paul-mccartney – Records, CDs and Music:

The Return of “The Beatles Anthology” – “Beatles Anthology 2025” is an Amazing Upgrade in Both Picture and Sound

December 6, 2025 Leave a comment

Let’s just say that for Beatles fans Christmas had indeed come early.

This past November, a mere couple of weeks ago in fact, The Beatles 1995 documentary “The Beatles Anthology” received a splendid upgrade in not only the picture and sound of the documentary itself but the accompanying CD sets of “Anthology 1, 2 and 3” (as well as a brand new “Anthology 4” 2 CD set)
have also been upgraded and are truly gift to behold.

For anyone who remembers the then hotly anticipated Beatles Anthology documentary and CDs, the Beatles Anthology was not only a well-received project critically but it was also a blockbuster hit commercially.

The Beatles Anthology project spawned three Billboard Top 200 Number 1 albums (the Anthology 1, 2 and 3 2CD sets) that sold in the multi-millions which included the first two new Beatles songs in twenty five years (“Free As a Bird” from “Anthology 1” and “Real Love” from“Anthology 2”) as well as the hugely rated three part TV special of the documentary which was eventually expanded into a multi-hour DVD set that was also a best-seller.

Now, thirty years later, the whole Beatles Anthology project (both video and the accompanying audio CD sets) have been majorly upgraded on the video side by famed director Peter Jackson and on the audio side by original Beatles producer George Martin’s son Giles who is now the overseer of The Beatles audio catalog.

It’s apparent that the remaining Beatles and their company Apple, who release all things Beatles, are aiming to once again expand the audience for The Beatles with this sparking new Anthology project and I’m sure they hope to invite people into The Beatles story with the best looking and sounding Beatles Anthology that the technology of 2025 will allow.

As is the norm for the 2020’s there is a LOT of negativity about how this new The Beatles Anthology has turned out. There are of course a lot of older fans who are enraged at the things that have been changed in the video documentary and not impressed enough by the audio upgrade that they are simply trying to write the entire Anthology 2025 as a cash grab that serves no purpose other then making a buck.

I majorly disagree.

For starters I find both CD sets and the Anthology documentary a joy to listen to and watch and find the upgrades so well done that I personally will lean toward the 2025 versions as definitive.

Let me go case by case.

The Video Documentary:

Wow, what a massive upgrade. I find all nine hours of the new 2025 version of Anthology just glorious to watch. Yes, it’s not perfect. Things have been trimmed from the 2003 expanded addition but new things have been added as well and most of the video is simply stunning to look at – at least all the footage taken from a film source.

There was some funky AI enhancing done to some of the video footage that can smooth out the faces a bit much but overall 90 percent of the video is in my opinion a major upgrade – it’s mostly superb.

Now I don’t subscribe to Disney+ which is the only place you can stream the new 2025 Beatles Anthology so I thought it might be a while for me to judge the video upgrade of the new series myself.

Since this is the 21st century though there are other sources out there, and amazingly fast I must say, where one can find the new 2025 Anthology other than steaming.

I myself have come across a magnificent Blu-ray three-disc set of the entire series that has the same quality of picture as the Disney+ showing, I did see about an hour of it as a friend’s house, and in lovely 5.1 surround sound.

Unfortunately there’s no Atmos mix on this Blu-ray set but it’s a small price to pay to be able to enjoy the entire nine-hour series in this quality in a physical format. I doubt that the series will make it to a physical format as Apple chose Disney as the place to stream it and they don’t want physical formats anymore.

That’s not to say that after the Disney+ contract ends The Beatles couldn’t change their mind and issue it on DVD and Blu-ray I’m just not counting on it.

Don’t ask me where you can find the new 2025 Anthology but I will say that it is out there on the Internet in both DVD and Blu-ray – all you have to do is look.

The Audio CDs:

This is what I hear most fans complain about. A lot of fans don’t think the audio has been upgraded enough for them to buy this material again. Fair enough, to each his own, but the vitriol I hear aimed at both Giles Martin and Apple Records and The Beatles about how they are just cynically making a cash grab with this new Anthology project is just nuts.

Sure they want to make money, it’s a BUSINESS, but there was a lot of work put into the end product and I for one think the audio sounds great.

