I grew up listening to the Capital Beatles records. There was no internet and I had no knowledge of foreign pressings. I was happy hearing the songs. Happy Saturday! 😊
The Beatles´Second Album was the first Beatles album I heard as a little girl. My cousin had got it from an uncle who had bought it for him in U.S. I used to visit him on Sundays and listening to the record and loved to watch the small photos. Since then I love them and I never have a day without listening to their vinyls.
The question posed in the title, *Did Capitol Records Ever Get It Right With The Beatles?* The answer is an *EMPHATIC NO!* The American issues should've been *EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE BRITISH ISSUES* as far as the number of tracks and the order of those tracks. The label they were issued under should've been *Parlophone,* as Capitol, being a mere, insignificant *subsidiary* of EMI(read: infant toddler in a family) should've been ordered to carry *ALL* EMI's main labels, His Master's Voice, Columbia, Parlophone, Regal/Regal-Zonophone, as well as any new label that was established in Britain. To this end, EMI in Britain needed to do some housework of its own, namely *revoke RCA's ill-gotten licence to use the Dog & Gramophone trademark* and also *reclaim the Columbia brand-name off CBS* and order them to use only the letters CBS on their records. Regardless of how royalties for tracks are calculated in that insignificant market, America, any LP issued by Capitol in America that is sourced from Britain, *must follow the EXACT NUMBER OF and ORDER OF TRACKS as the original British issue!* The *ONLY* allowable variance would be in the catalogue number and publishing credits. This extends right up to the 1967 issue of "Magical Mystery Tour", this was intended by *the Beatles themselves* as a 2X45rpm EP package, *NOT an LP!* It should've been issued by Capitol on the *Parlophone* label and have the catalogue number SMMT-1, as per the original British issue and Capitol should've had *ABSOLUTELY NO SAY AT ALL* in the matter of *ANY AND ALL BRITISH-SOURCED* singles, EPs and LPs sent to Capitol for issue in that *insignificant* market.
There were very few actual fake stereo tracks on those albums. The added echo on some of true stereo tracks was to add some extra presence to their sound to them on the lesser stereo record players of the day.
The first 7 British albums were converted to 12 albums in U.S. Only Meet The Beatles and Rubber Soul had twelve songs all the others Capitol LP's before Sgt. Pepper only had eleven songs.
Capitol mainly focused on marketing the Beatles to the US for maximum record sales and were absolutely successful in that respect. Artistic concerns were secondary.
The original Parlophone albums may be the definitive may to listen to the Beatles. However, the Capitol releases were special and unique and are still fun to listen to & collectable. As you have mentioned Mazzy, the Dave Dexterized "I Fell Fine/"She's a Woman" single is more exciting with the extra reverb than its sterile Parlophone counterpart. The Capitol releases had more singles and were a lot of fun despite the phony duophonic stereo and excessive reverb on many of the songs.
I like both versions of Rubber Soul. However, if Capitol really wanted to make a folk rock record then they would have kept If I Needed Someone and Nowhere Man, the most Byrds like tracks.
Hey Mazzy, such a nice video - valuable insights... that "Second Album" is for sure a great rock and roll album, and you're the champion on identifying that as such. As you know, I too, grew up with the original Capitol albums. Of course they were all fantastic - what else could any of us know at the time....I have a couple of Butcher Cover bootleg slicks. I've heard you say before that Revolver is your fave Beatles LP. Hard to argue that. But mine is Magical Mystery Tour. And yes, MMT is indeed more psychedelic than Sgt. Pepper, such a wonderful atmosphere on MMT. Yeah, the US Rubber Sodl is better. Peace out.
I grew up in the CD era, so I was introduced to the UK canon, accompanied by the newly canon Magical Mystery Tour LP. My first exposure to the Beatles' North American albums was a VeeJay 'Introducing...' bootleg of my mom's, which deleted my two favourite tracks from Please Please Me up to that point. I also sampled the Capitol Albums CD boxes later in my teens, for the authentic experience, and it sounded like having a swig of orange juice after brushing my teeth tastes. So while I can appreciate the first generation fans' affection for the Capitol running orders, I'm happy to leave some of those Dave Dexter Jr. remixes where I found them.
Capitol Rubber Soul and Magical Mystery Tour...... Good. I was pissed when I first heard the UK Revolver. Capitol Revolver was missing songs that really made the album work.
Thanks Mazzy. Great video. You are so right on some of the Capital Albums. Could not live without them. Love the UK Albums too. Also, just picked up your book from 1982 The Beatles England. Loved it.
Yeah, the Capitol “Rubber Soul” is where it’s at for me. Always liked ‘I’ve Just Seen A Face’, so having it kick off the album just works so well for me. I don’t return to those Capitol albums CD box sets from years ago very often, but I’m glad they released those. Cool to have and compare with the UK releases.
Yes, the American version of Rubber Soul is pretty damn good, but the UK version still gets my vote: 14 tracks with Nowhere Man, Drive My Car, and (hey, one for Ringo too) What Goes On. When I went to Expo 67 in Montreal and checked out the British pavilion, they had Beatles albums on display with 14 tracks (or 13 for A Hard Day's Night)! I'd had no idea until that moment just how much Capitol screwed them and us with their paltry cash grabs. The only one that I'll accept now is Magical Mystery Tour (without which Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends might have been a very different record, maybe only a double EP, ha ha).
Good one Mazzy. You picked one of my all time favorites from the Fab Four, Rubber Soul. Like you, I'm older (59), but grew up on the US Stereo pressings, thanks to an ex BIL that put a good chunk of his Beatles Collection to cassette for me over 2 Christmases. The first 2, 90 min Radio Shack Gold tapes were used for the bulk of what was the albums roughly between A Hard Days night and Revolver. The following year, lesser Rad Shack 60's were utilized (2) for the remainder, which roughly begins with Sgt Pepper to Let it Be. Anyway, being all stereo, yep, that included Rubber Soul too, so was introduced to the false intro to I'm Looking Through You (one of 2 favorites from that LP) I would get the UK CD release (agree, Drive my Car just doesn't work as well) and eventually a few years ago, found a really nice copy of the US Stereo Rubber Soul on vinyl, yes, it's a reissue, but a one time pressing from 1983 as in, it used a one year catalog # for some reason before reverting to the original that was used upon initial release in 1966. Doubt it'd ever been played much as it's the best sounding, as Capitol Records go, of any Beatles release I have on vinyl (they vary in condition for starters as some are reissues, others from the 60's rainbow releases, but all stereo. Even my 80's pressing of Beatles 65 doesn't sound quality wise sound as pristine as my same era Rubber Soul copy, and it may well be a low stamper pressing at that, so the impressions may be from a fresher stamper. Anyway, agree, the Capitol releases, reverb etc notwithstanding were good, many hit or miss, but it's what we got at the time and having heard She's a woman via the UK, like the reverb drenched version better.
Yes, Capitol records did right with Rubber Soul and Magical Mystery Tour, love those albums. After hearing the UK version of Revolver, I always thought it would have been cool to have Rain and Paperback writer on the US version, oh well.
Instead we had to wait until the Hey Jude (The Beatles Again) album. Paperback Writer/Rain was the first single that I bought, because I wasn't sure if we'd see them on an album.
Imagine if Rain was put after Good Day Sunshine -- it would've seemed like an early concept album. Paperback Writer woiuld've been the likeier inclusion, but I believe Capitol always kept track of who was singing each song (check out the back covers), and three Paul songs in a row would've been awkward. Capitol already got flack from the band for having once hinted at a Paul solo album from as far back as the mid-60s
I have always (since the 1960s!) liked the American Rubber Soul better that the British version too. (Disclosure: I was an American teenager in the 1960s.) I've Just Seen A Face is as amazing an album opening as ANY in the Beatles catalog. And I love the acoustic vibe.
Much agreed. I"ve Just Seen A Face is a master piece by Paul. The Rubber Soul album sounds better to me with each passing year. I guess that I was about 15 or 16 years when it was released.
I LOVE and prefer the U.S. Revolver... it works!! We got extra LPs in the U.S.... no problem! 'I've Just Seen a Face' into 'Norwegian Wood' was an instant declaration of the Beatles as the Crown Princes of Folk-Rock.
I Belive it was the US rubber soul that Brian Wilson heard and loved so much that inspired Pet Sounds. Derek Taylor could have brought a UK one over but from what I’ve read it was the US one. He said he loved how they all flowed and the same vibe (acoustic). US gets my vote.
