I was in the USAF in the early 70's in Germany. I thought it would be cool to buy all the Beatles albums in Germany and bring them home. I played them one time and put them on 10" reel to reel tapes. I have been playing these tapes all this time, not knowing the sound was superior to all USA vinyl. I just assumed that all the vinyl was the same. I have them on cassettes also. Thank-You very much for all the detailed information.
I just wanted to say, though it's not rare, the German 3rd cutting "big bass" version of Revolver is probably the best I've ever heard it sound. Incredible clarity and bass, still plentiful and cheap. Highly recommended! Just have to make sure the matrix doesn't have a dash (-) in between the A1/B1 04097A1 SHZE 186-A 04097B1 SHZE 186-B I also have to vouch for the unmarked/marked DMM pressing of The White Album from the early/mid 80's... My new favorite version, absolutely stunning sonically and also highly recommended, besides the aforementioned HörZu - Die Beatles/Apple Electrola - PPM and MMT. Germany really did it right on these and IMHO, these blow away every other stereo version I've heard thus far, including the UK pressings. 🍻
The Israeli "Presidents" cover was actually an illustration out of the book "The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics" and is the artist's idea of what the Beatles would look like when they were old. IIRC, the back cover of that album had other illustrations from the same book.
I remember Hörzu as this sort of fancy-shmancy tv magazine whose target market were mainly posh conservative voting Germans. It did however use separate pages for daytime and prime time listings across a spread which as a kid I found pretty cool, but my parents would never let me buy it at the newsagent's on Saturdays, because it was too expensive. Instead we would opt for Funk Uhr, which was more middle class, and it would only cost 1 DM back in the day. And I do remember that hi-hat intro on All My Loving very well, when I once rented the Odeon pressing of WtB from a library, and being somewhat surprised/confused not to hear it on any other version later on, or on the Red Album, for that matter.
The German pressings of the White Album deserve a video on their own. There are quite a few variations over the years. Some are very flat and some are amazing. There were SMO, 072, 192 prefix, DMM, white vinyl, Blue Box, etc.
My dear friend Andrew!!! That was one of the greatest reviews ever!!! Here in Brazil, A Hard Day's Night was released with the same red background and the titled "Os Reis do Ié Ié Ié", which means The Kings of Yeah Yeah Yeah! Thank you once again for this awesome video!!! All the best from Brazil.
I've always meant to track down those 70s German pressings for Please Please Me (Die Beatles) and Magical Mystery Tour. This video gives me a further kick in the behind to do so. I may have to add the German Revolver to that list too!
I dont mean to be so off topic but does someone know of a way to get back into an instagram account? I was dumb forgot my login password. I would appreciate any tips you can offer me!
@Finnley Kye i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and im waiting for the hacking stuff atm. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
I've been a Beatles fan since 1963 and a collector of vinyl in general since the early 1980s. I love this super well-informed channel. Just one thing: You're making many A/B comparisons, so it's easy to fall into the trap of making tautologies in the style of "they both sound the same". It's quite enough to say "they sound the same" and avoid indirectly falling into the trap of suggesting that A can sound the same as B without B sounding the same as A, which of course is not very likely to be the case! Otherwise, keep them coming. I'd love to see more information on the 2009 Mono CD box set, which I believe became a positive turning point in the infamous "loudness war".
Holy Telefunken! Beatles are trying to press their way out of the shrink wrap on that Beat cover. Another great history lesson/pressing comparison video!
Really eye opening! I had all of these except, unbelievably, the “good” Revolver! I must own one! Thank you again! Great stuff and looking forward to the next batch of German releases! Til next show!
Revolver is one of those albums where one song sounds better in mono, while the next sounds better in stereo. The stereo version of Tomorrow Never Knows is far better in stereo than in mono as far as I'm concerned.
The first Beatles recordings were from Germany in 1962 with Tony Sheridan including “My Bonnie”. The song was later released in the US on the Decca label as “The Beat Brothers” and it became a collector’s item. And then followed by “Ain’t She Sweet” and “Cry For A Shadow”, an instrumental song which turned out to be their only attempt at the surf craze. These were later released in the US on both Atco and MGM in 1964.
"Cry for a shadow" the only official Lennon/Harrison composition. I should still have a double album of the Tony Sheridan era, as well as a live double album "The Beatles Live At Hamburg 1962".
Hey Sir! Germany phased out mono and went stereo-only for LPs in 1964 already, ahead of any other countries that I know of. Maybe that's the reason they didn't bother (apparently) to get a dedicated mono mix for With the Beatles, since they probably already knew mono was on the way out. Thank you for the great video!
I have two Australian pressings of Sgt Peppers and one comes with the proper psychedelic sleeve, while the other comes with the German candy-striped sleeve. Both are mono and have XEX-637/638-1 matrix's.
Great overview. I'm two years late to the game here (just recently discovered your videos), but doesn't the second German issue of "MMT" have a unique mix of "Baby, You're A Rich Man?" I have this version. I remember reading George Martin could not recreate some of the original 45 version effects with this remix.
Thank you for that! Perhaps you remember that I asked for a video about this subject in a comment to another of your videos (?). You didn't told me about it. But luckily I found myself. Very enjoyable! 🙂 Did you made that follow up about the SR International releases and other such things? Just before this I saw your video about "From Me To You". Must agree on the version on the red album. At least "The Beatles Beat" from Odeon is not a competitor. And neither are "And Now: The Beatles" from SR International.
Love the hat and sweater. Another amazing video - thanks. I am curious to see if you will do a video of the red apple label pressings of the Beatles albums and solo albums from around the world.
I found german unplayed blue and red LPs at second hand store for a dollar each. I can tell when they have never ever been played. Sound great. Pristine and inner almost glued to records.
Thank you so much for presenting what German Beatles albums to get. I love all these different rare mixes of the Beatles music. I’d be very interested in getting those German releases it would be a fun way to compare the ones from Germany versus the UK and the US ones. The only rare Beatles track I’ve heard this and I love her much is on the US rarities album it’s a great song end it is one of my favorites from a hard days night and it’s a great movie too.