Take Anthology 1 for instance. Disc one of this set has the oldest and most dodgy sounding recordings from The Beatles pre-EMI years and even I have tended to skip most of disc one whenever I listen to this set.

I have to say though there has been a major upgrade to not only the acetate of “That’ll Be the Day” and “In Spite of All the Danger” (they both sound like new recordings to me) but the live stuff, especially the 1963 tracks live from Swedish radio which now explode from the speakers, is so much more listenable and fun that I want to play disc one again which is a major improvement to me.

And the cream on top of all the new Anthology CDs is the brand new Anthology 4 2CD set that has thirteen newly released outtakes that are a joy to listen to and enjoy. Are these early takes of “Tell Me Why”, “I Need You” and “If I Fell” for example revelations – no. Are they great to hear – yes!

I love how these early stripped down takes basically show how The Beatles would sound live in 1964/65 if they could be heard from the din of the screaming crowds that mare most of their live recordings. If new live songs were discovered fans would be losing their minds I’m not sure why the sound of The Beatles in an almost live fashion in great audio quality is a let down but it sure works for me.

Conclusion:

Anyway, I won’t go into what was cut and what was added to the new video of Anthology all I can say is that this presentation has the right pacing, the right sound and such a superb picture that it stands as the definitive version of The Beatles Anthology, and that goes for the CDs as well, that all I can say is … wow.

Above and below you can see photos of the new Beatles Anthology Collection 8 CD set as well as the Blu-ray of the 2025 Disney+ documentary that also includes screen shots of some of the video content.

As usual be safe and well and have a great Holiday Season if I don’t post before Christmas.

See you soon and have a Merry Crimble Beatle People!

Below is a comparison of the DVD from 2003 vs the new 2025 Blu-ray of the 2025 Beatles Anthology – the DVD is on the left and the Blu-Ray is on the right.

Take a Look: John Lennon “Power to the People” Deluxe 2 CD Plus Mojo Magazine and Free Sampler CD

October 25, 2025 Leave a comment

John Lennon 1972.

When I first became a Beatles fan and was getting into their solo catalogs, John Lennon’s music from 1972 was a scary thing. Of course I was raised a pop music fan and was an avid follower of all things Top Forty so discovering the height of Lennon’s political side really didn’t register with me very well – not a shock really.

I was just thirteen years old the first time I heard his 1972 double album “Sometime in New York City” (in 1979) and after one play I let it sit unloved in my collection for many years. Occasionally I would try it again but after a couple of songs would take it off and back it went on the shelf.

Fast forward to 1986 and the release of the live album entitled appropriately enough “Live in New York City” and my views of this period in Lennon’s recorded output began to soften.

The “Live in New York City” album came from Lennon’s One to One concerts held at Madison Square Garden on August 30, 1972. These concerts featured a selection of songs from the “Sometime in New York City” as well as some of his solo hits at the time and one lone Beatles track “Come Together”.

The sound of Lennon’s last full concert appearances after The Beatles was rough and ragged and fitted the material he and Yoko Ono were doing in 1972 and was full of the political side of John Lennon which was equally rough and ready.

I enjoyed the concert but the sound of his backing band, Elephant’s Memory, just seemed too rough and sloppy and though it was great to hear Lennon live I still wasn’t a huge fan of this time period in his career.

Fast forward again to the present, this past couple of weeks in fact, and the release of the newly remixed and reimagined “Power to the People” 2 CD deluxe set which features both the afternoon and evening shows from Lennon’s One to One concerts from 1972 and this time the snow has finally melted from my view of this era.

First off I have to say that I do love the sound of this newly remixed show – a lot. Lennon’s sounds great, especially on the afternoon show, and this new remix takes the ragged edges off the his vocals and majorly beefs up the backing from Elephant’s Memory with superb thundering bass as well as a clarity and punch that was sorely missing form the 1986 version of this show.

I also really appreciate Lennon’s political views much more than any other time in my life. This year has such an overwhelmingly vile political climate that hearing Lennon singing so passionately about his political point of view brings me a bit of hope in equally troubled times.

