Beatlantis: 11} Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

Magical Mystery Tour (December, 1967, Timaeus)

< file under Beatles In Atlantis >

~ an approximation of this album, using latest remasters, can be heard here on Apple Music ~

Upon inspection of the sleeves to certain 1960s Capitol compilations issued as Beatles albums in the USA, one can find credit given for compiling the recordings— some could certainly say, too much credit (some would go as far as to say blame, rather than credit). Yet it's never been known just who deserves praise for the label's greatest entry in the Beatles library, Capitol's one lasting contribution to the band's core catalog, the full-LP iteration of Magical Mystery Tour.  The songs associated with the film were to appear back in the UK in the novel form of a double-EP; seemingly someone at Capitol, knowing this wouldn't fly stateside, had the brilliant idea to gather all those numbers together on the first side of an LP — a side perfectly sequenced, presumably by this same Mystery curator — while adding a second side comprised of non-LP Beatles single releases from earlier that same year. Unlike previous Capitol collections which altered existing albums, this issue simply expanded upon the UK release, resulting in a masterpiece of psychedelic rock. Yet it's never been known who to thank for this triumph… until now. Recent excavation of the oceanic record, corroborated by newly unearthed memos from the EMI vault, prove that no Capitol exec or staffer deserves Beatles fans' gratitude for this preeminent platter. It was none other than Tivowr Dorna down at the bottom of the sea who crafted this gem that rose to the top of the charts.

Knowing an EP would be dead in the water, or close to it, in Atlantis as that format had no history in the nation, and having sat on the Strawberry Fields / Penny Lane single, Dorna upon receipt of the soundtrack songs and contemporaneous singles had a vision of Magical Mystery Tour delivering on the promise of Pepper's— the promise of a concept.  Though like on Sgt. Pepper's the songwriting selection was imbalanced in favor of Paul over John, here John's three and half number's were so incredible —  with one ending each side wondrously — that Dorna felt a true Beatles balance would be met. 

Aware the film was to be a loose travelogue accompanied by visual enactments for the songs, Dorna heard this voyaging theme immediately throughout the soundtrack songs. He also recognized the line carried through the other 1967 releases at his disposal. In a hurried memo to Martin, Dorna wrote, in part, explaining—

Georg [sic],

I believe across these EP tracks and the year's preceding single sides resides the sort of "concept" album fans in this country were yearning for from Pepper's— and most of the music is even more exciting. The slim narrative framework of the upcoming film — taking a trip with the Beatles and friends on a bus — is reflected in the soundtrack songs, but can also be gleaned from the remaining tracks. Each song's about coming or going / traveling, or a destination -within or without: place/time/status. I propose the following sequence for a full length LP for Atlantean market; quick notes on my thematic thoughts.-.

Side one)
Opener — statement of theme; invitation to join the tour
Second track — alone on a hill, with the world spinning 'round
Third track — aerial instrumental
Fourth track — friends lost on way to a place (while host may wander off to sleep)
Fifth track — a long long time ago
Final track — more flying; waiting for a van; then, of course, an English garden; climbing the famous tower. Kinda disorienting going all over like this. The perfect side closer​ 

 

Side two)
Opener — High? Low? Stop? Go go go go
Second track — in a tree, again high or low; again being asked to come along, this time to a childhood place; reflective of theme that at some stage you tell me was to and/or still did inform previous album but most overt right here and with next number…
Third track — to and from colorful places up and down the lane, under the blue sky, and back
Fourth track — How often have you been / What did you see when you were … there? Not to mention, inside a zoo!
Finale — debuted on first global / multinational broadcast (which even had a space segment) — we saw it here, and it was as you know warmly received; commences with a national anthem; and determines (one could say, after all this traveling…) there's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be. An ideal(istic) conclusion to our voyage​

Sea [sic] where I'm at? More thematic unity than Pepper's which pretty much just has the framing device of opener / reprise / cover art costumes to let us know they're a different band. And musically as cohesive as that earlier album, sonically as or more expansive and adventurous. It occurs to me my counterparts over at Capitol might care for this idea; it reminds me of a landmark LP they released years back — far as the theme goes, this one's effectively a psychedelic rock 'n' roll Come Fly With Me.