You were close on the release date of "...Hold Your Hand" single. The 45 was issued on November 29th in the UK and on December 26th in the US. The UK With The Beatles LP was indeed issued on November 22nd, so I think you probably confused that with the single release date.
I'm sure the Capital versions will be sentimental to some of us Americans, but I much prefer the UK albums, they're the way to go IMHO.. superior sound quality for sure. Plus some of the German pressings you mentioned: MMT is a must have.. It sounds incredible! (later Apple Electrola versions _do_ indeed use the same plates & are much cheaper/easier to find - also the early 80's unmarked DMM "+C" cut is very good too). There's some other German versions worth seeking out as well.. Die Beatles or Apple Electrola - P.P.M. sounds killer, and the DMM/unmarked DMM White Album pressings all sound fantastic. 🍻✌️😎
I did read that Dave Marsh book a while ago and its a great read. I also love The Beatles Second album (I got it when it was brand new). The first time I heard I Feel Fine on a CD, it didn't sound right to me. . .I was used to the noisy reverb-drenched version that I had been listening to for decades. Still prefer the US version.
Let us not forget that sitar was first heard on a Beatles album with their soundtrack of Help! I actually like the early psychedelic feel of Yesterday ... and Today. It was like a teaser for what was to come, and We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper work better as album tracks for me than a 45. 'Yesterday' also sounds great after 'Dr. Robert.'
Thanks Mazzy. As a Brit, I grew up on the UK versions but recently got the US Mono Rubber Soul and I love the mellow folk- rock vibe! Everything is still available, it’s just an alternative choice! ✌️
I agree that "I've Just Seen a Face" works as a good first song for Rubber Soul, but I think that they could have done that and reduced the number of songs to 12 in a better way. I'm thinking this for a track listing: Side 1: 1. I've Just Seen a Face 2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) 3. You Won't See Me 4. Nowhere Man 5. Think for Yourself 6. Michelle Side 2: 1. The Word 2. Girl 3. I'm Looking Through You 4. In My Life 5. Wait 6. If I Needed Someone
I always liked listening to the mono Capitol version of Rubber soul. My mother gave it to me as a birthday/Christmas present in December of 1965, when I turned 14. I didn't care too much about the last two tracks Wait and Run For Your Life. If I knew then what I know now, I would have preferred having Drive My Car, Nowhere Man, and What Goes On on there instead. Stereo wasn't really a thing yet for me until Sgt.Pepper's. Kind of like in the Wizard of Oz when it goes from sepia into color!
It's something that was continuing with other British bands! The Clash the first album had the same sleeve in the states but not the tracklisting! The Stranglers an album called IV side one was tracks from the Raven and side 2 singles! Tampering with track changes happened a lot! As for the Beatles we were trying to get the USA albums on import as the singles were on the albums! And the track listing were intriguing! I had the USA version of Rubber soul but I preferred the UK version! Interesting video Mazzy!
My Capital Stereo Rubber Soul is a great sounding record. Girl is one of John’s best vocal recording. Whatever happened between the Beatles and Capital. I’ll have to compare. I didn’t care when I was 7 in the 76….I fell in love. First, Stg. Peppers, then , Abbey Road, Let It Be, Yellow Sub. It was my respite from an unhappy child hood. I had always gotten lost in songs, then albums. I still have all of them. Going through the cleaner this week.
@@jackwezesa1081 …haven’t reach the top of that mountain ….yet. I’m in the peanut gallery I suppose. I’m still trying to find the right amp to push the Fortes without much distortion and I’m in line for at least another year for my boutique tube phono stage. Records are fairly easy, unless they’re new(a lot of terrible mastering/and pressings-the cd master is often used I suspect. The equipment to play them on is my achilles heel. You get something better and it shows the weakness of another piece of your gear. It was funny-I had bought The Rolling Stones mono box set and put on ‘Sympathy’….couldn’t barely hear the ‘oohs’…then hooked it up with my mono cord to the phono preamp and boom!…the oohs were back. Hadn’t had anything that stark occur, even though I don’t have a mono cart. I haven’t had a lp system running since 1993. It was a lot cheaper to get good equipment/records when everyone had abandoned lps. I still miss by Yamaha Natural Sound from the 70’s. Great phono stage and lively music. It’s been a lot harder to achieve that or maybe I’m just a bit nostalgic for those lazy school days.
I love the Capital Beatle records because it's what I discovered first; in fact, I was a little disturbed when I bought the British ones on CD and found out some songs were different! I especially love Capital Rubber Soul also Help soundtrack with George Martin instrumentals is quite nice!
I find all of these separate releases pretty fascinating and haven’t explored them much. The UK Rubber Soul is a little jarring to me, but I like that it has a newness to it for me from not being so played so much.
Amen! I read the track listing when I giot the Rubber Soul CD, and knew what to expect, but hearing Drive My Car instead of I've Just Seen A Face just didn't feel right. I love Drive My Car, but for me it will always belong a the starting track on Yesterday & Today. I think that the order of the songs on Yesterday & Today was very well done. It has a great feel. The first record I ever bought was the newest Beatles album at the time, Beatles '65. I had no knowledge of the EMI releases at that time, like you mentioned they weren't readily available until the late 60's. So this was just the album with She's A Woman and I Feel Fine. Great discussion of The Beatles Second Album. It was my second purchase, even before Meet The Beatles. Loved this post.
Agree 100% with you! The second side of the Beatles' Second Album, I BELIEVE, is the best side of the Beatles. The American Rubber Soul works together.
I was always amazed by the stereo version. My friends would always argue, why would you want an album where the sound is the same in both speakers. Stereo is much better, listen to the separation it’s awesome. I must admit when I was younger I loved the stereo versions. Enjoyed the video
The 3 Beatles albums I think Capitol did an alright job on ,(sound quality and track listings issues aside), were: 'Meet The Beatles', 'Rubber Soul' and 'Magical Mystery Tour'. And yes, as a straight up rock and roll album 'Second Album' is a fun listen.
Regarding Dave Dexter's addition of reverb, the ONLY instances of this are on the Stereo (but not the Mono) album The Beatles' Second Album and on the Mono single of I Feel Fine / She's A Woman and the Mono and Stereo versions of those songs when they appeared on the Mono and Stereo versions of Beatles '65. My point is that the whole Dave Dexter reverb issue is way overblown. That said, the only non-reverb versions of the songs Please Please Me and Ask Me Why are not on the British UK album Please Please Me, nor on any of the US releases of those songs, but rather are on the original Please Please Me / Ask Me Why single for reasons that are far too complicated to go into here. (See Andrew from Parlogram Auctions You Tube channel)
Great video as always. I'm a little younger than you, so I experienced The Beatles after the fact. When I first got all of the Beatles albums, it was the UK ones since they were already considered canon by the time I started collecting them. So I am not as familiar with the U.S. albums, although I did pick up a U.S. Rubber Soul since I have heard that is the best one. For me, it's missing "If I Needed Someone."
As an English fan from the beginning, the Capitol 'screw over' correct, and actually demeaning to US listeners. Messing about with gold. The albums are forever as released and as intended. Your Beatles Second Album is a compilation. Yes, the got it right with the superb MMT album!
I guess it depends on what running order you grew up hearing. I had the US Rubber Soul, Beatles 65 and Beatles VI, so it took a long time to migrate to the UK CD running orders. I've Just Seen A Face still sounds like an opening number to me and I can't hear it without expecting Norwegian Wood to come next... and on Beatles for Sale, I still feel like Kansas City/Eight Days a Week are the first two numbers of the next side. BUT... I Feel Fine / She's A Woman... never liked those songs on Beatles 65 until I heard the "dry" versions and discovered what they were supposed to sound like.
I'm from the UK so have never had a lot of time for the the US versions. But, given the anniversary of the British invasion, and your video of course(!), I'm going give the ones I do have a fresh listen with new ears. I have perhaps more than I recall and there are some that do have some plus points. The film soundtracks have some of George Martin's incidental music that we never got over here. So, nice to have as alternative listening experience. Thanks for the video. Always a pleasure to listen to your musings. Keep them coming and no need to apologise for your thoughts or tastes. We all love music and not always for the same reasons, so it is always a plus to hear others' opinions.
The Capitol albums are Beatles comps basically, and that includes the ones that were given the names and artwork of the original albums. US fans understandably love these records but it's no different to people who grow up with any best--of or hits album, and therefore love it more than an original album.
