REVIEWS
"Please Please Me" -stereo, with no mistake in the last verse. Where did this come from? Who knows.
"Yesterday"- no string section. Not even a hint of it. An outfake, to be sure,I think..but its very nice to hear!
"Don't Bother Me"-the Canadian version with the extra "Dont" before the final chorus.
"Roll Over Beethoven"- and all the early US mixes.I know people slam these for being too heavily reverberated, but it makes the tracks sound HUGE.
"Shes A Woman"-Very cool to go from the 'count-in version, with its pristine clean sound, to the ultra muddy Capitol versions. These are particularly mind boggling, as they just sound BAD!
"Paperback Writer"-count-in version with a few seconds longer outro.
"I'm Looking Thru You"-false start US version. I STILL think this is the way its supposed to sound.
Again, there are some outfakes here, such as the "Abbey Road Medley" with Her Majesty back in, or Majesty herself with the final chord. But this is minor stuff for such a cool set. Overall, it does seem 'all too much', and you just may wanna break it down into a double CD of your own choosing. But if you get "Every Little Thing", your search for those illusive Beatles mixes should finally be put to a rest.
SUMMARY/RATING: *****5 stars (if you like this kinda stuff) and *** otherwise,because if you DON'T well, this set is useless to ya, ain't it? .Umpteen versions of the greatest music ever recorded? I say yes and yay to Overdone. Its all about being so familiar with these songs,hearing them for all these years, that a different nuance heard can bring a song back to life again for you. So I highly reccomend this one Fabites!
Friar Park Studios, Henley-On-Thames, England, 23rd June 1994:
Raunchy 1'37''
Thinking of Linking 1'16''
Blue Moon of Kentucky 1'22''
Baby What Do You Want Me To Do 1'45''
I Will 0'29''
Dehra Dun 0'37''
Ain't She Sweet 0'46''
The Evolution of FREE AS A BIRD
from the Dakota, New York City, 1977 to
The Mill Studio, Sussex, England - February 11th 1994
John's demo 3'29''
acoustic mix 4'05''
5.1 center channel 4'34''
5.1 front channels 4'34''
5.1 rear channels 4'34''
enhanced mix 4'24''
video mix 4'39''
The Evolution of REAL LOVE
from the Dakota, New York City, 1979 to
The Mill Studio, Sussex, England - February 6th & 7th 1995
John's demo 4'24''
acoustic mix 4'25''
5.1 center channel 4'15''
5.1 front channels 4'15''
5.1 rear channels 4'15''
enhanced mix* 4'15''
single mix - original speed* 4'14''
"kevin godley" mix 3'06''
video mix 3'59''
BONUS TRACK: Somewhere in 1981
All Those Years Ago (enhanced mix) 3'55''
Let me get my political affiliation out of the way first: I DO consider "FAAB" and "Real Love" BEATLES songs, so there. I love 'em. Now, I grade these CDs on whether you can put them on in your car or home, and just enjoy. This one, its not as possible. I'll explain why in a minute.
"Meet the Threetles" kicks off with the jams recorded at FPSHOT in 1994. If you have the 'fifth disc', you've heard it, but it comes in handy to have them on CD. But it reminds me... why have the Beatles always held a fascination for such a hackneyed song as "Aint She Sweet"? Recall the song has a history paralleling the fabs own: at the beginning,recorded in 62 with Sheridan;at the end,'69 during Abbey Road (with John and Paul); and during the 'reunion'(Paul and George). Odd. Anyway....Its also cool to actually have the guys performing the song(Raunchy)that got George the 'job' in the first place!!
Next up is the 'evolution' of the reunion tracks. The demos, we've heard. Then comes the individual tracks that make up the 5.1 mixes on DVD. If nothing else, these tracks remind you what hard work must go into creating a DVD mix: they are each unique, individual mixes, not just isolations made via computer. That said, they also can be interesting to sit down and analyze, but not for comfortable listening. Some tracks meant for the back of the room I guess, have a 'delay' in, say, the vocal that can be offputting. But its nice to have Paul and Georges vocals audible. Its also interesting, and again, offputting, to hear just how Johns contribution was 'pieced together'. On some tracks, you'll hear John singing with piano. Then, abrupt fade out, and up, and out. Fortunately its not noticeable on the final mixes! Theres also whats called 'acoustic mixes'.These are the basic tracks (sans drums, bass and most electric guitar) with the demo version welded onto it. Theres another 'mix' of "FAAB" like this thats been around a couple of years; its done MUCH better than the one on here. However, the acoustic mix of "Real Love" is pretty charming. The true revelation on this CD, for me anyway, was the 'speed corrected' mix of "Real Love". WOW! I loved this song anyway, but I always bemoaned the odd mix,and the fact Ringos drums sounded nothing like they did on "FAAB". Well, heres why: Jeff Lynne obviously did NOT remix "Real Love" after speeding it up. You cant do that without sacrificing sound. It makes me feel the decision to speed it up was made at the last minute. But trust me, you listen to the song at the origianl speed, and you'll fall for it. everything just sounds RIGHT; Georges guitar, Pauls bass, Ringos drums...everything falls into place and makes more sense now. But just as a reminder, the sped-up video mix is included, as well as an early mix of the track that video director Kevin Godley dubbed his own vocal onto in place of Johns.
The final track is a 'outfake' of Georges 1981 tribute to John, "All Those Years Ago". This has Paul (and Lindas!) vocals mixed up more, which is appreciated. The whole mix sounds warmer too. I really like this CD, and I will return to it again and again. Its fun, its the bloody Threetles album, shut up!
SUMMARY/RATING- *** 3 stars: While its not a casual listen, and if you are not a fan of the new 'mixing' phenomenon you should be wary, its a damn good project, and worthy of your attention. From the excellent packaging to the well considered bonus track, "Meet the Threetles" is a good Beatley way to spend your time. Give it a try.
**************************
