You Don't Look Different

Part Four

At last, with the introduction of Apple Records, most of the variants between mixes internationally should cease, right? Well, not exactly. The Beatles still mixed songs for both mono and stereo, and there were also a few other interesting differences.

Single: "Hey Jude"/"Revolution" Capitol 2276

Both mixes of the "Hey Jude" single were the same as those issued on the UK single, but these differ sonically from the stereo mixes that would be issued later on the US album, Hey Jude (see below). Also, some purple label reissues of this single pressed at the Los Angeles plant around 1978 contain the stereo mix of "Revolution" by mistake, instead of the mono mix. Finally, the colored vinyl single from the 90's sounds different and appears to sport an altered version of the stereo mix.

	The Beatles SWBO-101 (mono)
Side One: Back in the USSR mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Dear Prudence mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Glass Onion mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Obladi; Oblada mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Wild Honey Pie mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill mix: same as the UK stereo mix. While My Guitar Gently Weeps mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Happiness is a Warm Gun mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Side Two: Martha My Dear mix: same as the UK stereo mix. I'm So Tired mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Blackbird mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Piggies mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Rocky Raccoon mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Don't Pass Me By mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Why Don't We Do It in the Road? mix: same as the UK stereo mix. I Will mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Julia mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Side Three: Birthday mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Yer Blues mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Mother Nature's Son mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Sexy Sadie mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Helter Skelter mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Long, Long, Long mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Side Four: Revolution 1 mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Honey Pie mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Savoy Truffle mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Cry Baby Cry mix: There is a warble in the recording at "by the children" that is not found on the UK LP. Can You Take Me Back mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Revolution 9 mix: same as the UK stereo mix. Good Night mix: same as the UK stereo mix.
Notes: Beatles Book #66 may explain the defect in "Cry Baby Cry." This appears to have been the result of Capitol Records' choice to subject the LP to compression and limiting, followed by George Harrison's reworking of the LP to its perceived original state.

	The Beatles Again/Hey Jude SO/SW-385 (stereo)
Side One: Can't Buy Me Love mix: same as the UK stereo mix of 22 June, 1964 When the song was remixed digitally for inclusion in the 1993 reissue of 1962-1966, the highs were made somewhat louder. The mono mix was made on February 26, 1964, and was available on the US single I Should Have Known Better mix: same as the UK stereo mix of 22 June, 1964 The stereo mix reveals that John's harmonica intro had a brief "broken" part during the last phrase. This was repaired when the mono mix was made by copying the third phrase into the space. The song also fades out faster in mono. The mono mix (March 3, 1964) was released in the US as the b-side of "Hard Day's Night". Paperback Writer mix: The UK stereo mix, from A Collection of Beatles Oldies is stereo-reversed compared to this one. Also, the backing vocals are louder here. Both mixes were made on October, 31, 1966. The UK mix was used for the Past Masters CD. The mono mix was made on April 14, 1966, and was available on the US single. Rain mix: This mix, made December 2, 1969, is the definitive stereo mix. It was not released in England until 1979, when this LP was released there; previously, the song had been available in England only in mono. The mono mix was made on April 16, 1966, and was available on the US single. Lady Madonna mix: This mix, made December 2, 1969, is the definitive stereo mix. It was not released in England until 1973, when it appeared on 1967-1970. The mono mix was made on February 15, 1968, and was available on the US single. Revolution mix: This mix, made December 2, 1969, is the definitive stereo mix. The guitar is not as distorted as in the mono mix, nor is it as loud. The stereo mix was not available in England until 1973's release of 1967-1970. Side Two: Hey Jude! mix: This mix, made December 5, 1969, is the definitive stereo mix. It is five seconds shorter than the mono mix, which was made August 8, 1968. The stereo mix was not available in England until the release of the 1967-1970 album. For You Blue mix: . Don't Let Me Down mix: same as the UK stereo mix of April 7, 1969. The mono mix, made the same day, was not released in the USA but was available on the UK single (Apple R 5777). Ballad of John and Yoko mix: same as the UK stereo mix of April 14, 1969 On the single (Apple 2531), the final drumbeat is at full volume. The same is true on the UK single. Here, the final drumbeat fades out.
Notes: The LP was released in 1970 as The Beatles Again in several countries and was available from the UK as an "export album." It was not released in England until 1979 and has since been removed from the catalog.