The American Rubber Soul is better than the UK version. The only improvement I would suggest is adding We Can Work It Out after Michelle and before It's Only Love. That would bring the song total up to 13, which is what the UK Hard Day's Night had. I'd keep Day Tripper off to better conform with the acoustic/folky theme of the American version.
Better? Really? Without Nowhere Man or Drive my Car or If I Needed Someone? Not in my book. The UK Rubber Soul is one of the greatest albums ever released, and is EXACTLY the way the Beatles intended it to be.
Not quite, the American Rubber Soul does have a superior opening track, "I've Just Seen A Face" is better than "drive my car", but they blew it with "it's only love"(a song John Lennon despised) opening side 2. If they had kept "Nowhere Man" or "If I Needed Someone", then it really would have been a perfect gem, and kept that folk-rock feel, it's only love is really inferior to the rest of the writing, which is getting more mature and sophisticated, other than that a gem, with one miss...
Jonathan Gould writes that the omission of songs such as "Drive My Car" provided a "misleading idea" of the Beatles' musical direction and "turned the album title into an even more obscure joke", since the result was the band's least soul- or R&B-influenced album up to this point. I wouldn't go that far, but as grown up in Europe, I was used to the original UK versions of the Beatles albums anyway. Only decades later I got the CD boxes of "The Capitol Albums" in mono and stereo. Until today I cannot follow Capitol's intention to put their hands on the originals. Regarding Hoer Zu, which means listen to, originally was a radio and TV magazine, which explains a bit more why they cared about music. Discogs lists 1152 albums, of which just a small percentage appealed to us at the time. But still, they also offered high quality sounding records even for us youths.
The U.S. version of Rubber Soul is the definition of a perfect record. I’ve Just Seen A Face and It’s Only Love work perfectly in the context of the whole record. I always thought What Goes On paled in comparison with the rest of the songs on the British version.
Technically the US and UK sgt pepper albums have one slight difference. At the very end of side 2, the sound effect was omitted on the US albums. Never to see any other way.
I didn’t realise all those cool songs were on Rubber Soul, it’s a Beatles LP that passed me by , I was listening to Abbey Road and Revolver all the time ..,, but ‘Girl’ , that songs is a favourite of mine , I thought it was on Help. Elvis Costello said the lyrics to Girl made him realise song lyrics could be really complex and disturbing!
Capitol Records DID do some good things with The Beatles. Remember, the first Beatles album released in the U.S. was on the VJ record label. And, remember that VJ also shortened the number of tracks on the album. But, they did make 2 different albums swapping some tracks which all should have been on the official album release. Now, Capitol Records realized that EP 7" albums weren't selling real well in the U.S., so, when Capitol saw the double EP set for MMT, they probably said, what the heck? And there were supposed to be both mono and stereo versions? Fortunately, there were some non-LP singles tracks floating around out there. so they turned the EP album into a full 12" album. And as you probably noticed, the rest of the world followed suit. But, remember, Capitol Records was the first on the block to do it. Then there was the "Hey Jude" or The Beatles Again" Capitol did it first, again! Imagine how long we would have had to wait to get the stereo versions of the hit single, "Hey Jude" b/w "Revolution". Capitol was good to us AND good to the Beatles. The Beatles got every penny owed them. So what if Capitol changed a few songs around plus created new albums. The Beatles made alot more money because of what Capitol did. Maybe the Beatles didn't like what Capitol did, but they sure liked the money. An old story. Bobby Hatfield, of the Righteous Brothers, was complaining to Phil Spector that Bill Medley was always singing the lead on the best songs. Phil Spector said something to Bobby like, you are getting paid for singing the song no matter who the lead was, right? Take you check to the bank and shut up.
I'll answer your question before I watch the video - until the 'Rarities' album in 1980, the answer is "no". I have to stifle a projectile vomit when I hear the Dexter-ized abomination that it the 'Beatles Second Album'. I can see argument for the tracklist of the 'Magical Mystery Tour' lp but sonically it was a bad joke.
a few years ago two box sets of the us albums were released in the uk, on cd,i have the uk albums and it was interesting to hear the us versions,nice one norman,peace and best wishes.......................jpj
I think it’s hard to arm chair quarter back this. Back in the early 60s it was about selling records and capitol just wanted to sell more records. Artist opinion was not considered. It is possible the Beatles would not have been nearly as big as they were without the capitol records. The help soundtrack and others are great to have. Some may be snooty and say no good. But you are right. Most Americans grew up with these. I never heard the UK stuff till it came on CD in the eighties. I like it all.
Capitol Records creation of Magical Mystery Tour was primairly because on two separate occasions, Capitol tried to release EP's to American Beatles fans, with neither EP being successful.
As a kid in the 80s, I had the US Capitol cassette of Rubber Soul. The US version is still my favorite Beatles record. In my opinion, it just has a better flow than the UK version. Also, I would assume that the Rubber Soul that inspired Brian Wilson to create Pet Sounds is the Capitol version since that's the version he was probably given by his label in 1965. I really hope Rubber Soul gets the deluxe box treatment this year and Apple seriously considers including a Capitol version in the box set as well.
American Rubber Soul is SO SUPERIOR yeah maybe by that million monkeys typing joke, but it did happen! It's a Folk Rock Masterpiece! Proud I'm near Scranton Pa! Echo and Reverb were EXACTLY what their original albums lacked. What goes on, let's face it is TERRIBLE, we could hear Drive My Car on Yesterday and Today anytime so I think you are RIGHT!
Even if I sympathize with the 12 song format, what's frustrating are the 11 track LPs. Beatles '65 could easily be my preferred version (despite the horrible cover collage), but they couldn't squeeze in "Kansas City"? Yesterday And Today couldn't make room for "I'm Down"? It's this kind of nickle-and-diming bullshit that makes me weary of the whole Capital enterprise.
I don’t disagree. But in the early to mid 60s, most American albums, on any label, rarely had more than 11 or 12 tracks. Partly due to publishing payments that were per track, unlike per album in the UK.
@mazzysmusic I understand, but that's my problem. What difference would an extra song make in either case? It's petty, basically. And if those LPs had that one extra song each, they would be so much easier to defend. I say that as an American who grew up loving both, and someone who agrees that the essence of Rubber Soul is inextricably linked to those opening intwined acoustic guitars in "I've Just Seen a Face". Capital is both a broken clock and an abusive parent in this mixed metaphor. @@mazzysmusic
Of course, few recording artists in the 1960s had much say at all in what was issued under their names. Even The Beatles, difficult as that may be for some to believe now. The record company hired the producers and engineers and had the ultimate say in what appeared (and in what order) on the albums, how they were mixed (Capitol's mono AND stereo mixes were often notably different from EMI's), what the cover images were (see "Yesterday and Today"), and what was released as a single (see George Martin's regrets at being forced by EMI to release "Strawberry Fields" and "Penny Lane" as a double A-side single rather than featuring them on "Sgt. Pepper" as originally intended). Song royalties in America were paid per song rather than per album (as in the UK), so every additional song ate into potential album profits. That said, I think there's a good argument to be made that "I've Just Seen a Face" is a better opener for "Rubber Soul" than "Drive My Car" -- an obvious misfit single in an age when singles weren't included on British albums, and which I've always thought sounded like more of a "Revolver" song anyway. Beep-beep mm-beep-beep yeah. (Also, the brown lettering on the US "Rubber Soul" is more appealing to me than the Crayola "burnt umber" reddish-brown on the British cover.)
I tend to agree with most of what you say in your videos and this one is no exception, with a couple of nuances due to biographical circumstance if you don't mind. The Second Album is actually the only Capitol album and one of only two non-UK albums (the other is the mono Beatles in Italy aka Beatles 5th by Italian Parlophone) that I (European 1st gen fan) have been playing about as frequently as the average UK release. I understand why Americans cherish Meet the Beatles or Rubber Soul the way they got to know them but prefer the UK versions, as you might expect. The Capitol Yesterday ... and Today/Revolver business is, in my eyes and ears, a total desaster. I bought an import copy of the US MMT even before the German Hörzu LP came out (which is the one I play today because of its sound quality) because it relieved us of the toil of juggling with several 45s. That was a great practical solution. The pictures were larger, too. I respectfully disagree re She's a Woman. The US version is a swamp, and all of the intricate call-and-response guitar solo is washed away in it. Same with the a-side. The US stereo version of I Feel Fine was fake stereo, as you know, and drenched with reverb. Did you know that the official stereo, which is a bit lifeless, was replaced with a fake stereo version, but WITHOUT the reverb, on several German releases?