Sound good? You know I've stopped altering the tracklists to the albums you and the band have so painstakingly crafted— this rather is merely an expansion to a format that is viable in this market, and into a full-length listening experience that will match fans' hopes here and exceed any expectations even among our increasingly critical music press…

Apparently, Martin thought this idea did indeed "sound good." Not only did he convey approval for such an Atlantean release, he took to heart Dorna's suggestion to refer this to Capitol. For the first time, in a Library Industries exclusive, we are revealing that when Capitol Records representative Voyle Gilmore was handed the tapes for these songs — to bring from England back to the United States — Martin also provided a copy or summary of Dorna's notes on creating a long playing record album. The rest, and up until now, only the rest, is history — with Magical Mystery Tour becoming the one Capitol album, albeit it turns out really originating as a Timaeus album, to ascend to a position in the band's "core catalog."

 Still, Dorna had to assemble the recordings working within usual parameters of preparations for the Atlantis market: a widespread preference for stereo, and awareness of the burgeoning import of mostly mono UK LPs. Two special factors came into play: stereo mixes were not provided for all selections, and, because these numbers were spread across single sides and the upcoming LP, with no UK full-length on the horizon, there would be no mono album to import. This second condition provided a temporary solution to the first. Dorna could not delay release of the album while requesting and then awaiting digital transfers of the multi-tracks, as Martin had done at his request for previous album's remix, from the UK; the album needed to be in fans' hands in time for the accompanying film, set to debut during Atlantis' winter solstice celebrations. So while Dorna still planned to complete the set of stereo mixes, knowing there'd be no mono UK import to compete with, he convinced Timaeus to initially issue Magical Mystery Tour as, at this late date, the first, and, it would turn out, only, mono Atlantis Beatles album. Fans were assured a stereo release would soon follow, with a surprise— and at a discount for those who purchased the mono issue.

The original, all-mono issue of the Beatles' 11th Atlantis album; the album sides are "bandless" — that is, the songs run together as on Pepper's, for a continual listening experience

Early in the new year, with delay attributed to the holidays, Dorna received analog-to-digital transfers of the multitracks for the last three songs, which had at first only been provided in mono, again accomplished via the cutting edge Atlantean Pod Click Train with which he'd entrusted Martin. (Dorna realized that the second half of the stereo I Am The Walrus was indeed "fake stereo" but was also aware the components for crafting a true stereo counterpart of that segment were not available.) He also received transfers of Strawberry Fields Forever, though he'd already received a stereo mix in the first batch of tapes, with Martin noting a "tidier" mix might be in order, providing some pointers to that effect. Dorna set upon creating stereo mixes of the final three, along with a remix of Strawberry Fields which he eventually set aside, deferring to the original 1966 stereo mix Martin had first sent.

The treasured 1973 West German HÖR ZU issue of Magical Mystery Tour Plus Other Songs has long been revered as the first complete release of the album in true stereo, with a couple of the songs reported to have been mixed as last as 1971. However, we can now see Dorna's work yielded the first "true stereo" release - sometime in first or second month of 1968. Additionally, from further extant correspondence recently discovered, it seems the Magical Mystery Tour Plus Other Songs stereo mixes of the three final tracks and the remix of Strawberry Fields either closely adhere to Dorna's mixes, or, possibly. are Dorna's mixes— exact copies of which could have been sent to Martin in his returning Pod Click Train.

The surprise promised by Timaeus to arrive with the stereo edition of the album was the unveiling and availability of consumer-level implementation of Atlantis' digital tsunami in sound development — the first compact disc player. Nearly a decade and half before select, audiophile, monied surface people acquired the tech, Atlanteans were provided CD players at cost from a joint government / Timaeus venture, and the first disc in countless listeners' libraries was the stereo Magical Mystery Tour CD — the world's first commercially released digital audio content — sold at a great discount, as guaranteed, to owners of the mono LP. 

Atlantean fans and critics not only embraced Dorna's presentation of the record as a concept album, they reveled in the film! The travel theme resonated deeply with listeners and viewers, who, due to intermittent struggles with the surface world as well as outright travel bans imposed by certain (most) surface countries over the years, had little experience above their own waters' borders. Magical Mystery Tour gave them the opportunity to go beyond on a day trip with the fabs.

