The Beatles 1962-1966 on vinyl redux

On November 10th, as we were gearing up to Remembrance Day after the release of the "new" single Now And Then a week before two very different versions of albums we've known for all our lives appeared in both vinyl record and compact disc.

We're going to talk exclusively about the vinyl edition.

Originally coming out in 1973 the Beatles 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 compilations known to a number of us as the RED and BLUE albums were either gateways into their music growing up in a post Beatles pop world or neat resumés for original fans.

What made them so essential was they took all the hit singles and added a good selection of notable tracks from their albums in chronological order capturing well the essence of the Beatles appeal and their musical development plus  added the lyrics for every song on the inner sleeves.

Short of putting them in a box with a glossy booklet wrapped up with ribbon they could not of been better so over fifty years they've always been around in a variety of formats from records, cassette and 8 track tapes to the compact disc and being given copies for many of us was a rite of passage musically.

One thing they cannot be ignored is however the stereo mixes especially of many of the songs on RED are rather primitive with vocals and backing at the far sides of the stereo image and nothing in the middle which doesn't work too well on headphones.

Compared with today there were only a handful at best of individual tracks to create a stereo mix from and in any event that just wasn't the main aim in how the recording session was done as in the early sixties especially mono was king with most recordings being played on mono portable record players apart from the more well to do grown ups who bought classical, show and film soundtracks who quickly brought into stereo sound.

One major structural difference between the two cd set and the vinyl edition lies in how the expanded track selection is handled which is that the cd has the new selections placed between the original twenty six while the vinyl version keeps the original order but places the extras one the third disc.

Used initially in assembling the Get Back film and then in the new edition of Revolver last year using Artificial Intelligence so it would "learn" all the elements which then gives you lots of separate tracks you can remix this has been applied to every song on RED for this edition.

Thus for the first time ever we get "true stereo" Love Me Do from the original singles version too and She Loves You which have only ever existed in mono although to my ears the source of that track sounds inferior to all previous editions.

Many of those irritating hole in middle vocals on one side mixes have been redone totally and even generally good stereo mixes like Ticket To Ride have the drive reduced in stereo album mixes restored that the original mono 45 had.

Yesterday's string quartet is now spread across both channels which as long term classical musicI know is how they appear.

In the main this works and especially well on the Rubber Soul tracks which bolds well for the much looked forward to remixed stereo version of that album easily the worst in stereo in the catalogue.

Observant eyes will have noticed there's more tracks on the rear cover of the cd (on vinyl the listing is at the bottom of the gatefold photograph like the original)  - 34 not 26 - which allows for a better selection from albums as the beatles generally didn't have singles on albums unless they came out before or were tied in things like the films.

While the criticism could be made the 1973 original was over heavy in representing Rubber Soul, oddly that has gained yet another track so now half of that album appears on this compilation and a similar number from Revolver.

Strangely there has no improvement in the representation of Beatles For Sale (Beatles '65/VI in the North American original Capitol albums) with just Eight Day's A Week, a U.S. chart topper from early 1965 making that the least represented album.

On vinyl the mastering is better as in wider dynamics and sound-staging compared with the cd but that decision to place the extra tracks is awkward feeling like a bonus compilation rather than an integral part of this new version.

I can see for regular playing the 2014 all analogue issue using the original 1973 mixes but with the fake stereo replaced by mono being the regular played edition but this is a great new envisioned version especially for the second side with remixes from Rubber Soul and Revolver which had issues in the original stereo mixes and that bonus disc.

Reflections on the Beatles on CD 2022 edition

This year is the sixtieth year since that first rather Bluesy beatles single Love Me Do was issued, some thirty-five years since the first regular Beatles product appeared on cd and thirteen years since the last major series of remastered cds.

To me it's a good point assess just how that legacy in the modern digital formats stacks up as while vinyl editions remain available new and of course there are stacks of used older editions from around the world to be had, for most digital is the format of convenience.

Their output appeared in two sets of mixes mono and stereo, sometimes with very marked differences and so it's apples and oranges when it comes to comparing each and with digital with just two exceptions those editions are identical world wide.