I find the US Rubber Soul a great album, it's obviously not a sonic masterpiece due to the way it was compressed to hell but as a collection of tracks it's fantastic. Apple need to take note because if they do release a Rubber Soul Anniversary, they should include the US Rubber Soul in the box set. They need to remember that so many US artists who were influenced by it didn't have the UK version. I doubt Brian Wilson had a Parlophone copy of Rubber Soul. They should also remaster the US mixes ... they still exist because that Captiol Albums vol 1 and 2 came out in early 2000s. That The US Albums Boxset that came out was just the UK mixes in the US order. Thanks Norman, All The Best from a Brit in Brighton UK
Unfortunately, all the British groups suffered the same fate as the Beatles at the hands of the US record companies. I'm not a fan of anything Capitol did. Capitol took what were carefully crafted albums by George Martin and the Beatles, and indiscriminately chopped them up. Even though I grew up with them, I can't listen to them now. I think the US Rubber Soul lacks the variety that was present on all the Beatle albums. I'd almost agree with MMT, except Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields were already a year old at that point. Would have been better with Only a Northern Song and It's All Too Much instead. I was lucky to find the UK lps in 1969 in a great record store, and that's all I've listened to since. Very insightful video, as usual Mazzy: thanks!
When I saw you waving around the Rubber Souls I was like no way, I don't want to hear this, but I I let it roll and was relieved. The US version that we grew up with and inspired Brian Wilson crushes the UK IMO. It's not perfect, though, as conjectured by the commenter below. For that you need to replace Nowhere Man where it belongs for the ultimate RS. I also love Meet, 2nd Album and Beatles 65. I've read Stereophile for 30 years and the reviewer's taste is really pretty bad.
I think a real Beatles Fan must have the UK and the US Albums. But here in Northern Germany the US Albums are not easy to get. Yesterday & Today is the only one i got. My fault because i didn't buy Records online, only in Record Shops.
“Magical Mystery Tour” feels more like a compilation to me, or a soundtrack; most songs from the movie 🎬 not a studio-conceived album or producer-conceived album. I love the individual tracks, not the “manufactured album” delivered by Capitol.
@@mumbles215 You are talking about the UK Double EP Release not the USA Album Release. Either way, it’s still a hybrid: a partial soundtrack for the movie and a compilation of songs; never as The Beatles or George Martin had intended. It feels like a misplaced recording in The Beatles’ discography. You’re argument is nonsensical.
Your video got me thinking. I never really thought about it, but now I wished that Capitol had broken up Sgt Pepper to include Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane and had taken off McCartney's "granny" songs and put them on MMT. In the context of time, I was fine with all the Capitol albums. However, I now only listen to the recent remastered UK versions. Hopefully, later this year, we might see a 2024 remastered Rubber Soul, or maybe "Help," like they did with Revolver in 2022.
@mazzysmusic I read in a George Martin interview that he had regretted giving those singles to Brian Epstein for release. In hindsight, he wished they had been on the album. Replacing two of the weaker songs on the LP. That has always reinforced my views on this. Regards.
As an Australian child of the 60's growing up firsthand with The Beatles music in my life, my family home had some Beatles singles & EP'S but no LP's. These were predominantly UK catalogue with a few 'extras' thrown in. Some of the extras were duplicated from other territories, a couple from the USA while some were unique to Australia &/or NZ. With respect Mazzy, I must disagree with you regarding the merits of the reverb drenched mixes of the US Capitol "I Feel Fine"/"She's A Woman" single. I canx understand the reasoning behind this but by comparison to the Australian/UK 45 I grew up with, the US version sounds like it was recorded in a large, empty aircraft hanger. There might be 'life' but there's no real bottom end. They appear to have been mixed with transistor radios and portable lo-fi record players in mind, especially "She's A Woman". My original Aussie & UK 45's kill it in the oomph department, IMHO. Maybe that's personal taste as we are a product of our respective 'musical' environments. A couple of years after 'graduating' to LP's from singles, i started to buy the proper (UK-based) Australian Beatles catalogue. I later found & bought 70's pressings of most the US LP's in a store here in Sydney, so I had a US MMT album before I knew about the double EP (and this was 1976 and yes this LP WAS a better idea). I was also taken aback a little by them. However, thanks to the 1960's 'Beatletoons', which WAS my initial exposure to the 'deeper Beatle LP tracks', I did recognise some differences (eg. I wondered why "Thank You Girl" had extra harmonica in it when it wasn't on the original single B-Side?). Those cartoons were quite invaluable in exposing more Beatles music to kids like myself then, who otherwise, had no access to it beyond perhaps their older siblings or friends? I eventually found a couple of Beatles books to guide me along the way to buying the catalogue. I came to realise that the Aussie Beatles catalogue isn't quite the same either. Thank heavens for the 'international' discography books that have come out since. Anyway enough from me. Cheers mate 👍😊
Oh, youbetcha! On Beatles VI, Capitol assembled a perfect album. The songs work very well together, the weaker songs (basically Yes It Is, and Dizzy Miss Lizzy) bolstered by association with the better (the other nine). The Capitol Revolver works as a whole, too, but not quite as well, the songs leading one to another better than the original. I'd have preferred Capitol take Run for Your Life, The Word, and Think for Yourself instead of the three they did, so that version is not better by any definition.
There was little concept of artist intent in regards pop music albums before Sgt Pepper unless you were Frank Sinatra whom been doing themed albums since the 50s (also on Capitol). Capitol marketed and sold the Beatles music well at that time. Should they have followed Capitol Canada’s lead and started releasing them earlier? No doubt.
George Martin and Beatle purists frequently claim "the UK albums excluded the singles because the band wanted to give their fans value for money." That may be the case on some albums, but Help had 2 single tracks, and 4 of the songs on both PPM and AHDN were lifted from singles. (Goes along with the "the band recorded the entire PPM album in one day" mythology - maybe most of it, but not all of it.) Would anyone argue that AHDN "cheated" the fans by including Can't Buy Me Love and You Can't Do That??
What I’ve read is that the butcher cover was the Beatles not so subtle dig at Capital Records for ‘butchering’ their albums with track listings that had nothing in common with what they originally intended.
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Side two of Magical Mystery Tour is one of the best sides of the Beatles songs ever put together. Thank you Capitol.
I grew up listening to the Capital Beatles records. There was no internet and I had no knowledge of foreign pressings. I was happy hearing the songs.
Happy Saturday! 😊
I know exactly what you're saying. I mean I was just a kid who liked The Beatles!
The Beatles´Second Album was the first Beatles album I heard as a little girl. My cousin had got it from an uncle who had bought it for him in U.S. I used to visit him on Sundays and listening to the record and loved to watch the small photos. Since then I love them and I never have a day without listening to their vinyls.
The question posed in the title, *Did Capitol Records Ever Get It Right With The Beatles?*
The answer is an *EMPHATIC NO!*
The American issues should've been *EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE BRITISH ISSUES* as far as the number of tracks and the order of those tracks. The label they were issued under should've been *Parlophone,* as Capitol, being a mere, insignificant *subsidiary* of EMI(read: infant toddler in a family) should've been ordered to carry *ALL* EMI's main labels, His Master's Voice, Columbia, Parlophone, Regal/Regal-Zonophone, as well as any new label that was established in Britain. To this end, EMI in Britain needed to do some housework of its own, namely *revoke RCA's ill-gotten licence to use the Dog & Gramophone trademark* and also *reclaim the Columbia brand-name off CBS* and order them to use only the letters CBS on their records.
Regardless of how royalties for tracks are calculated in that insignificant market, America, any LP issued by Capitol in America that is sourced from Britain, *must follow the EXACT NUMBER OF and ORDER OF TRACKS as the original British issue!* The *ONLY* allowable variance would be in the catalogue number and publishing credits. This extends right up to the 1967 issue of "Magical Mystery Tour", this was intended by *the Beatles themselves* as a 2X45rpm EP package, *NOT an LP!* It should've been issued by Capitol on the *Parlophone* label and have the catalogue number SMMT-1, as per the original British issue and Capitol should've had *ABSOLUTELY NO SAY AT ALL* in the matter of *ANY AND ALL BRITISH-SOURCED* singles, EPs and LPs sent to Capitol for issue in that *insignificant* market.
The Capitol Rubber Soul has long my been my favorite Beatles album! Meet The Beatles and the Second album as well!
I agree 😉
@@tomrobinson5776 right on, Tom!