Though in other territories the motion picture was met with opprobrium, in the sea nation the feature was more than a hit— it became an instant holiday tradition. Debuting in full color, unlike England's dismal first showing in black & white, and released during Atlantis' winter solstice holiday on the exact day coinciding with the annual intake of what the surviving records describe as "the envisioning algae" at the peak of the seasonal celebration, the kaleidoscopic onscreen romp was experienced as intended — and beloved beyond anyone's imagination. With its psychedelic stylings and internal-external seeking so aligned with Atlantean Solstice practices and aesthetics, Magical Mystery Tour had a greater cultural impact than any other musical release of the era. Not long after parts of the western surface world had the so-called Summer of Love, with which Pepper's is often associated, Atlantis instead lived the Winter of Mystery, not just associated with but largely spurred on by the nation's widespread love of the Magical Mystery Tour project, most of all the tremendous set of songs their own Tivowr Dorna had the great sense to assemble into this perfectly conceived exquisite rock album.

 

The stereo edition, released within a couple months of the mono LP; originally intended to quickly follow on LP (hence the "also available on LP" footer) it was soon decided, due to the runaway success of both the mono LP and the stereo CD promotion, to keep the stereo release CD-only. Note the Apple logo, also a first for an audio release

Side one

1.     Magical Mystery Tour • / †

2.     The Fool on the Hill • / †

3.     Flying • / †

4.     Blue Jay Way • / †

5.     Your Mother Should Know • / †

6.     I Am the Walrus • / †

Side two

1.     Hello, Goodbye • / §

2.     Strawberry Fields Forever • / ∞

3.     Penny Lane • / *

4.     Baby, You're a Rich Man • /∆

5.     All You Need Is Love • / °

Mono edition:

• Magical Mystery Tour {The Beatles in Mono box set; 2009}

Stereo edition:

† Magical Mystery Tour (Compact Disc One: Stereo) {Compact Disc EP. Collection; 1992} 

§ Magical Mystery Tour {The Beatles Box Set; 1988}

∞ [original 1966 stereo mix]; never issued digitally; § though is said to closely mirror (or, even be) Tivowr Dorna's remix

* Magical Mystery Tour {The Beatles Box Set; 1988}; said to closely mirror (or, even be) Tivowr Dorna's mix

∆ The Beatles {Compact Disc EP. Collection; 1992}; said to closely mirror (or, even be) Tivowr Dorna's mix

° Yellow Submarine {The Beatles Box Set; 1988}; said to closely mirror (or, even be) Tivowr Dorna's mix

next: 12} Northern Songs (1968)

previous: 10} Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Beatlantis: 10} Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (June, 1967, Timaeus)

< file under Beatles In Atlantis >

~ an approximation of this album, using latest remix, can be heard here on Apple Music ~

With Revolver[s] making such big waves across Atlantean arts, the follow-up album was awaited with great anticipation. It was not, however, received with matching enthusiasm.

Tivowr Dorna was worried about such a reaction, since his own response upon hearing the material was mixed.

Based on title, cover art, early commentary he'd seen from aboveseas press, and the promise of the opening song, Dorna expected a concept to play out across both sides. His expectations were not met. Instead, there was very little connecting the songs beyond the lack of gaps between them. Also, between the stirring opening title track introductory medley with the rousing With a Little Help from My Friends and the astonishing final number, A Day in the Life, much of the material was not, in his mind, quite up to the exceedingly high standards set across 14 songs on previous LP. What followed proved, as ever, that he was the perfect choice to package and pitch the Beatles to his nation: public and critical response widely mirrored his initial reaction. He really did have his webbed fingers on the pulse of Atlantean music tastes. He was so trepidatious about the album's reception he took the unprecedented step of greatly limiting the initial pressing run. 

Though less impressed on a song-by-song basis, as with Revolver[s] Dorna saw Pepper's tracklist as sacrosanct. Leaving song selection alone meant that in the album-only market of Atlantis, most fans would not hear the landmark tracks Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane until well after Sgt. Pepper's arrived, though elsewhere they preceded the album's release by months.

Pepper's was the first and only eligible Beatles LP not to top the Surface Spring!Summer Seven poll of best midyear foreign albums in the influential Atlantis Tide Monthly, the de facto guidebook to popular culture, placing second behind The Velvet Underground & Nico which was widely embraced by Atlanteans who praised its portrayal of surface life which contrasted the rosy vibe of much of the material brought in from the so-called Summer of Love. Still, the number two slot is high placement and the album was widely enjoyed even if it didn't blow the seabreathers' minds the way it rocked the rest of the fabs' audience. 