They also released "The Beatles Greatest" here in the US. It was the first full Beatles album I bought as a youngster, circa 1979. The back cover pictured @8:12 is what mine looked like. I even remember that whole long thing they wrote on the back was in German. To this day I don't know what it said. 😄 This is also how I found out Capitol was cheating us Americans. They listed "Revolver" and "Rubber Soul" at the bottom, complete with their original EMI track listings.
The Dutch release of the Beatles' Greatest can't have been before 1967 as it advertises on its backside Sgt. Pepper among others, but has, over the years and decades, outweighed the original German one as the most commonly available. Same today for the second hand market. Quite remarkable considering it was originally published as part of a cut-price series, namely the Dutch "Sterren Serie". One day on a flea market I did come across the "Sterren Serie" record by the Beach Boys - and ever since that day I've been angry of myself for not having bought it! Anyway Beatles' Greatest is a prime example of a serial issue that somehow outgrew its series. The German Magical Mystery Tour might be a very fine record, but it's all the less fine to look at. Until this day I ask myself who on earth had thought it a great idea to turn the MMT rainbow lettering giant but the animal clad Beatles dwarf. And to use just that still of all that were in the booklet for the back cover was equally unfortunate. An ouright dull cover design compared to the original - of which the Germans had been well aware then. But apart from that, I was always very happy with my German printed Beatles LPs. In a case of better late than never the Germans put a great deal of care in reworking their material for reissues of the 1970s and 80s, in due time for me to enjoy 😃 P.S. @Parlogram Auctions Are you sure the version of I Feel Fine on Beatles' Greatest is the US version? I know it is very echoey and stuff, but I've heard Beatles '65, and okay, it was on CD, from the 2004 box set, but hey, that's not very echoey, that's like a studio fleshing-out of a transistor airing, or like a desperate attempt to eliminate as much of the running by accident vacuum cleaner as possible! So anyway, really??
There was a record store chain called MIDTOWN TAPE & RECORD CENTRES in the northeast US that carried import albums as I was growing up. Copies of THE BEATLES' BEST were usually kept in stock, new, until the mid 1970s.
Magical Mystery Tour was released here in Aus as a double-EP set, but was re-released on the World Record Club label as Magical Mystery Tour And Other Splendid Hits. I have no idea if it sounds good or not.
Love your channel I just bought the Beatles German albums from For sale up to revolver they sounds good to me! We used to get these imported back in the 70’s in Detroit records stores then
Enjoyed this very much. I bought my German Help! at a flea market record store some 30+ years ago. I couldn't believe my ears - it was the BEST sounding Beatle album that I'd ever heard! Sadly, I lost my record collection a few years ago...the other day, I purchased the identical version (or so I thought) for 7x over what I originally paid, only to discover that while it sounded good, it wasn't close to the original. This one must be a different pressing or near the end of the press. Side 1: A-2 Side 2: B-3. Cheers!
Can you do a review on Beatles compilations (red album, blue album) and more specifically, 1 on vinyl. I’ve heard amazing things from other people about the sound of 1 on vinyl but I’d like to hear it from you? Most people can’t really afford these albums and would likely settle for the compilations. From a Beatles super-fan, keep up the great videos!
HOWARD W. says > Are you sure the extended version of AND I LOVE HER on the German Something New is a result of editing and not from an unedited original tape from EMI ? Also, I`ll never understand why Capitol or even Germany didn`t include SIE LIEBT DICH on Something New.
Great info Andrew...I was fortunate enough to pick up the please please me and Revolver german 70s Apple LPs at my local market last summer. And yes, they sound Gear Fab!
Just did a comparison of Sgt Peppers first UK Stereo and early Hor Zu German (both Gold and Blue labels SHZE-401-A-1 / B-2). The Hor Zu German compares quite well. If anything, it seems a bit louder. Andrew calls it "dull and lifeless," which wasn't my experience at all. The UK does sound a bit more balanced and natural. I would be curious about the waveforms on these two. For those who have the early German, here's one vote that your pressing is solid!
I did enjoy this video a lot . Since I do have a lot of Beatles German vinyl !!! By watching your video I sure do learn a lot . This is just like being in a Beatles class room lol . WOW do I wish I had this class in School :). Well I am off for now cheers and Happy New Year to you !!!!!
Wow, I’d heard an Odeon pressing of AHDN (Yeah…) had a great sound and I’ve even seen it at a local record store for three figures. It’s a good thing I didn’t buy it. I have a 2014 mono and I’ve always been partial to that particular mix, anyway. I’m glad I dodged THAT bullet!
The best thrift store find of my life was when I found a VG+ German Odeon pressing of The Beatles Second Album ZTOX 5558 for 25 cents! I was new to collecting so I didn’t understand the importance or value until many years later when I decided to look it up...was astonished and ended up selling it for $450 US to a happy buyer in Austria. It’s a rare one but amazingly I ended up with another copy years later when buying a mostly blind lot from a Goodwill auction for $50! Many gems were in there and I most certainly scored big time. :)
Andrew, I love these videos. Thank you! I have a question if you don't mind. I have a copy of the Horzu Magical Mystery Tour. However, it has the first logo version at the upper left but the later, true stereo B3 matrix of side B. Have you seen this before or know how that would have happened?
Congratulations on owning a copy of that great sounding pressing! It's a common occurrence There were more covers made of this type made than -1/-1, 1st pressing discs.
Another great video. I do have a couple of Beatles German albums, Magical Mystery Tour on the Horzu label and a Collection of Beatles Oldies. Magical Mystery Tour sounds amazing but Oldies doesn’t sound that good but it sounds like the British version isn’t great either. I am interested in getting a German Revolver pressing as a watched another Beatles related video that discusses the best Revolver pressings and again mentions the 1970s German ones. Thanks very much for posting these terrific videos!
Insightful, entertaining, and with great understated humour! Thanks for all of your Beatles video Andrew it is a great education, I am genuinely astounded at the variation in the songs and albums I thought I new. I keep thinking you will run out of area to talk about!