The only album i believe Capitol got right is “Magical Mystery Tour”.
Fake stereo on American pressings should've never been allowed for the greatest rock band in history. It was
a travesty on the Beatles' early LPs.
There were very few actual fake stereo tracks on those albums. The added echo on some of true stereo tracks was to add some extra presence to their sound to them on the lesser stereo record players of the day.
The first 7 British albums were converted to 12 albums in U.S. Only Meet The Beatles and Rubber Soul had twelve songs all the others Capitol LP's before Sgt. Pepper only had eleven songs.
Capitol mainly focused on marketing the Beatles to the US for maximum record sales and were absolutely successful in that respect. Artistic concerns were secondary.
The original Parlophone albums may be the definitive may to listen to the Beatles. However, the Capitol releases were special and unique and are still fun to listen to & collectable. As you have mentioned Mazzy, the Dave Dexterized "I Fell Fine/"She's a Woman" single is more exciting with the extra reverb than its sterile Parlophone counterpart. The Capitol releases had more singles and were a lot of fun despite the phony duophonic stereo and excessive reverb on many of the songs.
I like both versions of Rubber Soul. However, if Capitol really wanted to make a folk rock record then they would have kept If I Needed Someone and Nowhere Man, the most Byrds like tracks.
Dave Dexter actually intended to market the album as a folk rock record. I'm no sure why he left off those particular tracks, though.
Hey Mazzy, such a nice video - valuable insights... that "Second Album" is for sure a great rock and roll album, and you're the champion on identifying that as such. As you know, I too, grew up with the original Capitol albums. Of course they were all fantastic - what else could any of us know at the time....I have a couple of Butcher Cover bootleg slicks. I've heard you say before that Revolver is your fave Beatles LP. Hard to argue that. But mine is Magical Mystery Tour. And yes, MMT is indeed more psychedelic than Sgt. Pepper, such a wonderful atmosphere on MMT. Yeah, the US Rubber Sodl is better. Peace out.
Fun video. Does anyone else find Michelle marred by IGD (apparently) on the Capitol Rubber Soul?
I grew up in the CD era, so I was introduced to the UK canon, accompanied by the newly canon Magical Mystery Tour LP.
My first exposure to the Beatles' North American albums was a VeeJay 'Introducing...' bootleg of my mom's, which deleted my two favourite tracks from Please Please Me up to that point. I also sampled the Capitol Albums CD boxes later in my teens, for the authentic experience, and it sounded like having a swig of orange juice after brushing my teeth tastes. So while I can appreciate the first generation fans' affection for the Capitol running orders, I'm happy to leave some of those Dave Dexter Jr. remixes where I found them.
Capitol Rubber Soul and Magical Mystery Tour...... Good. I was pissed when I first heard the UK Revolver. Capitol Revolver was missing songs that really made the album work.
I like the reverb on she's a woman...that was great song.....i remember the butcher cover.. everyone thought I had it 😊...
Thanks Mazzy. Great video. You are so right on some of the Capital Albums. Could not live without them. Love the UK Albums too. Also, just picked up your book from 1982 The Beatles England. Loved it.
M. Framer - what a gift to humanity! His corrosive presence could be felt in every bloody nook and cranny..
Yeah, the Capitol “Rubber Soul” is where it’s at for me. Always liked ‘I’ve Just Seen A Face’, so having it kick off the album just works so well for me. I don’t return to those Capitol albums CD box sets from years ago very often, but I’m glad they released those. Cool to have and compare with the UK releases.
Yeah but meh. I've just seen a face was already on help.
I don’t think it was on the US version
Yes, the American version of Rubber Soul is pretty damn good, but the UK version still gets my vote: 14 tracks with Nowhere Man, Drive My Car, and (hey, one for Ringo too) What Goes On. When I went to Expo 67 in Montreal and checked out the British pavilion, they had Beatles albums on display with 14 tracks (or 13 for A Hard Day's Night)! I'd had no idea until that moment just how much Capitol screwed them and us with their paltry cash grabs. The only one that I'll accept now is Magical Mystery Tour (without which Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends might have been a very different record, maybe only a double EP, ha ha).
Good one Mazzy. You picked one of my all time favorites from the Fab Four, Rubber Soul. Like you, I'm older (59), but grew up on the US Stereo pressings, thanks to an ex BIL that put a good chunk of his Beatles Collection to cassette for me over 2 Christmases. The first 2, 90 min Radio Shack Gold tapes were used for the bulk of what was the albums roughly between A Hard Days night and Revolver. The following year, lesser Rad Shack 60's were utilized (2) for the remainder, which roughly begins with Sgt Pepper to Let it Be.
Anyway, being all stereo, yep, that included Rubber Soul too, so was introduced to the false intro to I'm Looking Through You (one of 2 favorites from that LP) I would get the UK CD release (agree, Drive my Car just doesn't work as well) and eventually a few years ago, found a really nice copy of the US Stereo Rubber Soul on vinyl, yes, it's a reissue, but a one time pressing from 1983 as in, it used a one year catalog # for some reason before reverting to the original that was used upon initial release in 1966.
Doubt it'd ever been played much as it's the best sounding, as Capitol Records go, of any Beatles release I have on vinyl (they vary in condition for starters as some are reissues, others from the 60's rainbow releases, but all stereo.
Even my 80's pressing of Beatles 65 doesn't sound quality wise sound as pristine as my same era Rubber Soul copy, and it may well be a low stamper pressing at that, so the impressions may be from a fresher stamper.
Anyway, agree, the Capitol releases, reverb etc notwithstanding were good, many hit or miss, but it's what we got at the time and having heard She's a woman via the UK, like the reverb drenched version better.
Yes, Capitol records did right with Rubber Soul and Magical Mystery Tour, love those albums. After hearing the UK version of Revolver, I always thought it would have been cool to have Rain and Paperback writer on the US version, oh well.
Instead we had to wait until the Hey Jude (The Beatles Again) album. Paperback Writer/Rain was the first single that I bought, because I wasn't sure if we'd see them on an album.
Imagine if Rain was put after Good Day Sunshine -- it would've seemed like an early concept album. Paperback Writer woiuld've been the likeier inclusion, but I believe Capitol always kept track of who was singing each song (check out the back covers), and three Paul songs in a row would've been awkward. Capitol already got flack from the band for having once hinted at a Paul solo album from as far back as the mid-60s
@@namesameasu
That would have been so great, thought it lacked Lennon on this album. And doesn’t surprise me with Capitol Records US
I have always (since the 1960s!) liked the American Rubber Soul better that the British version too. (Disclosure: I was an American teenager in the 1960s.) I've Just Seen A Face is as amazing an album opening as ANY in the Beatles catalog. And I love the acoustic vibe.
Much agreed. I"ve Just Seen A Face is a master piece by Paul. The Rubber Soul album sounds better to me with each passing year. I guess that I was about 15 or 16 years when it was released.
I LOVE and prefer the U.S. Revolver... it works!! We got extra LPs in the U.S.... no problem! 'I've Just Seen a Face' into 'Norwegian Wood' was an instant declaration of the Beatles as the Crown Princes of Folk-Rock.
I Belive it was the US rubber soul that Brian Wilson heard and loved so much that inspired Pet Sounds. Derek Taylor could have brought a UK one over but from what I’ve read it was the US one. He said he loved how they all flowed and the same vibe (acoustic). US gets my vote.
You were close on the release date of "...Hold Your Hand" single. The 45 was issued on November 29th in the UK and on December 26th in the US. The UK With The Beatles LP was indeed issued on November 22nd, so I think you probably confused that with the single release date.
In the USA, these were the records we heard. Nothing more really needs to be said about it.
I'm sure the Capital versions will be sentimental to some of us Americans, but I much prefer the UK albums, they're the way to go IMHO.. superior sound quality for sure. Plus some of the German pressings you mentioned: MMT is a must have.. It sounds incredible! (later Apple Electrola versions _do_ indeed use the same plates & are much cheaper/easier to find - also the early 80's unmarked DMM "+C" cut is very good too). There's some other German versions worth seeking out as well.. Die Beatles or Apple Electrola - P.P.M. sounds killer, and the DMM/unmarked DMM White Album pressings all sound fantastic. 🍻✌️😎
Only with Magical Mystery Tour and with Beatles singles. The rest - UK is the only way to go.