Actually the timing of this reissue is the perfect antidote to the times we live in as if Lennon himself was sending a postcard from the great beyond saying don’t give up, keep up the fight, which is something I wouldn’t have felt so strongly all those years ago hearing this same material.

Here’s my couple of sticking points though about this release.

First off, which has been discussed ad nauseam other places, is the admission of the song “Woman is the Nigger of the World” which was the highlight of not only the “Sometime in New York City” album but the One to One concerts as well.

Sean Lennon, John Lennon’s son with Yoko Ono, has come out and said the omission was due to lawyers fearing it would endanger not only John Lennon’s commercial viability in this current media landscape but his reputation as well.

I mean I get where Sean Lennon is coming from but still taking off this song is such a direct assault on Lennon and Ono’s work at the time that removing it causes all sorts of red flags that conjure up censorship that it makes me uncomfortable.

I still think Sean Lennon did an admirable job of cleaning up the sound of not only the One to One concerts but the studio material form the “Sometime in New York City” material as well that even though this release is flawed it doesn’t take away the enjoyment of the material that is there.

The other thing that’s concerning to me is the slight tuning of Lennon’s voice through use of modern technology. It does work on the one hand as it makes the concert material sound more inviting but on the other hand it’s not the historic presentation of the material that I guess I was hoping to see.

Having thought about it for a bit this second concern doesn’t bother me as much knowing how doctored live albums from the 60’s and 70’s could be so using today’s technology to achieve the same goals as artists back then isn’t quite as off putting as I do think both the One to One concerts are such a pleasure to hear now that I can readily live with the choices made to clean the sound up.

I guess since John Lennon himself didn’t approve of this approach is what put me off initially but having heard Sean Lennon’s perspective on compiling his father’s work it’s obvious he cares deeply for his parents music and is Lennon’s blood so if he sees fit to make these changes in good conscience I can relax and enjoy the sound myself without feeling that it’s not done without thought and consideration.

Now I’ve only bought the 2 CD set of the One to One concerts. There is a massive 9 CD, 3 Blu-ray package with a lovely hardback book that was issued of this material as well which does include a modern remix of most of the songs from the infamous “Sometime in New York City” album as well as fine selection of demos and live material from the era that looks superb and I’m sure is a fine addition to any Lennon fans collection.

At the moment the price of the huge box is not within my budget but if I see it at a discounted price in the future I may jump on it as I’d love to add it to my collection.

Until that time however there is a terrific sampler CD from the huge box set available exclusively with the December issue of the British Mojo magazine.

Coming in at just over 46 minutes, the Mojo sampler not only gives you five songs from the One to One shows but you also get my favorite two songs from the “Sometime in New York City” album, “New York City” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, in superb remixed and improved sound but you also get the song “Attica State” as an evolution documentary (eight fascinating minutes from demo to studio workout) as well as a home jam of the song “Send Me Some Lovin'”.

I must say that these new remixes from the “Sometime in New York City” are so well done and make these songs breath new life that they are my favorite remixes Sean Lennon has done of his father’s work so far.

Even though the remix of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is fairly radical by removing a lot of the sax from the original mix in my opinion it really works and makes this track so much more powerful and is a joy to hear.

So overall of the material that I’ve bought from this 1972 period in Lennon’s journey I must say this is probably the most successful remixing of Lennon’s solo material I’ve heard minus the two flaws I mentioned above and it really enhances my enjoyment of this time period in Lennon’s work.

Maybe in time I’ll get my hands on the larger set of this material but if you’re a Lennon fan and don’t have the budget or inclination to spring for the large box set the 2 CD version would be a good choice but even better the Mojo sampler would be the way to go to hear a nice sampling of this material.

I will say that since Mojo Magazine may not be easy to locate in your area, you can order it direct (https://www.mojo4music.com/magazine/latest-issues/) from them and don’t worry about any extra cost due to tariffs the cost online is what I paid and it came without any issues with added expense from tariffs.

As usual take a gander above and below at these two new wonderful Lennon CDs (and magazine) and until next time be well and happy and …

See you soon!

Haunted By the Past – The Beatles Anthology Returns

August 28, 2025August 29, 2025 Leave a comment

Believe it or not this November will mark thirty years since The Beatles issued their critically acclaimed multi-media “Anthology” documentary series. Thirty years! It hardly seems possible.

