by Martin Lewis

Capitol Records has just announced that it will release a 4-CD box-set of the first four Beatles albums released by Capitol in the USA in 1964. Albums that the Beatles had no part in compiling. Featuring recordings that were horrifically remixed in Hollywood with artificially-added echo ("to suit the American market") and a fake stereo process proudly named "Duophonic" (which was every bit as bad as its cheesy name suggests.) The decision to release these albums on CD in 2004 is a dreadful lapse of taste - fueled by greed - under the guise of giving American baby-boomer fans "what they want."

The primary reason that the Beatles' American album releases in the 1960's were at variance with the original British releases were financial and circumstantial. UK releases were governed by British copyright law - the rules of which did not penalize the record company for placing a greater number of tracks on an album. Therefore UK albums routinely provided 13 or 14 tracks per album. Value for money. Value for Beatles fans. Capitol made more money on each album by providing less tracks. So they were constantly taking songs OFF British albums - and stockpiling them to use on additional albums cobbled together from other "leftover" tracks. And then they made even more money by releasing an average of four albums a year rather than the two albums per year that the Beatles actually made.

Furthermore the running orders for most of these albums were constructed by a hack Capitol Records executive - Dave Dexter - the very person who had turned the Beatles down four times in 1963! He then had the temerity to artificially re-mix and re-balance the masterwork of George Martin - and then had even more cheek in putting his name on the albums as US producer! A travesty and a gross insult to George Martin.

The Beatles and Brian Epstein went along with the Capitol 1960's releases. They had no choice. When they started out they had no clout to insist otherwise. Even their growing success did not buy them sufficient muscle to constantly win the battle with Capitol. Fortunately they prevailed with "Sgt. Pepper," the "White Album," "Abbey Road" and "Let It Be." Imagine if Capitol had had the chance to mangle "Sgt Pepper." Which of the three 'superfluous' tracks would they have taken off to have something 'in the pot' for the next album? Maybe they would have taken off "A Day In the Life" ("Hey let's save that weird long song for the next album...") Maybe they would have added in a couple of the tracks they slashed off "Revolver." Yuh - that would have been true to the Beatles' vision...

And if Capitol HAD butchered "Sgt. Pepper" - fans would of course have fallen in love with THAT album - because the music itself was great. But they would have missed a BETTER album. And they would have missed the album that the Beatles wanted to give us. And of course aging American baby-boomers would still be clamoring for the butchered version because it's what they remember.

It is totally understandable that American fans who heard those US albums back when they were released have huge affection for the way they first heard the Beatles. Bad running orders, shoddy audio mixes and all. The brilliance of the Beatles music far outshone any damage that Dave Dexter and Capitol Records could inflict on their albums. But just because people became accustomed to those running orders - and have a natural affection for the album sequences they remember from the past - doesn't make them right.

When the Beatles resolved their long-standing financial disputes with EMI-Capitol Records in the mid-1980's - it cleared the path for the release of the Beatles catalogue on CD. And the decision was taken then to standardize the Beatles catalogue worldwide. They would honor the eminently good taste, choices and original decisions of the original artists! The Beatles and their producer George Martin. (And - let it be remembered - Apple stated categorically that it would never deviate from this 'core' catalogue and reissue long discredited foreign compilations that had no place in the original intentions of the Beatles.)

The sole exception in respect of albums was the 1967 US construction of the "Magical Mystery Tour" album - but only because there was no easy way to convert the two 7" vinyl singles of the original British double EP (extended player) release into the CD format. With that one exception - and the decision to tidy up all the other singles and EP tracks that had not been on UK albums into the two "Past Masters" volumes (dumb title - but logical configuration) - the catalogue was restored to be as the Beatles and George Martin had originally intended!

As a Beatles fan I have the utmost respect for the mixes made by George Martin and the Beatles. And the utmost respect for the running orders that George Martin and the Beatles carefully devised for each release. Those are the only ways I personally wish to hear their albums.

If, for quite understandable reasons of nostalgia, American baby-boomer fans want to hear those records in the bizarre sequences that were actually devised by a Beatles-disdaining American record executive (who was perennially embarrassed that he'd passed on the Beatles four times) then that's why they invented the iPod! And CD changers that you can program. And CDs you can burn at home.

And if you REALLY want to hear those dreadful, dire, echo-laden, artificial stereo and duophonic mixes - just buy a really crappy set of speakers - put them in a trash can in the next room and stuff some Krispy Kreme donuts in your ears. Then play the proper Beatles CDs released in 1987 - and George Martin's original mixes will sound exactly as you remember them on American vinyl circa 1964!

This new release is a cynical endeavor that has less to do with musical balance than bank balance. The Beatles under Brian Epstein's management always took an honorable course. This is a dreadful error of taste. It is crass commercialism that is far below the dignity of the classy way that Brian Epstein insisted the Beatles should always be presented.

A collection of fabulous Beatles songs that were butchered and went through the meat-grinder once in 1964 have been reprocessed. They should just call the box-set - Re-MEAT The Beatles...

ABOUT THE WRITER

Running parallel to his primary work as a political commentator - Martin Lewis is also considered among the world's leading Beatles scholars. He has produced many Beatles-related projects including the DVD Edition of "A Hard Day's Night" - and he was Associate Producer of the DVD "The Ed Sullivan Shows Featuring The Beatles." He was US marketing strategist for the Beatles' "Anthology" and "Live At The BBC" projects - campaigns which reunited him with his mentor - original Beatles publicist Derek Taylor. (Lewis started his career as a protege of Taylor in 1971-73)

Published October 14, 2004