More Beatles to collect.

[GubGub (Al)]

Just bought the Sgt Pepper LP; all the inserts are included.

The "new" insert of sleeve notes states that 2 of the faces from the original collage had been painted out:

Leo Gorcey (actor, one of The Bowery Boys) - his image would have appeared on the back row between The Varga Girl and the other Bowery Boy Huntz Hall; apparently Gorcey requested a fee.

And Mahatma Gandhi - from just behind Diana Dors - at the request of EMI.

As I no longer have an original sleeve to compare it with, have these changes been made for the re-issue(s) or did they not appear on the original?  I'm 99.999% sure I remember Gandhi being on there...

Pretty certain these changes wre made at the time before the album was issued. Certainly Leo Gorcey's request for payment forced that change ahead of release and I believe that EMI had considerable interests in India at the time and were fearful of causing offence.

My copy of the mag is apparently on its way to me along with issue three. Can't remember what that contains. Help possibly.

[GubGub (Al)]

Anybody who subscribed within the last three weeks received issues 2/3 yet? I have been charged for them but nothing has arrived.

[Poor Will (Bill)]

Anybody who subscribed within the last three weeks received issues 2/3 yet? I have been charged for them but nothing has arrived.

Same here, the tracking site shows it was sent out on 26th March, but nothing received as yet.

[Jules Gray]

Anybody who subscribed within the last three weeks received issues 2/3 yet? I have been charged for them but nothing has arrived.

Same here, the tracking site shows it was sent out on 26th March, but nothing received as yet.

You have safety in numbers, or at least so I hope, gentlemen.

Jules

[PaulT]

I saw "Help" in WHS today...

[Poor Will (Bill)]

Mine have arrived this morning.

[GubGub (Al)]

Mine have arrived this morning.

Ah. Will keep my eyes peeled for the postman then, usually about 11.30.

[David (terrrrrrrr)]

Sgt Pepper is soon to be re-released. I've read that it will include more tracks, presumably Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane. As much as I love Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane, the inclusion of them on Pepper will, imho, detract from both. Pepper is ingrained so much on my memory, any change will just grate. I know that both tracks were supposed to be on Pepper originally, but my compilation CD, made to include those tracks, for me, just doesn't work.

Ringo has said in the music press that the whole lot have been remastered. Would that be a further remaster of the remastered CDs and LPs issued just a few short years ago? He does also say that he hasn't listened to Pepper in decades, which might account for his thinking that the sound has really been improved.

[davidmjs]

Is there any advantage to a subscription?  Cost?  Any extras?  I rather like checking the copies out in town to make sure all is well (externally at least).  My experience of vinyl in the post is not good....

[Jules Gray]

Ringo has said in the music press that the whole lot have been remastered. Would that be a further remaster of the remastered CDs and LPs issued just a few short years ago?

No, same masters as then.

Jules

[Poor Will (Bill)]

Is there any advantage to a subscription?  Cost?  Any extras?  I rather like checking the copies out in town to make sure all is well (externally at least).  My experience of vinyl in the post is not good....

I don't think there is any cost advantage in taking out a subscription but there are a number of "free" gifts which don't exactly get my heart racing!
Details are in the link.
My main reason for taking out a subscription was simply due to the fact that after a few weeks these things tend to disappear from the shops.
One thing I found strange was that when you take out a subscription, you are asked whether you also want to receive any "special edition" albums if and when they are released!
I have no idea what these could be!
http://www.deagostini.com/minisites/uk/collections/beatles-vinyl-collection/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CLKmopqthtMCFQhuGwoddF4Kqw

[Andy]

Sgt Pepper is soon to be re-released. I've read that it will include more tracks, presumably Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane. As much as I love Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane, the inclusion of them on Pepper will, imho, detract from both. Pepper is ingrained so much on my memory, any change will just grate. I know that both tracks were supposed to be on Pepper originally, but my compilation CD, made to include those tracks, for me, just doesn't work.

Ringo has said in the music press that the whole lot have been remastered. Would that be a further remaster of the remastered CDs and LPs issued just a few short years ago? He does also say that he hasn't listened to Pepper in decades, which might account for his thinking that the sound has really been improved.

Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane were taken off Sgt Pepper by EMI against the wishes if the Beatles and Geirfe Martin, so restoring them is ok by me.

[davidmjs]

Is there any advantage to a subscription?  Cost?  Any extras?  I rather like checking the copies out in town to make sure all is well (externally at least).  My experience of vinyl in the post is not good....

I don't think there is any cost advantage in taking out a subscription but there are a number of "free" gifts which don't exactly get my heart racing!
Details are in the link.
My main reason for taking out a subscription was simply due to the fact that after a few weeks these things tend to disappear from the shops.
One thing I found strange was that when you take out a subscription, you are asked whether you also want to receive any "special edition" albums if and when they are released!
I have no idea what these could be!
http://www.deagostini.com/minisites/uk/collections/beatles-vinyl-collection/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CLKmopqthtMCFQhuGwoddF4Kqw

Thanks Bill.  Do they get delivered in sturdy cardboard, or 'just' an envelope...?

[Poor Will (Bill)]

They do come in a box which seems pretty sturdy.

[GubGub (Al)]

I have heard a few complaints about damaged deliveries but also praise for D'Agostini for intantly replacing when this happens. Box on my latest delivery seemed pretty sturdy to me.

Sgt Pepper is soon to be re-released. I've read that it will include more tracks, presumably Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane. As much as I love Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane, the inclusion of them on Pepper will, imho, detract from both. Pepper is ingrained so much on my memory, any change will just grate. I know that both tracks were supposed to be on Pepper originally, but my compilation CD, made to include those tracks, for me, just doesn't work.

Ringo has said in the music press that the whole lot have been remastered. Would that be a further remaster of the remastered CDs and LPs issued just a few short years ago? He does also say that he hasn't listened to Pepper in decades, which might account for his thinking that the sound has really been improved.

Chatter about this on the forums suggests that the original album will be preserved on a single disc with additional discs containing the extras, including Penny Lane & Strawberry Fields Forever which came from the same sessions. Only A Northern Song also rumoured to be included. I also don't see the point in reconfiguring the album but I guess it doesn't matter if the original remains available. A bit like Let It Be...Naked.

[Glen S]

I dropped my car off at the garage Friday afternoon for some tyres, and wandered into the village newsagent/grocery store....There on the rack battling for space with Hello magazine and Word Search, was a solitary vinyl copy of The Beatles "Help" in a sort of collectors pack ...

[Jules Gray]

Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane were taken off Sgt Pepper by EMI against the wishes if the Beatles and George Martin, so restoring them is ok by me.

Not strictly true - they were recorded for the upcoming album project, then EMI wanted a single, so those two songs (only these and When I'm 64 had been finished) were the selected tracks.  They weren't taken off the album because the album didn't exist yet.

Jules

[Andy]

Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane were taken off Sgt Pepper by EMI against the wishes if the Beatles and George Martin, so restoring them is ok by me.

Not strictly true - they were recorded for the upcoming album project, then EMI wanted a single, so those two songs (only these and When I'm 64 had been finished) were the selected tracks.  They weren't taken off the album because the album didn't exist yet.

Jules

But they weren't put on the album because EMI had said that as they were released (as a double A side) they couldn't go on the album.

Anyone else remember Richard Baker playing these with a small record deck on his news desk on the BBC news before Doctor Who (Episode 1 of "The Moonbase"!) on Saturday 11 Feb 1967, 2 days before the actual release of the single? They even had little films with them, amongst the first music videos I ever saw.

Penny Lane

Strawberry Fields Forever

[Jules Gray]

But they weren't put on the album because EMI had said that as they were released (as a double A side) they couldn't go on the album.  

Again, I don't think that was EMI's decision.  It was common in those days for singles to be separate from albums, yet many singles were placed on albums, and the decision about those songs would have been made by the band rather than the label.  By 1967 they were powerful enough to call the shots.

Jules

[davidmjs]

But they weren't put on the album because EMI had said that as they were released (as a double A side) they couldn't go on the album.  

Again, I don't think that was EMI's decision.  It was common in those days for singles to be separate from albums, yet many singles were placed on albums, and the decision about those songs would have been made by the band rather than the label.  By 1967 they were powerful enough to call the shots.

Jules

Fwiw, Wiki suggests it was entirely Epstein's call.