Revolver [VINYL]

Product Information

Martin: No — it happens all over the stereo, actually. But certain cases are interesting enough where I could separate the acoustic guitar and the drums on the other side of the brain completely — but it doesn’t sound right if I do so. The acoustic guitar sounds like it needs the drums near it, you know. There are certain things where you feel like you’ve lost your keys — like something has gone missing. Imagine they would offer the Beatles albums in 24bit 192kHz unfudged. No limiting on peak transients, no Eq. Just edits, fades and fixing bad splices. The Revolver box set of course showcases the Grammy-winning original album artwork created by The Beatles’ longtime friend, German bassist, artist — and, for some of the solo-era Beatles, future musical collaborator — Klaus Voormann. But we also get to see the alternate cover art by longtime photographer/collaborator Robert Friedman, who had done many of their album cover photos including the iconic one for With The Beatles (a.k.a. Meet The Beatles in the U.S.). More literal in concept, the alternate Revolver cover design gracing the Sessions LP gatefold cover features a groovy swirling collage of images of all four Beatles. It is very cool in its own way, but I can kind of see why they opted to not go with it. Martin: And when it comes to the vinyl — I mean, we are in the digital domain cutting the vinyl, but it does mean we can do a half-speed cut, for instance. That means we get a more accurate cut, and a better-sounding vinyl. [Note: All Revolver vinyl is being pressed at GZ, in the Czech Republic.] Mettler: Was there ever any thought of going with 140-gram vinyl for Revolver, as opposed to 180-gram? Did that ever come up?

But, you ask, is it perfect? Well, Revolver as an album is already perfect unto itself [Agreed!—MM], and that designation of perfection will always be bestowed upon the original mono mix as constructed by The Beatles with original producer George Martin in 1966. However, the box set’s new stereo mix is a close second, for those of you who enjoy two-channel listening (Beatles or otherwise). It is a strong improvement over the earlier stereo mixes, revealing many new sonic details which were previously not possible. It’s like we have too much bias in life anyway — too many preconceptions. People decide they want to hear something in a different way, then they do hear it a different way. I mean, a) I’m not deleting anything people already have, but b) I couldn’t do what I do if I was working in a purely analog domain. It would be impossible. It’s as simple as that. What a pity that they are not able to give us (audiophile) consumers that experience. The finished product does not sound like it. Instead, Klaus Voorman’s hand-drawn art and collage — which includes The Beatles’ real eyes of psychedelic “experience” piercing through to the knowing viewer — capture more of the irreverent, forward-looking mood of where The Beatles actually were in 1966, and where the then-burgeoning underground music scene was heading via West Coast and London psychedelia movements alike.I will get into the good stuff right from the jump, since I know a lot of you want to know how I (and we here at AP in general!) feel about this new stereo mix. To borrow a phrase from Adrian Belew of King Crimson, I like it!

Mettler: Is there one best “cake moment” for Revolver where you were like, “This is what de-mixing was meant to help me do”?Mettler: Before we go, even though I know you’re not allowed to say what’s coming, just tell me this — how good will [December 1965’s] Rubber Soul sound when you do that album for the next special edition? Martin: Yeah — I just say, we don’t listen to ones and zeros. We listen to soundwaves. So, listen — I love tape, and I work with old gear and compressors. Here’s the interesting thing. I worked on a George Harrison film called Living in the Material World [which was released in October 2011], and I did an album from that [called Early Takes: Volume 1, released in May 2012]. I remember the vinyl cut of that sounded more digital to me than the digital version because of the way it was cut — and I wanted to go change it. Martin: I think the simplest thing for people to understand it, and the best way to explain it is, imagine having a cake and saying, “Okay, I want to make a different cake, but I haven’t got the ingredients. What I have to do is, I want the butter. I want the flour. I want the milk. I want the sugar. I want the eggs — and I want them all separated so I can make a different cake with them.” That is the technology. It’s like taking something that’s already been baked, and then cutting out the original ingredients. And he’ll talk about the dynamics. Generally, he’s really happy. When we come across the guitar solo in “Taxman,” which I think I have on the right-hand side, he’ll go, “Let's turn it up in the middle to make it loud,” or say the same with the guitars in “And Your Bird Can Sing.” And then we talk about the song. That’s the way we’ll work through it.

Mark Smotroff is an avid vinyl collector who has also worked in marketing communications for decades. He has reviewed music for AudiophileReview.com, among others, and you can see more of his impressive C.V. at LinkedIn. A literal lifelong Beatles fan, Mark confirms one of his three earliest life memories from his childhood is of watching The Beatles debut on The Ed Sullivan Show with his family in 1964.)

On The Go

My only wish to make this fine box set even finer would have been for the Apple corps to have given us even more! Most hardcore Beatles fans like us would have loved another album or two of outtakes and rehearsals, of course. But, hey, the music itself herein is great, and, clearly, a lot of love and care went into its creation — and it all sounds pretty terrific too on vinyl. I’m happy about this new Super Deluxe Revolver 4LP/1EP box set, hands down — and I think you will be too! If you are considering buying the new 180g 4LP/1EP Super Deluxe Edition vinyl box set celebrating The Beatles’ landmark August 1966 album Revolver that’s set for release on October 28, then you’ve come to the right place. This set features a striking new stereo remix helmed by producer Giles Martin and is a fantastic addition to The Beatles catalog, providing a tremendous insight into the music as well as into its making. Martin: (laughs) Listen — I don’t know. I really haven’t thought about it. I generally have not thought about that yet. I kind of always need a break from The Beatles, so I’m doing no Beatles for the next six months or so, maybe longer. I will be doing some films over that time, and maybe some work for some other people.