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And though she feels as if she's in a playShe is anyway...
This version of "Penny Lane" was first sold to fans on a US-issued 1980 Beatles anthology called Rarities. This recording dates to 1967, like the original single and album releases of the same track, but differs (very significantly, to my ears) in that it includes a piccolo trumpet flourish in the final measures. This is the version that many, but not all, radio stations played in spring 1967---the version that all of us who couldn't afford to buy records grew up with. Years later, when I finally bought Magical Mystery Tour, I thought the album version of this song had somehow been stunted in production because of how the tune ends in an anticlimactic instrumental drone with a weak drizzle of cymbals.
I first learned that the "trumpet ending" was an actual rarity when Rarities was issued. If I remember the story correctly, the trumpet ending didn't make it to the pressing of the commercial 45 rpm single, but Paul for some reason intervened and had it included on the promotional version of the record that was distributed to US radio stations, both aired by them and given away at radio-hosted "sock hops" and the like.
Today is a sunny but frustratingly chilly early April day, like weekends I remember in April 1967 when Chicagoland was slowly ascending from a brutal winter. "Penny Lane" was in solid rotation then at both WLS-890 and WCFL-1000, with its merry, surreal narrative beaming through the "blue suburban skies" on a 50 kilowatt AM signal.
Penny Lane, The Beatles (1967, Capitol promotional 45 rpm single P-5810), via YouTube, embedded for noncommercial critical discussion and educational purposes.
Ha Ha-- the Tommy Burst subliminal firing squad for all things wrong in the week, and some Beatles for the refresh to take the edge off and pull you back to earth. Nice play!
ReplyDeleteI love those little production tweaks The Beatles used to do. Stuff like that is scattered around in Beatles collections everywhere. Find the JAP pressings of Sgt Peppers in both Mono and Stereo. The Mono version on RED vinyl is awesome!
59er: geez, did I ever want one of those Tommy guns as a kid. I have the new Beatles mono box, including Sergeant Pepper; there's a huge difference between it and the stereo mix, which never sounded right to me because there's too much separation over most of it. Never heard the red vinyl mono version, but the new mono issue has a very weird transition between "Good Morning" and "Reprise," which sounds totally like a rookie production error. Have you heard that? Do you know if it was part of the original mono album pressing? I can't figure it out.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure on the transition you speak of. It's been a while, but I do remember some very different arrangements is certain spots between the mono and stereo "Peppers."
ReplyDeleteI noticed on an Australian "Please Please Me" LP I have the stereo production is different from others I've heard, including the British EMI. Not sure if that kind of thing was intended over the years or it was an Aussie production thing, but like I said before there are a lot of cool sounding Beatle records out there. Probably why they decided to release all the British ones when they did so people would know the originals. I was glad to see them do that.
If you can get one, get the German pressing of The White LP. The production quality is phenomenal. I used to buy all Jap and Master recordings because the production quality was so good. My Jap vinyl "Peppers" blow the CD's away.
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59er: I'm gonna have to find a way to come to the Carolinas and mooch off you for a few days to hear some of your treasures; sounds like your crates are much deeper than mine. Anyway, what I'm talking about is at the end of the fade in "Good Morning," there's a trace of ambient noise left from that song, then two guitar notes, Paul (I think) counting off the tempo for the reprise, and John saying "Byeee" in the background. The two guitar notes form a seamless transition between the two songs on all recordings I've ever heard, but on the new mono master those two notes are all weird, pinched up, and don't even sound they were both recorded on the same piece of tape. Very weird, whether part of the original UK release or an error in the mono box.
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