Comparing the two main studio albums series available individually the original 1987 issues and the 2009 stereo remasters the main change was that the first four albums were mono only in 1987.

Thus in general terms if you want stereo, then really you have little choice which is unfortunate because to be honest I was disappointed overall with how the whole stereo series sounded.

Comparing the two main sets it is clear the act of transferring the original analogue tapes to a high resolution digital transfer was better on the 2009 set avoiding such errors as playing mono tapes on a stereo machine that can and did show the sound altering between the channels and sounding phasy too especially on Please Please Me.

Where it all went wrong was how those transfers were equalized, often sounding bloated in the bass on on some tracks in an attempt to deal with the strident original sound losing any high frequency detail.

Take the famous opening chord on A Hard Day's Night in the stereo cd.

It is muted in its high end and sounds as if the tape is mangled for a few seconds which the stereo mix issued in 1993's first cd issue of the 1962-1966 double album is not.

Much of that stereo cd version is murky in a way the original vinyl editions, heck even Capitol's Something New album on the earliest vinyl editions was not.

Comparing the stereo cd of A Hard Day's Night to the tracks within the 2014 US Albums set that used the same transfers, you can hear better equalization choices and clearer sound on that showing it was those steps that went wrong.

This said while like the whole set there is a bit of limiting going on, actually the stereo Beatles For Sale sounds better than any mono issue and can be recommended.

The stereo Please Please Me and With The Beatles  if you need stereo are acceptable although the mono mixes in the Beatles In Mono box to my ears sound better.

For A Hard Day's Night the only physical copy on cd  that can be recommended is the mono edition in the Mono Box.

If the stereos were a disappointment, that mono box was a gem and remains so and not just for reasons of sound and things like the Mono Sergeant Pepper it's also for this.

In vinyl cutting there's always a gap - banding - between songs and back in the day it was around six seconds which that set preserves but the stereo 2009 set reduces it to about three which isn't long enough for you focus on the next song sounding more like a playlist than an actual album.

Taking the next two albums up, both the 1987 and 2009 share a common issue, the use of a digital remix from 1986 that has solid state echo over applied and with the exceptions of certain Canadian Cinram/Disque Americ pressed copies that used a previously supplied original stereo transfer in error, the Japan 50th anniversary and Beatles in Mono boxes are the only ones on digital formats.

I wouldn't recommend either the 1987 or 2009 on grounds of authenticity or sound quality and not for the first time that Mono Box set comes to the rescue for having the actual 1965 stereo mixes which in case of Help always sounded better with good stereo mix included as bonuses.

I prefer Rubber Soul in mono as the extreme stereo separation drives me to distraction.

Revolver in stereo has a distracting mix but the 2009 is very bloated and murky sounding unlike the same tracks in the US Albums set split between the US Revolver and Yesterday & Today showing the same errors as in A Hard Day's Night.

She Said, She Said sounds dull on the 2009 stereo so my choice for the whole UK album on one disc is the 1987 which does sound more balanced if not perfect.

Really from this album through Sgt Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour "White Album", Abbey Road  and Let It Be, the bloat shows coupled with a diminished sound stage so while those with much money are free to chase the very rare 1983 Japan only Abbey Road, the rest of us are better off buying used copies of the 1987 releases which apart from the lack of bloat also have better dynamics.

Only Abbey Road and Let it Be were mixed in stereo only and the mono versions in the Mono box are great sounding of the others not least for the more complete and satisfactory mono mix of Sgt Pepper.

Overall I'd say get the Mono Box if you don't have it now, top up with the 2009 Beatles for Sale, add the 1987 stereos from Revolver to White Album if needed and straight to the 1987 last pair.

Past Masters is the catch up spot created in 1988 and neither are perfect as the 1988 set stays with mono until the four track I Want To Hold Your hand appears and has very very narrow stereo version of the two German Language tracks while the 2009 is stereo where available.

