Yellow Submarine Songtrack - Rear Cover ! | Yellow Submarine Songtrack - Front Cover ! |
Label | Apple | ||||||
Catalogue No. | 521 4811 - L.P. 521 4812 - C.D. 421 4812 - DVD. |
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Release date | 13th September 1999 | ||||||
Total time | 45:40 | ||||||
U.K. Album Chart Detail : |
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Detail : | Once upon a time ... or maybe twice ...
When "Yellow Submarine" the album first came out in 1969 it only featured six musical
tracks by the Beatles, and only four of them were new. Five of the six had not appeared on L.P. before and coupled with
the title track, these were all featured on side 1.
More than 30 years after the original film was released, it was decided to renovate the original print of the film, and
digitise the soundtrack to create a whole new cinematic experience. "Songtrack" is a spin-off from the remastering for
Cinema and DVD of the release of "Yellow Submarine". The most exciting aspect of this new collection was that ALL of the included songs were subject to new mixes. The film project sanctioned new "Dolby Digital 5.1 surroundsound" mixes to tie in with the film and DVD release, and it is these that now appear on C.D. after having been subject to a further mix down to conventional stereo. The music re-mixing was undertaken by Peter Cobbin.
Right then, what you need now is a history lesson on the recording techniques of the 60's .... When the Beatles recordings were first officially remixed for release on CD in the 1980s, George Martin oversaw the project with the goal of preserving the original sound as much as possible. But with Sir George now retired from producing, a younger engineer named Peter Cobbin was brought in for this "Yellow Submarine" remix.
In this day and age, 24, 32 or 48-track tape machines are routinely used allowing up to that many parts to be recorded
individually, and then mixed together into the final stereo recording.
So, in potentially what was going to be the biggest sacrilege of all to Beatle purists, Cobbin did NOT try to re-create the
original mixes exactly. Some tracks are quite close to the originals, while others are significantly altered.
So should you re-invest in these "new" recordings on C.D. ? Differences will be discussed below, in the tracklisting's recording information.
Obviously, the DVD and film mixes are technically EVEN better quality as these have SIX aural channels to feature sound, the
Dolby Digital 5.1 surroundsound separates : |
Track | Composer | Recording Information | Time |
Yellow Submarine | Lennon-McCartney | See Yellow Submarine. Ringo is in the middle of the stereo placement, and the sound effects and drums are more spread out. Listen out for Ringo's tom-toms in the last verse, they thump with newfound clarity. Overall the main improvement is in the warmer, brighter sound. |
2:38 |
Hey Bulldog | Lennon-McCartney | See Yellow Submarine. This mix transforms 'Hey Bulldog' from a great rocking tune, to a true classic. The jigsaw nature of the piano, guitar, and bass parts comprising the song's first verse are presented in jewel-like foil. Paul's spectacular bass line stands out with awesome presence, proving Paul to be an inspired bass player. |
3:11 |
Eleanor Rigby | Lennon-McCartney | See Revolver. For the first time, we hear the famous double string quartet in great stereo, while Paul's vocals come out of the middle, with the background vocals surrounding him. Compared to the original both the vocals and the strings have greatly improved clarity, the difference is not subtle ... it is awesome. |
2:04 |
Love You To | Harrison | See Revolver. George's vocal is moved foward in this new mix, but yet sounds warmer than the original. In fact the song as a whole has a richer feel. The Indian instruments are placed in different positions across the soundstage. They are less entangled, individual lines are heard. The musicians sound tighter, creating a more coherent sound. |
2:57 |
All Together Now | Lennon-McCartney | See Yellow Submarine. In the old version Paul's vocal was hard right, John's centered. In the new, Paul's and John's vocals are both centered - and how about those handclaps ! The song now has a surprising textural complexity, thanks to percussion overlays that are only barely audible in the original mix, and now have presence without seeming overpowering. |
