Saturday, March 06, 2010

The Beatles' Definitive CD Versions: "Love Me Do" with Ringo on Drums

In the second installment of my project to determine what, in my opinion, are the definitive CD editions of each song in The Beatles' official cannon, I figured I'd keep it easy by exploring the September 4, 1962 version of "Love Me Do" and the non-album singles from 1963. Or...at least I thought it'd be easy until I realized that a few of these songs appear on many different CDs. And on top of that, this installment would cover a lot of Beatles songs: "Love Me Do," "From Me To You," "Thank You, Girl," "She Loves You," "I'll Get You," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," and "This Boy." Wow. I think I'll just stick with "Love Me Do" for now and get back to the singles later. (This is a short enough read that I'll include all my notes and not just the rankings.)

And the first time around, it got pretty aggravating pretty fast typing out "The Compact Disc E.P. Collection" ad nauseam, so from now on I'll use some shorthand. Here's a guide to this entry's abbreviations:

MM: Mono Masters (2009)
PM87: Past Masters Vol. 1, 1987 edition
PM09: Past Masters, 2009 edition

The lineup for this version of "Love Me Do" was the classic Beatles lineup we all know. The Beatles recorded this version, and a week later re-recorded it but with Andy White on drums; Ringo was handed a tambourine. (George Martin always said that the Andy White version came first, but photographs and studio documentation published in many books reveal that the Ringo version actually came first.) Because these two versions are actually completely different performances, I will hold off on the Andy White version until I run though the Please Please Me album.

Personally, I much prefer the Ringo-on-drums version. The overall flow is much smoother than on the rather clunky and fussy performance with Andy White. The bass is much louder and provides a better groove, and the handclaps in the instrumental break give the song a little extra boost missing in the Andy White version. However, George Martin didn't like the outcome of September 4 (perhaps partly because of McCartney's obvious stage fright clearly heard in his first warbly solo line of "love me do-ooo"), so he had the guys rerecord it. The Ringo version was briefly released as a single in the U.K. on Parlophone and in Canada on Capitol of Canada. Some sources say that the Ringo version was released at all was an accident on EMI's part, and as a result they destroyed its master tape to ensure that all future releases of "Love Me Do" would be the Andy White version. Thankfully, some fairly clean vinyl (or polystyrene?) copies of the Ringo version survived, and years later a new master was made from a pristine-condition Capitol of Canada single. If I'm not mistaken, all CD releases of the Ringo version are from an even newer master made from a different copy of the single.

Having said that, "Love Me Do" pre-dates EMI's policy of not destroying session tapes. Once the mono mix was made, the multitrack session tapes were destroyed or erased for later re-use, which means that with today's technology, a stereo mix is physically impossible. So there will be no mono-stereo comparison here. But let's get down to the three different CD releases.

First of all, it surprises me that the Ringo version was not the version used in the singles box set; this means there were fewer versions for me to listen to. The September 4 recording of "Love Me Do," therefore, has only been released on three CDs so far: the original Past Masters compilation of 1987, its 2009 reissue, and the Mono Masters 2-CD set included in the box set The Beatles In Mono.

As for each version:

PM87: Even with 1987 CD technology, it's really amazing to hear just how clear the song is. Really, it's amazingly clear for being mastered from a 7-inch record pressed in 1962! There are a few spots that sound like dropouts, most likely from a tape (or record) error. I noticed for the first time that during the fade-out, after the last time we hear McCartney sing, all the sound abruptly cuts off.

MM: Overall the sound is better. The equalization is brighter, with more treble than before; unfortunately, the additional treble exposes some tape hiss, but it does make the song sound punchier. Somehow, the vocals actually sound clearer than before. The recording in general sounds cleaner, with no noticeable tape flaws. And was that an edit I heard after the instrumental break (performed, of course, with a shoplifted chromatic harmonica)? The fade-out doesn't cut out as abruptly.

PM09: What's this? Both the Mono Masters and Past Masters are in mono, and since they're both part of the same reissue campaign, logic tells us these are the exact same track, so why am I bothering to waste my time listening to each and writing about them? Well, dig this: they are not the same. First of all, the new Past Masters version is actually noticeably louder than the Mono Masters version. Second, the treble is up even more than on Mono Masters, making the harmonica solo quite harsh to listen to, especially with headphones. Third of all, the abrupt halt during the fade-out is back. And if you're of the mindset that it's only my mind and ears telling me that both 2009 versions are not the same, please note that each has a different playing time.

Worst Version: Past Masters (1987)

I was having a hard time with this one. I was actually about to declare the new Past Masters version to be the worst, due to the piercing EQ on the harmonica solo, and the fact that it was considerably louder than the other two versions...but then I remembered there's such a thing as a volume control, and nobody's stopping me from turning the volume down. So, I decided that a harsh harmonica solo for a few seconds was better than tape glitches.

Definitive Version: Mono Masters

Clean sound, bright EQ, clear vocals, no tape flaws, and what may or may not be an audible edit (fun for people who like to listen for this stuff!) put this version of The Beatles' Everly Brothers tribute over the top.

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