For how little used copies of the 1988 can be had, I'd get both as while for all but Get Back being a bit dull and the irritant of missed last drum fills on Ballad of John and Joko, Past Masters Vol:2 sounds easier on the ear than disc two in the 2009 but the 2009 Disc 1 while having a bit more bass than I care for has the stereo and is the only place for the stereo From Me To You in the catalogue.

If you got the Mono Box, then Mono Masters within it gives you the mono singles mixes that were not on any UK album served sounding really well and is better than the 1988/9 three inch  and 1991 five inch cd singles box sets for that material.

The 1992 EP Box set is usually ignored probably because today in terms of mixes there is only one variant in it and changing discs every six to eight minutes isn't for everyone.

That said, they were taken with the exception of Long Tall Sally and Magical Mystery Tour EP from tapes a generation down than the albums, do have a more warmer sound to them and do feature some unique cover art.

As well those EP's were conceived as just that so to just hear Long Tall Sally outside of anything else in the original mono is great while the Magical Mystery Tour set has the six songs in their EP tracklist order in mono and stereo and with Baby You're a Rich Man appearing in the bonus "stereo" EP a case can be made that armed with a cd of 1967-1970, you'd have all the songs in stereo.

That's because the Magical Mystery Tour album was the UK EP with two A sides, a Double A side and a B side of their most recent hits and so only all the A sides complete with Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever are on 1967-1970.

The sound of the Magical Mystery Tour EP is fuller without being bloated on that set too.

I think it's worth having a set for those reasons apart from just handling a physical replica of discs teens bought back then although it's not essential.

The 2016 cleaned up Live at the Hollywood Bowl cover art aside is a better listen than the 1977 "At the Hollywood Bowl" lp and unofficial cds, managing to tame the audience screams and bring more of the performance off the tapes.

It is imperfect but offers a slice of what Beatlemania was all about that money cannot buy today, an expression of the Young People of the world to something that was so fresh and new.
 

Let It Be-at last

One certainty is that every few years or so on this blog there will be a Beatles related post even if I don't go into buying boxes of remixed celebratory reissues of albums or singles which been coming out in the last few years.

This as any beatle fan knows was the last issued Studio album although it was recorded before Abbey Road and tied into the film of the same name that originally was supposed to show a band recording in a studio recording new songs but ended up documenting the fractures within the band that lead to their breakup in 1970. That's probably why the original film isn't allowed out on dvd and blu ray - too painful for all still around.
I've been on the look out ever since getting the SHM cd in 2015 of getting a really good original all analogue cut record and recently obtained a copy. 

 That first sentence was a laugh, new phase-more like last album really but when you have Allan Klein as manager and Phil Spector brought on to make it more commercial you can expect such claims.
One clue for it's original is on the back namely this is a British cut and pressed record from nineteen eighy-one where that green Apple logo changed from red to green, backed in April.

American copies had a red apple logo but this has the "Granny Smith" apple in light green and for those who care has the stamper matrix numbers of YEX 773-3U and YEX 774-4  being cut by one Harry T Moss at Abbey Road.
This copy apart from minor wear to the jacket which to be honest may well of happened to it had I bought it around then, is in excellent plus condition with no wear and dead quiet when the music stops.
It can join my 1979 British Abbey Road for preferred stereo only releases as I generally like the older albums in mono having the complete all analogue mono reissues from 2014.

R.I.P Sir George Martin, producer

Yesterday morning, I woke to  the news that the acclaimed music producer, Sir George Martin had died at the age of 90.

This was what I posted at one site:
Inevitable I guess but ignore his many professional achievements and abilities for a moment, he was simply just a lovely guy who had a successful marriage, children who were well brought up and who in his work put people very much at ease. Professionally his understanding of music and ability to play well helped artists achieve the sounds they wanted us, their audiences to hear.
A marvellous legacy left and great life lived. R.I.P. Sir George

Project X, Part V, playing tapes

Project X is alive and well playing music in Lossy and Lossless forms from my Fiio music players line output from one of Eight micro sd cards as well as from a elderly Toshiba cd player.
I like quite a few people have a good number of cassettes not least pre-recorded ones I bought from the mid 1970's to mid 1990's I moved from cassette based portable listening to MiniDisc and had been thinking of how to play them back on this mini system.

