For those of you who may still be living under a rock............ The Beatles have finally crawled out from under their respective rocks (well..... the two that can STILL crawl.......) & announced that September 9th all of their UK releases are going to be re-released & remastered. Yes.......I said RE-MASTERED! Rumor has it they started this endeavor 4 years ago utilizing state of the art re-mastering techniques along with vintage studio equipment to help preserve the essence of the original analogue tapes. (Whatever that techdribble is suppose to mean......) Here's to hoping they have not caved in to the popular re-mastering belief that louder is better. I unfortunately have read one review that ended w/...... "On the bright side, Howlett remarked, "they sound louder than previous CD reissues." Well worth the wait." ........ so I am not holding my breath. It was a post on The Guardian out of the U.K. Written by Sean Michaels (No...... not The Heartbreak Kid ...... ) the article also says that there will be a box set containing all of the Stereo mixes & a completely different box set containing all of the Mono mixes. I am thinking the Mono box set is going to be cheaper as it will have less discs. Abbey Road & Let It Be were never mixed for Mono. There are Mono mixes of Abbey road that float around on bootlegs but they are fake Stereo fold downs. So it goes.
Now remember kids....... these are the original U.K. presses. The original U.S. mixes have already been issued under the guise of "The Beatles: The Capital Albums Vol. 1 & 2." Each box has 4 discs. Vol. 1 has Meet The Beatles, The Beatles Second, Something New & Beatles '65. Vol. 2 has The Early Beatles, Rubber Soul, Help & Beatles IV. All these releases also have the Mono mixes as well as the Stereo mixes. They all sound good but to my ears suffer from "being remastered too loud". Unfortunately they are the only way of getting the U.S. versions on C.D. Unless you go for one of the wide variety of "Pirates" available......
Dr. Ebbett's
Dr. Ebbett's specializes in releasing digital copies of long-deleted and hard-to-obtain vinyl records, particularly issues from the audiophile Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs (MFSL) label. Although the Ebbett's catalog has many artists, it is most known for The Beatles CD's transferred from the best quality MFSL releases, US releases and mono vinyl sources. Dr. Ebbett's is regarded by many audiophiles as being of the highest quality needle drops of Beatles vinyl around. For those interested in the technical, one source close to the Dr. claims that Ebbett's says he uses no noise reduction and that there's no magic formula...just a good ear and patience."
He is an understandably shadowy figure who first surfaced in a small, shady spot of the internet, selling his own copies of the "alternate" Beatles' catalog. His attitude - If the official company won't do it - I will do it! And he does, and offers EVERYTHING you can imagine - all the USA releases in mono and stereo, all the UK releases in mono and stereo, some German, Mexican., Canadian, Italian and a smattering of famous bootleg titles (Collector's Items, Casualties) and unreleased albums (Sessions, Hollywood Bowl 1964) and the Christmas Album.
All of the CD's come with spot-on package design, beautiful artwork, and silk screened CD's - and the sound.....the BEST you have ever heard! Taken from virgin vinyl (even Vee Jay albums!) the sound crisp, sweet and better than anything you've heard. They are as close to the real thing as we're ever going to get. If you can get them, they are worth the money.
Dr. Ebbetts (all items in this category)
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Purple Chick
This person (or group of people) may be singularly be responsible for EMI re-mastering The Beatles Catalog as this article appeared in Rolling Stone a few months back........
"The Beatles' albums came out on CD in 1987, but fans have long complained that the early digital technology used to remaster the recordings left them sounding hollow and thin — and that the official re-masters are way overdue. That's where Purple Chick comes in — a secretive fan (or group of fans) who has been quietly re-mastering classic discs like Revolver and A Hard Day's Night, and releasing the digital files for free online. How is this possible? The Beatles' CD's sound so bad that carefully digitized tracks from pristine vinyl copies are noticeably better — with crisper highs, a fuller sound stage, and more realistic reproduction of instruments and voices. And the Purple Chick editions are superior to the originals in other ways, too: The Sgt. Pepper collection contains the original record in mono and stereo, and four discs' worth of studio outtakes; the White Album comes in a whopping twelve-disc version, including alternate takes, studio chatter, demos and fascinating jams. So how do you get this stuff? Google is your friend: Try searching "purple chick and megaupload" to get started."
Purple Chick (all items in this category)
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As you can see there are a lot of titles available from Purple Chick. P.C. seems to be a bit of an Obsessive/Compulsive when it comes to these compilations as they contain every known version/mix available. Even going as far as taking tracks from other pirates (I.E. everything below listed DESS is Dr. Ebbett's) & giving credit where credit is due. Here is a detailed list of The Beatles. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Deluxe Edition.