Great info on these pressings. I thought I had the lesser quality Horzu MMT but I learned from this that it is actually the better true stereo version from Horzu. Thanks
As always, your video on German Beatles' releases is informative and well done. However, I found it a bit lacking by no discussion of the German albums made for the Armed Forces that were there in the 60's, nor the German pressings exported to Switzerland. Maybe there's another video I haven't seen. Carry on!
An interesting fact for you and all Beatles obsessives out there in CZcams land: I just noticed the song credits on my German Horzu Please Please Me label show McCartney Lennon not Lennon McCartney. Not a lot of people know that (said in Michael Caine voice). Sounds fantastic by the way, thanks for recommendation.
German pressings from the 70s and early 80s are the best sounding Beatles records I own. Especially Help!, Revolver, White Album, Abbey Road and of course MMT.
I´ve read somewhere that the German White Album in white vinyl sounds awesome. Have to check it out my old copy. Great to learn a little bit about the German issues. Bye for now. Nelio.
A Hard Day’s Night in German Vinyl is very good.The sound clean and strong,I like this Lp.So about other collection how Capital,you please can talking something this in next video?I be waiting.Thank you Uchino of Japan.
Great video as always...didn't see you mention the 70's German Help on the Apple label though, I think that one sounds great, even better than the UK stereo copy I have. The 70's German Apple label Please Please Me and MMT are also both great as you say. Cheers.
Thanks, Stephen. I've only just got hold of an '072' issue of 'Help! The difference is not quite as stark as on 'Sgt. Pepper' or 'Revolver' but it certainly sounds very nice and clearer than my 1969 -1 pressing.
Another fantastic video. I've not collected any German pressings yet...but it's nice to know what to keep an eye open for. These country specific videos are quite good...ever thought of doing an episode on Canadian pressings? Mark Anthony K Projekt Gemineye
I own two german copies of Sgt peppers. The Apple pressing with 072 number and a Blue Odeon Lable with 062 catalogue number (and has a "n" at the end) and A-1 B-2 matrix (it has two matrix-no. on each side one starting with SHZE and one with A, but all end the same on each side with A-1/B-2). I can't tell any difference in soundquality even tho they are different cuts according to the Matrix-no. The blue one sounds just AWESOME. I dont like the apple one because the record is so thin. I think i will sell it.
QUESTION: Hi! Love your videos - valueable info there!! Going through all I could find out about the German Apple Revolver - which one is the one to get! Please help! Matrix / Runout (Runout Side 1, stamped): 04097-A with RG-106-A-1-T 1 (hand-etched) Matrix / Runout (Runout Side 2, stamped): 04097-B with RG-106-B-1-T 1 (hand-etched) or 04097-A-1/04097-B-1 with SHZE-186 A1 and SHZE-186 B1 or 04097-A-2/04097-B-2 with SHZE-186 A2 and SHZE-186 B2 Thanks for your help! I did get a 062 with 04097-A-2/04097-B-2 with SHZE-186 A2 and SHZE-186 B2 and compared to the UK first pressing tube cut, and it was not as good sounding.
I believe you missed out the Polydor recordings, which saw release in the UK but long after the German compilation. I doubt the fidelity is interesting for that, but it's significant for being the first lp collection.
Hi, You mentioned that the 1973 Horzu pressing and following Apple pressings of Please Please Me, are the best sounding pressings, even surpassing the first UK pressing, which is compressed. So, someone I know has the 1969 Horzu pressing. Is this the same uncompressed version as the later 1973 version that is so superior?
The 072 pressing of Rubber Soul has over the top bass. I'm sure it has to be just the EQ mastering and not a totally different mix but it almost sounds like it.
It seems you missed one important special 80s pressings of the DMM ( direct metal mastered) set. When they released the White album and the Red and Blue lps, I thought this is what cds will sound like. It wasn't even close. I have a DMM of Revolver too. None of the cds or pressings come close to the DMM pressings. Please seek these out and do a presentation of these special pressings. Thx! Great video!
Nice video! To me, the German Apple Die Beatles, Revolver, SPLHCB and MMT are the best stereo pressings for these titles, period. I've had 1st UKs, later UKs, Dutch, Japanese, etc and the four I mentioned are definitive. Rubber Soul is amazing as well. Have you covered the UK late 70s white vinyl versions of the White Album and Let It Be? Those are champs as well, in my opinion. It would be interesting to see a video on what you would choose if you could only take ONE copy of each Beatles record with you to a desert island :-)
@@Parlogram I'm new to this site and think the idea of just taking 1 copy of each LP is a great challenge. I'd love to see a video of Andrew doing this, but could he make final decisions? It would be the ultimate geek guide.
Hey Andrew. I found a beautiful copy of Beatles Second Album on Odeon. It’s a 1st press that was apparently sold at US military bases in West Germany and Switzerland in 64. It was available for only 2 months according to discogs. The front sleeve has the art from Somehing New The Beatles. Would you have any info on this? I assume that it is pretty rare. Thanks
Thanks for your great video ! A lot of precious informations ! I had the chance to give a listen to 85 Germann DMM White Album (white coloured disc)... and it was incredible ! I hope you will speak about this one, one day ! Cheers** Sébastien
The video is themed "Beatles German Vinyl Albums," so the focus isn't necessarily on songs recorded in the German language. Not even the German fans really seemed to embrace those recordings, as the English versions of those songs were used on The Beatles Beat and The Beatles Greatest compilations made in Germany.
In recently found a rubber soul Odeon copy on the white label .. not very good vinyl but the sound is not bad! The Horzu pressings I have are usually great
Well, after studying this whole matter, it seems the video, while very entertaining and informative, is lacking some details. The 1C 072 number is no way to determine a good pressing. Records with this price code were around from 1977 and then well into the 80s. By mid-80s, there were entirely new cuts done under the same price code (unmarked DMM cuts) which were of very varying quality (many had overbloated bass). - The original Pepper cut was in fact quite close to the UK 1st, except for amped-up bass on Side A. - There was a very fine-sounding A-2/B-3 Help! from 1977. - The early 70s Revolver (A-X2/B-2) was no way the same as the 1966 one (A-1/B-1). Plus, there is an End-70s A1/B1 cut but there the bass is just overbloated. - White Album had several recuts. Most interesting is, however, the 1984-85 DMM version. Unlike most other analogue DMM jobs, it's very pleasant (that's the version without the pause after Savoy Truffle). The white-vinyl version was pressed at Teldec and has the DMM logo; the black version from '85 was pressed in Cologne and doesn't have one.