One less than complementary reviewer took the thin framework of a concept and hung his negative one-line review right on it: "Sgt. Pepper's Old-Time Combo Quartet are all well and good," wrote national treasure and acerbic scribe Zimnfr Syrnq, "but I sorta miss that rock 'n' band they kinda look like."

In the Tide Monthly's own Underwater and Underwhelmed: The Beatles Finally Float To the Surface, a consortium of critics convened to consider this latest long-player similarly exhorted "Bring Back The Beatles" and bemoaned the diminished songwriting input of George Harrison, whose increased contributions and prominence on Revolver[s] — getting the opening track, no less — hinted at increasing parity with John and Paul and had helped elevate that previous album to new heights. Nonetheless, the joint review ended by acknowledging that the album opens with a lot of heart and closes with an undeniable masterpiece, while in between, a splendid time really is guaranteed for. "Sure, it isn't much of a concept, but we don't need one anyway. It's just not Revolver[s], is all; but then, what is?"

Noticing how imports of the mono UK LP were far outpacing previous Beatle imports, apparently spurred on by word of mouth reaching beyond the usual niche import fan circle, and realizing some of the more complementary reviews referenced a preference for the mono mix, Dorna reconsidered his initial reaction and reached for the mono reference tape he'd been sent. He immediately recognized it as more powerful: here, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band still sounded and felt like "that rock 'n' band they kinda look like." But he doubted it would be wise to try to sell his stereo-centric nation on a mono release. A solution sprang to mind. Dorna had recently, per their preserved correspondence, sent George Martin a fully functional prototype of Timaeus' world-first digital audio workstation - an example of Atlantis' highly advanced technology - the 64 track capable Pod Click Train. Dorna contacted Martin and asked that he, in secrecy, transfer the Pepper's multitracks to the Pod Click Train for secure shipping back to Atlantis. Intrigued, and appreciative of Dorna entrusting him with such an electronic wonder, Martin happily obliged. Upon receipt of the digitally duped multis, Dorna set about remixing a stereo version that retained the power and attention to detail evinced by the mono mix, while replicating a couple smoother transitions from the original stereo mix. Turns out his initial limited run strategy paved an avenue for an almost immediate reassessment of the album: as soon as the short run first pressing was gone — a large percentage of which had been allocated to prerelease promo copies for reviewers and others in the media — Atlantean shelves were stocked with this remixed version. Album sales soared, and though still seen as a slight creative dip in comparison to the album's predecessor, the record was a hit. It is speculated that decades later, when Martin's son Giles remixed Pepper's into stereo with an eye and an ear on the revered original mono mix, he was aware, from his father, of this successful Atlantean precedent. 

For an especially limited run, while remixing to stereo Dorna also prepared from the album's multitracks the world's first 5.1 mix, to be played back on a new three-needle surround turntable playback system. The multi-needle carrier proved too finicky for consumer use, and with development of their digital audio tech increasing rapidly, Timaeus abandoned this triple-stylus system. From the single extant review, it seems the 5.1 mix was very similar to Dorna's stereo remix, though spread across five channels.

Owing to Atlantis' short-lived ban on surface photography, the famed front cover was replaced by a painting of the same

Side one

1.     Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band †

2.     With a Little Help from My Friends †

3.     Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds †

4.     Getting Better †

5.     Fixing a Hole †

6.     She's Leaving Home †

7.     Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite †

Side two

1.     Within You Without You †

2.     When I'm Sixty-Four †

3.     Lovely Rita †

4.     Good Morning Good Morning †

5.     Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) †

6.     A Day in the Life †

All tracks stereo (or surround), Tivowr Dorna's {lost} remixes. 

† Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band stereo (or 5.1) remix {Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: 50th Anniversary Edition; 2017} 

next: 11} Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

previous: 09} Revolvers (1966)

Beatlantis: 09} Revolvers (1966)

Revolvers (August, 1966, Timaeus)

< file under Beatles In Atlantis >

~ an approximation of this album, using latest remasters, can be heard here on Apple Music ~

Nobler Than Neptune! More Popular Than Poseidon! Jauntier Than Jupiter! Zeusier Than Zeus!