The Beatles
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Deluxe Edition
Purple Chick
DISC ONE - stereo
single
1: Strawberry Fields Forever
2: Penny Lane
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
3: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
4: With A Little Help From My Friends
5: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
6: Getting Better
7: Fixing A Hole
8: She's Leaving Home
9: Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
10: Within You Without You
11: When I'm Sixty-Four
12: Lovely Rita
13: Good Morning Good Morning
14: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
(Reprise)
15: A Day In The Life
16: inner groove
soundtrack
17: Only A Northern Song
alternate stereo mixes
18: Strawberry Fields Forever (US mix)
19: A Day In The Life (1982 mix)
20: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
(Y.S. Songtrack)
21: With A Little Help From My Friends
(Y.S. Songtrack)
22: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
(Y.S. Songtrack)
23: When I'm Sixty-Four
(Y.S. Songtrack)
24: Penny Lane (2000 mix)
25: A Day In The Life (1988 mix)
DISC TWO - mono
single
1: Strawberry Fields Forever
2: Penny Lane
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
3: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
4: With A Little Help From My Friends
5: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
6: Getting Better
7: Fixing A Hole
8: She's Leaving Home
9: Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
10: Within You Without You
11: When I'm Sixty-Four
12: Lovely Rita
13: Good Morning Good Morning
14: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
(Reprise)
15: A Day In The Life
16: inner groove
alternate mono mixes
18: Penny Lane (US promo RM11)
19: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
(unused movie mix with Dick Emery)
Anthology DVD stereo mixes
20: Strawberry Fields Forever
21: Penny Lane
22: A Day In The Life
DISC THREE
0: Strawberry Fields Forever - rehearsal
1: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 1 (INTB + Anthology 2)
2: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 1+overdubs (It's Not Too Bad)
3: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 2 (It's Not Too Bad)
4: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 3 (It's Not Too Bad)
5: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 4 (It's Not Too Bad)
6: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 5 (It's Not Too Bad)
7: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 6 (It's Not Too Bad)
8: Strawberry Fields Forever - rehearsals (It's Not Too Bad)
9: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 7 (It's Not Too Bad)
10: When I'm Sixty-Four - take 4 - complete, original speed
11: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 24 partial drum track (Anthology 2)
12: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 25 (INTB + UM)
13: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 26 - RM9 (MM + TMODM)
14: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 26 (It's Not Too Bad)
15: Penny Lane - take 9 (More Masters + TMODM + Anthology 2)
16: Penny Lane - overdub session (unbootlegged)
monitor mixes:
17: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 25 (CCRMM)
18: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 26 (CCRMM)
alternate mixes:
19: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 7 - RM3 (MM + TMODM)
20: Penny Lane - RM8 - complete (More Masters + Turn Me On Dead Man)
DISC FOUR
1: A Day In The Life - take 1 composite fragments
(Anthology 2 + Anthology DVD + Anthology Director's Cut + As It Happened, Baby!)
2: A Day In The Life - take 2 + overdubs (from Anthology 2)
3: A Day In The Life - take 4 (Anthology Director's Cut)
4: A Day In The Life - take 6 (RM1) - (Anthology DC + ARVS + Acetates)
5: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - take 9 (RM1) (Acetates 2002)
6: A Day In The Life - orchestra overdub (Anthology DVD)
7: A Day In The Life - edit piece take 11 (Anthology Director's Cut)
8: Good Morning Good Morning - take 9 (RM1) (Anthology 2)
9: Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! - rehearsal take 7 (Anthology DVD)
10: Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! - dialogue fragment (Liverpool Sound Collage)
11: Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! - take 1 (Anthology 2)
12: Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! - take 2 (Anthology 2)
13: Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! - take 7 (+9) (Anthology 2)
14: A Day In The Life - edit piece take 9 (Anthology Director's Cut)
15: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - takes 6+7+8 (Anthology 2)
16: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise) - take 5 (Anthology 2)
17: Within You Without You - take 2 instrumental (Anthology 2)
18: Only A Northern Song - takes 3+12 (Anthology 2 speed corrected)
19: Intro To Sgt. Pepper (applause) RM20 (Secret Songs In Pepperland)
20: Billy Shears (applause) RM 20 (Secret Songs In Pepperland)
21: Good Morning, Good Morning (sound effects) RM 20 (Secret Songs In Pepperland)
21a Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite! - sound effects
alternate mixes
22: Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! - rehearsal take 7 (Anthology Video)
23: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 25 (INTB + UM)
24: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 26 - RM9 (MM + TMODM)
25: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 26 (It's Not Too Bad)
26: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 25 (CCRMM)
27: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 26 (CCRMM)
