Another Week Another Vinyl: The Beatles: Revolver
Owning all King Crimson vinyls ranging from In the Court of the Crimson King to Red has been my ultimate goal in record collecting - an extremely modest goal by record collector standards. I would love to have the same expectations for Beatles records, however the high prices have pushed me away. This past Christmas my brother was kind enough to bestow upon me a $25 gift certificate to my local record store. That money would be dedicated for the sole purpose of purchasing a Beatles album.After numerous trips to the store, they finally had a stock of affordable Beatles albums, most of which were obscure early releases that weren’t proper studio albums. Lucky for me, there was a VG+ version of Revolver for $20. To say that it’s my favorite Beatles album would probably only be half-true because any album released from Rubber Soul on could earn that very title.
Since going over the merits of Revolver would be like reciting old news, I’ll just focus on the vinyl itself. The cover is in fantastic condition with very minimal wear and tear. The vinyl itself plays nearly flawlessly with the one minor hiccup on "I Want to Tell You" where there is a very small skip in the beginning of the song. Hissing and any abnormalities are practically non-existent. Unfortunately this is the US version which means songs like "Doctor Robert", "And Your Bird Can Sing" as well as "I’m Only Sleeping" are absent. I guess I’ll just have to purchase Yesterday and Today for those, but all in due time. Otherwise there are no complaints coming from me.
If anyone is interested in where the remainder of my $25 gift certificate went, I ended up purchasing Yes’ Tales from Topographic Oceans for $2 and Procol Harum’s Whiter Shade of Pale for $4.
posted by Jeff at 1:04 PM
7 Comments:
Capitol Records really screwed things up with the way the sequenced those albums and omitted tracks. Revolver is definitely better in its non-US form, but great either way. The trouble is that now, you kinda still need the UK/European version, but it'll turn up.
Tales was a good pickup for $2. It definitely has its problems, but there are some great moments on there as well (like side 3). Really, the artwork alone is worth the $2.
it's hard to pick a favorites Beatles album, but "Revolver" would be my choice if forced to make a pick.
Bob - Capitol definitely did mess things up. It's not like those missing songs are absolutely imperative to own, but it would be nice to have them on great as an album as Revolver instead of having to buy Yesterday and Today - or the UK version.
I like Tales quite a bit, it's definitely not their best and I suppose at times comes across as a little self indulgent but I'm not one to really care for that argument anyhow. And yes! Roger Dean's artwork is incredible!
cjk - I don't know if I could pick a favorite. It honestly is a toss up with anything from Rubber Soul on. That stands as a testament to how consistent and talented The Beatles were.
When you said your album has a skip I got to thinking. Is vinyl reapirable? Can skips be removed somehow? You would think with current technology there would be a way.
I am also a huge UK version Revolver fan but I also adore most of the White Album
Revolver and the White Album would be my two must-haves, but you're really going to hate me for this: you must buy the UK version with the 'correct' running order. It's the only one to have.
Yeah, yeah, I know, more cash...
Dan - I'm not sure. Around a year ago I tried to search for ways to un-warp vinyls, but none of the methods that I saw looked to be too reliable - I think one actually involved placing the vinyl in an oven...
musicobsessive - I can't disagree with you. I would love to have the UK version over the US . It's a shame Capitol Records had to screw over the Americans.
All of those Roger Dean covers are worth the price of admission. At 2 bucks, Tales is a steal.
I have an old mono copy of Revolver on vinyl (UK version) as well as the Capitol version (bought it in 1980) and a Japanese version from the early 80s that mirrors the UK track lineup, with an Apple label. The Japanese pressing sounds great.
Post a Comment
<< Home