I did read that Dave Marsh book a while ago and its a great read. I also love The Beatles Second album (I got it when it was brand new). The first time I heard I Feel Fine on a CD, it didn't sound right to me. . .I was used to the noisy reverb-drenched version that I had been listening to for decades. Still prefer the US version.
They got it all wrong....untill 'Magical Mystery Tour'!
Let us not forget that sitar was first heard on a Beatles album with their soundtrack of Help! I actually like the early psychedelic feel of Yesterday ... and Today. It was like a teaser for what was to come, and We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper work better as album tracks for me than a 45. 'Yesterday' also sounds great after 'Dr. Robert.'
Thanks Mazzy. As a Brit, I grew up on the UK versions but recently got the US Mono Rubber Soul and I love the mellow folk- rock vibe! Everything is still available, it’s just an alternative choice! ✌️
I had the same reaction to "She's A Women" and I still love the reverb version. Like you said, it's what you heard for the first time & learn to love.
I agree that "I've Just Seen a Face" works as a good first song for Rubber Soul, but I think that they could have done that and reduced the number of songs to 12 in a better way. I'm thinking this for a track listing:
Side 1:
1. I've Just Seen a Face
2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
3. You Won't See Me
4. Nowhere Man
5. Think for Yourself
6. Michelle
Side 2:
1. The Word
2. Girl
3. I'm Looking Through You
4. In My Life
5. Wait
6. If I Needed Someone
I still only have American Capitol pressings. Do need to get some UK pressings especially Revolver
I always liked listening to the mono Capitol version of Rubber soul. My mother gave it to me as a birthday/Christmas present in December of 1965, when I turned 14. I didn't care too much about the last two tracks Wait and Run For Your Life. If I knew then what I know now, I would have preferred having Drive My Car, Nowhere Man, and What Goes On on there instead. Stereo wasn't really a thing yet for me until Sgt.Pepper's. Kind of like in the Wizard of Oz when it goes from sepia into color!
I always said everything was black & white growing up until 1967 !! MAGICAL ERA !!
It's something that was continuing with other British bands! The Clash the first album had the same sleeve in the states but not the tracklisting! The Stranglers an album called IV side one was tracks from the Raven and side 2 singles! Tampering with track changes happened a lot! As for the Beatles we were trying to get the USA albums on import as the singles were on the albums! And the track listing were intriguing! I had the USA version of Rubber soul but I preferred the UK version! Interesting video Mazzy!
My Capital Stereo Rubber Soul is a great sounding record. Girl is one of John’s best vocal recording. Whatever happened between the Beatles and Capital. I’ll have to compare. I didn’t care when I was 7 in the 76….I fell in love. First, Stg. Peppers, then , Abbey Road, Let It Be, Yellow Sub. It was my respite from an unhappy child hood. I had always gotten lost in songs, then albums. I still have all of them. Going through the cleaner this week.
I prefer the MONO Rubber Soul played on MONO cartridge!
@@jackwezesa1081 …haven’t reach the top of that mountain ….yet. I’m in the peanut gallery I suppose. I’m still trying to find the right amp to push the Fortes without much distortion and I’m in line for at least another year for my boutique tube phono stage. Records are fairly easy, unless they’re new(a lot of terrible mastering/and pressings-the cd master is often used I suspect. The equipment to play them on is my achilles heel. You get something better and it shows the weakness of another piece of your gear. It was funny-I had bought The Rolling Stones mono box set and put on ‘Sympathy’….couldn’t barely hear the ‘oohs’…then hooked it up with my mono cord to the phono preamp and boom!…the oohs were back. Hadn’t had anything that stark occur, even though I don’t have a mono cart. I haven’t had a lp system running since 1993. It was a lot cheaper to get good equipment/records when everyone had abandoned lps. I still miss by Yamaha Natural Sound from the 70’s. Great phono stage and lively music. It’s been a lot harder to achieve that or maybe I’m just a bit nostalgic for those lazy school days.
Hi muzzy a shop in Northampton UK called spin out were the first shop to export UK Beatles record's to the US
I love the Capital Beatle records because it's what I discovered first; in fact, I was a little disturbed when I bought the British ones on CD and found out some songs were different! I especially love Capital Rubber Soul also Help soundtrack with George Martin instrumentals is quite nice!
I find all of these separate releases pretty fascinating and haven’t explored them much. The UK Rubber Soul is a little jarring to me, but I like that it has a newness to it for me from not being so played so much.
Do you have the US Rubber Soul, I think you’ll like it 🤠
@@mazzysmusic Yeah, that’s the one I’m used to. Love it.
My favorite Beatles LP is the US version of Rubber Soul, and if I'm not mistaken, it is Breakfast With The Beatles Chris Carter's favorite too.
Amen! I read the track listing when I giot the Rubber Soul CD, and knew what to expect, but hearing Drive My Car instead of I've Just Seen A Face just didn't feel right. I love Drive My Car, but for me it will always belong a the starting track on Yesterday & Today. I think that the order of the songs on Yesterday & Today was very well done. It has a great feel. The first record I ever bought was the newest Beatles album at the time, Beatles '65. I had no knowledge of the EMI releases at that time, like you mentioned they weren't readily available until the late 60's. So this was just the album with She's A Woman and I Feel Fine. Great discussion of The Beatles Second Album. It was my second purchase, even before Meet The Beatles. Loved this post.
Agree 100% with you! The second side of the Beatles' Second Album, I BELIEVE, is the best side of the Beatles. The American Rubber Soul works together.
Nowhere Man is my favorite Beatles song, and that kills the Capitol version for me. Huge omission.
Yeah it would have been perfect.
I was always amazed by the stereo version. My friends would always argue, why would you want an album where the sound is the same in both speakers. Stereo is much better, listen to the separation it’s awesome. I must admit when I was younger I loved the stereo versions. Enjoyed the video
Perfect video. I bought UK Rubber Soul yesterday to add to my US collection of the same title
The 3 Beatles albums I think Capitol did an alright job on ,(sound quality and track listings issues aside), were: 'Meet The Beatles', 'Rubber Soul' and 'Magical Mystery Tour'. And yes, as a straight up rock and roll album 'Second Album' is a fun listen.
Regarding Dave Dexter's addition of reverb, the ONLY instances of this are on the Stereo (but not the Mono) album The Beatles' Second Album and on the Mono single of I Feel Fine / She's A Woman and the Mono and Stereo versions of those songs when they appeared on the Mono and Stereo versions of Beatles '65. My point is that the whole Dave Dexter reverb issue is way overblown. That said, the only non-reverb versions of the songs Please Please Me and Ask Me Why are not on the British UK album Please Please Me, nor on any of the US releases of those songs, but rather are on the original Please Please Me / Ask Me Why single for reasons that are far too complicated to go into here. (See Andrew from Parlogram Auctions You Tube channel)
Great video as always. I'm a little younger than you, so I experienced The Beatles after the fact. When I first got all of the Beatles albums, it was the UK ones since they were already considered canon by the time I started collecting them. So I am not as familiar with the U.S. albums, although I did pick up a U.S. Rubber Soul since I have heard that is the best one. For me, it's missing "If I Needed Someone."
There were 11 tracks per album in America. Not 12. Also 3 songs from the British Revolver were lifted for Yesterday and Today, not 4.
As an English fan from the beginning, the Capitol 'screw over' correct, and actually demeaning to US listeners. Messing about with gold. The albums are forever as released and as intended. Your Beatles Second Album is a compilation. Yes, the got it right with the superb MMT album!
So agree with you! The British released were as the Beatles intended them to be. For me, there are no others.
I guess it depends on what running order you grew up hearing. I had the US Rubber Soul, Beatles 65 and Beatles VI, so it took a long time to migrate to the UK CD running orders. I've Just Seen A Face still sounds like an opening number to me and I can't hear it without expecting Norwegian Wood to come next... and on Beatles for Sale, I still feel like Kansas City/Eight Days a Week are the first two numbers of the next side.
BUT... I Feel Fine / She's A Woman... never liked those songs on Beatles 65 until I heard the "dry" versions and discovered what they were supposed to sound like.
Nice overview of the US albums. I don't own any on vinyl, but some of those album covers are iconic.
I'm from the UK so have never had a lot of time for the the US versions. But, given the anniversary of the British invasion, and your video of course(!), I'm going give the ones I do have a fresh listen with new ears. I have perhaps more than I recall and there are some that do have some plus points. The film soundtracks have some of George Martin's incidental music that we never got over here. So, nice to have as alternative listening experience.
