Beatles Sgt Peppers 1967 Capitol Mono LP

jenson

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i just won a bid for Beatles Sgt Peppers 1967 Mono LP...

any thoughts on Mono LP's in general..?
 
The Beatles used to take special interest for the mono mixes. The stereo stuff they would leave for the manager and staff. Usually, they monos sound superb.
 
The Beatles used to take special interest for the mono mixes. The stereo stuff they would leave for the manager and staff. Usually, they monos sound superb.

thanks for chiming in manav! anxiously awaiting this package..
 
The holy grail is the UK mono pressing with "the fool" designed inner sleeve and the cutouts. The inner sleeve was only in the first pressing, the cutouts were in all subsequent pressings. The mono has a few variations. SHe's leaving home is a faster tempo. There's a small solo that's there in mono but not in stereo in the title track. There's a few more oddities here and there which you would notice if you knew the stereo version by heart. Also, the last track, A Day In the Life, had a locked groove in the original pressings, where the album would play a loop endlessly once the last song ended.

Congrats on the purchase, hope it reaches safely. As a rule of thumb with the Beatles, in the future try to seek out original UK Parlophones and try to avoid the Capitol issues. Lots of the Capitol's don't sound as good as the UK releases, and somestimes have botched up track listings. Rubber Soul is a perfect example of this, the UK and US releases are very different.
 
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The holy grail is the UK mono pressing with "the fool" designed inner sleeve and the cutouts. The inner sleeve was only in the first pressing, the cutouts were in all subsequent pressings. The mono has a few variations. SHe's leaving home is a faster tempo. There's a small solo that's there in mono but not in stereo in the title track. There's a few more oddities here and there which you would notice if you knew the stereo version by heart. Also, the last track, A Day In the Life, had a locked groove in the original pressings, where the album would play a loop endlessly once the last song ended.

sounds good :) it's not the first press for sure...they sell for a bomb i noticed

this one was going for a song on ebay...hence picked it up..
 
Good call. I managed to pick up a UK first press for about 25 pounds last year, which I thought was a very good price. However, I know one forum member who picked it up in chor bazaar for a pittance many years ago.

There was a point where I had 3 copies of Sgt Pepper - a Canadian Capitol, a France EMI and the original UK mono. It was very difficult to part with, but I ended up selling the Capitol one to a forum member. What's cool about the Capitol one was that is was a "wide spine" release. But I figured I should learn to be happy with just 2 copies - one mono and one stereo. I also have it on CD in Mono and Stereo. Yes I am a bit obsessed :P

Just don't get me started on the White Album...
 
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Good call. I managed to pick up a UK first press for about 25 pounds last year, which I thought was a very good price. However, I know one forum member who picked it up in chor bazaar for a pittance many years ago.

There was a point where I had 3 copies of Sgt Pepper - a Canadian Capitol, a France EMI and the original UK mono. It was very difficult to part with, but I ended up selling the Capitol one to a forum member. What's cool about the Capitol one was that is was a "wide spine" release. But I figured I should learn to be happy with just 2 copies - one mono and one stereo. I also have it on CD in Mono and Stereo. Yes I am a bit obsessed :P

Just don't get me started on the White Album...

what about the white album? :)
 
I need to get my hands on an original UK mono :D Unfortunately I might have to sell my soul in order to afford one :P

BUT, I do have the white album in 2 versions on vinyl, both stereo. One is an original press from 68, but an Italian pressing. It's actually very good, and it's a tube cut which is even better. The other copy is a newer reissue, which is not bad.. it does have all the inserts and photos which is cool. White Album holds the honour of being the only CD i own 3 copies of! So I have 5 copies of the White album in different physical formats!
 
I need to get my hands on an original UK mono :D Unfortunately I might have to sell my soul in order to afford one :P

BUT, I do have the white album in 2 versions on vinyl, both stereo. One is an original press from 68, but an Italian pressing. It's actually very good, and it's a tube cut which is even better. The other copy is a newer reissue, which is not bad.. it does have all the inserts and photos which is cool. White Album holds the honour of being the only CD i own 3 copies of! So I have 5 copies of the White album in different physical formats!

jeez man, and my pop think's im nuts :)
 
Tek's post #4 puts the picture in the correct perspective. Capitol in the US tweaked around with the sound for all the early releases to make them sound (to them) more radio friendly. This doctored sound is significantly different from the Parlophone mixes. All the Beatles tracks were recorded in Stereo - 2 and 4 track initially - before being mixed down to Mono. The original Mono mixes were carefully crafted under direct supervision from John and Paul - they left the stereo mixes to the Parlophone engineers. This was because they considered Mono to be more important back then, as the majority of music lovers in Britain - then still economically well behind the USA- had Mono systems only. Stereo systems, in Britain, only started getting market share in the late 60s, when the economic climate started to improve.

The Beatles, also, did not believe in shortchanging their customers - they issued many songs as Singles only, and those titles were not included in the Albums. (Which is why it is worthwhile to get the two 'Past Masters' collections - they compile all the early Singles)

In America, Capitol included Singles into the Album track listings,, and they also changed the original sequencing. Most Parlophone LPs up to Revolver had 14 tracks, while the Capitol issues has just 10 or 11.

The album titles were also different: In the UK, you had Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night, Beatles for Sale, Help, Rubber Soul and Revolver.

In the US, it was Meet the Beatles, The Beatles Second album, Something Else, The Early Beatles, Beatles VI, and so on.

It was only from Sgt. Pepper onwards, that the Parlophone and Capitol releases had the same titles and the same song listings, though there again the Parlophones still sound much better. One exception: Magical Mystery Tour was released as a double EP in the UK, but Capitol released itas an LP by cobbling together a few additional singles.

John Lennon famously once said: 'Listen to Sgt.Pepper in Mono, it's the real deal'.
 
no wonder there were no takers for the Capiol version :)

thnx for the tips guys! and yes, i do now notice parlophone records go for much higher rates.
 
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