The Beatles are fucking good.

[Retinend]

Not that I'm taking away anything from guys who press buttons.  I've already got in trouble this week for speaking badly about Kanye West.

"From Kanye West I learned that there are many ways to make a record. He curates all the ideas and puts them together.... often with great success"

- Paul McCartney

a sterling recommendation from Macca, there

[RenegadeScrew]

Aaah yes, another one of Macca's stellar collaborations.

That quote certainly reads better than Kanye's appeasement of slavery!

[El Unicornio, mang]

Found a .flac vinyl rip of the 1984 Nimbus Supercut pressing of Sgt. Pepper, said to be the best version of the album ever released (and the records themselves sell for close to 2 grand on ebay), it's the stereo version which might not be everyone's cup of tea, but sounds fantastic. There's a few versions on soulseek if you fancy checking it out (you'll have to just search for "nimbus pepper" or similar, "Beatles" searches are banned on there)

[markburgle]

Just read You Never Give Me Your Money by Peter Doggett. I'd been kind of saving that one because everyone says how great it is and I figured it'd be one of the last Beatle books I could read without being bored by lots of stuff I already knew.

Big disappointment. I sped through the first 3rd to get past the breakup and into the stuff I didn't know, sped through the middle third trying to get to the good stuff, then sped through the last third just to get to the end. That thing is just one long numbing list of lawsuits.

Time to treat myself to the unabridged Tune In, I reckon

[jamiefairlie]

Found a .flac vinyl rip of the 1984 Nimbus Supercut pressing of Sgt. Pepper, said to be the best version of the album ever released (and the records themselves sell for close to 2 grand on ebay), it's the stereo version which might not be everyone's cup of tea, but sounds fantastic. There's a few versions on soulseek if you fancy checking it out (you'll have to just search for "nimbus pepper" or similar, "Beatles" searches are banned on there)

How do you find out what's banned in Soulseek searches? I've suspected this was the case for some artists but never had it confirmed.

[El Unicornio, mang]

How do you find out what's banned in Soulseek searches? I've suspected this was the case for some artists but never had it confirmed.

I tried searching for the Beatles a couple of years back on there and got 0 results which I thought seemed odd, did a search online and found out that certain artist keywords like Beatles are restricted due to them getting takedown orders from the copyright holders. Easy enough workaround just using the album or song titles though.

[sutin]

I tried searching for the Beatles a couple of years back on there and got 0 results which I thought seemed odd, did a search online and found out that certain artist keywords like Beatles are restricted due to them getting takedown orders from the copyright holders. Easy enough workaround just using the album or song titles though.

I just discovered this earlier today when I tried to download the film Help!

[BJBMK2]

Just read You Never Give Me Your Money by Peter Doggett. I'd been kind of saving that one because everyone says how great it is and I figured it'd be one of the last Beatle books I could read without being bored by lots of stuff I already knew.

Big disappointment. I sped through the first 3rd to get past the breakup and into the stuff I didn't know, sped through the middle third trying to get to the good stuff, then sped through the last third just to get to the end. That thing is just one long numbing list of lawsuits.

Time to treat myself to the unabridged Tune In, I reckon

I really enjoyed You Never Give Me Your Money, I think the relentless talk of lawsuit after litigation after lawsuit, is part of the idea almost. To illustrate just how far the "dream", for lack of a better word, had fallen.

[famethrowa]

Found a .flac vinyl rip of the 1984 Nimbus Supercut pressing of Sgt. Pepper, said to be the best version of the album ever released (and the records themselves sell for close to 2 grand on ebay), it's the stereo version which might not be everyone's cup of tea, but sounds fantastic.

Can't be doing with all that audiophile stuff, I first listened to Sgt Pepper over and over on a cassette I'd recorded from our 70's record player, played it back thru a knockoff walkman with foamy headphones. And still it fired my dreams and imagination and inspired me to this day.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I'm definitely not an audiophile, I had the same enjoyable experience as you with listening to the albums that I'd recorded onto cassette from my parents scratched old records, but I am quite interested in different "versions" of music I love and the Nimbus one has a warmth and lack of harshness in certain sections which I like. The original mono version is still my go to choice though.

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

Just read You Never Give Me Your Money by Peter Doggett.
[...]
Big disappointment. I sped through the first 3rd to get past the breakup and into the stuff I didn't know, sped through the middle third trying to get to the good stuff, then sped through the last third just to get to the end. That thing is just one long numbing list of lawsuits.

Time to treat myself to the unabridged Tune In, I reckon

Just wait till you're sat reading an extended version of Lewisohn's previously threatened book 4 covering the same period.

[SteveDave]

I'm definitely not an audiophile, I had the same enjoyable experience as you with listening to the albums that I'd recorded onto cassette from my parents scratched old records, but I am quite interested in different "versions" of music I love and the Nimbus one has a warmth and lack of harshness in certain sections which I like. The original mono version is still my go to choice though.

Throughout my youth I read "The mono version is how the Beatles wanted YOU to hear their music" and that they weren't present for the stereo mixing. When I finally heard the mono versions of "Revolver" and "Sgt Peppers" I was so disappointed. They just sound bad. "Here, There And Everywhere" is ruined by a really clunky out of tune guitar clanging away throughout (that's buried in the stereo mix), "Tomorrow Never Knows" doesn't pop like the stereo version does and you hear the audience sound effects starting up on the reprise of "Sgt Pepper". I suppose only having the stereo versions to listen to for 20 years didn't do my listening experience very much but I was shocked (and stunned).