Thanks for the video. Always a pleasure to listen to your musings. Keep them coming and no need to apologise for your thoughts or tastes. We all love music and not always for the same reasons, so it is always a plus to hear others' opinions.
Mazzy,
You and your "sidekicks" are great!
Mr. Pete-------->
aging hippie
The Capitol albums are Beatles comps basically, and that includes the ones that were given the names and artwork of the original albums. US fans understandably love these records but it's no different to people who grow up with any best--of or hits album, and therefore love it more than an original album.
Yeah exactly. We got so used to these. They were everywhere ✌🏼
The American Rubber Soul is better than the UK version. The only improvement I would suggest is adding We Can Work It Out after Michelle and before It's Only Love. That would bring the song total up to 13, which is what the UK Hard Day's Night had. I'd keep Day Tripper off to better conform with the acoustic/folky theme of the American version.
Better? Really? Without Nowhere Man or Drive my Car or If I Needed Someone? Not in my book. The UK Rubber Soul is one of the greatest albums ever released, and is EXACTLY the way the Beatles intended it to be.
Not quite, the American Rubber Soul does have a superior opening track, "I've Just Seen A Face" is better than "drive my car", but they blew it with "it's only love"(a song John Lennon despised) opening side 2. If they had kept "Nowhere Man" or "If I Needed Someone", then it really would have been a perfect gem, and kept that folk-rock feel, it's only love is really inferior to the rest of the writing, which is getting more mature and sophisticated, other than that a gem, with one miss...
Hello Mazzy, Great Video!!!
Greetings from Germany, Thomas.
Jonathan Gould writes that the omission of songs such as "Drive My Car" provided a "misleading idea" of the Beatles' musical direction and "turned the album title into an even more obscure joke", since the result was the band's least soul- or R&B-influenced album up to this point. I wouldn't go that far, but as grown up in Europe, I was used to the original UK versions of the Beatles albums anyway. Only decades later I got the CD boxes of "The Capitol Albums" in mono and stereo. Until today I cannot follow Capitol's intention to put their hands on the originals. Regarding Hoer Zu, which means listen to, originally was a radio and TV magazine, which explains a bit more why they cared about music. Discogs lists 1152 albums, of which just a small percentage appealed to us at the time. But still, they also offered high quality sounding records even for us youths.
The U.S. version of Rubber Soul is the definition of a perfect record. I’ve Just Seen A Face and It’s Only Love work perfectly in the context of the whole record. I always thought What Goes On paled in comparison with the rest of the songs on the British version.
Not only does it pale in comparison, it also feels out of place stylistically to me.
@@brenthooton3412 Exactly 👍
Great information glad you shared on this Beatles collection
Technically the US and UK sgt pepper albums have one slight difference. At the very end of side 2, the sound effect was omitted on the US albums. Never to see any other way.
The White Album is my all time favorite 😊
Recently purchased the HorZu pressing. OMG!!! It gives you such an amazing listening experience.
Yes it does ✌🏼
I didn’t realise all those cool songs were on Rubber Soul, it’s a Beatles LP that passed me by , I was listening to Abbey Road and Revolver all the time ..,, but ‘Girl’ , that songs is a favourite of mine , I thought it was on Help. Elvis Costello said the lyrics to Girl made him realise song lyrics could be really complex and disturbing!
Capitol Records DID do some good things with The Beatles. Remember, the first Beatles album released in the U.S. was on the VJ record label. And, remember that VJ also shortened the number of tracks on the album. But, they did make 2 different albums swapping some tracks which all should have been on the official album release.
Now, Capitol Records realized that EP 7" albums weren't selling real well in the U.S., so, when Capitol saw the double EP set for MMT, they probably said, what the heck? And there were supposed to be both mono and stereo versions? Fortunately, there were some non-LP singles tracks floating around out there. so they turned the EP album into a full 12" album. And as you probably noticed, the rest of the world followed suit. But, remember, Capitol Records was the first on the block to do it.
Then there was the "Hey Jude" or The Beatles Again" Capitol did it first, again! Imagine how long we would have had to wait to get the stereo versions of the hit single, "Hey Jude" b/w "Revolution".
Capitol was good to us AND good to the Beatles. The Beatles got every penny owed them. So what if Capitol changed a few songs around plus created new albums. The Beatles made alot more money because of what Capitol did. Maybe the Beatles didn't like what Capitol did, but they sure liked the money.
An old story. Bobby Hatfield, of the Righteous Brothers, was complaining to Phil Spector that Bill Medley was always singing the lead on the best songs. Phil Spector said something to Bobby like, you are getting paid for singing the song no matter who the lead was, right? Take you check to the bank and shut up.
I'll answer your question before I watch the video - until the 'Rarities' album in 1980, the answer is "no". I have to stifle a projectile vomit when I hear the Dexter-ized abomination that it the 'Beatles Second Album'. I can see argument for the tracklist of the 'Magical Mystery Tour' lp but sonically it was a bad joke.
a few years ago two box sets of the us albums were released in the uk, on cd,i have the uk albums and it was interesting to hear the us versions,nice one norman,peace and best wishes.......................jpj
I think it’s hard to arm chair quarter back this. Back in the early 60s it was about selling records and capitol just wanted to sell more records. Artist opinion was not considered. It is possible the Beatles would not have been nearly as big as they were without the capitol records. The help soundtrack and others are great to have. Some may be snooty and say no good. But you are right. Most Americans grew up with these. I never heard the UK stuff till it came on CD in the eighties. I like it all.
I totally agree with you about Rubber Soul. The U.S. version is so much better, and the sequencing is superb.
Beatles 2nd LP was straight up rock n roll. It is almost exclusively all John Lennon on lead vocals. A truly great compliation.
I liked this video so much that I watched it twice ! The US Stereo Capitol Rubber Soul is my favorite 🧡
Capitol Records creation of Magical Mystery Tour was primairly because on two separate occasions, Capitol tried to release EP's to American Beatles fans, with neither EP being successful.
As a kid in the 80s, I had the US Capitol cassette of Rubber Soul. The US version is still my favorite Beatles record. In my opinion, it just has a better flow than the UK version. Also, I would assume that the Rubber Soul that inspired Brian Wilson to create Pet Sounds is the Capitol version since that's the version he was probably given by his label in 1965. I really hope Rubber Soul gets the deluxe box treatment this year and Apple seriously considers including a Capitol version in the box set as well.
American Rubber Soul is SO SUPERIOR yeah maybe by that million monkeys typing joke, but it did happen! It's a Folk Rock Masterpiece! Proud I'm near Scranton Pa! Echo and Reverb were EXACTLY what their original albums lacked. What goes on, let's face it is TERRIBLE, we could hear Drive My Car on Yesterday and Today anytime so I think you are RIGHT!
Even if I sympathize with the 12 song format, what's frustrating are the 11 track LPs. Beatles '65 could easily be my preferred version (despite the horrible cover collage), but they couldn't squeeze in "Kansas City"? Yesterday And Today couldn't make room for "I'm Down"? It's this kind of nickle-and-diming bullshit that makes me weary of the whole Capital enterprise.
I don’t disagree. But in the early to mid 60s, most American albums, on any label, rarely had more than 11 or 12 tracks. Partly due to publishing payments that were per track, unlike per album in the UK.
@mazzysmusic I understand, but that's my problem. What difference would an extra song make in either case? It's petty, basically. And if those LPs had that one extra song each, they would be so much easier to defend. I say that as an American who grew up loving both, and someone who agrees that the essence of Rubber Soul is inextricably linked to those opening intwined acoustic guitars in "I've Just Seen a Face". Capital is both a broken clock and an abusive parent in this mixed metaphor. @@mazzysmusic
Of course, few recording artists in the 1960s had much say at all in what was issued under their names. Even The Beatles, difficult as that may be for some to believe now. The record company hired the producers and engineers and had the ultimate say in what appeared (and in what order) on the albums, how they were mixed (Capitol's mono AND stereo mixes were often notably different from EMI's), what the cover images were (see "Yesterday and Today"), and what was released as a single (see George Martin's regrets at being forced by EMI to release "Strawberry Fields" and "Penny Lane" as a double A-side single rather than featuring them on "Sgt. Pepper" as originally intended). Song royalties in America were paid per song rather than per album (as in the UK), so every additional song ate into potential album profits. That said, I think there's a good argument to be made that "I've Just Seen a Face" is a better opener for "Rubber Soul" than "Drive My Car" -- an obvious misfit single in an age when singles weren't included on British albums, and which I've always thought sounded like more of a "Revolver" song anyway. Beep-beep mm-beep-beep yeah.