Enter a unused Sony TX 313 mini sized fully functional cassette deck from a MiniDisc system I got from someone who never ever used it so it was still boxed and shrinkwrapped from the late 1990's.
Oddly enough it uses a car type side slot way of loading the tapes into it but unlike car units this does record and has auto tape type sensing to read the extra tabs for type II ('Chrome') and IV (Metal) tapes although the latter are no longer available new plus I seriously doubt it's tape heads really are up to making full advantage of such tapes electrically

The rear has RCA line in and outs, with the out going via a expensive Cambridge Pacific interconnect to the input selector with a maximum of 0.5 volts out depending on the program loudness and the AV bus for Sony mini systems it was sold with for synchronized cd to tape copying.
The unit is blessed with switchable Dolby B noise reduction for proper replay and recording of such tapes plus auto reverse so it can play one  side of the tape and switch by itself to the other. 
According to the specifications it reproduces up to 14khz for type I tapes and 15khz for types II and IV which is decent if not as wide as most full sized hifi cassette decks so the high frequencies will be clear but not quite as extended as the best units can achieve.
It is making an excellent job of replaying my 1980's EMI UK dolbyized Beatles pre-recorded cassettes which were amongst the best sounded tapes manufactured and part of reason I held out so long against the cd as portable listening was and remains a big part of my life and why my Fiio is my 'to go' digital playing device on headphones or connected to this system.
I like high quality portable formats more

Beatles bootleg recordings

Christmas may of come early for Beatles fans yesterday when for a limited period  a series of 59 previously unissued tracks  were released but not without drama on several internet sites as these tracks had appeared on the iTunes Stores starting in New Zealand briefly  but appear only to had been up for a matter of minutes in the UK before they were taken down, leaving fans feeling cheated. The ensuing controversy was reported on CNN and in the Times of England newspaper. 
They did reappear but with a sizable price hike although sources close to Apple/Universal suggest this was more the price point they had in mind and the original one an error although it seems odd such a mistake could of happened on a high profile project such as anything connected to the Beatles.
The driver for this project seems to have been the recent extension from 50 to 70 years of copyright laws  from 1963 across the European Union including in the UK that had a rider added that unissued tracks would revert after 50 years to "Public Domain", usable by anyone. Thus by issuing however briefly they become copyright with Apple/Universal being the rights owners controlling their usage.
As for the material itself, there are a few Abbey Road studio tracks including a number of takes of Misery which are interesting to listen to for the fluffed moments and banter between the four Liverpool lads and a number of recordings recorded at the BBC studios for various shows that for a variety of reasons hadn't been considered for the Live at the BBC and recent second Live at the BBC  albums.
Being Mastered For iTunes (MFiT), the sound quality for the studio material is of a very high standard being close to that of a regular cd.
This isn't for regular Beatles fans who are better served with the studio albums and various hits and BBC recording packages but more those who want to hear everything they did comparing multiple versions.

They may well be a break before the next blog update due to Christmas activities so do enjoy the upcoming season.

At last here they are the Beatles re-mastered!

Finally after 22 years they are here.
I bought that Beatles in Mono box pictured above - the best part of GBP 199.98 - because it seemed to the only box of the two (there was a Stereo Box) that offered anything really essential and not otherwise available.

To start with the cds are all mono - the way many in the 1960's first heard them - and also the priority for mixing the separate tracks together by the record studios as most people bought mono records back then. Often the stereo versions had much less time spent on them so bits of the original mono mix just didn't make it into the stereo.
Most of these have been unavailable since the early 1980's (and then for a very limited time).

Then there's the packaging.
These cds have all been made in Japan with what is called a 'mini lp' form. That's to say they are made to resemble a miniature lp record sleeve using high quality card reproducing exactly the front and rear covers of the originals. There are replica inner sleeves with the designs used for each lp with the actual cd in a mylar wallet to keep it from getting scratched.
The individual cds have original period Parlophone, Capitol and Apple label designs featured for the centre labels of the lps.
The whole cd is then packed in archive quality acid free resealable see through envelope to protect it.