Not only was “The Beatles Anthology” a multi-part video documentary, it also spawned three double CD sets, all of which hit the number one spot of the Billboard Hot 200, as well as a lovely coffee table book that expanded on the interviews in the documentary.

Originally conceived shortly after the group’s break-up in 1970, with the working title of The Long and Winding Road, The Beatles Anthology was the result of many years of searching for and compiling all the pertinent video and audio from the bands history as a group.

This huge mass of archival footage and music was pieced together with interview footage from the three surviving Beatles, as well as archival interview video and audio from John Lennon, to form The Beatles Anthology which is the band’s final and only official version of what happened to them in their journey as a group called The Beatles.

At the time the series was released in 1995 it was the beginning of The Beatles opening up their vaults in a major way as the group finally began to embrace its own legendary past.

Previously the “Live at the BBC” album, which was released 1994, was the only comprehensive set of unreleased music that had managed to come out as a fully-sanctioned new Beatles release since their break-up in 1970 so this new video and audio documentary was quite the revelation.

Of course the way “The Beatles Anthology” ultimately turned out was also due in large part to all of the high quality bootlegs of unreleased Beatles music that had been flooding the underground market since around 1988 which gave a much wanted glimpse into how The Beatles worked in the studio carefully crafting their recorded output.

And if that wasn’t enough also included among all the archival material were two brand new Beatles songs, the first new Beatles songs since 1970 – “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love”.

In January 1994, Paul McCartney was given unreleased demos of songs John Lennon made at home in the ’70s. Amongst those songs The Beatles picked three – “Free As a Bird” ,“Real Love” and “Now and Then” – to embellish by adding new vocals and backing tracks and dropping Lennon’s voice and piano into the mix thus creating the first new Beatles songs in over twenty-five years.

Of course both “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love” were big hits both reaching the upper regions of the charts worldwide while “Now and Then” had a much longer gestation finally being released in 2023 and hitting the top of the British charts and placing in the Top Ten in the US.

Now here we are in 2025 and The Beatles Anthology is coming out once again this time with a special anniversary edition in both video and audio.

The Disney Channel will exclusively stream the 2025 video series that has been upgraded in picture and sound by renowned director Peter Jackson starting this November on the 21st – thirty years to the week the original Anthology premiered on US television.

Now totally nine episodes, including an extra episode featuring new footage of the surviving Beatles working on the music during the making of the original Anthology series from the 1990s, this new 2025 version of The Beatles Anthology is something that I’m personally looking forward to seeing.

The brief clip of some of the restored footage looks very enticing so I’m hoping that the much needed buffing up of all the magnificent footage that encompassed the original Anthology documentary is well worth the wait.

There will also be a new box set of the music from The Beatles Anthology that will comprise the original three double CDs (and triple vinyl packages) as well as a new Anthology 4 set that will include 13 previously unreleased studio outtakes and outtakes that previously appeared on the special deluxe sets of Beatles albums that have been released since the 2017 “Sgt. Pepper” box set.

This new version of the Anthology audio sets has been remastered by Giles Martin and both “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love” have both been remixed by original producer Jeff Lynne and feature much clearer vocals from John Lennon.

I’ve the new mix of “Free As a Bird” and I must say I really like it. Lennon’s voice is so much more prominent that it seems as if he’s singing with Paul McCartney and George Harrison as opposed to his voice sounding like it was floating in the mix below them as in the original 1995 mix.

I love that the original mixes of both “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love” will still be available as part of the Anthology 1 and Anthology 2 sets in the new box set as well as the new mixes which will appear on the new Anthology 4 set.

Now there has been a lot of bad buzz from fans online to this new set which is a little baffling to me. Most fans don’t seem to want the remastered Anthology 1, 2 and 3 sets as a group as they mainly want the new Anthology 4 which contains the 13 previously unissued outtakes which can only be purchased as part of the new Anthology collection.

I mean I get that for sure but I personally have wanted a remastered complete set of all the Anthology albums so I’m stoked to have the complete collection.

As for Disney+ I’m a little bit more concerned that they’re streaming the new series as they tend to not want to release their content in physical form. To me The Beatles Anthology is the one set by the group that I’d rather have in physical form than streaming as all of the older clips and interviews are a terrific watch and I do go back to them often.