Later Records:

1962-1966

North American copies were prepared separately than their overseas counterparts. As a result, songs such as "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Hard Day's Night," which had not been released in stereo in the USA, were available on US copies in mono. "I Feel Fine" is one of those songs appearing in mono on this LP, but in England, this song appears with a few seconds of "whispering" preceding the song. The whispering must have existed on the leader tape, for it does not appear on the original session tapes.

1967-1970

North American copies were prepared separately than their overseas counterparts. For most of the later material, this should not have been an issue. However, for reasons unknown, Capitol/Apple included the mono mix of "Hello Goodbye" on this LP instead of the stereo mix.

Rock and Roll Music

George Martin remixed the earlier tracks that were included on this LP. In England, these new mixes were not used on the album but were eventually included on its reissue (as two single records).
These mix differences include:

• "Twist and Shout" -- tracks mixed closer to the center
• "You Can't Do That" -- same as the UK stereo mix, but not available in the US until this 1976 LP.
• "Long Tall Sally" -- This is the "UK stereo mix," although that mix had not been available until this LP. The mix from Beatles Second Album (March 10, 1964) has the vocal on the right; this mix (June 22, 1964) has the vocal centered.
• "I Call Your Name" -- This is the "UK stereo mix," although that mix had not been available until this LP. See Beatles Second Album for the details.
• "Matchbox" -- This song was available in the US on Something New but had not been released in England in stereo until this LP.
• "I'm Down" -- This song was first released in England and in the US on this LP, having been available in Japan before. See the "Help!" single for more.

Rarities

The Rarities album included with the boxed set Beatles Collection is an entirely different LP. See my article on Capitol LP's for more information. Tracks include:

Side One:

1. "Love Me Do" -- Ringo on drums
2. "Misery" -- UK stereo mix
3. "There's a Place -- UK stereo mix
4. "Sie Liebt Dich" -- This is the first time anywhere that the song was released in stereo.
5. "And I Love Her" -- This appears to be a re-creation of the extended "German" version of the song, which was available on the German Something New album (Odeon STO 83-756).
6. "Help" -- UK mono mix, as found on the US single
7. "I'm Only Sleeping" -- UK stereo mix
8. "I am the Walrus" -- Capitol engineers edited the four beats from the US mono single mix into the UK stereo mix to create this new version.

Side Two:

1. "Penny Lane" -- Capitol engineers edited the seven note ending from the US promo single into the UK stereo mix to create this new version.
2. "Helter Skelter" -- the mono mix
3. "Don't Pass Me By" -- the mono mix
4. "The Inner Light" -- same as the US single
5. "Across the Universe" -- This is the original mix, made ****, 1969, and previously included only on the British compilation album No One's Gonna Change Our World. The song is faster-paced than the version on Let It Be, and the female backing vocalists (Lizzie Bravo and Gaylene Pease) heard here were eliminated by Phil Spector when making the mix for Let It Be. Flying bird sounds appear at the beginning and end of this version, put there for inclusion on the compilation LP, which benefitted the World Wildlife Fund.
6. "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)" -- same as the US single
7. "Inner Groove" -- The two seconds of party sounds that had been excluded from the US Sgt. Pepper album.

Reel Music

At this point, Capitol included fresh stereo mixes of all the songs, including the UK stereo mixes of "Hard Day's Night" and "I Am the Walrus." They also repaired the harmonica error in the intro to "I Should Have Known Better," using a repetition of the second harmonica phrase. This repaired version does not appear on the UK Reel Music LP.

Twenty Greatest Hits

A shortened version of "Hey Jude" appears here, along with true stereo copies of their early records...which had not been available in the USA until this time.

1

This album contains a new stereo mix of "Day Tripper," in which the dropout problem during the last verse was repaired with editing.

What about variants that originated outside of North America?

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These articles are © 2001, 2007 Frank Daniels