The box has been carefully designed to store the discs with a slide in disc storage compartment to make getting them out to play easy.

The Discs:
Please Please Me
With The Beatles
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles For Sale
Help! *
Rubber Soul *
Revolver
Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles (Also known as the "White Album" )
Mono Masters - a compilation of singles and EP tracks issued in mono that were not on any UK studio album.

* = These have the original stereo versions also on the same disc NOT the remixes done for cd.
The transfer to cd is extremely good - something that was a problem with the original cds issued in 1987.

Stereo cds:
I mentioned the stereo box earlier on but all that gave you was a box and a DVD of mini Documentaries than were added on the CD's to play on your computer.
As it was cheaper to buy the discs separately I passed on that.
I bought the following titles
Please Please Me
With The Beatles
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles For Sale
Revolver
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles (aka "White Album")
Abbey Road
Let It Be
Past Masters - a compilation of mainly stereo mixes of tracks issued on 45's and EP's that didn't make the UK studio albums

The sound on these discs do sound superficially attractive but to me the bass seems overdone which is more noticeable on Abbey Road and The Beatles which also has the quieter tracks like Long Long Long raised in volume which takes away the contrast of all previous versions.

A Hard Day's Night and to an Extent Revolver have muddiness and some dull patches like the start of A Hard Day's Night and the whole of She Said She Said.

These come in a folding cardboard package with a booklet about the album and pictures Unfortunately the discs aren't protected from the cardboard (grrr) but you can put them in mylar rounded bottom sleeves as they will fit in the slots where the discs are meant to go.

Oh yes they're coming.....Fab news!!!!!

20 days to go and this is how the stereo discs will look. Notice the period label designs replicating that of the original records.
I have heard samples of the re-mastering for these albums and I have to say I am extremely impressed with the tonality - some might prefer slightly flatter treble - with very little signs of the misuse of noise reduction. Heck you can hear the tape hiss on When I'm Sixty-Four plus the bass on Come Together is incredible. The star of the re-mastering is in the presence region:frankly I have never heard it so clear almost as if you're in the session hearing John and Paul.
As for limiting if there is any, it is very little and seems to have been applied on a track by track basis so this is no 'horror story' unlike many modern re-mastering jobs that just have two volume settings - loud and off.
Whilst this project may not be what some might wish for one thing is plain, these compact discs are a genuine improvement on the originals from 1987/8 and are worth picking up come September 9th.

Past Masters: A while back I mentioned we were going to get the stereo From Me To You we used to have on lp and tape plus Thank You girl minus the echo on the Capitol record Second Album this time around.
Well I can confirm the German Language She Loves You and I Want To Hold Your Hand will be stereo too just as they were on the Capitol Something New and Rarities albums rather than the almost mono versions used back in 1988. Plus they've re-done the edits on She Loves You and cleaned up the transfer from 45 rpm record of the original single version of Love Me Do.

Beatles re-masters announced

Apple/Capitol EMI press release

7th April 2009

Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music are delighted to announce the release of the original Beatles catalogue, which has been digitally re-mastered for the first time, for worldwide CD release on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (9-9-09), the same date as the release of the widely anticipated "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game. Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

The albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilizing state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release.

The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and 'Magical Mystery Tour,' which became part of The Beatles' core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987. In addition, the collections 'Past Masters Vol. I and II' are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs. This will mark the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc. These 14 albums, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available for purchase together in a stereo boxed set.

Within each CD's new packaging, booklets include detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. With the exception of the 'Past Masters' set, newly produced mini-documentaries on the making of each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, are included as QuickTime files on each album. The documentaries contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere.