Thank you for your attention and updates. We've all learned so much more about these pressings since I made this video and I hope to do a follow-up video sometime in the future.
Thanks for very cool videos! As a matter of fact, it was among others this video that motivated me to start researching German album cuts (actual cuts, as opposed to label variations, catalogue numbers and other, more visible things) more systematically. The overall "exciting" era seems to start when John Cremer became sound technician at EMI Electrola in Cologne. He did the late 70s recuts (and then changed into DMM in the 80s). Though some of the best German versions ware actually prior to that, like Please Please Me.
@@Parlogram I would love to send my set over but I just don’t know how shipping from Australia would go (especially considering COVID) 😭 Great vid though!
Question: Does it matter which pressing of "Greatest" or are they all similar? Excellent video! I watched several times to get all the info. Great presentation as well!
6:09 you've reminded me...why on earth did the germans go out of their way to extend the outro of "and i love her" anyway? back then such an edit must've been pretty challenging, and it's so arbitrary
I saw a couple of these German pressings in a store when I was a kid and immediately backed away from them after noticing the phrase "Die Beatles". I thought it was some sort of anti-Beatles record.
i still have my Parlaphone collection such as the Please Please me LP where its McCartney Lennon though on With The Beatles it changed to to Lennon and McCartney but the music was good
Well, this has been a revelation. I had mistakenly assumed that 1st UK pressings were the way forward in terms of hearing the Beatles at their best. Clearly I need to get hold of 70s German reissues of Revolver, MMT and Sgt Pepper! I'd always wondered why my Capitol MMT sounded so 'off'.
Update: I've just got my hands on a German Apple reissue with the A1-B3 matrix stampers... Oh. My. God. My US Capitol import would be going in the bin were it not for the booklet. This German version completely blows it out of the water. I previously thought they'd recorded 'Baby You're a Rich Man' in a sawmill, but there's actually loads going on in there and it sounds really rich and warm. It's like hearing these songs again for the first time. MMT has just gone up in my estimation. Massive thanks for making this video, I wouldn't have known about this otherwise.
The same thing happened with the Brazilian version of A Hard Day's Night, the tittle was "Os Reis Do Yeah Yeah Yeah" (The Kings of Yeah Yeah Yeah), which I always found very ridiculous
I bought the German LP version of MMT and remember being blown away on hearing Penny Lane in stereo for the first time.
I was in the USAF in the early 70's in Germany. I thought it would be cool to buy all the Beatles albums in Germany and bring them home. I played them one time and put them on 10" reel to reel tapes. I have been playing these tapes all this time, not knowing the sound was superior to all USA
vinyl. I just assumed that all the vinyl was the same. I have them on cassettes also. Thank-You very
much for all the detailed information.
the tapes probably arent superior to us vinyl I wouldnt imagine though lol. But thats cool you have them Mr Bond
Fantastic opening!
Thank you! 😁
I've often said that when tuning into German porn.
I just wanted to say, though it's not rare, the German 3rd cutting "big bass" version of Revolver is probably the best I've ever heard it sound. Incredible clarity and bass, still plentiful and cheap. Highly recommended!
Just have to make sure the matrix doesn't have a dash (-) in between the A1/B1
04097A1 SHZE 186-A
04097B1 SHZE 186-B
I also have to vouch for the unmarked/marked DMM pressing of The White Album from the early/mid 80's... My new favorite version, absolutely stunning sonically and also highly recommended, besides the aforementioned HörZu - Die Beatles/Apple Electrola - PPM and MMT.
Germany really did it right on these and IMHO, these blow away every other stereo version I've heard thus far, including the UK pressings. 🍻
The Israeli "Presidents" cover was actually an illustration out of the book "The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics" and is the artist's idea of what the Beatles would look like when they were old. IIRC, the back cover of that album had other illustrations from the same book.
Thanks for that information, very interesting!
I remember Hörzu as this sort of fancy-shmancy tv magazine whose target market were mainly posh conservative voting Germans. It did however use separate pages for daytime and prime time listings across a spread which as a kid I found pretty cool, but my parents would never let me buy it at the newsagent's on Saturdays, because it was too expensive. Instead we would opt for Funk Uhr, which was more middle class, and it would only cost 1 DM back in the day.
And I do remember that hi-hat intro on All My Loving very well, when I once rented the Odeon pressing of WtB from a library, and being somewhat surprised/confused not to hear it on any other version later on, or on the Red Album, for that matter.
The German pressings of the White Album deserve a video on their own. There are quite a few variations over the years. Some are very flat and some are amazing. There were SMO, 072, 192 prefix, DMM, white vinyl, Blue Box, etc.
Agreed, John. I've heard good things about the DMM pressing.
I have "The Beatles Greatest" as well and can attest to its sounding great.
They should do one-step AAA releases of the Beatles catalogue. Or at least the albums that weren't in the mono box.
My dear friend Andrew!!! That was one of the greatest reviews ever!!!
Here in Brazil, A Hard Day's Night was released with the same red background and the titled "Os Reis do Ié Ié Ié", which means The Kings of Yeah Yeah Yeah!
Thank you once again for this awesome video!!! All the best from Brazil.
Thank you, my friend. Stay well.
I've always meant to track down those 70s German pressings for Please Please Me (Die Beatles) and Magical Mystery Tour. This video gives me a further kick in the behind to do so. I may have to add the German Revolver to that list too!
We have some on the site right now: www.parlogramauctions.com/Browse/C918883/Beatles_German_Vinyl
Maybe you should also mention the Beatles singles of "She Loves You" and "Hold Your Hand" which were released in the German language.
