Why do people spend good money collecting Capitol Beatles' albums?

Well I'm half right - from the book "The Beatle Mixes" by Kultur Buch Bremen. "Dr. Robert," "I'm Only Sleeping" and "And Your Bird Can Sing" were re-channeled on all 60's and Apple issues. The Capitol reissues, purple label, matrix # ST 2553 or C1-90447 were true stereo.

 

Steve, our forum member Tim Neely suggests in his Standard Catalog of American Records 1950-75 (I'm looking at the 2nd edition) that as far as regular issue copies go, LP's of Yesterday ...and Today started to appear with all 11 songs in true stereo during the orange label era.


An excerpt from Bruce Spizer's The Beatles Story On Capitol Records - Part Two: The Albums discussing the STEREO issue of Yesterday ...and Today (pg. 252-53):

"All original issue Yesterday and Today albums from the sixties were pressed with metal parts originating from masters having the duophonic mixes of the three Revolver preview songs (although the true stereo mixes were used for the reel-to-reel, 4-track, 8-track and cassette version of the album). When Capitol prepared masters for the Longines record club pressings of the album in 1969, the true stereo mixes were finally used for a vinyl release. As the Capitol masters for Yesterday and Today began to wear down from repeated use, they were eventually replaced with new masters featuring the true stereo mixes. Apparently, new masters were specifically created for use by Capitol's new factory in Winchester, Virginia, as most of the later Winchester pressings have the true stereo mixes. It also appears that the replacement of metal parts was done on a "as needed" basis rather than a total recall. Thus, some later issues of the album were pressed with metal parts generated by the old masters on one side and with metal parts generated by new masters on the other side. This results in albums that have stereo mixes of the side one songs (I'm Only Sleeping and Dr. Robert) paired with a duophonic mix of And Your Bird Can Sing on side two. Other albums have suophonic mixes of I'm Only Sleeping and Dr. Robert paired with a true stereo mix of And Your Bird Can Sing."

 

Yes, I agree. And just think, someone somewhere has collected every variation of the pressings on every variation of the Capitol label. Wow.

 

BTW, my Apple pressing of Yesterday & Today, purchased in 1976, has the three Revolver songs in true stereo! Weird, huh?

 

That is weird. My orange-label Capitol (which post-dated the Apple issues) has them in fake stereo.

Is yours a record-club issue, by any chance?

 

Nope. Purchased from Tower Records in San Francisco for $5.98.

 

Capitols in minto condition - when you grew up with them I can understand - and now whilst I know this is hard to come by I couldn't imagine spending money just so I could say I owned it when it is in this condition

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2527151900&category=27344

All the best - Andrew

 

Thanks Martin,
I thought some of the Apple labels played true stereo. Unfortunately mind doesn't. My purple label does, however my black color band label has the stereo matrix number but plays true mono!!!

No one said collecting the Beatles is easy!

 

So when they put the real stereo mixes in replacing the fake ones:

a) are they the same mixes as on the U.K. Revolver?
b) did they change the sound of the album in any other ways?
c) do the sounds of the newly stereo-d tracks mix the rest of the album

And do you suppose anyone got in trouble for "changing" the album?

 

I don't have it, but I've read that of the three songs "borrowed" from Revolver, on the copies of the Y&T LP where they appear in true stereo, "I'm Only Sleeping" and "Dr. Robert" are different from the "common" stereo mix, but "And Your Bird Can Sing" is the same as the "common" mix. Earlier tonight I came upon a site explaining the differences in the mixes for those two songs. I'll post the link in a new thread, since it covers mix variations throughout the Beatles recorded output.

 

A while back, I got to an estate sale when it opened, but there was already a line of folks waiting. They ended up clamoring for the Beatles Capitol LPs, and I got originals of ? and the Mysterians, Music Machine, Philles Christmas Gift WLP, Steppenwolf WLP mono, LZ II RL, etc. for a couple of bucks that they all passed on. Whether it is nostalgia, lack of understanding/care of the audio difference, or thinking anything Beatles is worth a lot, I'm glad they think that way.

 

Quite simply, for the same reason I would buy the UK versions: the music of the Beatles, the enjoyment, the mixes, and the historical fun in documenting and collecting important "pop works".

Radical, I know...

 

I think everyone is missing the point and reason why people buy these albums and why they aren’t cheap anymore.

We live in the US therefore these are the most easily versions to find and purchase without spending a arm and a leg. For beginners just getting into vinyl and don’t know better they will buy what’s the most easily available. All of us on here know the UK versions are superior. I don’t think any of us are the ones spending 20 dollars for a US Capitol LP in G or VG condition

 

Sadly, it took me until 1969.

Woulda been sooner, but in 1968, I was living in Omaha. By January of '69, I was living in L.A. and working at a record store by March.

 

This thread was made fifteen years ago.

Is the situation any different today?

 

The US Beatles LPs are a novelty at best to me.
Yes, I started out with them because they were all we had here. I got a UK “Help” around 1976 (the Hunter Davies bio made me aware that British versions were different) because I hadn’t had “Beatles VI” yet. It seemed more stately, and the artwork was much more classy than the US “soundtrack” version! Within a few years I collected all the UK versions and that’s what I listen to. I picked up the early 2000s US boxes and they’re fun, and nostalgic, but it’s so obvious that sound quality wasn’t a top priority for Capitol in the 60s! Hype and squeezing out as much product as possible was a priority! Not to mention cheesy art design!

If I was forced to sell off my collection, my UK versions would be saved.

 

I'll cop to the nostalgia factor being a large part of the reason why I wanted the Capitol LPs, not gonna apologize for it, either- I consider those records to be the pride of my collection. I know the UK Parlophone albums have better sound, but like I say, when I wanna hear The Beatles in 100% pristine sound quality, I'll throw on the 2009 remasters (stereo or mono).

 

Where can I get a copy of Beatles IV?

 

I'm not a hard core audiophile, and the Capitol albums are what I grew up with. It took me some time to readjust to the correct sequencing of the UK albums. There are many of us who still think Meet the Beatles is a more solid collection than With the Beatles, and I still prefer the more consistently folk-flavored Capitol Rubber Soul to the proper UK release. "I've Just Seen a Face" makes a fine surprise of an opening song, and "It's Only Love" followed by "Girl" in the same key was either a very happy accident or someone at Capitol actually grew some ears. Beatles VI is a great little rock'n'roll album and "Kansas City" is a killer opening song. On the other hand, After hearing the UK Revolver, the Capitol Revolver just sounds incomplete.

 

If all of the Capitol LPs were remastered and released on vinyl with the original American versions, I wouldn't even have to think about it...Id buy them all instantly.

 

I have First Press Capitol rainbows in stereo and mono as well as the UA, Apple and a few VeeJay's. For me it is because the stuff was "there". The actual artifacts of American Beatlemania. I once bought a Mono Revolver that had a stain and slight water damage from where a bong must have tipped over and spilled on it. You could still smell a faint whiff of it 50yrs later!