Beatles

"Product", "Filler", whatever you want to call it, the appropriately titled Beatles For Sale was a "have to meet the two album a year schedule" interim album due out for the 1964 Christmas season—a hodgepodge return to covers, George really asserting his country and western licks, John feeling his inner Bob Dylan, John and Paul channeling the Everly Brothers, Ringo given a real chance to stretch out in the percussion department and Paul rocking, rolling and screaming on reissue and breaking your heart on one of his achingly beautiful ballads.

According to Mark Lewisohn's book "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions" A Hard Day's Night had been out but two months when work began on this album in August with "Baby's In Black". "I'm a Loser" was started a few days later. That same day they began tackling the cover "Mr. Moonlight" the opening scream of which from Lennon never fails to astonish, and the never released cover of "Leave My Kitten Alone".

The group flew to America late August to play the Hollywood Bowl. Lewisohn writes that Capitol wanted to record The Beatles at Carnegie Hall on February 12th, 1964 but the American Federation of Musicians wouldn't grant permission. At the end of September of 1964 the group again began working at Abbey Road.

In October while on tour, they returned to the studio to attend mixing sessions—perhaps, says Lewisohn, the first time they did so—as well as record the final tracks needed to produce the completed album. And they recorded the material for the fan club's Christmas flex-disc record.

Probably without the boys in the studio, on October 27th five songs from the album were mixed to stereo in half an hour. The rest were mixed on November 4th. The amount of time and attention lavished on the mono mix and the stereo mix toss-off make clear which was important to The Beatles—and to all involved—and which was not.

Beatles For Sale was not one of George Martin's faves. According to Lewisohn, Martin quipped "They perked up after that." But looking back now there's plenty of great music on this album and the singles they recorded during this period not included here— "I Feel Fine" and "She's A Woman"—were standouts. The covers were a mixed bag with "Words of Love" in particular capturing well the Buddy Holly ether. Ringo's "Honey Don't" was one of his playful best and John's singing on "Mr. Moonlight" was yet another highlight even though it's not among the fans' favorites and the organ part takes it almost into parody territory.

"Eight Days a Week" was probably the first hit single to open with a fade up. Ringo's tympani work on this album was a new addition to the arsenal and even though the album can be taken as an aimless grab bag, it's never less than an enjoyable play.

The digitally sourced stereo box set review is worth a read (in my opinion) especially the sonic comments compared to what you'll read now about this reissue.

I've had an original for about 15 years and the 1982 Japanese red Odeon reissue for about 8. The original Parlophone pressing had been oft played when I got it and I didn't know if the warmth was on the tape or caused by wear. The Japanese red Odeon was always brighter and more vibrant but also cooler and bass shy. It almost sounded like the D word but not quite.

So I listened again to the original using a variety of cartridges: the Miyajima Labs ZERO mono, the Ortofon 2E mono—both with Shibata styli, the Transfiguration Proteus and the Lyra Etna. I didn't play every track on every cartridge. Just enough to get the sonic picture. And the sonic picture is that the original even on the Proteus— the most open and extended cartridge—the original had a warm balance that was seemed so carefully finessed, it had to be purposeful.

The vocals—particularly John's on "I'm a Loser" sound so life-like and natural, the handclaps on "Words of Love" so fleshy, the tympani on "Every Little Thing" produced so much texture, it couldn't be as a result of record wear especially since George's guitar parts had plenty of top end air and transient detail and Ringo's tambourine had wood, skin and sharp rattle.

About the digital stereo remaster compared to the original stereo I wrote: "....you do lose the sense of intimacy and being on the other side of the microphone the original provides. Instrumental textures are lost in the slight hardening of transients and the reverb clearly heard bathing the original's vocals dries up. As the liner notes reveal, George plays an old African drum on "Mr. Moonlight." Listen to the distinctive skin texture on the original reduced to an indistinct cardboard hit on the reissue."

Once I was 100% sure of the original's sound I played the Odeon. It sounded completely different from the original. Far cooler and brighter almost like the Mobile Fidelity stereo box set on top. But while the Mo-Fi box also boosted the bass, the Odeon cut the bass—something common in Japanese mastered LPs. The Odeon's top end was "hyped". The tambourine rils were over accentuated, the acoustic guitar body stunted in favor of the strumming. The original's full bottom weight was MIA. You can hardly hear Ringo's insistent bass drum hits on "Baby's In Black".

My conclusion was that whoever EQ'd that one hadn't a clue about what it was supposed to sound like if the original pressing was supposed to sound as it did. I'd say the mastering engineer was as accurate with his work as the translator was with his. Here are some of the "Rock and Roll Music" lyrics in the Odeon insert:

To me that is a modern
rock and roll music
....I took my love on over across the tracks
Where she could have been man
a wail of a sax
....Way down south they had a jubilee
They go to vote to have a jamboree
They took it home a wooden cow
Etc.

Those lyrics mirror the mix's accuracy in my opinion.

So time for the moment of truth. What did Steve Berkowitz and Sean Magee do here? So far the first three records sound more alike than different, though they all have their individual qualities intact—no cookie cutter EQ—but would Beatles For Sale be distinctly warm with a deep, powerful, well textured bottom? Would Ringo's rapid kick drum hits on "Baby's in Black" be deep and distinct? Would the handclaps on both "Words of Love" and "No Reply" sound like flesh? Would George's African drum have distinctive skin textures? If the original was tube amp mastered would the solid state mastering capture it all or would it sound more like the stereo digital master?

Within a few bars of "No Reply" it was obvious that the warmth of the original wasn't record wear. It was obvious that this was EQ genius that perfectly captures the original's inviting warmth in the mid bass while also getting right the top end of the "cush" of the cymbal splash on "No Reply". Lennon's vocals on I'm A Loser" were warm and natural, the tambourine on the track just right and plenty sharp and George's guitar fills liquid. All of the tracks fell into place as expected based on the opening few.

100% success! And if you are only familiar with the stereo mix and like it as I did, you'll quickly understand why that one took a few hours and this days. Despite the lack of lateral separation the amount of revealed detail will amaze you and the overall coherence will probably have you not often playing the stereo version. The mono CD tries hard to manage this but, well, play it for your digital friends followed by this.

Another perfectly flat, dead quiet pressing too. As Flounder so famously said in "Animal House" and right to the point: "This is GREAT!"