records, changing running orders (which were laboured on by The Fabs and George Martin before being 'signed off' on)and 'squeezing' extra releases out by taking some tracks out of the original UK releases and 'compiling' these with tracks that were designed to be singles when released - pure profit motive and damn to paying customer. Fortunately this practice stopped at a certain point but IMO the bastardisation of the earlier releases showed a complete lack of respect for The Beatles, George Martin & the amazing Abbey Road team and EMI, the original 'parent' record company that paid for recordings and owned the Masters. Thankfully I grew up with the UK releases in NZ back then . . .

[@robertedmond3652]

Merchbar might be a scam.

[@DetroitRockCitizen]

The stereo Second Album sounds terrible to these ears. It's the last three songs on '65 sound really bad too

[@TJRtheOriginal]

👍

[@BeatleRick84]

The one that sounds like crap is I Feel Fine on Beatles ‘65.Terrible

[@PeKe999]

Hi This new US MONO box will be great. And I hope they won't re-release the UK MONO set from 2014. It has to be something exclusieve. The Capitol set you've got is a superb one as well. Enjoy listening.

[@BuffaloBeatle]

Nothing has to be exclusive. They will re release it as there’s no other way to release such a compilation. Dream on

[@PeKe999]

​@@BuffaloBeatle Dream on baby