The Beatles in Mono. Part I – Sgt. Pepper

[1965]

Dan, you don't like Let it Be Naked more than Let it Be?

[deaconblues]

Dan, you don't like Let it Be Naked more than Let it Be?

You're right, Wes. 'Naked' is a LOT better. When I want to hear Let it Be, 'Naked' is the version I reach for.

[1965]

You're right, Wes. 'Naked' is a LOT better. When I want to hear Let it Be, 'Naked' is the version I reach for.

That's what I thought . Same for me.

[beefandbones]

Well trying to include Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane, and Only a Northern Song on Sgt. Pepper, made me wonder... Usually 'Only a Northern Song' gets binned as a somewhat snarky joke on John and Paul's 'Northern Songs' publishing company. But in this context, could George have been attempting to write something that would dovetail thematically with homey, nostalgic psychedelia of SFF and PL? Perhaps it didn't make Pepper because SFF and PL were left off, and it wasn't needed to fit with the theme.

[1965]

Perhaps it didn't make Pepper because SFF and PL were left off, and it wasn't needed to fit with the theme.

They were left off because, at the time, singles still weren't included on proper albums. I don't think Only a Northern Song is very strong, and the horns and swirly noises on the album version suck.

[wolfgang]

to me, in retrospect, Only a Northern Song is far better than,say, When i'm sixty four.
It is one of the best Beatles' "experimental" songs along with Kite, Walrus and so on...

Wolfgang

[Bosifis1]

It was one of the worst Beatle songs, hands down. You can hear how George didn't give a sh** when writing it. Better than "When I'm 64"?????? Uggg man! Uggg!

To quote Peter Griffin. "Well sir, while I might not like what you say, I'll defend to the death your right to say it!"

[deaconblues]

I'm with you, Brian...'Only a Northern Song' is nowhere near George's best work. I think it deserved exactly what it got.

[beefandbones]

I wasn't arguing the worth of Only a Northern Song, just noting the possible similarity to the subject matter of the songs that John and Paul were writing at the time. I hadn't looked at it in that light before.

But on the subject of its worth, I have to say that many people seem to feel that Within You Without You is the weakest song on Sgt. Pepper, but I think it's a highlight, and that George Martin's string arrangement is genius. (And both Within You Without You and When I'm 64 are testament to George M's scoring abilities!) I think that if Only A Northern Song was also included on Pepper, many people would still think Within You Without You to be the 'skipper'. No matter, Only a Northern Song didn't make the cut one way or the other.

[Bosifis1]

Ethan, I see your point. I do believe that if Northern Song was on Pepper, it would've been more highly regarded. Within You Without You, I feel is a great track(I love George's Indian stuff, hence my avatar!). I think that "Only A Northern Song" would be the "skipper". Just my two cents.

[shamustwin]

As a toddler when Sgt. P. was first released, I'd skip Within You...
Now it's one of my faves. I skip She's Leaving Home now.

[kennyhowes]

I understand that the mono mix of Sgt. Pepper was created with input from most if not all of the Beatles, and is thought to represent most clearly their intention, but there are aspects of it that I find oddly sloppy. For example, the transition from "Good Morning Good Morning" to the Reprise is much rougher in mono - the cluck and the guitar note are two distinct sounds. (Perhaps it was a mistake of the stereo mixers that the two sounds were joined?) And in the Reprise, you can actually hear the tape machine with the crowd noise start to play, rather than having the crowd noise fade up. There's a distinct 'bwah' as the tape gets up to speed. It seems uncharacteristically inattentive. It's strange to me that much less time was spent on the stereo mixes, and yet the stereo mixers were able to nail the transition between the songs and fade up the crowd noise much more realistically.

I always wondered about that too. Seemed too sloppy for surrealism.

[Folkie]

Ethan, I see your point. I do believe that if Northern Song was on Pepper, it would've been more highly regarded. Within You Without You, I feel is a great track(I love George's Indian stuff, hence my avatar!). I think that "Only A Northern Song" would be the "skipper". Just my two cents.

+1!!!

"Within You Without You" is among my all time favorite George Harrison songs, and I was shocked that no one mentioned it in my "Favorite George Harrison Songs" thread about a year ago. I do think it's a much stronger track than, say, "She's Leaving Home," which has always felt pretty maudlin to me, or "When I'm Sixty-Four," which is a little too jaunty for my tastes. I think it's even better than "Love You Too" from Revolver, both of them with that hypnotic drone from the sitar.

To get back on topic, I wasn't as offended by the stereo mixes as some here, but now that I know how unique the mono mixes sound, I'll certainly have a listen to them. Thanks to all the contributors to this thread for educating me about the nuances of these seminal recordings!