These slogans were plastered all over adverts in Atlantis' music media, across magazines, in street postings, heard in radio commercials, and greeted with much amusement. 

Atlanteans, who had never been monotheistic and who, in this now predominately young population, weren't even much religious, found the US-based uproar over John Lennon's "more popular than Jesus" comments somewhat quaint and, frankly, rather laughable. Tivowr Dorna seized on this reaction and devised a playful promotional scheme around it. To amplify this humorous hijacking of stateside controversy, Dorna used for imagery in this campaign the also-recent, also-USA-notorious "butcher sleeve" photo. What, after all, he reasoned, was more befitting modern pop deities than some plastic sacrifice?

As far as the content of the Revolver album, Dorna — immediately recognizing a true masterpiece as when he had first heard A Hard Day's Night —  left the song selection unaltered, like he had done with that 1964 LP. The only downside of this was it meant the two extraordinary songs from the band's latest UK/US/international single, Paperback Writer and Rain, would remain unissued in Atlantis for some time to come. Dorna simply could not see how adding or subtracting any songs from the actual Revolver album would do anything but harm what he considered a perfect long-player.  Indeed, he would never again alter the tracklist for an album completed by the band and George Martin. 

He did though maintain his practice — deferring to the nation's preference for stereo while partly aiming at providing an appealingly irresistible alternate purchase for fans importing (mostly in mono editions) the UK albums — of utilizing stereo mixes by default but substituting, where applicable, notably different mixes not available on any UK issue. He also commissioned new cover art to distinguish it on the shelves from import copies. For this, Dorna had to go outside the Timaeus art department since the entire team, honoring the earlier sacrifice of their adored typographer, signed up for a stint of front line defense against surface world aggressors. The resulting cover was a minor disappointment for Dorna, slapping together Klaus Voormann's original sketch with a contemporaneous photo of the fab foursome, and, worse, containing a typo in the title: it read Revolvers, plural, rather than Revolver. Without Dorna's approval, the covers went to print with this error, and so he had the labels printed to match.

Despite what Dorna viewed as the somewhat slapdash art seen in place of the classic finished Klaus Voormann cover the rest of the world received, Revolvers was hailed as a brilliant classic and a new high-water mark for the underwater nation's favorite land-based rock 'n' roll band.

Dorna didn't love it, but fans and the music press were fine with this cover art. One reviewer, in a convoluted turn of phrase, claimed it represented "the fictionalitious many-ness of the four captured within these fantastical grooves, yet with their widely embraced humanity recognizably peaking through"

 

Side one

1.     Taxman †

2.     Eleanor Rigby †

3.     I'm Only Sleeping [mono] *

4.     Love You To †

5.     Here, There and Everywhere †

6.     Yellow Submarine †

7.     She Said She Said †

Side two

1.     Good Day Sunshine †

2.     And Your Bird Can Sing [mono] *

3.     For No One †

4.     Doctor Robert [mono] *

5.     I Want to Tell You †

6.     Got to Get You into My Life †

7.     Tomorrow Never Knows †

All tracks stereo except as noted. 

† Revolver {made by/fabriqué par Disque Americ Canada} or, if not available, Revolver {The Beatles Box Set; 1988} 

* Yesterday and Today {The U.S. Albums box set; 2014}

next: 10} Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

previous: 08} Tripper Soul (1965)

Beatlantis: 08} Tripper Soul (1965)

Tripper Soul (December, 1965, Timaeus)

< file under Beatles In Atlantis >

~ an approximation of this album, using latest remasters, can be heard here on Apple Music ~

With Help!ed still number one on the record charts and at the revived box office, and Spoil The Party — the budget LP — right behind it at number two, Dorna prepped the Atlantis counterpart to the band's sixth UK studio album in time for the final couple weeks of Winter Solstice holiday gift shopping. This meant despite the Tumults-related delays of past year, the album was in the webbed hands (and trapezoidal ears) of Atlantean fans only a week or so after appearing in Britain. Upon release, it rose immediately to first position and made the Beatles the only recording artists in the history of the Atlantis album charts to hold all three top spots at once. 