2:09 |
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds | Lennon-McCartney | See Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Peter Cobbin's mix is rather similar to the original, with a few changes in stereo placement. But once again you will hear a generally more pleasing sound. |
3:27 |
Think For Yourself | Harrison | See Rubber Soul. The new mix deconstructs the simple brilliance of George Martin's approach to the band's basic sound, isolating guitar, vocals and rhythm more pleasingly to the ear. |
2:17 |
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Lennon-McCartney | See Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The Sgt. Peppers sequence into With a Little Help from My Friends gets a bigger alteration. The original's stereo placement of the vocals was a oddity of the times. The new version puts both Paul and Ringo doing their respective vocals down the middle and not moving about. And like others of the new mixes one can hear more of the subtleties of the accompaniment. |
2:00 |
With A Little Help From My Friends | Lennon-McCartney | See Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
In truth, Cobbin did not go overboard on the Pepper tracks, but there is a greater sense of instrumental profiles. The guitar and piano were mixed together on the original. Newly seperated, one can hear each of the lines more clearly. |
2:44 |
Track | Composer | Recording Information | Time |
Baby You're A Rich Man | Lennon-McCartney | See Magical Mystery Tour the album. This track on previous "stereo" releases was in so-called "fake" stereo, with the lows on one side and the highs on the other. This "Songtrack" mix has a very nice full stereo mix of the piece that is a huge improvement. It casts the song, often considered one of the Fab Four's relative throwaways, in a new light. |
2:59 |
Only A Northern Song | Harrison | See Yellow Submarine. This track was previously available only in a muddy mono mix, but is now dazzlingly clear in full stereo. It is now revealed to have layers of surrealistic sound. |
3:23 |
All You Need Is Love | Lennon-McCartney | See Yellow Submarine. The most dramatic improvement comes on All You Need Is Love. The original was partly recorded during an early transatlantic satellite broadcast ("Our World"), and was never very well mixed. This new version sounds better in almost every way, from the detail of the horn and string parts to a much better sound on Paul's bass. The result is new perspective on an already great song. |
3:46 |
When I'm Sixty-Four | Lennon-McCartney | See Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. This was one of the best-recorded tracks on the original Sgt. Peppers LP and does not really show too much benefit on this remix, which again centres up Paul's vocal, but one can pick out the woodwinds which are wonderfully full-figured. |
2:38 |
Nowhere Man | Lennon-McCartney | See Rubber Soul. Nowhere Man is one of those earlier Beatle recordings on which Cobbin had fewer separate tracks to work with, and consequently does not show much dramatic improvement. |
2:41 |
It's All Too Much | Harrison | See Yellow Submarine. Songtrack ends with this anthemic powerhouse, with it's handclap rhythm track and a magnificent extended guitar solo pitched against a honking bass figure. The coda features heraldic trumpets, overlaid guitar lines, and multiple vocals all sharply clearer than the original. This is a superb illustration of the slogan "Too much ain't enough !" |
6:24 |
John Lennon | Beatle. |
Paul McCartney | Beatle. |
George Harrison | Beatle. |
Ringo Starr | Beatle. |
John Clive | Voice of John. |
Geoffrey Hughes | Voice of Paul. |
Peter Batten | Voice of George. |
Paul Angelis | Voice of Ringo, Voice of Chief Blue Meanie. |
Lance Percival | Voice of Old Fred. |
Dick Emery | Voice of Lord Mayor, Voice of Boob. |
George Dunning | Director. |
Al Brodax | Producer and Writer. |
Heinz Edelmann | Design. |
Erich Segal, Lee Minoff, Jack Mendelsohn, and uncredited ... Roger McGough |
} } } Writers. } } |
John Coates | Producer. |
Musical Score | George Martin. |
Peter Cobbin | Remix Engineer of the new mixes. |
This bootleg is on "Blue Meanie Records" (what else ?)
