"Penny Lane" - US Promo

I've had a copy of the Capitol promo copy for years, and it's in pretty good shape. I'm pretty good on telling fake records, but this one looks pretty good. Can anyone tell me the signs to look for on these 45's, ala matrix notations, cutter initials, etc.?

 

I can't dig mine out right now to look at the dead wax but the fake ones I've seen seem very thin and brittle.

mud-

 

hand written or stamped numbers?

 

Should also be the Bach trumpet ending..... yes?

 

Yes!

Bob-

 

Right-O, and the star is a six-point icon about 1/3 of the way around to the right from the matrix number. As for the trumpet ending, here it is from a somewhat worn original mono promo Capitol 45: Penny Lane

GM

 

Another difference between genuine and counterfeits of this promo: At that time, Capitol promos used Pantone 395 - a kind of lemonish yellow with a smattering of lime - printed on super-glossy "Kromecote" stock. On fake copies, the label paper is a bit duller in comparison, and it's slightly dark yellowish. This, plus all the other attributes cited by others.

 

Well, that pretty much answers the question that mine is indeed real. I was always a little skeptical because mine has absolutely NO markings on the label whatsoever. It was probably taken from a radio station before it ever got added to rotation, or they got multiple copies. Either way, mine checks out.....star, glossy, etc. NICE!

A pretty decent mono mix of Strawberry Fields on the flip, too! Was this mix the same one that was issued on the stocks?

There are some WABC airchecks floating around with Penny Lane as a current, and yes indeed, there's the trumpet!

 

Yes.

 

The usa rarities lp tacks on the horn ending to a stereo mix of penny lane.

 

I actually tried to recreate the 45 by editing this on to the mix from my mono MMT LP. It works, but I can't help but wonder if there aren't other slight mix differences in that original promo.

 

I couldn't believe what a ham-handed edit the "Rarities" thing was. It definitely was not in time...it was obvious to me upon first hearing that the trumpet came in a few milliseconds later than it should have.

I've got two copies of the "Penny Lane" promo taken directly from radio station stock in the early 70s. I'm not all that into "collecting" music (as opposed to just listening to it), but they are among my prized possessions.

 

If you read the Beatles Recording Sessions (which I do not have in front of me) they name which unique remix was sent to the USA for this single. The UK mono is a later mix if memory serves.

 

Which raises the question: Why'd they cut the trumpet from the ending for the official release? I can clearly remember hearing it on the radio back in early '67, and then wondering why it was dropped once the single came out.

The Rarities "recreation" always annoyed me. Now, which version is on the Beatles Anthology? Is it a stereo recreation (don't have the CD).

 

So an edit that's off by a "few milliseconds" should be considered "ham-handed"?

 

Well, here's my edit using the trumpet isolated from the Anthology version (last 20 seconds only):

http://www.supload.com/sound_confirm.php?get=632439846.mp3

[For evaluation purposes only of course!]

Enjoy

 

The Anthology mix was a whole new stereo version made by taking the various multitracks used in the making of the song and synchronising them digitally. The deliberate mix differences include a single-tracked lead vocal and a cor anglais and trombone solo in place of the familiar piccolo trumpet. It does contain the seven trumpet notes at the end, but among other sounds not on the promo mix. However, the trumpet does come in at the right time, on the first beat of the bar.

Hope this helps,

 

I liked that "swingin' sixties" interlude with the cor anglais in the Anthology version even better! They should have combined 'em in the mix so you could hear both flourishes.

 

Which Capitol created by copying a bootlegger's editing job - which just goes to prove they were listening to the boots...

Derek

 

It seems that it was Paul's idea.

Why I don't know or even if it's ever been documented why.

IMO he should have just left well enough alone.

 

Perhaps I chose the wrong measure. But let's just say by whatever measure, it was "off" enough to be plainly noticeable to those of us who remembered the original. So yes...it was ham-handed.

 

That was done at Capitol in Los Angeles with their own copies. Advisors on the project included Ron Furmanek.
Capitol was strangely ignorant of most bootlegging of the Beatles. For several years they had allowed a weekend record swap in their parking lot in which a lot of bootlegs were sold and Capitol employees and executives were elsewhere.