While working on the final sequence of this, the third Atlantis Beatles LP within the span of only about month, Dorna received an Oceangram signed by John Lennon and George Harrison praising his efforts on, and on behalf of, the previous LP. "You really help!ed our last album," it read, "thank!s"

Unlike the US concoction — which, by inclusion of a couple songs Capitol had left off of their Help! album and removal of key album tracks, had homogenized the sound compared to the UK issue, deemphasizing the creative strides the band was making — the Atlantis album further highlighted the group's artistic development by subbing out the actual Help! leftover Wait and the throwback closer for the two tracks from the double A-side single released in England same day as the UK LP. Moving Nowhere Man to the ending maintains the original's flow of concluding the album with a negative number— albeit one much more musically and lyrically mature, and at least potentially more hopeful, than the skulking rocker it replaced. While Run For Your Life conveys threatening jealousy, Nowhere Man, for the first time in a Beatles original, eschews the trappings of romance altogether and is presented by a pleading narrator who admits somewhat of a solidarity with the troubled and troubling titular addressee and challenges the listener to recognize the same.

Dorna maintained the progressive yet earthy dichotomy that drives the Rubber Soul crafted by The Beatles and George Martin, merely making the collection all the more astounding by way of a pair of pivotal song substitutions. A further change was necessitated, in light of recent events, by a language quirk. Through a centuries-old perversion of English, the word "rubber" had become slang in Atlantean for "robber," eventually associated specifically with those who collaborate with surface world pirates. Hence a new title was arrived at, a synthesis of the name of one of the two A-sides added to this release and the name of the original album. Tripper Soul proved a fitting descriptor for a set which looked both forward and inward.

With the fast pace of album releases, and having recently lost their expert typographer who'd given her life single-handedly battling, and nullifying, a horde of pirates, the mourning Timaeus art department didn't have time to adapt the iconic trippy title logo; a simpler tactic was taken

 

Side one

1.     Drive My Car †

2.     Norwegian Wood †

3.     You Won't See Me †

4.     Think For Yourself †

5.     The Word °

6.     Michelle [mono] °

7.     What Goes On †

Side two

1.     Day Tripper *

2.     Girl †

3.     I'm Looking Through You °

4.     In My Life †

5.     We Can Work It Out *

6.     If I Needed Someone †

7.     Nowhere Man †

All tracks stereo except as noted. 

† Rubber Soul [original 1965 stereo mix] {made by/fabriqué par Disque Americ Canada} or, if not available, Rubber Soul [original 1965 stereo mix] {The Beatles in Mono box set; 2009}

° Rubber Soul {The U.S. Albums box set; 2014}

* Yesterday and Today {The U.S. Albums box set; 2014}

next: 09} Revolvers (1966)

previous: 07} Help!ed (1965)

Beatlantis: 07} Help!ed (1965)

Helped! (December, 1965, Timaeus)

< file under Beatles In Atlantis >

~ an approximation of this album, using latest remasters, can be heard here on Apple Music ~

Fast on the fins of the budget Spoil The Party, and arriving in record stores just in time for the release of the Beatles' second feature film, Help!ed arguably presents an Atlantean improvement over its UK source; Tivowr Dorna did have months of hindsight available when preparing the album, courtesy of the delaying conditions described in previous entry. While side one mirrors the UK edition, the opening and closing of side two bear Dorna's imprint. Perplexed by the UK lineup's inclusion of a couple of oldies covers, unlike the all-original and stellar album issued in conjuction with the fabs' first film, Dorna felt overall Help! might be taken to signal The Beatles were slipping rather than progressing. Hence, first thing, Dorna excised those two covers, transplanting them into the budget LP of the month before. Having already lifted what would become the most famous of originals from the non-soundtrack side, Yesterday, for Spoil The Party in keeping with the wistful and downright no fun mood of the title track of that collection, and having preemptively pulled the Help! leftover Wait from Rubber Soul, perhaps slightly as a winking nod to the delay Atlantis fans had just experienced between Beatles releases, Dorna turned to singles-only sides and one outtake, which he himself edited from source provided by George Martin, to fill the three gaps, and to, in his estimation, improve the album.

The quirky, and from this vantage decades later, proto-New Wave, If You've Got Trouble was so much more lively and forward-looking — and funnier — than the cover of Act Naturally; Yes It Is was clearly a more essential number from the underrepresented Lennon than the Dizzy Miss Lizzy cover, and, unlike Yesterday, actually featured the four fabs; and I'm Down was simply stronger, particularly as a closer, than the throwback Dizzy.

