Disco de The Beatles: “Yellow Submarine Songtrack”

Hi, I wanted to let customers know that the 2012 Yellow Submarine Songtrack has the same sound as the 1999 cd (same mastering/mixes). The only difference is the packaging. The 2012 cd is housed in a digipak case (like the 2009 stereo remasters) while the 1999 cd is in a jewel case. I love the mixes on this album. The guitars and other instruments on "Love You To" really stand-out now vs the original mix from Revolver. Plus, for the completists, "Only a Northern Song" is in true stereo. This is the only album that features "Only a Northern Song" in true stereo (1969 LP Stereo Version is fake stereo, Anthology 2's stereo version is from alternate takes, & the 2009 remaster on Yellow Sub album is true mono as no stereo version exists of the original mix). This digipak is a welcome addition to my stereo remasters black box.

Check out the Wikipedia page for more information on the mixes.

Thank you for reading!

Chris

Yesterday my 20 and 19 y/o sons surprised me with the Yellow Submarine soundtrack, knowing I am still a Beatles fan at heart. The experience after listening to it was exhilarating! EMI learned from the Anthology sessions in early 1995. The remastering job is outstanding, bringing back to life these tracks which pretty much sound as fresh as being recorded recently. The voices which used to appear in the single right channel are spread nicely, and you'll notice the three part harmony singing as if recorded on separate microphones. The strings, bass, percussion is punchier, clear and with an outstanding stereo spacing. After listening, I enjoyed jumping to Hey, Bulldog and to It's all too much as I did 21 years ago! The other conclusion is that EMI should learn that with those tapes, they are still sitting in a gold mine, and I would not mind (neither many people I know) purchasing probably from A Hard Day's Night until Abbey Road if beautifully remastered in this fashion. I am in my mid forties, and this listening experience still provides listening pleasure and a good dose of nostalgia with a smile. Positively recommended!

When "Yellow Submarine" was released on DVD back in 1999 we got a treat--songs from the film that were remixed for stereo which made this essential for most Beatles fans (particularly those clamoring for remixes).

The good news is that this release, like the original 1999, isn't brickwalled. The bad news is that it hasn't been remastered and sounds exactly the same as the original release so there's really no need to upgrade unless you want a uniform booklet to go with the other Beatles releases on CD when the remasters came out in 2009. These sound as they did before--they are more compressed than the original CD releases of these songs but still sound pretty good.

The missed opportunity here is the inclusion of a 5.1 DVD (or Blu-ray) audio release of the songs included here. Since the new Blu-ray and DVD release of this removed the 5.1 music only track as a bonus feature (I'm not really sure why unless they planned on releasing it with this BUT changed their mind at the last minute or simply just forgot to port it over for the new DVD/Blu-ray release).

So--to rebuy or not? My advice would be to save your money for another release as this doesn't improve on the original and doesn't sound at all different. If there had been the inclusion of a 5.1 multi-channel mix or SACD, I could recommend buying it again but, given we don't get anything new here, save your money if you already bought it.

It's a great "songtrack" album though.

Let me get right to the point. I am in love with the Beatles. Not in a screaming teenage girl way, but in a mature and completely awed way. I own every single album by the Beatles (at least the British versions... they are the only ones available on CD) and this was the last that I purchased. The reason? Well, it is mostly material which can be found on other albums. But I was on a quest to own every single song by the Beatles and I needed this album to do it.

I will be the first person to tell you that this album is flawed. The order is almost the way the songs appear in the film, but it is a little scattered. Let me tell you teh good things about this album, though.

1)The remastering was done very well. Don't listen to the people telling you that they like the mono versions better. This album has excellent sound quality and every song sounds clear and full.

2) The liner notes in the CD tell you when each song appears in the film. Even though I have seen the film a thousand times (I love it!) I could not for the life of me figure out when Think for Yourself appears in it. But the liner notes tells you by placing the title of the songs over pictures from the movie that will let you know!

3) The four original Yellow Submarine songs are great. Hey Bulldog is an excellent song that John Lennon said he just "knocked off". You wouldn't know it. All Together Now may be the weakest of the four songs. Even though it is a bit repitive and not at all genious, it if fun and always reminds me of the end of the movie. Only a Northern Song and It's All Too Much are both amazing songs by George Harrison. I have the sneaking suspicion that George got two songs in this movie because they were not being allowed to appear on other Beatles albums.

If you are someone who is only casually interested in the Beatles, this album is a good way to get started on their music (an even better way is with 1). And if you are a die hard fan, this offers four great new songs to listen to and love.

The great part about the new YELLOW SUBMARINE SONGTRACK is that it contains almost every Beatles song that was in the YELLOW SUB movie (exception: "A Day In The Life", which is strange because "Think For Yourself" *is* included, even though only a six-second long outtake was used in the film). The awful part is the remixes. Only one is superior to the original mix ("Hey Bulldog", which puts John's vocal out in the center where it belongs); the rest are either no improvement or a disaster. Among the disasters are "Eleanor Rigby", which turns Paul's double-tracked vocal on the chorus into a duet; "Only A Northern Song", which despite being available for the first time in a stereo mix, does the same unintentional duetting on George's double-tracked vocal; and "All You Need Is Love", which mixes the backing vocals too loudly, thins out the orchestra, and generally makes the song sound as if it were put together in a recording studio from bits and pieces rather than played live in one take, as it originally was. "It's All Too Much" is remixed to sound amazingly like a Beastie Boys track, with *very* sharp percussion and handclaps. Whether you think this is an improvement or not depends on whether you're a Beastie Boys fan (I am) and if you think the Fabs *should* sound like the Beasties (I don't).

Overall, you'd probably be better off buying the original YELLOW SUBMARINE, MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR, REVOLVER, SGT. PEPPER and RUBBER SOUL, and making your own recording. (For your own private use, of course!!)