Questions on the Beatles tube vs. solid state Parlophone LP cuts

Unfortunately the tube cut stereo With The Beatles is not very good at all (I had a one box pressing in excellent condition). It's not so much warm as mushy and indistinct.

 

Inspired, I started looking for NM tube cut Beatles For Sale LPs on Discogs. $200 and north. Jeez Louise.

 

1 box Parlophone, or early 2 box copy NM might be a bit cheaper, but not by much these days unfortunately.

 

Got mine for around $30 shipped from UK. Try this pressing.

 

By the way, is the only way to get a tube cut Yellow Submarine is to buy an original first pressing? Those seem to be the only ones with a -1/-1, -2/-1, and -3,-1 matrix.

 

'71 remains the tube cut?

 

I haven’t looked a prices for awhile but this doesn’t sound right to me. You can buy a whole BC-13 for not that much more than $200.

 

Yes. As long as it has the -1/-1 matrix it is using the same laquer as the original 1964 stereo

 

Thanks a bunch. I may take the plunge. I need to hear the pressing Steve called "holographic".

 

No problem. It’s as good as Steve says. All others versions pale in comparison.

 

Agreed. Not much bass. Very midrangey sounding. The recuts from the 1970s/1980s are much better.

 

It's -1/-1 until 1974, a long production run from the one set of lacquers.

Yep, the best of the bunch that I've heard is a -5/-6 cut, better even than the hard to find Canadian Beatlemania double wide stereo version cut from a copy tape.
Took me quite awhile to find that combination on the one pressing.

 

I agree with you. I think just about any U.K. recut or various reissues from other countries (Canada, New Zealand, Holland & France) sound better than the original stereo cut.

 

I have an Australian copy with UK -4/-2 mastering, a big difference in sound quality when you flip that baby over, it's not a subtle change!

 

I think this Dutch reissue is better than the Canadian wide stereo.

BEATLES With The Beatles HOLLAND PARLOPHONE RE LP NM | eBay

Just make sure the stamper numbers are from Holland. They should end with 1Y,2Y,3Y or 4Y. Some were made with German metalwork and don't sound as good.

 

I know! Stranger things have happened. Apple might get me to pry my wallet open for an all-analog stereo set.

 

The problem with Beatles For Sale (stereo) especially the the UK tube cut is the damn inner groove distortion on Kansas City (Hey, Hey) which is the last song one side one, especially on the hey, hey chorus. Try to find a copy without that, not easy. Most record players of the day tore that one up.

The Japanese issue (Apple AP 8442) seems to avoid this issue and the whole album sounds pretty damn good.

 

We talked about this years ago. I have the same pressing. I found a UK recut with a -4 as well on one side. It may be side 2? I don’t remember. I’ll have to dig it up.

 

The Australian pressing would've been a really nice collectors' item for audiophiles (with the alternative cover) if EMI had sourced 2 new metal mothers instead of just Side 1.
One side is detailed and energetic, the other side is mush in comparison.

The -4 Side 1 is out there on UK pressings but not very common at all, it was thought for awhile that it may have been unique to Australia.

 

Here’s that specific record. Much cheaper option than the The Beatlemania! Wide Mix for sure.

 

I appreciate all the information being shared here. I've been acquiring Beatles UK pressings recently and this is helpful.

 

I actually picked up a sealed UK BC-13 earlier this year for exactly $200. I initially bought it simply because it was sealed, but as it turned out, it was one of the boxes from 1978. I'd bought a blue box several years earlier for nearly twice that much, but it was the reissued 1987 set.

 

I don't think there would be many (if any) tube cuts in a BC-13.

 

What are you listening on?

 

It came in mono too Die Beatles* - Please Please Me Und Andere Knüller but stereo is the one you want.