Sie liebt dieck yeah yeah yeah sie liebt dieck yeah yeah yeah
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@Lyle Michael instablaster :)
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I've been a Beatles fan since 1963 and a collector of vinyl in general since the early 1980s. I love this super well-informed channel. Just one thing: You're making many A/B comparisons, so it's easy to fall into the trap of making tautologies in the style of "they both sound the same". It's quite enough to say "they sound the same" and avoid indirectly falling into the trap of suggesting that A can sound the same as B without B sounding the same as A, which of course is not very likely to be the case! Otherwise, keep them coming. I'd love to see more information on the 2009 Mono CD box set, which I believe became a positive turning point in the infamous "loudness war".
Holy Telefunken! Beatles are trying to press their way out of the shrink wrap on that Beat cover.
Another great history lesson/pressing comparison video!
Really eye opening! I had all of these except, unbelievably, the “good” Revolver! I must own one!
Thank you again! Great stuff and looking forward to the next batch of German releases! Til next show!
I wish Giles Martin would remix revolver. The recordings deserve it.
Rubber Soul as well.
I absolutely despise the primitive way it was mixed in stereo, even though it was recorded in 4 tracks!
Wouldn't a repress of 2014 Beatles in Mono be cooler?
Revolver is one of those albums where one song sounds better in mono, while the next sounds better in stereo. The stereo version of Tomorrow Never Knows is far better in stereo than in mono as far as I'm concerned.
@@dudstep It is but the guitar solo in mono sounds absolutely amazing. Way too dry in Stereo.
@@mars7934 You're right about that. The solo in mono is much better.
I picked up the Netherland's Beatles Greatest' a few months ago for only 7 Pounds! (It sounds great too!)
The first Beatles recordings were from Germany in 1962 with Tony Sheridan including “My Bonnie”. The song was later released in the US on the Decca label as “The Beat Brothers” and it became a collector’s item. And then followed by “Ain’t She Sweet” and “Cry For A Shadow”, an instrumental song which turned out to be their only attempt at the surf craze. These were later released in the US on both Atco and MGM in 1964.
"Cry for a shadow" the only official Lennon/Harrison composition. I should still have a double album of the Tony Sheridan era, as well as a live double album "The Beatles Live At Hamburg 1962".
Hey Sir! Germany phased out mono and went stereo-only for LPs in 1964 already, ahead of any other countries that I know of. Maybe that's the reason they didn't bother (apparently) to get a dedicated mono mix for With the Beatles, since they probably already knew mono was on the way out. Thank you for the great video!
I had the German Import of A Dolls House. It was Great ☺️!!!!...that in the 1970s
beautiful, have many germany albums , singles and eps with picture cover.
Sidenote: that is a highly unusual beer, never thought I'd come across a Riedenburger in one of your videos :D
I have two Australian pressings of Sgt Peppers and one comes with the proper psychedelic sleeve, while the other comes with the German candy-striped sleeve. Both are mono and have XEX-637/638-1 matrix's.
Great overview. I'm two years late to the game here (just recently discovered your videos), but doesn't the second German issue of "MMT" have a unique mix of "Baby, You're A Rich Man?" I have this version. I remember reading George Martin could not recreate some of the original 45 version effects with this remix.
Thank you for that!
Perhaps you remember that I asked for a video about this subject in a comment to another of your videos (?). You didn't told me about it. But luckily I found myself.
Very enjoyable! 🙂
Did you made that follow up about the SR International releases and other such things?
Just before this I saw your video about "From Me To You". Must agree on the version on the red album. At least "The Beatles Beat" from Odeon is not a competitor. And neither are "And Now: The Beatles" from SR International.
Next you should do the Brazilian albums. By the way, great video as always
Thanks! Would love to.
I have German Apple pressings of 'PPM' , 'PEPPER'S' & 'MMT' . I'd love to get 'HELP' and 'REVOLVER' as well.
That's made me thirsty... for more Beatle records!! Prosit!
Love the hat and sweater. Another amazing video - thanks. I am curious to see if you will do a video of the red apple label pressings of the Beatles albums and solo albums from around the world.
Thanks, Roberts. Thanks for the suggestions. There are so many subjects I'd love to cover. It's a never ending list.
You forgot to mention on Something New that the Beatles sang I Want to Hold Your Hand in German " Komme , Gib Mir Deine Hand "
I found german unplayed blue and red LPs at second hand store for a dollar each. I can tell when they have never ever been played. Sound great. Pristine and inner almost glued to records.
Thank you so much for presenting what German Beatles albums to get.
I love all these different rare mixes of the Beatles music.
I’d be very interested in getting those German releases it would be a fun way to compare the ones from Germany versus the UK and the US ones. The only rare Beatles track I’ve heard this and I love her much is on the US rarities album it’s a great song end it is one of my favorites from a hard days night and it’s a great movie too.
Amazing opening and highly professional comments !!
Thank you so much, Francis.
I have a blue label pressing of The Beatles' Greatest and love it, especially the rare mixes
Fantastic video! Thanks, Andrew. 14:24 made me laugh. :) Greetings from ... Germany!
Glad you enjoyed it!
They also released "The Beatles Greatest" here in the US. It was the first full Beatles album I bought as a youngster, circa 1979. The back cover pictured @8:12 is what mine looked like. I even remember that whole long thing they wrote on the back was in German. To this day I don't know what it said. 😄
This is also how I found out Capitol was cheating us Americans. They listed "Revolver" and "Rubber Soul" at the bottom, complete with their original EMI track listings.
I have one, too. I used a translator app to decipher what it said.
The Dutch release of the Beatles' Greatest can't have been before 1967 as it advertises on its backside Sgt. Pepper among others, but has, over the years and decades, outweighed the original German one as the most commonly available. Same today for the second hand market. Quite remarkable considering it was originally published as part of a cut-price series, namely the Dutch "Sterren Serie". One day on a flea market I did come across the "Sterren Serie" record by the Beach Boys - and ever since that day I've been angry of myself for not having bought it! Anyway Beatles' Greatest is a prime example of a serial issue that somehow outgrew its series.