5.1 Degrees Of Separation - Front Cover | 5.1 Degrees Of Separation - Rear Cover |
Yellow Submarine | |||
1. | backing vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, drums | 2:37 | |
2. | backing vocals, acoustic guitars, sound effects | 2:37 | |
3. | backing vocals, sound effects | 2:38 | |
4. | backing vocals, sound effects, brass | 2:38 | |
5. | lead vocal, backing vocals | 2:40 | |
Eleanor Rigby | |||
6. | cello, viola, violin | 2:07 | |
7. | viola, violin | 2:07 | |
8. | lead vocal, cello, viola,violin | 2:06 | |
9. | lead vocal, backing vocal, viola, violin | 2:07 | |
10. | lead vocal, violin | 2:08 | |
All Together Now | |||
11. | backing vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, drums, percussion | 2:09 | |
12. | backing vocals, acoustic guitars, harmonica, percussion | 2:09 | |
13. | backing vocals, harmonica, percussion | 2:09 | |
14. | lead vocal, backing vocals, bass, percussion | 2:09 | |
15. | backing vocals, percussion | 2:09 | |
When I'm 64 | |||
16. | woodwinds, drums | 2:40 | |
17. | backing vocals, piano, bass | 2:40 | |
18. | backing vocals, chimes | 2:41 | |
19. | backing vocals, chimes | 2:42 | |
20. | lead vocals, backing vocals, bass, drums | 2:42 | |
Only A Northern Song | |||
21. | bass, horns, drums, percusion | 2:41 | |
22. | bass, organ, drums, percussion | 2:43 | |
23. | horns, drums, percussion | 2:41 | |
24. | horns, drums, percussion | 2:40 | |
25. | lead vocals, bass, horns, drums, talking and shouting | 2:41 | |
Nowhere Man | |||
26. | lead vocal, backing vocals, lead guitar | 2:42 | |
27. | lead vocal, backing vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums | 2:42 | |
28. | lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, drums | 2:41 | |
29. | lead vocal, backing vocals | 2:41 | |
30. | rhythm guitar, bass, drums | 2:34 |
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds | |||
1. | electric guitar, bass, drums | 3:08 | |
2. | lead vocals, organs, bass, drums, tamboura | 3:09 | |
3. | lead vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, tamboura | 3:08 | |
4. | lead vocals, organ, tamboura | 3:07 | |
5. | lead vocals, electric guitar, bass, drums | 3:00 | |
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | |||
6. | lead vocals, guitars, bass, drums, sound effects | 2:18 | |
7. | lead vocals, guitars, bass, drums, sound effects, brass | 2:17 | |
8. | lead guitar, sound effects | 2:18 | |
9. | lead guitar, sound effects | 2:18 | |
10. | lead vocal, backing vocals, guitars, bass, drums, sound effects | 2:17 | |
All You Need Is Love | |||
11. | backing vocals, guitar, bass, drums, strings, brass | 2:46 | |
12. | lead vocal, backing vocals, guitar, bass, percussion | 2:46 | |
13. | backing vocals, harpsichord, strings, brass | 2:46 | |
14. | lead vocal, backing vocals, harpsichord, strings, brass | 2:46 | |
15. | lead vocal, bass, drums, strings, brass | 2:48 | |
Hey Bulldog | |||
16. | vocals, guitar, bass, drums, talking and shouting | 3:12 | |
17. | vocals, piano, drums, percussion | 3:11 | |
18. | vocals | 3:00 | |
19. | vocals | 2:59 | |
20. | vocals, piano, guitar, bass, drums | 3:13 | |
It's All Too Much | |||
21. | vocals, guitar, bass, drums | 2:34 | |
22. | vocals, guitar, bass, drums, organ, percussion | 2:34 | |
23. | guitar, brass, percussion | 2:33 | |
24. | guitar, brass, percussion | 2:33 | |
25. | vocals, guitar, bass, drums, organ, percusion | 2:36 |
©2001 Graham Calkin's Beatles Pages. All Rights Reserved.