Discussions regarding the digital distribution of the catalogue will continue. There is no further information available at this time

Re-mastering the Beatles catalogue (notes)

The re-mastering process commenced with an extensive period conducting tests before finally copying the analogue master tapes into the digital medium. When this was completed, the transfer was achieved using a Pro Tools workstation operating at 24 bit 192 kHz resolution via a Prism A-D converter. Transferring was a lengthy procedure done a track at a time. Although EMI tape does not suffer the oxide loss associated with some later analogue tapes, there was nevertheless a slight build up of dust, which was removed from the tape machine heads between each title.

From the onset, considerable thought was given to what audio restorative processes were going to be allowed. It was agreed that electrical clicks, microphone vocal pops, excessive sibilance and bad edits should be improved where possible, so long as it didn’t impact on the original integrity of the songs.

In addition, de-noising technology, which is often associated with re-mastering, was to be used, but subtly and sparingly. Eventually, less than five of the 525 minutes of Beatles music was subjected to this process. Finally, as is common with today’s music, overall limiting - to increase the volume level of the CD - has been used, but on the stereo versions only. However, it was unanimously agreed that because of the importance of The Beatles’ music, limiting would be used moderately, so as to retain the original dynamics of the recordings.

When all of the albums had been transferred, each song was then listened to several times to locate any of the agreed imperfections. These were then addressed by Guy Massey, working with Audio Restoration engineer Simon Gibson.

Mastering could now take place, once the earliest vinyl pressings, along with the existing CDs, were loaded into Pro Tools, thus allowing comparisons to be made with the original master tapes during the equalization process. When an album had been completed, it was auditioned the next day in studio three – a room familiar to the engineers, as all of the recent Beatles mixing projects had taken place in there – and any further alteration of EQ could be addressed back in the mastering room. Following the initial satisfaction of Guy and Steve, Allan Rouse and Mike Heatley then checked each new re-master in yet another location and offered any further suggestions. This continued until all 13 albums were completed to the team’s satisfaction.

New Notes/Documentaries Team

Kevin Howlett (Historical and Recording Notes)
Kevin Howlett’s career as an award-winning radio producer spans three decades. His music programmes for the BBC have included many documentaries about The Beatles, including 'The Beeb's Lost Beatles Tapes.' He received a Grammy nomination for his involvement with The Beatles’ album 'Live At The BBC' and, in 2003, produced the 'Fly On The Wall' bonus disc for 'Let It Be… Naked.'

Mike Heatley (Historical Notes)
Mike entered the music business via HMV Record Stores in 1970, transferring to EMI Records' International Division three years later. He eventually headed up that division in the early Eighties before joining the company's newly created Strategic Marketing Division in 1984. In 1988, he returned to International, where he undertook a number of catalogue marketing roles until he retired in December 2008.

During his career he worked with many of EMI's major artists, including Pink Floyd, Queen, Kate Bush and Iron Maiden. However, during the last 30 years he has formed a particularly strong relationship with Apple, and has been closely involved in the origination and promotion of the Beatles catalogue, besides solo releases from John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Bob Smeaton (Director, Mini-Documentaries)
Bob Smeaton was series director and writer on the Grammy award winning 'Beatles Anthology' TV series which aired in the UK and the USA in 1995. In 1998 he received his second Grammy for his ‘Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys’ documentary. In 2004 he gained his first feature film credit, as director on the feature documentary ‘Festival Express.' He subsequently went on to direct documentaries on many of the world's biggest music acts including The Who, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Elton John, Nirvana and the Spice Girls.

Julian Caiden (Editor, Mini-Documentaries)
Julian has worked with Bob Smeaton on numerous music documentaries including 'Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys' and the 'Classic Albums' series, featuring The Who, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Elton John and Nirvana among others. He has worked on documentary profiles from Richard Pryor to Dr. John to Sir Ian McKellen, Herbie Hancock and Damien Hirst and on live music shows including the New York Dolls and Club Tropicana.

The Abbey Road Team

Allan Rouse (Project Coordinator)
Allan joined EMI straight from school in 1971 at their Manchester Square head office, working as an assistant engineer in the demo studio. During this time he frequently worked with Norman (Hurricane) Smith, The Beatles’ first recording engineer.

