50th anniversary Sgt Pepper - 1, 2 and multi-disc deluxe box set

[BARON CORNY DOG]

Just as I suspected! I, too, am in it for the outtakes. But I suspect I won't be able to avoid getting the vinyl. Thanks ... I picked up on a certain ambivalence to the remix when you raised the "headphone/speakers" issue!

[Bent Fabric]

I picked up on a certain ambivalence to the remix when you raised the "headphone/speakers" issue!

Mrs. Fabric is getting me the vinyl for Father's Day.

Allow me to digress:

Our espresso maker crapped out several months back, and I had it in my mind to replace it with something sturdy and maybe a little more "cafe grade". We both work hard, and why not spend a few extra bucks on a good appliance? I bought a really nice, heavy duty machine at a reasonable price maybe 5 weeks ago (dented box, or some shit), and started making myself "the good shit" at home every morning (I was buying espresso around the corner and having them grind it in the shop). No complaints here. Essential brewing.

But then, I considered the people I knew who were buying "the right beans" and had good grinders and considered that my experience could maybe be a little more intense/optimal. This is all very much like the Steve Martin bit about Quadrophonic sound (or the experience of the habitual recreational narcotics consumer who has a "first call supplier"). So, I got a high quality fancy pants grinder on eBay second hand (gently used, perhaps) and bought some nice beans locally, etc. That's when everything went wrong. For all of the grind settings on the new grinder, I couldn't really find "the one" that yielded a super kick ass shot of espresso. Shit - more often than not, I'd grind some beans, and the consistency of the grind wouldn't even work with my machine, or if it brewed, it would be unspeakably bitter tasting. So I went back to the shit that I was getting ground "off site', just as a simple quality of life issue.

Now, I don't know what's wrong here. Am I buying "the wrong beans"? Do I have a defective grinder? Is my espresso maker too picky?

There's so many variables here that I just want to get in my car and drive off and keep driving.

So...I dunno - do you play WAV files on your computer through headphones and tell the world about it? Do you crank your home stereo with the loudness button on (the same system and settings you use to play old Spirit LPs)? What's happening when you sit down to write your review of "the new remix of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"? The guy who wrote the original pan in the NYT 50 years ago had a busted speaker (I'm not making this up).

Every time I make a record I go through this. You play it back in the car, you play it on a nice stereo, you play it on a boombox. This is the "don't fuck it up right at the finish line" stage of record making.

To Pepper? The guy did great work, but...without getting into "dudes who look at waveforms" territory, the compact disc of the new remix may have been cut a bit "hotter" than was strictly necessary (2009 mono CDs for point of comparison).

I'm not positive that it really matters, but...I noticed.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

My suspicions/hunches/hopes/fears, supported by what little I gleaned from the Hoffmen (before deciding to get in the car and keep driving) confirmed.

I'm gonna go make some coffee ...

[yomptepi]

I think the biggest improvement is in the vocals. specifically the backing voices, which are as clear as a bell, and you can hear those boys singing their hearts out. It made me well up a bit. i think the drum sound overall is nice too, but I am not really hugely impressed by the bigger bass sound. It does give punch and depth, but I don't know if I like it. I was lukewarm as to the reason for trusting this project to the son of the original producer. It seems a flimsy reason to hand him the project, and I suspected that there were others better qualified for the job. But overall it is a pleasant surprise. So much so that I am going in to Wycombe tomorrow to buy the double vinyl version. There is no point in buying the big box, as I know I will never play most of it...

[Bent Fabric]

I think the biggest improvement is in the vocals. specifically the backing voices, which are as clear as a bell, and you can hear those boys singing their hearts out. It made me well up a bit.

Yeah, to wit - there was a spot in "When I'm Sixty Four" where I was a bit like "HELLO, boys!!!"

[Tom Waits For No One]

Massive Synch Listen Anyone?


#LetsPlayPepper

Let’s Play Pepper!

In 1967, The Beatles flung open the windows of an apartment in Chelsea, put the needle on what was to become one of the most influential albums of all time and played it loud for all to hear.

Fifty Years later, the team behind the Sgt Pepper at 50 celebrations are encouraging fans from all over the world to recreate that moment. Whether you’re at home, in a car, if you run a business, work in an office or if you drive a taxi – wherever you are, you can be part of #LetsPlayPepper.

All you have to do is at 2pm on Thursday 1 June tune into BBC Radio Merseyside for a #Liverpoolplayspepper special, when DJ Billy Butler will be playing the album from start to finish, with live music and some special guests popping in to the studio talking about the impact the record had on their lives and where they were when it was released in 1967. You can also listen live online at www.bbc.co.uk/radiomerseyside

But regardless of where you are in the world, people old and young are being encouraged to put Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on and turn up the volume.

Director of Culture, Claire McColgan MBE, said: “This is an invitation from Liverpool to the world to play this seminal album.

“June 1 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper, and encouraging people from across the globe to play this album is the perfect way to mark the occasion.

“It’s a chance for Beatles fans who know and love it to enjoy each track on the record, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to introduce a whole new audience to this incredible arts album so they can discover for themselves just why Sgt Pepper received world-wide critical acclaim.

“As we embark on our exciting journey to celebrate the anniversary with an incredible programme of 13 world premiere events, #LetsPlayPepper provides the perfect soundtrack to kick-start what will be an unforgettable couple of weeks for Liverpool.”

