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He Said He Said
The Beatles’ digital remasters: ‘Help!,’ ‘Revolver’ and ‘Rubber Soul’
By Joe Sorren and Bodie Dennis
Published on 10/15/2009
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Illustration by Joe Sorren.
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Editor’s note: Below is the third in a series of columns written by two notorious local Beatle freaks: artist Joe Sorren and musician Bodie Dennis. With the Sept. 9 release of the band’s newly remastered catalogue (both mono and stereo mixes), a total frenzy ensued in the music world and here we have our own resident experts to examine the newly found depth (or lack thereof) in the legendary music.
Bodie: Time to dig into the main course of this gluttonous exploration. The period from Help! to Revolver is my favorite Beatles era for reasons I’ve never cared to articulate. Maybe it’s because they were as interested in elevating their work as they were later on, but they were still doing it together rather than trying to outdo one another in separate rooms. They weren’t only ambitious, they were happy, still getting along.
Maybe it’s their metamorphosis that I’m drawn to. After all, transitions are inherently compelling. People will pause to watch a sunrise, but few people stop to stare at the sun at noon. Whatever it is, I doubt it can be attributed to any one thing. What I do know is that the remastered versions of these albums seem to matter a lot more to me than the others—especially 1965’s Rubber Soul. Thankfully, there’s no place for objectivity here, so let’s let the sparks fly.
Joe? Thoughts?
Joe: First of all, Paul’s bass line in the B part of “Taxman” on Revolver is obscene.
How come I never heard that before? Seriously. It’s so weird, and funny how off the chart it is. He may be the most underrated bass player in rock history.
OK, now that that’s off my chest, where to start? These three albums are far superior in mono. The stereo versions sound like the same songs being played by the same people, but they are distracted, weak. There is no cohesion. It’s as if they are looking for their car keys while playing facsimiles of the songs.
Now I understand that you prefer stereo Bodie, but this music should be heard the way the Beatles heard it—the way they modeled it. We don’t separate Monet’s brushstrokes and call it better. Why should we treat the Beatles any different. Hell, why not 19 speakers? That would sound reeaally good then, right?
Bottom line Bodie, and you of all people should know, is respect the artist’s intentions. We have that now in these mono re-releases. By the way, is it me or is George quietly stealing the show on Revolver?
Bodie: Your assessment is completely ridiculous, Joe. No one separated any “brush strokes” in the stereo mixes. Honestly, what would you think if you were at an art gallery and you saw someone viewing the entire exhibition with one eye completely covered, and the other eye struggling to peer through a tiny pinprick? Even funnier, this person is emoting about how much better it is and how it’s the “artist’s intention.”
Let’s make something clear. The Beatles’ intention was to be heard. Period. In fact, one reason they stopped touring in 1966 was that, with all the poor amplification and maniacal screaming, they couldn’t even hear themselves play. Why would they want their studio work to emulate that?
And I’m glad that you brought up the mono version of Revolver because I loathe it. I find it positively criminal that, in 2009, any record company can have the audacity to charge people good money for a pool of vomit like this under the guise of improved sound quality. It’s not just that the stereo version sounds better, which it does, it’s that the mono version is a truly terrible mix! The lead guitar in “Taxman” is so far up front that you can’t hear the vocals in the later verses. So to answer your question, Joe, no. The only thing George is doing quietly on that particular number is singing lead. Making matters worse, an insidious cowbell has shown up that sounds like a tin can tied to the back of a car. Awful! I’ve heard boom box recordings of garage bands that have better balance.
And try telling Ringo that it was his intention as an artist to have his drums devastatingly washed out by phase cancelation in “She Said She Said”—which happens to be one of his best performances. It’s a travesty! It’s like suggesting that your buddy Claude Monet wanted his paintings viewed with a quarter inch layer of gray dust covering their surface.
So let’s put this whole thing to bed. The idea that the Beatles consciously set out to make only monaural recordings is bunk. That point of view is predicated on the fact that they were present for many of those mixes and not for the stereo, but that really means nothing. Having been a part of many mixing sessions in which the band “participated,” I know that there are always a few individuals who shrug at the end result and ultimately feel compromised in some way despite having been there.
It’s often said that mixing is like flying a plane: There should only be one pilot. If six or seven people are fooling with the controls at once, the plane is going down. So if these mono mixes are any indication, then even the mighty Beatles were not exempt.
You were right about one thing though. Paul’s bass line in “Taxman” is the bomb!
Joe: No, really Bodie. What do you think? I’ll address your comments next article when we cover Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour and the White Album (Shakes fist at sky).
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To read the "He Said He Said," covering the Beatles' debut album, Please Please Me, click here.
And:
Beatles for Sale, With the Beatles and A Hard Day's Night
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