I’d prefer a Blu-ray set of the new series but will be happy to at least see how Peter Jackson has transformed the look of the footage and hopefully I won’t be disappointed. I’m guessing it will look fabulous but time will tell.

I’ve included photos above of the terrific Beatles Anthology Director’s Cut bootleg DVD set that features a rough cut of the series with different interview footage and different edits that is really fun to compare to the finished version.

In an ideal world this would make a wonderful bonus addition to any physical release of The Beatles Anthology but I’m sure that that would never happen.

As it is I’m excited to see and hear this new revamped Beatles Anthology 2025 and will report what I think of the makeovers when they are released this Fall.

Until then enjoy the photos above and be well and see you soon.

List of songs on the new Anthology 4 set (from thebeatles.com):

Anthology 4

CD Disc One:

I Saw Her Standing There (Take 2)
Money (That’s What I Want) (RM7 undubbed)
This Boy (Takes 12 and 13)
Tell Me Why (Takes 4 and 5)
If I Fell (Take 11)
Matchbox (Take 1)
Every Little Thing (Takes 6 and 7)
I Need You (Take 1)
I’ve Just Seen A Face (Take 3)
In My Life (Take 1)
Nowhere Man (First version – Take 2)
Got To Get You Into My Life (Second version – unnumbered mix)
Love You To (Take 7)
Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 26)
She’s Leaving Home (Take 1 – instrumental)
Baby, You’re A Rich Man (Takes 11 and 12)
All You Need Is Love (Rehearsal for BBC broadcast)
The Fool On The Hill (Take 5 – Instrumental)
I Am The Walrus (Take 19 – strings, brass, clarinet overdub)

CD Disc Two:

Hey Bulldog (Take 4 – instrumental)
Good Night (Take 10 with a guitar part from Take 5)
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Third Version – Take 27)
(You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care (Studio jam)
Helter Skelter (Second version – Take 17)
I Will (Take 29)
Can You Take Me Back? (Take 1)
Julia (Two rehearsals)
Get Back (Take 8)
Octopus’s Garden (Rehearsal)
Don’t Let Me Down (First rooftop performance)
You Never Give Me Your Money (Take 36)
Here Comes The Sun (Take 9)
Something (Take 39 – instrumental – strings only)
Free As A Bird (2025 mix)
Real Love (2025 mix)
Now And Then

Happy Birthday Sir Paul! – Paul McCartney’s Columbia Records Output Part 2: Reissue Vinyl

June 18, 2025June 18, 2025 Leave a comment

Happy Birthday Sir Paul!

Eighty-three years ago today, Paul McCartney came into the world in Liverpool, England and to celebrate I thought it might be fun to take a look at my copies of his Columbia Records output on vinyl.

Several blogs ago I took a look at his CBS CD’s that I own but recently I’ve stumbled upon a few really cheap pressings of his CBS vinyl so I thought it was time to share what I found and what I own from McCartney’s short tenure on the Columbia label – specifically reissues of his Apple/Capitol albums and not new recordings.

For me, sharing McCartney’s recorded output is the best way to celebrate his life so what better way than on his birthday to delve into his Columbia Records pressings and post some photos here as you rarely see them online.

For those who don’t know, Paul McCartney was signed to Columbia Records exclusively for the North American market from 1979 to 1984.

Not only did he release new albums on Columbia (“Back to the Egg”, “McCartney II”, “The McCartney Interview” (not a studio album, it contained interviews), “Tug of War”, “Pipes of Peace” and “Give My Regards to Broad Street”) he also released his eight of his albums that originally came out on Apple/Capitol Records from 1970 to 1977.

The Apple/Capitol albums he reissued on Columbia include: “McCartney”, “Ram”, “Wild Life”, “Red Rose Speedway”, “Band on the Run”, “Venus and Mars”, “Wings at the Speed of Sound” and the triple Lp set “Wings Over America”.

The initial Columbia issues of McCartney’s Apple/Capitol albums that had goodies like booklets and posters and special labels (“Red Rose Speedway”, “Band on the Run”, “Venus and Mars” and “Wings at the Speed of Sound”) were issued exactly as the originals but were then replaced a couple of years later with copies with just the basic red Columbia label and no frills.