In 1991, he had his first involvement with The Beatles, copy¬ing all of their master tapes (mono, stereo, 4-track and 8-track) to digital tape as a safety backup. This was followed by four years working with Sir George Martin as assistant and project coordinator on the TV documentary 'The Making of Sgt. Pepper's' and the CDs 'Live at the BBC' and 'The Anthol¬ogy.'

In 1997, MGM/UA were preparing to reissue the film 'Yellow Submarine' and, with the permission of Apple, asked that all of The Beatles’ music be mixed for the film in 5.1 surround and stereo. Allan requested the services of Abbey Road’s senior engineer Peter Cobbin and assistant Guy Massey and, along with them, produced the new mixes.

Two years later, he proposed an experimental stereo and surround mix of John Lennon's song 'Imagine' engineered by Peter Cobbin. Following lengthy consultations with Yoko Ono, the album 'Imagine' was re-mixed in stereo and the Grammy award-winning film 'Gimme Some Truth' in surround and new stereo. This led to a further five of John’s albums being re-mastered with new stereo mixes and the DVD release of 'Lennon Legend' being re-mixed in 5.1 surround and new stereo.

Further projects followed, including The Beatles ‘Anthol¬ogy', 'The First US Visit' and ‘Help’ DVD and the albums ‘Let It Be…Naked’ and ‘Love’ along with George Harrison’s 'Concert for Bangladesh' DVD and album.

For a number of years now, Allan has worked exclusively on Beatles and related projects.

Guy Massey (Recording Engineer)
Guy joined Abbey Road in 1994, and five years later assisted on the surround remix for The Beatles film 'Yellow Submarine.' This led to The Beatles’ 'Anthology' DVD and later, along with Paul Hicks and Allan Rouse, they mixed and produced 'Let It Be… Naked.' In 2004 he left the studios to become freelance and has engineered The Divine Comedy: 'Victory for the Comic Muse,' Air Traffic: 'Fractured Life,' James Dean Bradfield: 'The Great Western' and Stephen Fretwell’s 'Magpie,' co-producing the last two. Since leaving, Guy is still a vital member of the team, and has been the senior engineer for the re-mastering project and was responsible for surround and new stereo mixes for the DVD release of 'Help!'

Steve Rooke (Mastering Engineer)
Steve joined Abbey Road in 1983 and is now the studio’s senior mastering engineer. He has been involved on all The Beatles’ projects since 1999. He has also been responsible for mastering releases by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Paul Hicks (Recording Engineer)
Paul started at Abbey Road in 1994, and his first involvement with The Beatles was assisting engineer Geoff Emerick on the Anthology albums. This was followed by 'Yellow Submarine Songtrack,' 'Anthology' DVD and 'Let It Be… Naked.' Like Guy Massey, he has also become a freelance engineer and since leaving the studios he has been responsible for the surround mixing of Paul McCartney’s DVD 'The McCartney Years' and The Beatles' 'Love.' Paul has been in charge of the mono re-masters.

Sean Magee (Mastering Engineer)
Sean began working at Abbey Road in 1995 with a diploma in sound engineering. With a wealth of knowledge in analog and digital mastering, he has worked alongside Paul Hicks on the mono re-masters.

Sam Okell (Recording Engineer)
Sam’s first job as a member of the team was in 2006, assisting Paul Hicks on Paul McCartney’s DVD 'The McCartney Years,' and during that same year he was responsible for the re-mastering of George Harrison’s 'Living In The Material World' CD along with Steve Rooke. This led to him restoring the soundtrack to the Beatles film 'Help!' in surround and stereo, in addition to assisting Guy Massey with the song remixes.

Sam has re-mastered 'With The Beatles' and 'Let It Be.'

Simon Gibson (Audio Restoration Engineer)
Simon joined Abbey Road in 1990. He has progressed from mastering mostly classical recordings to include a much wider range of music, including pop and rock, with his specialized role as an audio restoration engineer. Apart from the re-mastering project, his other work includes George Harrison’s 'Living In The Material World,' John Lennon’s 'Lennon Legend,' The Beatles’ 'Love' and the 'Help!' DVD soundtrack.

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