The German Magical Mystery Tour might be a very fine record, but it's all the less fine to look at. Until this day I ask myself who on earth had thought it a great idea to turn the MMT rainbow lettering giant but the animal clad Beatles dwarf. And to use just that still of all that were in the booklet for the back cover was equally unfortunate. An ouright dull cover design compared to the original - of which the Germans had been well aware then.
But apart from that, I was always very happy with my German printed Beatles LPs. In a case of better late than never the Germans put a great deal of care in reworking their material for reissues of the 1970s and 80s, in due time for me to enjoy 😃
P.S. @Parlogram Auctions Are you sure the version of I Feel Fine on Beatles' Greatest is the US version? I know it is very echoey and stuff, but I've heard Beatles '65, and okay, it was on CD, from the 2004 box set, but hey, that's not very echoey, that's like a studio fleshing-out of a transistor airing, or like a desperate attempt to eliminate as much of the running by accident vacuum cleaner as possible! So anyway, really??
There was a record store chain called MIDTOWN TAPE & RECORD CENTRES in the northeast US that carried import albums as I was growing up. Copies of THE BEATLES' BEST were usually kept in stock, new, until the mid 1970s.
Magical Mystery Tour was released here in Aus as a double-EP set, but was re-released on the World Record Club label as Magical Mystery Tour And Other Splendid Hits. I have no idea if it sounds good or not.
Vielen Dank, wie immer, Andrew! Prosit!
Sorry I missed this originally. A lot going on in the US!...but the intro deserves a big CHEERS from me! 👍👍!Will catch up tonight!
Thanks for looking in. Hope you get time to watch the whole video at some point. Stay safe over there!
Love your channel I just bought the Beatles German albums from For sale up to revolver they sounds good to me! We used to get these imported back in the 70’s in Detroit records stores then
Enjoyed this very much. I bought my German Help! at a flea market record store some 30+ years ago. I couldn't believe my ears - it was the BEST sounding Beatle album that I'd ever heard! Sadly, I lost my record collection a few years ago...the other day, I purchased the identical version (or so I thought) for 7x over what I originally paid, only to discover that while it sounded good, it wasn't close to the original. This one must be a different pressing or near the end of the press. Side 1: A-2 Side 2: B-3. Cheers!
Can you do a review on Beatles compilations (red album, blue album) and more specifically, 1 on vinyl. I’ve heard amazing things from other people about the sound of 1 on vinyl but I’d like to hear it from you? Most people can’t really afford these albums and would likely settle for the compilations. From a Beatles super-fan, keep up the great videos!
The red & blue albums are on my 'to do' list. Thanks for watching!
@@Parlogram no problem! You make great videos
Spot on about the German Apple Revolver---Room-shattering bass!
HOWARD W. says > Are you sure the extended version of AND I LOVE HER on the German Something New is a result of editing and not from an unedited original tape from EMI ? Also, I`ll never understand why Capitol or even Germany didn`t include SIE LIEBT DICH on Something New.
Great info Andrew...I was fortunate enough to pick up the please please me and Revolver german 70s Apple LPs at my local market last summer. And yes, they sound Gear Fab!
Just did a comparison of Sgt Peppers first UK Stereo and early Hor Zu German (both Gold and Blue labels SHZE-401-A-1 / B-2). The Hor Zu German compares quite well. If anything, it seems a bit louder. Andrew calls it "dull and lifeless," which wasn't my experience at all. The UK does sound a bit more balanced and natural. I would be curious about the waveforms on these two. For those who have the early German, here's one vote that your pressing is solid!
I did enjoy this video a lot . Since I do have a lot of Beatles German vinyl !!! By watching your video I sure do learn a lot . This is just like being in a Beatles class room lol . WOW do I wish I had this class in School :). Well I am off for now cheers and Happy New Year to you !!!!!
Thank you so much, Brad. Happy New Year to you too. Go to the head of the class!!
:).
@@Parlogram YES :) lol cheers !!!!
Wow, I’d heard an Odeon pressing of AHDN (Yeah…) had a great sound and I’ve even seen it at a local record store for three figures. It’s a good thing I didn’t buy it. I have a 2014 mono and I’ve always been partial to that particular mix, anyway. I’m glad I dodged THAT bullet!
The best thrift store find of my life was when I found a VG+ German Odeon pressing of The Beatles Second Album ZTOX 5558 for 25 cents! I was new to collecting so I didn’t understand the importance or value until many years later when I decided to look it up...was astonished and ended up selling it for $450 US to a happy buyer in Austria. It’s a rare one but amazingly I ended up with another copy years later when buying a mostly blind lot from a Goodwill auction for $50! Many gems were in there and I most certainly scored big time. :)
Lots of those export copies turn up in the U.S. as they were bought back by servicemen who were stationed in Germany.
@@Parlogram That makes sense to me! I’d read somewhere those were only sold on US bases in Switzerland & perhaps Austria and Germany.
In late '70s there were lots of German Beatles LP's available for mid-price in Finland. Must have been some EMI clearance.
Really helpful video, thank you. Swedish pressings next please.
Andrew, I love these videos. Thank you! I have a question if you don't mind. I have a copy of the Horzu Magical Mystery Tour. However, it has the first logo version at the upper left but the later, true stereo B3 matrix of side B. Have you seen this before or know how that would have happened?
Congratulations on owning a copy of that great sounding pressing! It's a common occurrence There were more covers made of this type made than -1/-1, 1st pressing discs.
I enjoyed the beginning of the video as much as the info about the German Records.. and the ending too! Regards!!
Glad you enjoyed it, Pablo. Thanks so much for watching!
Another great video. I do have a couple of Beatles German albums, Magical Mystery Tour on the Horzu label and a Collection of Beatles Oldies. Magical Mystery Tour sounds amazing but Oldies doesn’t sound that good but it sounds like the British version isn’t great either. I am interested in getting a German Revolver pressing as a watched another Beatles related video that discusses the best Revolver pressings and again mentions the 1970s German ones. Thanks very much for posting these terrific videos!
Thanks, Bill. Hope you manage to get hold of a couple. You won't be disappointed.