One exception is the “Wings Over America” triple album that was reissued in 1984 shortly before McCartney went back to Capitol in North America and it was issued just like the original issue but without the poster.

I own Columbia issues of the “Venus and Mars” album both with the posters and stickers and the issue with the same fold out cover but no extras (see photos below).

I believe the Columbia reissues of McCartney’s Apple/Capitol albums first started appearing around 1980/81 and continued until that last Columbia reissue of the “Wings Over America” album in 1984.

I have to say that while it’s not common to find the Columbia albums they aren’t too terribly hard to find out in the wild except for maybe the “Wings Over America” set which I’ve only seen once and bought.

Weirdly enough I’ve just recently come across two different Columbia pressings of the “Wild Life” album (one a promo copy and one a pressing from Canada) so the Columbia pressings do turn up unexpectedly from time to time. They must have sold relatively well especially “Band on the Run” and “Venus and Mars” which are the ones I see the most.

One thing I can say for sure is that these Columbia pressings of McCartney’s albums sound very good, and in some cases, excellent. I found the Columbia pressings of “Band on the Run” and “Ram” to sound the best of the Columbia issues but the others aren’t far behind.

All of the Columbia pressings I own are in excellent shape with quiet vinyl and are a joy to listen to compared to some of my Apple/Capitol pressings which are a bit more worn.

Well, that’s all for now. There are a ton of photos above and below of my Columbia pressings so feast your eyes if you’ve never seen them.

Again, Happy Birthday Sir Paul and may you have many more!

Until next time be happy, healthy and well and see you soon.

Weekend Antique Store Scores: Monkees “HEAD” RE, “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees” UK Mono and Two CD Bin Displays (Lennon & McCartney)

December 22, 2024December 22, 2024 Leave a comment

As 2024 comes to a close, I must say this past year may go down as one of the luckiest years in recent memory for me at least for antique store finds.

Just this past weekend in fact, I may end the year with some of my most surprising finds from a little dingy out of the way antique store that was open for the last day before it was being moved to another location next year.

Yesterday I was making my usual trek through some antique locations that I drop in on from time to time and happened upon a sign saying store closing -deals inside. Now this particular antique store was one I usually passed by as I never really find much there but with a fifty percent off sign staring me in the face I thought “sure, why not”.

I’m glad I did.

I actually hadn’t been inside this store for quite a while so I thought maybe they may have something worthwhile this time and to my surprise they sure did!

Most of the booths were in the process of being packed away and dismantled but toward the back there was one booth full of music posters with CDs as well as vinyl so I naturally took a look through the bins to see what they had.

The first lucky find was spotted by a friend who was with me. She said they have a couple of photos of John Lennon and Paul McCartney on a shelf and was I interested in looking at them.

I said that I really wasn’t interested in photos as I made my way through the vinyl but she handed me a small cardboard cutout with the art work from John Lennon’s “Shaved Fish” album and that got my attention.

“What the?” I thought to my self as I stared at what looked like a very thin longbox for the CD of “Shaved Fish”. In fact it indeed was the same artwork from the late eighties CD issue longbox of Lennon’s first solo greatest hits album but was flat as a pancake.

The sticker on the rear of the item said CD bin display and was marked $9.99. Just as I looked up I noticed a couple of shelves up a similar cardboard display but this one was for the Paul McCartney and Wings album “London Town”.

I own this particular longbox and it is indeed the exact same artwork but flat and not in box form.

Since they were fifty percent off I thought it was interesting enough for sure to buy them. For the life of me I don’t remember ever seeing many, if any, solo Beatles CD bin displays or holders so this was a cool find. At least it made the trip worthwhile.

Just as I was about to leave I noticed one more crate of records and this one had a Lovin’ Spoonful album in front so I was excited as it was the right era as I am all about the 1960s.

As I made it to the middle of the crate I could see the shiny reflection of what looked the like the cover of The Monkees 1968 album “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees”. My heart stopped for a moment as I secretly hope it was a foreign pressing of this album and maybe just maybe a true mono copy from Australia or something.