The call out is being supported by Apple, Universal Music, BBC Music, BBC Radio Merseyside, The Beatles Story, The Cavern Club and Abbey Road Studios, along with Liverpool’s cultural organisations including Tate Liverpool, FACT and Liverpool Philharmonic.

#LetsPlayPepper forms part of Sgt Pepper at 50 which will see each track on the iconic Beatles album inspire 13 brand new events. The world premiere commissions are a mixture of large and intimate events covering the worlds of art, dance, music, poetry and theatre.

Until 16 June there will be performances, installations, live spectacle and moments of surprise across the city, as the spotlight will fall on Liverpool to celebrate their most famous sons in a way befitting of a record which broke the mould and changed music forever.

For full details of the Sgt Pepper at 50 programme please visit www.sgtpepperat50.com, or follow itsliverpool on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

[Charlie O.]

The closest Western Civilization has come to unity since the Congress of Vienna in 1815 was the week the Sgt. Pepper album was released. At the time I happened to be driving across country on Interstate 80. In each city where I stopped for gas or food – Laramie, Ogallala, Moline, South Bend – the melodies wafted in from some far-off transistor radio or portable hi-fi. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever heard. For a brief while the irreparably fragmented consciousness of the West was unified, at least in the minds of the young.

(... and a rebuttal)

[Spock!]

Ah, the 'oooo's on Fixing a Hole

Just played FAH.


You're right. Gorgeous.

[Diamond Dog]

Ummmm.... I like the way the extreme stereo has been 'centred' - it seems almost like a perfect blend of the stereo & mono mixes. I love the vocals throughout - I'm not sure Lennon (particularly) ever got close to this again. A really beautiful clarity and thickness to his voice. I like the drums - alot. I like the clarity of the instrumentation generally still. But, and I'm glad Yomp mentioned it because I thought I was just hearing something that confirmed my suspicion with Macca being involved, I find the bass too loud at moments... and it sounds very fat too.

Overall though - I really like it.

The outtakes, however, are 85% unnecessary.

[Tactful Cactus]

Anyone watch the Howard Goodall Sgt Pepper program? I missed it last night but I feel like everythings already been said about Pepper (including by HG himself). Anything new or different thats worth the time?

[C]

Okay, so in a nutshell do I need the remix?




.

[Pool Hall Richard]

Anyone watch the Howard Goodall Sgt Pepper program? I missed it last night but I feel like everythings already been said about Pepper (including by HG himself). Anything new or different thats worth the time?

Repeated Friday BBC4 I believe.

[Tactful Cactus]

Repeated Friday BBC4 I believe.

Ah yeah, its on the players now etc...I'll give it a go

[bhoywonder]

Okay, so in a nutshell do I need the remix?




.

Yes, it's brilliant.

[Diamond Dog]

Anyone watch the Howard Goodall Sgt Pepper program? I missed it last night but I feel like everythings already been said about Pepper (including by HG himself). Anything new or different thats worth the time?

I did. It was quite interesting in that he dealt with a lot of the 'musical' detail and technicalities, whilst also going through the studio wizardry too.

I smiled when he noted that "She's Leaving Home" sounds so mournful because it's written in an old folk, Aoelian harmony (something I wasn't previously aware of).... he then didn't go on to mention the infamous "Aoelian cadence..." review of "Not A Second Time" to which Lennon had later replied " "To this day, I have no idea what [Aeolian cadences] are. They sound like exotic birds."... . Did Goodall not know the earlier reference?

These things matter.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

Okay, so in a nutshell do I need the remix?




.

I think anyone who loves the record or listens to it with any sense of curiosity at least needs access to it to give it a spin or four at appropriate volume. It won't and can't replace the mono version in my world, but it is definitely an enjoyable, interesting, and enlightening listen.

[Jimbly]

Listening to the second cd of sessions, its fab gear. Take 3 of Fixing a Hole is very special. The banter between them is heart warming and shows how much they meant to each other. Will I play it often? No, but it's a great glimpse into how they worked. This is what the Anthology should have been.

[Tactful Cactus]

This is what the Anthology should have been.

Really? To me it sounded like Anthology 4: Sgt Pepper special. Studio banter, false starts, demos etc I did like it aswell though. The album is gold plated now, we all know every second, its a thrill to hear it outside of the hazy phased production. They just sound like they're in a room working happily.

Nice to hear the hums aswell - I remember that from Geoff Emericks book

Why they didn't include Carnival of Light is beyond me -- just fade it in for 15 seconds if its really that bad

[Jimbly]

This is what the Anthology should have been.

Really? To me it sounded like Anthology 4: Sgt Pepper special. Studio banter, false starts, demos etc I did like it aswell though. The album is gold plated now, we all know every second, its a thrill to hear it outside of the hazy phased production. They just sound like they're in a room working happily.

Nice to hear the hums aswell - I remember that from Geoff Emericks book

Why they didn't include Carnival of Light is beyond me -- just fade it in for 15 seconds if its really that bad

I was meaning just unadorned takes rather than hybrid versions on the Anthology

[...]

As have got more box sets full of aborted takes and studio banter than I am ever going to listen to, bought the two disc set when back in HK last week - only HK$10 (about a quid) dearer than the single CD.

Wonderful to rediscover an album that pretty much defined the 60s for most of us lucky enough to live through them in a well-off country.

The one thing that comes across to me is the sheer exuberant, anything-is-possibleness of the whole exercise.

What an utter mindfuck it must it have been to have woken up to discover that you actually were a Beatle back then...