(Also, the brown lettering on the US "Rubber Soul" is more appealing to me than the Crayola "burnt umber" reddish-brown on the British cover.)
I tend to agree with most of what you say in your videos and this one is no exception, with a couple of nuances due to biographical circumstance if you don't mind. The Second Album is actually the only Capitol album and one of only two non-UK albums (the other is the mono Beatles in Italy aka Beatles 5th by Italian Parlophone) that I (European 1st gen fan) have been playing about as frequently as the average UK release. I understand why Americans cherish Meet the Beatles or Rubber Soul the way they got to know them but prefer the UK versions, as you might expect. The Capitol Yesterday ... and Today/Revolver business is, in my eyes and ears, a total desaster. I bought an import copy of the US MMT even before the German Hörzu LP came out (which is the one I play today because of its sound quality) because it relieved us of the toil of juggling with several 45s. That was a great practical solution. The pictures were larger, too. I respectfully disagree re She's a Woman. The US version is a swamp, and all of the intricate call-and-response guitar solo is washed away in it. Same with the a-side. The US stereo version of I Feel Fine was fake stereo, as you know, and drenched with reverb. Did you know that the official stereo, which is a bit lifeless, was replaced with a fake stereo version, but WITHOUT the reverb, on several German releases?
I find the US Rubber Soul a great album, it's obviously not a sonic masterpiece due to the way it was compressed to hell but as a collection of tracks it's fantastic. Apple need to take note because if they do release a Rubber Soul Anniversary, they should include the US Rubber Soul in the box set. They need to remember that so many US artists who were influenced by it didn't have the UK version. I doubt Brian Wilson had a Parlophone copy of Rubber Soul. They should also remaster the US mixes ... they still exist because that Captiol Albums vol 1 and 2 came out in early 2000s. That The US Albums Boxset that came out was just the UK mixes in the US order. Thanks Norman, All The Best from a Brit in Brighton UK
I think Capitol’s best effort was Magical Mystery Tour. The US Rubber Soul track line up is nice, however it led to a horrible Revolver album.
Unfortunately, all the British groups suffered the same fate as the Beatles at the hands of the US record companies. I'm not a fan of anything Capitol did. Capitol took what were carefully crafted albums by George Martin and the Beatles, and indiscriminately chopped them up. Even though I grew up with them, I can't listen to them now. I think the US Rubber Soul lacks the variety that was present on all the Beatle albums. I'd almost agree with MMT, except Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields were already a year old at that point. Would have been better with Only a Northern Song and It's All Too Much instead. I was lucky to find the UK lps in 1969 in a great record store, and that's all I've listened to since. Very insightful video, as usual Mazzy: thanks!
I can’t imagine Rubber Soul without Nowhere Man.
When I saw you waving around the Rubber Souls I was like no way, I don't want to hear this, but I I let it roll and was relieved. The US version that we grew up with and inspired Brian Wilson crushes the UK IMO. It's not perfect, though, as conjectured by the commenter below. For that you need to replace Nowhere Man where it belongs for the ultimate RS. I also love Meet, 2nd Album and Beatles 65. I've read Stereophile for 30 years and the reviewer's taste is really pretty bad.
Dont forget Capitol did alright with MMT and now it’s cannon!
🇬🇧🇬🇧BEATLES FOREVER🇬🇧🇬🇧
I think a real Beatles Fan must have the UK and the US Albums. But here in Northern Germany the US Albums are not easy to get. Yesterday & Today is the only one i got. My fault because i didn't buy Records online, only in Record Shops.
“Magical Mystery Tour” feels more like a compilation to me, or a soundtrack; most songs from the movie 🎬 not a studio-conceived album or producer-conceived album. I love the individual tracks, not the “manufactured album” delivered by Capitol.
Well it’s a produced EP with the singles of 1967 on side two. So Ina. Way half a compilation, but side one they were supposed to to together.
@@mumbles215 You are talking about the UK Double EP Release not the USA Album Release.
Either way, it’s still a hybrid: a partial soundtrack for the movie and a compilation of songs; never as The Beatles or George Martin had intended.
It feels like a misplaced recording in The Beatles’ discography. You’re argument is nonsensical.
I think "Meet The Beatles!", "Rubber Soul", "Yesterday And Today", "Magical Mystery Tour" and "Hey Jude" are great Capitol Records Beatles albums.
All groups from the UK released stand alone singles. The Stones etc. Note the Stones 12x5 was a U.S. invention.
Your video got me thinking. I never really thought about it, but now I wished that Capitol had broken up Sgt Pepper to include Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane and had taken off McCartney's "granny" songs and put them on MMT. In the context of time, I was fine with all the Capitol albums. However, I now only listen to the recent remastered UK versions. Hopefully, later this year, we might see a 2024 remastered Rubber Soul, or maybe "Help," like they did with Revolver in 2022.
That’s an interesting idea but controversial. I’d like those two tracks added, but nothing taken off. But it would have been too long ✌🏼
@mazzysmusic I read in a George Martin interview that he had regretted giving those singles to Brian Epstein for release. In hindsight, he wished they had been on the album. Replacing two of the weaker songs on the LP. That has always reinforced my views on this. Regards.
As an Australian child of the 60's growing up firsthand with The Beatles music in my life, my family home had some Beatles singles & EP'S but no LP's. These were predominantly UK catalogue with a few 'extras' thrown in. Some of the extras were duplicated from other territories, a couple from the USA while some were unique to Australia &/or NZ. With respect Mazzy, I must disagree with you regarding the merits of the reverb drenched mixes of the US Capitol "I Feel Fine"/"She's A Woman" single. I canx understand the reasoning behind this but by comparison to the Australian/UK 45 I grew up with, the US version sounds like it was recorded in a large, empty aircraft hanger. There might be 'life' but there's no real bottom end. They appear to have been mixed with transistor radios and portable lo-fi record players in mind, especially "She's A Woman". My original Aussie & UK 45's kill it in the oomph department, IMHO. Maybe that's personal taste as we are a product of our respective 'musical' environments. A couple of years after 'graduating' to LP's from singles, i started to buy the proper (UK-based) Australian Beatles catalogue. I later found & bought 70's pressings of most the US LP's in a store here in Sydney, so I had a US MMT album before I knew about the double EP (and this was 1976 and yes this LP WAS a better idea). I was also taken aback a little by them. However, thanks to the 1960's 'Beatletoons', which WAS my initial exposure to the 'deeper Beatle LP tracks', I did recognise some differences (eg. I wondered why "Thank You Girl" had extra harmonica in it when it wasn't on the original single B-Side?).
Those cartoons were quite invaluable in exposing more Beatles music to kids like myself then, who otherwise, had no access to it beyond perhaps their older siblings or friends?
I eventually found a couple of Beatles books to guide me along the way to buying the catalogue. I came to realise that the Aussie Beatles catalogue isn't quite the same either. Thank heavens for the 'international' discography books that have come out since. Anyway enough from me. Cheers mate 👍😊
The first Beatles album that I owned was Yesterday and Today, which for me is much better than Capitol’s Rubber Soul.
Oh, youbetcha! On Beatles VI, Capitol assembled a perfect album. The songs work very well together, the weaker songs (basically Yes It Is, and Dizzy Miss Lizzy) bolstered by association with the better (the other nine). The Capitol Revolver works as a whole, too, but not quite as well, the songs leading one to another better than the original. I'd have preferred Capitol take Run for Your Life, The Word, and Think for Yourself instead of the three they did, so that version is not better by any definition.
There was little concept of artist intent in regards pop music albums before Sgt Pepper unless you were Frank Sinatra whom been doing themed albums since the 50s (also on Capitol). Capitol marketed and sold the Beatles music well at that time. Should they have followed Capitol Canada’s lead and started releasing them earlier? No doubt.
Ramble on Maz!
George Martin and Beatle purists frequently claim "the UK albums excluded the singles because the band wanted to give their fans value for money."
That may be the case on some albums, but Help had 2 single tracks, and 4 of the songs on both PPM and AHDN were lifted from singles.
(Goes along with the "the band recorded the entire PPM album in one day" mythology - maybe most of it, but not all of it.)
Would anyone argue that AHDN "cheated" the fans by including Can't Buy Me Love and You Can't Do That??
What I’ve read is that the butcher cover was the Beatles not so subtle dig at Capital Records for ‘butchering’ their albums with track listings that had nothing in common with what they originally intended.