(Note: copies of Monkees albums from overseas are sometimes laminated on the front especially copies manufactured in the UK and other countries)

Well I was almost correct, it was indeed a mono copy of this album but it was a mono copy from the UK. My heart sank a little. It was really cool to find a UK copy of any Monkees record in an obscure antique store but this particular album was not a true mono copy.

(Note 2: mono copies of the US pressing of “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees” are super hard to find and very valuable. In fact I’ve never seen one in person. The mono mix of this album is very different from the common stereo pressing and is very desired by collectors.

Some other foreign countries released this true mono mix including Mexico and Puerto Rico but the UK copy is just the stereo mix folded down to mono thus does not include the groovy rare true mono mixes that make this mono album desirable)

Again since this too was marked $9.99 and fifty percent off of that I thought I’d buy it as I may never see another copy and certainly not this cheap. The matrix on this copy ended in 1K so it must be a first UK pressing though honestly I’m not sure how well it sold in the UK as it wasn’t a big hit there so it might not have had a second pressing.

I also have to say that while this isn’t a true mono mix of the album I thought it sounded pretty darn good and I swear that even though it’s a fold down the Mike Nesmith tracks especially have enough of a difference to make it interesting as the fold down process highlights different sounds making them sound like slightly different mixes.

The absolute true score of the day though was the album right behind it.

As I lifted out the UK mono “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees” I saw another 1968 Monkees album; a dirt covered Colgems pressing of the soundtrack to their only film called “Head”.

I have a couple of copies of the original Colgems “Head” album so I wasn’t that intrigued until I flipped this particular copy over.

In the upper right corner of the back cover I saw the letters “RE”. For those of you who don’t know RE on Colgems albums means reissue and this dirty copy of “Head” is the very difficult to find second pressing of the album that corrected the spelling of Gerry Goffin on the lower right hand corner of the album (see photos above).

This is only the second copy of this RE pressing I’ve ever seen and I own the other copy. I did a previous blog post about that copy but after cleaning up the cover (the dirt wiped right off as the cover of this album is made of mylar which is a shiny material and wipes easily without any damage to the cover) of this copy it’s actually in better shape than my other copy which had been taped over with cellophane as the side cover had split.

(Note 3: why oh why is it that the two covers that I have found of this RE version are worn while I have seen several VG+ copies of the regular first issue Colgems pressing. Go figure.)

Since this one had a fairly dirty cover and record it was marked $5.99 so at half off this was a complete steal especially since it cleaned up so well.

Anyway this copy sounded fantastic after a good cleaning and had matrixes that ended with 6S on side one and 10S on side two – much higher than I thought they would be as this album wasn’t a big seller for The Monkees like the five albums that precede it.

Well there you have it. I end the year on a collecting high note.

As usual you can see the photos above and see how nice this copy of “Head” ended up as well as the others.

Until next time be well and if I don’t post before the new year have a great Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2025.

See you soon!

Beatles Capitol Album Finds: Record Clubs, In Shrink, Cut-Outs and a C1-90444

September 28, 2024September 28, 2024 2 Comments

Sometimes persistence pays off.

For the last three months I’ve been going to two of my favorite antique malls and scoping out their records.

As luck would have it both places have been dribbling out fantastic copies of some Beatles Capitol albums that have had the vinyl itself in spectacular quality (all of these pressings play and look like new) and amazingly three of the covers where still in the shrink wrap.

Now in the midst of me finding these lovely Capitol pressings the announcement came out that the 1964 Beatles Capitol albums are being reissued on vinyl this upcoming November in updated and supposedly improved sound.

Anyone that knows the Capitol albums may know that sound quality isn’t at the top of the list for these albums as they are very different sounding than their UK counterparts. They sometimes have added reverb and fake stereo that make them a very different and to many lesser sound quality then the British albums.

The upcoming Capitol albums releases are only being issued in mono, thus avoiding the fake stereo problem, but they do include a lot of fold down mixes (stereo mixes folded down to mono thus not true mono mixes) which in itself is a bit of an issue.

However, these albums overall have an exciting energy and are a time capsule of the 1964 American Beatles experience and are valuable additions to any Beatles collection and well worth owning.