23-27 speed corrected to the key of B
28: When I'm Sixty-Four - mono speed corrected (DESS)
29: Penny Lane - stereo with trumpet coda (DESS + secret Purple Chick magic)
30: She's Leaving Home - mono speed corrected (DESS)
DISC FIVE
Monitor Mixes and Remixes:
1: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 1 (The Making Of Sgt. Pepper)
2: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 7 (The Making Of Sgt. Pepper)
3: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 26 (The Making Of Sgt. Pepper)
4: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Arrive Without Aging)
5: With A Little Help From My Friends (Arrive Without Aging)
6: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - take 6 `(Arrive Without Aging)
7: Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite (Arrive Without Aging)
8: Good Morning Good Morning (Arrive Without Aging)
9: A Day In The Life - take 1 (Anthology DVD+Arrive Without Aging)
10: A Day In The Life - take 1 (Anthology Director's Cut)
11: A Day In The Life - take 6 (Anthology Director's Cut)
12: A Day In The Life - orchestra overdub (Anthology Director's Cut)
13: Penny Lane - RM 9 (More Masters + Turn Me On Dead Man)
14: Penny Lane - RM 10 (More Masters + Turn Me On Dead Man)
15: A Day In The Life - RS 1 (A Day In The Life)
16: A Day In The Life - RS 2 (A Day In The Life)
17: A Day In The Life - RS 3 (A Day In The Life)
18: A Day In The Life - RS 4 (A Day In The Life)
19: A Day In The Life - RS 5 (called as RS7) (A Day In The Life)
20: A Day In The Life -RS 6 (A Day In The Life)
21: A Day In The Life - RS 7 (A Day In The Life)
22: A Day In The Life - RS 8 (A Day In The Life)
23: A Day In The Life - RS 9 (A Day In The Life)
24: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 1 (Abbey Road Video Show)
25: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 7 (Abbey Road Video Show)
26: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 26 (Abbey Road Video Show)
27: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 1 (Anthology DVD)
28: Strawberry Fields Forever - take 7 RM3 + take 25 drums (Anthology 2)
29: Penny Lane - takes 6+7+9 (Anthology 2)
30: A Day In The Life - takes 1+2+take 6 RM1+orchestra session (Anthology 2)
30a Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite! - take 7
31: Only A Northern Song - takes 3+12 (Anthology 2)
Mirror Spock
Like the previously mentioned Doctor & P.C. Mirror Spock performs what is known as "Needle Drops". That is, They take the best copy of an L.P. & "drop the needle" (play & record the L.P.) but unlike Doc's or P.C. their primary function is just Beatles recordings. No Who like Dr. Ebbets. No Beach Boys & The Velvet Underground like Purple Chick. Simply Beatles recordings. There tends to be a little discussion (of course) between which has the better sound. The Doctor or P.C or M.S.
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Mirror Spock (all items in this category)
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Millennium Re-masters.
& yet still another purveyor of the infamous needle drop technique. This time, not only are they needle drops like the others but they claim to be re-mastered as well. Well...... as well as you can re-master an L.P. w/out being in possesion of the master tape reels that is.
Millennium Remasters (all items in this category)
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Fabulous Sound Labs
They look like the latest up & commers on the Needle Drop scene as their catalog is much leaner then all the others. My guess is that the sound quality is at least up to par or they would not have gotten past 1 release.
Fabulous Sound Lab (all items in this category)
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| The Beatles | A Hard Day's Night (Fabulous Sound Lab) |  | Fabulous Sound Lab | fs-1003 |  |  |  | ||||
| The Beatles | Beatles For Sale (Fabulous Sound Lab) | | Fabulous Sound Lab | fs-1004 | | | |  | |||
| The Beatles | Help! (Fabulous Sound Lab) | | Fabulous Sound Lab | fs-1005 | | | | | |||
| The Beatles | Please Please Me (Fabulous Sound Lab) | | Fabulous Sound Lab | fs-1001 | | | | | |||
| The Beatles | Rubber Soul (Fabulous Sound Lab) | | Fabulous Sound Lab | fs-1006 | | | | | |||
| The Beatles | Swedish Radio Show | | Fabulous Sound Lab | FS-T-001 | | | | | |||
| The Beatles | With The Beatles (Fabulous Sound Lab) | | Fabulous Sound Lab | fs-1002 | | | | |
I have never done a side by side comparison of any of these releases so I can not tell you from experience what any of these sound like. It would be unfair at this point in the game anyway as the piraters are using L.P.'s as sources for their needle drops/re-masterings & EMI/Parlaphone/Apple owns the master reel-to-reel tapes. I guess you could A/B the tracks but which do you think will sound better? Now, if the major label's did a needle drop then re-mastered it would be a fair comparison. I am thinking that w/ the imminent release of the re-masters that the above labels will soon be out of business or move on to either groups that have no re-mastered releases or other areas of the market like live recordings. Here is Tomorrow Never Knows from all of the above pirated selections though so you can do one yourselves & choose which sounds best until the officially licensed discs are issued.............. (if your prone to do such compulsive activities that is..........)
Dr. Ebbett's - Tomorrow Never Knows.mp3
Fabulous Sound Lab - Tomorrow Never Knows.mp3
Millennium - Tomorrow Never Knows .mp3
Mirror Spock - Tomorrow Never Knows.mp3
Purple Chick - Tomorrow Never Knows .mp3
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