Insightful, entertaining, and with great understated humour! Thanks for all of your Beatles video Andrew it is a great education, I am genuinely astounded at the variation in the songs and albums I thought I new. I keep thinking you will run out of area to talk about!
My pleasure, Robin. So glad you enjoyed it. There are so many more subjects to talk about, I only wish I had the time!
Great info on these pressings. I thought I had the lesser quality Horzu MMT but I learned from this that it is actually the better true stereo version from Horzu. Thanks
Thanks! Glad it was helpful.
Thank you for this fantastic review, been looking for some german pressing you mentioned before .
Glad it was helpful, Serj.
As always, your video on German Beatles' releases is informative and well done. However, I found it a bit lacking by no discussion of the German albums made for the Armed Forces that were there in the 60's, nor the German pressings exported to Switzerland. Maybe there's another video I haven't seen. Carry on!
An interesting fact for you and all Beatles obsessives out there in CZcams land: I just noticed the song credits on my German Horzu Please Please Me label show McCartney Lennon not Lennon McCartney. Not a lot of people know that (said in Michael Caine voice). Sounds fantastic by the way, thanks for recommendation.
0:02 "the beatles like german things"
me five seconds later: does he mean the groupies in hamburg?
German pressings from the 70s and early 80s are the best sounding Beatles records I own. Especially Help!, Revolver, White Album, Abbey Road and of course MMT.
I had the German Import A Dolls House on Album in the 1970s...it was Great ☺️
I´ve read somewhere that the German White Album in white vinyl sounds awesome. Have to check it out my old copy. Great to learn a little bit about the German issues. Bye for now. Nelio.
I just got the beatles Greatest in fair shape, only 16 bucks! I also got a Uruguay pressing of A Hard Days Night!
A Hard Day’s Night in German Vinyl is very good.The sound clean and strong,I like this Lp.So about other collection how Capital,you please can talking something this in next video?I be waiting.Thank you Uchino of Japan.
8:23 so that is where the everday chemistry cover comes from
Great video as always...didn't see you mention the 70's German Help on the Apple label though, I think that one sounds great, even better than the UK stereo copy I have. The 70's German Apple label Please Please Me and MMT are also both great as you say. Cheers.
Thanks, Stephen. I've only just got hold of an '072' issue of 'Help! The difference is not quite as stark as on 'Sgt. Pepper' or 'Revolver' but it certainly sounds very nice and clearer than my 1969 -1 pressing.
One of my first Beatles albums in the 70s was an Odeon cassette of Something New.
Another fantastic video. I've not collected any German pressings yet...but it's nice to know what to keep an eye open for.
These country specific videos are quite good...ever thought of doing an episode on Canadian pressings?
Mark Anthony K
Projekt Gemineye
Thanks Mark, glad you enjoyed it. I'd love to do a video on Canadian pressings, if I could get hold of a set.
Another great video Andrew, thanks mate!
Cheers Darren. Glad you enjoyed it!
Fantastic great information and lots more listening to be had, thank you so much Andrew 😀😁😊🎼🎵🎶💙💜💖
Glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching!
@@Parlogram ha haa wasn't just helpful, very enjoyable
I own two german copies of Sgt peppers. The Apple pressing with 072 number and a Blue Odeon Lable with 062 catalogue number (and has a "n" at the end) and A-1 B-2 matrix (it has two matrix-no. on each side one starting with SHZE and one with A, but all end the same on each side with A-1/B-2). I can't tell any difference in soundquality even tho they are different cuts according to the Matrix-no. The blue one sounds just AWESOME. I dont like the apple one because the record is so thin. I think i will sell it.
QUESTION: Hi!
Love your videos - valueable info there!!
Going through all I could find out about the German Apple Revolver - which one is the one to get! Please help!
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side 1, stamped): 04097-A with RG-106-A-1-T 1 (hand-etched)
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side 2, stamped): 04097-B with RG-106-B-1-T 1 (hand-etched)
or
04097-A-1/04097-B-1
with
SHZE-186 A1 and SHZE-186 B1
or
04097-A-2/04097-B-2
with
SHZE-186 A2 and SHZE-186 B2
Thanks for your help!
I did get a 062 with 04097-A-2/04097-B-2
with SHZE-186 A2 and SHZE-186 B2 and compared to the UK first pressing tube cut, and it was not as good sounding.
I believe you missed out the Polydor recordings, which saw release in the UK but long after the German compilation.
I doubt the fidelity is interesting for that, but it's significant for being the first lp collection.
Hi, You mentioned that the 1973 Horzu pressing and following Apple pressings of Please Please Me, are the best sounding pressings, even surpassing the first UK pressing, which is compressed. So, someone I know has the 1969 Horzu pressing. Is this the same uncompressed version as the later 1973 version that is so superior?
If it has A2/B2 marrices, yes.
Fab video Andrew
Keep them coming on the best band in the world the Beatles more please
Love the hat Dave.
Cheers, Dave. Many more to come in 2021.
The 072 pressing of Rubber Soul has over the top bass. I'm sure it has to be just the EQ mastering and not a totally different mix but it almost sounds like it.
It seems you missed one important special 80s pressings of the DMM ( direct metal mastered) set. When they released the White album and the Red and Blue lps, I thought this is what cds will sound like. It wasn't even close. I have a DMM of Revolver too. None of the cds or pressings come close to the DMM pressings. Please seek these out and do a presentation of these special pressings. Thx!
Great video!
Agreed Robert. The DMM pressings deserve a video all by themselves.
Nice video! To me, the German Apple Die Beatles, Revolver, SPLHCB and MMT are the best stereo pressings for these titles, period. I've had 1st UKs, later UKs, Dutch, Japanese, etc and the four I mentioned are definitive. Rubber Soul is amazing as well. Have you covered the UK late 70s white vinyl versions of the White Album and Let It Be? Those are champs as well, in my opinion. It would be interesting to see a video on what you would choose if you could only take ONE copy of each Beatles record with you to a desert island :-)
The coloured vinyl issues are interesting which I can hopefully cover in a future video. That version of 'Desert Island Discs' is a great idea.
If you would, could you give us the matrix numbers on that good press of SPLHCB?