And of course I would happen to find these particular 1964 Beatles Capitol albums just before they announced the reissues but since they all sound superbly quiet and are the best examples I’ve ever found of original Capitol albums I’m a happy camper.

The fact that I spent a whopping $65 for all six of these discs doesn’t hurt either!

(Note: these were incredible deals as the six new mono reissues that are coming out in November cost roughly $30 a piece)

Today I thought I’d share these finds as there are fantastic quality Beatles albums still out there but you have to look far and wide and especially search out of the way places as they sometimes price discs very reasonably.

The six discs I got are:

Meet the Beatles! – Stereo Capitol Record Club, Rainbow Logines pressing

The Beatles’ Second Album – Stereo Capitol Record Club, Rainbow Logines pressing

Revolver – Stereo pressing Capitol Record Club, Lime Green Logines pressing (in shrink)

Meet the Beatles! – Original Capitol Mono pressing (bought in 1968 as a cut-out, see mark in right top corner and still in shrink)

The Beatles’ Second Album – Original Capitol Mono pressing (bought in 1968 as a cut-out, see mark in right top corner and still in shrink)

The Beatles’ Second Album – 1988 C1-90444 stereo pressing, the last analogue pressing of this album and the best sounding vinyl version of this album currently available

I found the two mono copies in the shrink a couple of months ago at an antique mall close to where I live. This particular mall usually has good prices and these two were no exception. Priced at $9.99 a piece they were a steal and are the best looking and sounding issues of these albums I’ve ever found.

It’s also interesting that they both have a drill hole in the upper right hand corner. I’m guessing these were purchased in late 1967/early 1968 when mono albums were being phased out. I’ve heard that a lot of mono issues made it to the discount/cut-out bins as stereo was now king and they needed to off load the mono stock so this may be the case with these.

Of course the seller was no where to be found so I have no idea but that would be my guess.

The three stereo Record Club discs I found were all from the same antique mall about an hour and a half from me. Over the last three months I’ve gone up there and each trip I’ve brought back a lovely record club issue and all were around $10 as well.

(Note 2: the Capitol record club issues of The Beatles albums sold in much less quantities then the regular store copies and are way rarer and hard to find. The Capitol rainbow pressings are the rarest as they were only made for about a year or so before being replaced with the lime green label versions)

Again, the seller was no where to be found as it’s just a booth in an antique mall but I find it interesting that he was selling these record club issues way cheaper then regular Capitol pressings he had for sale and those were in markedly worse condition then these record club issues.

Did he think the record club issues weren’t as good? I have never seen any record club issues in the last few years in person, online they sell for way more then $10 I’ll tell you that, so I was surprised to continually find these for sale at this mall.

I may go back in a month or so and see if anymore pop up but these three discs all sound superb. The covers on two of them are a bit worn but all these discs look and sound as good as you can possibly expect and were all some of the best finds I’ve ever had for Beatles albums.

The last find also came from this week as a different antique mall across the street from the mall I found the record club issues had a lovely 1988 stereo pressing of The Beatles’ Second Album again in stellar condition.

This particular pressing is the last time this 1964 Capitol stereo pressing was made and it is by far the best sounding issue of this album as it sounds as good as it’s going to get with a truly wonderful pressing that’s completely silent.

The Beatles Capitol albums that came out with the C1 catalog numbers form 1988 are the way to go sound wise for these discs if you can find them. And for the cost of $15 to me this disc was a bargain as these issues can sometimes be salty if you can find them.

So as usual I am contemplating buying some of the new Capitol 1964 mono copies in November but may only buy a couple of them to see how they sound as I pretty much have excellent copies of both the mono and stereo Capitol Beatles albums now.

(Note 3: famous last words, I’ll probably cave and if I do I will post my thoughts here).

Well that’s all for now.

I thought I’d post my Capitol Beatles finds in anticipation of the newer reissues that come out in November.

I have to say I am lucky that I have a few antique malls and a couple of hole in the wall record stores within driving distance that always under price their records.

At least in 2024 I’ve had good luck and my suggestion is if you have the time find some out of the way antique malls as usually I have better luck with obscure records as most dealers are unaware of rarities like the record club issues and tend to price them reasonably.

As usual there are plenty of photos above and below of these gems so feel free to take a look.

Until next time be well and see you soon!