Sgt Pepper

ecc83

Well-known member
Anyone else caught up with the BBC's TV and radio programmes?

LOVE to hear from anyone who was 'doing it' around the same time.

Dave.
 
The surround mix is... mixed. A Day In the Life and Strawberry Fields are great, lots of details get brought out when they truly expand the sound field. Disappointed in the mix for Lucy... and some of the other tracks. Overall it sounds superb, no other 50 year old recording could possibly sound this good for the simple fact they were at the bleeding edge of studio recording for their time. Despite plenty of bounced tracks, managing to get any decent surround mix of the album is a testament to the genius of Martin's engineering team.

Although I knew the importance of this album, the recent hoopla has given me an even deeper appreciation for the music and work that went in behind the scenes.
 
Saw the TV programme - just found the radio programmes, thanks for pointing them out! Haven't heard all of the radio stuff yet but still haven't found much of an description of how they mixed in the pre-bounce tapes. I bought the CD last week and am amazed at how good it sounds - just wish they had done it years ago!

I was "doing it" around the same time - bouncing down from one tape deck to another. Could have done with a Studer!
 
Really, the record pales beside on of the best double A-side singles of all time, that kicked off the Beatles second phase. Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane make the Pepper songs sound very weak in comparison.
 
Ya, I kept Mystery Tour and sold Peppers and I have another MT LP for good measure. I have the Zappa version, anyway ! hahaha
260px-Zappamoney2.jpg
 
Ive only books....some of my friends were the right age with the Pepper release.

Geoff Emericks book which covers the Pepper time and through MMT up to Hey Bulldog last tune before they left to get Maharishi sweaty and chase monkeys around in the jungle.....Geoff believes they came back dirty and burnt out and were never the same and Geoff quit soon into the White Album. then was LEt iIT ROT and the finale Abbey Road...great read if you like the technical and an engineers opinion.

What trips me out the most of all that EMI stuff and Pepper is that it was mixed as it went, using few tracks, and then for Pepper the Mastering lab was upstairs! EMI was so simple it seemed! how did they do all that!?

clip from the book>
For Pepper the engineers said not to Master it, "leave it as is" which created a stink in the stiff management and policys of EMI at the time. IN the end the Mastering Dept (one guy) did some EQ tweaks he said but it was pretty much the mix.

I do think Paul McCartneys Bass went into a higher level on Sgt Pepper, beautiful bass lines -Rickenbacker.

the top pic is the Mastering setup and the lower pic is the Sgt Pepper mix desk.
 

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I've had this one since it came out. I still think it is pretty marvelous. He might of done a Sgt Joe Friday album before he invented the Beatles
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Layout of the studio first floor...1962-1970
 

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Been following interviews and Paul and Ringos recollections of what happened in the studios way back when w/ Youtoob.
 
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