[daf]

I don't think anyone claims the mono Revolver the best mix - like Help (side 1) it's a bit muddy (also the drums are barely audible on 'She Said She Said'!) *

If you can track it down, the mono Rubber Soul is a solid one.

- - - - -
* Sgt Pepper in mono is the best, though! ;)

[Rizla]

- - - - -
* Sgt Pepper in mono is the best though! ;)

It being the psychedelic album, it does seem counter-intuitive but it is very much the case - the stereo mix is all over the shop in comparison. "Good Morning" might be the most strikingly different, much heavier sounding guitars.

For me it was the Fuck My Hat Thing About The Beatles I Only Realised A Couple Of Years Ago.

[Egyptian Feast]

What's the consensus on the mono version of The White Album? I've only heard it the once and wasn't keen on losing the blisters on Ringo's fingers.

[El Unicornio, mang]

That's the issue I have with the stereo Beatles albums, they're kind of inconsistent with some hard panning which can sound a bit odd on headphones. The 2017 stereo remix fixed a lot of this but I found it a bit overblown sound wise. I know there are many who dislike the stereo purely because it wasn't "what the Beatles intended/Martin did it one afternoon" or whatever, but I'm not really bothered about that. I think certain songs sound better across the 3 different mixes but if I had to choose one I'd go for the mono.

Also worth noting that are over 500 different releases of Sgt. Pepper with varying sound quality so if you hear a version that sounds awful it could just be from a bad source. https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/ and YouTube have some comparisons and recommendations for the best although it's obviously subjective.

[daf]

What's the consensus on the mono version of The White Album?

Generally it's seen as "you need both" - due to the large number of (deliberate) differences. The drawbacks of the mono would be the Helter Skelter edit, and Revolution 9 - which is just a fold down of the stereo, and obviously not as interesting.

However, the mono Honey Pie has more of John's Jazzy guitar solo, and the stereo Happiness Is A Warm Gun apparently has some mixing error - so the mono is the preferred version there. Overall, the mono works better for the rockier songs, as you'd expect.

Think of it like the 'Quarto' versus 'Folio' versions of Hamlet : each contain unique bits that make both essential.

[dandoystevski]

I managed to track down a decent flac set of the Beatles Collection aka the Blue Box which was first released in 1978. I think the copy I've got is from a mid-80s release.

I jiggled with the EQ a little and it is a beautiful sounding set of all the albums. They are in stereo though and suffer from the panning and other issues, but it is as lovely as I've heard their records sound (including the Giles' remixes). It's odd because they weren't specially mixed or remastered i don't think but they did press them from the original analogue master tapes. You can usually find them on torrent-y places if you look hard enough. Otherwise save a few (hundred) bob and try getting a set off eBay!

[markburgle]

Just wait till you're sat reading an extended version of Lewisohn's previously threatened book 4 covering the same period.

Well I'd only be doing that if I'd first read the 1000 page abridged one and loved it :p

[studpuppet]

Can't be doing with all that audiophile stuff, I first listened to Sgt Pepper over and over on a cassette I'd recorded from our 70's record player, played it back thru a knockoff walkman with foamy headphones. And still it fired my dreams and imagination and inspired me to this day.

I can say without fear of contradiction that when hearing Sgt. Pepper and Revolver through this[nb]Well, that's made me nostalgic to go out and reclaim my childhood by buying one of these.[/nb] at age 8, it really didn't matter whether it was mono, stereo, or 5.1.

[JaDanketies]

What's the best Beatles movie to watch while high?

[El Unicornio, mang]

Yellow Submarine

[famethrowa]

Hard Day's Night - diet pills and testosterone
Help! - weed and speed
Magical Mystery Tour - pot & acid
Yellow Submarine - loads of LSD
Let It Be - smack

[DrGreggles]

What's the best Beatles movie to watch while high?

Help! should only be watched stoned.

[Johnboy]

got a selection of fabs in mono on a usb stick in the car - tremendous fun

[daf]

A Day In The Life (Master Tapes)

00:00​ Drums, Bass and Tambourine
04:30​ Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Maracas, Congas, Alarm Clock and Screams
09:05​ Vocals, Mal's Count and Piano Overdubs
13:27​ Unused Clavichord Intro
14:49​ Weird George's Chat, Strings, Horns, Symphonic Cymbals and Timpani
17:55​ Paul's Chord
18:24​ Paul's Foot Error
18:41​ Ringo's Chord
18:44​ Ringo's Foot Error
19:26​ Mal and John's Chord
20:12​ George M and George's Chord

Bonus! :
Good Morning Good Morning (Isolated Tracks)
Back In The U.S.S.R. (Isolated Tracks)

[El Unicornio, mang]

Nice! There is a site that used to have about 75 Beatles songs separated into tracks (ripped from the Beatles Rock Band game) but they've sadly been removed and I can't find them elsewhere.

[SteveDave]

Nice! There is a site that used to have about 75 Beatles songs separated into tracks (ripped from the Beatles Rock Band game) but they've sadly been removed and I can't find them elsewhere.

I've got them (as MOGG files?). I can wetransfer them if you'd like?

[El Unicornio, mang]

I've got them (as MOGG files?). I can wetransfer them if you'd like?

Ooh yes please!

[wosl]

A Day In The Life (Master Tapes)

Ta for this.  So this apparently clears up once and for all that it's Paul who does the dreamy aaahhh bit following "..somebody spoke and I went into a dream", not John.