@@dalesinner3678 SHZE-104-A-1/04177-A-1 & SHZE 401-B-204177 B-2
@@Parlogram Cheers! Just what I needed...
@@Parlogram I'm new to this site and think the idea of just taking 1 copy of each LP is a great challenge. I'd love to see a video of Andrew doing this, but could he make final decisions? It would be the ultimate geek guide.
Superb, as always. I have a few of those, still need a MMT though...
Cheers, Tom. We've got a couple of copies of MMT on the site, if you're interested: www.parlogramauctions.com
Hey Andrew. I found a beautiful copy of Beatles Second Album on Odeon. It’s a 1st press that was apparently sold at US military bases in West Germany and Switzerland in 64. It was available for only 2 months according to discogs. The front sleeve has the art from Somehing New The Beatles. Would you have any info on this? I assume that it is pretty rare. Thanks
UK pressed for export. www.popsike.com is your friend.
Thanks for your great video ! A lot of precious informations ! I had the chance to give a listen to 85 Germann DMM White Album (white coloured disc)... and it was incredible ! I hope you will speak about this one, one day ! Cheers** Sébastien
Cheers Sébastien. Glad you enjoyed it!
I picked up a German ‘Beatles Greatest’ last year for a mere £3 ,it’s a blue later odeon label,but love the different mixes
How much is that in US $?
Without reading through all of the comments, why wasn't Let It Be included here? I was curious how that one stacked up to the UK and others.
How did you forget to talk about the two Beatles songs recorded in German?
The video is themed "Beatles German Vinyl Albums," so the focus isn't necessarily on songs recorded in the German language. Not even the German fans really seemed to embrace those recordings, as the English versions of those songs were used on The Beatles Beat and The Beatles Greatest compilations made in Germany.
In recently found a rubber soul Odeon copy on the white label .. not very good vinyl but the sound is not bad! The Horzu pressings I have are usually great
Well, after studying this whole matter, it seems the video, while very entertaining and informative, is lacking some details.
The 1C 072 number is no way to determine a good pressing. Records with this price code were around from 1977 and then well into the 80s. By mid-80s, there were entirely new cuts done under the same price code (unmarked DMM cuts) which were of very varying quality (many had overbloated bass).
- The original Pepper cut was in fact quite close to the UK 1st, except for amped-up bass on Side A.
- There was a very fine-sounding A-2/B-3 Help! from 1977.
- The early 70s Revolver (A-X2/B-2) was no way the same as the 1966 one (A-1/B-1). Plus, there is an End-70s A1/B1 cut but there the bass is just overbloated.
- White Album had several recuts. Most interesting is, however, the 1984-85 DMM version. Unlike most other analogue DMM jobs, it's very pleasant (that's the version without the pause after Savoy Truffle). The white-vinyl version was pressed at Teldec and has the DMM logo; the black version from '85 was pressed in Cologne and doesn't have one.
Thank you for your attention and updates. We've all learned so much more about these pressings since I made this video and I hope to do a follow-up video sometime in the future.
Thanks for very cool videos!
As a matter of fact, it was among others this video that motivated me to start researching German album cuts (actual cuts, as opposed to label variations, catalogue numbers and other, more visible things) more systematically.
The overall "exciting" era seems to start when John Cremer became sound technician at EMI Electrola in Cologne. He did the late 70s recuts (and then changed into DMM in the 80s). Though some of the best German versions ware actually prior to that, like Please Please Me.
Amazing video, it did indeed help me out
You're most welcome.
Andrew, would you ever consider reviewing the Australian pressings of The Beatles catalogue?
Sure, if someone would kindly send me a set ;)
Have Australian records,but not Beatles one,AC/DC,sounds great,and i bought them in Germany.😂 Have Australian 1987.Sgt.Papper,but on CD.
@@Parlogram I would love to send my set over but I just don’t know how shipping from Australia would go (especially considering COVID) 😭 Great vid though!
@@aubreyjacobs6930 Thanks for the offer, Aubrey. I'll try and source a set closer to home. Stay well!
Question: Does it matter which pressing of "Greatest" or are they all similar? Excellent video! I watched several times to get all the info. Great presentation as well!
Thanks Robert! I haven't found a bad pressing of 'Greatest' yet.
6:09 you've reminded me...why on earth did the germans go out of their way to extend the outro of "and i love her" anyway? back then such an edit must've been pretty challenging, and it's so arbitrary
I saw a couple of these German pressings in a store when I was a kid and immediately backed away from them after noticing the phrase "Die Beatles". I thought it was some sort of anti-Beatles record.
i still have my Parlaphone collection such as the Please Please me LP where its McCartney Lennon though on With The Beatles it changed to to Lennon and McCartney but the music was good
Well, this has been a revelation. I had mistakenly assumed that 1st UK pressings were the way forward in terms of hearing the Beatles at their best.
Clearly I need to get hold of 70s German reissues of Revolver, MMT and Sgt Pepper! I'd always wondered why my Capitol MMT sounded so 'off'.
Update: I've just got my hands on a German Apple reissue with the A1-B3 matrix stampers...
Oh. My. God. My US Capitol import would be going in the bin were it not for the booklet. This German version completely blows it out of the water. I previously thought they'd recorded 'Baby You're a Rich Man' in a sawmill, but there's actually loads going on in there and it sounds really rich and warm. It's like hearing these songs again for the first time. MMT has just gone up in my estimation.
Massive thanks for making this video, I wouldn't have known about this otherwise.
Note the misprint 'Revolutions' at 13:04. I never realized there was a U.K. issue of the Hey Jude album.
The same thing happened with the Brazilian version of A Hard Day's Night, the tittle was "Os Reis Do Yeah Yeah Yeah" (The Kings of Yeah Yeah Yeah), which I always found very ridiculous
Could you do a segment on the DMM German Beatle releases.......Thanks for your knowledge and conciseness.
They are on my list.
The Beatles' german albums are a very interesting stuff, though not every single one sounds exactly great
Hi Andrew, can you talk about the Italian Vinyls and Albums of the Beatles?? There are different cover and name.