As with A Hard Day's Night, the film distributor had the right to release a soundtrack under the film's title, so Dorna, wanting to keep the name of the band's LP as close as possible, filed it as "Help! edited" which he then abbreviated to "Help!ed" when commissioning the cover art and sending out advance press. He got away with it. Not that the film company would really benefit from taking issue with the similar title. They had a hit movie on their hands, associated with another enormously popular, and critically hailed, LP. Furthermore, the movie studio — and the Atlantean film industry — was well aware that the movie's success was in no small part attributable to Dorna's promotional efforts, including the bundled LP/discount movie ticket plan he'd sold the movie studio on, and a reassuring campaign centered on the film's title, tied in with the LP, aimed at making moviegoers feel safe again. The young record company staffer was widely credited in the undersea entertainment world as helping to get live audiences back into theatre seats after the Tumults of the preceding year had kept them away. 

After the events of the past year, this help was greatly welcome underseas

Side one

1.     Help! †

2.     The Night Before †

3.     You've Got To Hide Your Love Away †

4.     I Need You †

5.     Another Girl †

6.     You're Going To Lose That Girl †

7.     Ticket To Ride †

Side two

1.     If You've Got Trouble ª

2.     It's Only Love †

3.     You Like Me Too Much †

4.     Tell Me What You See †

5.     I've Just Seen A Face †

6.     Yes It Is °

7.     I'm Down °

All tracks stereo. 

† Help! [original 1965 stereo mix] {made by/fabriqué par Disque Americ Canada} or, if not available, Help! [original 1965 stereo mix] {The Beatles in Mono box set; 2009}

ª edit/mix from canceled Sessions compilation {various bootlegs} which seemingly was modeled after Dorna's edit, or, if not available, different mix from Anthology 2 {1996}

° Past Masters, Volume One {The Beatles Box Set; 1988} or, if not available, Past Masters {The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings) stereo box set; 2009}

next: 08} Tripper Soul (1965)

previous: 06} Spoil The Party (1965)

Beatlantis: 06} Spoil The Party (1965)

Spoil The Party (November, 1965, Critias)

< file under Beatles In Atlantis >

~ an approximation of this album, using latest remasters, can be heard here on Apple Music ~

In 1965 commenced what the Atlanteans called the Tumults. In late spring, horrible seismic shifts taken at first to be undersea earthquakes rocked Atlantis with frequency, causing mass disruptions, internal displacements, much injury, and most tragically some loss of life. By early summer it was learned these were not natural events — an international gang of surface world pirates, rumored to have been in the employ of certain land-based nations, had moved from the plundering that had been the lot of their ilk for generations — and which Atlantis had long ago grown adept at thwarting — to outright terrorism. These air-breathing terrorists, utilizing a level of technology that immediately led to suspicion they were working on behalf of one or more nation-states, were causing these quakes. Their motive was soon understand as likely driven by a surface world superpower, or one or more of its satellite states going rogue. Such undersea quakes cause tsunamis; the goal of the terrorists wasn't just creating these quakes, it was to generate tsunamis that would visit regular and significant destruction and death upon nearby land-nations and thereby provide some surface nation(s) or other(s) a pretext to attack Atlantis and take over the undersea realm, seizing all its riches and advance technology, claiming to be doing so in a combination of self-defense and the humanitarian interest of suffering Atlanteans.

This couldn't have been more appalling, nor could it have been a flimsier pretext for invasion. No outside nation would have matched, let alone bettered, Atlantis' knowledge of how to address actual undersea earthquakes. Regardless, soon Atlantis learned that sabotage was causing these disasters and, in a momentous demonstration of the young leadership's competency and resolve, halted it decisively. What shook Atlantis even more than the attacks, however, was the revelation that the terrorists had an unknown number of internal collaborators. While Atlantis went to the United Nations demanding investigation into these attacks as possible state-sponsored acts of war, at home they faced potential further threats from an enemy within. 

The world of the Arts was largely on hold throughout these terrible events. All but essential manufacturing and distribution was paused until the final quarter of the year when the threat had been neutralized and the routine of daily life was cautiously and collectively restored.

By the time Tivowr Dorna was able to return to his duties at EMI, The Beatles had already released, in the rest of the world, new non-album material as well as their second feature film Help! and its associated songs, and were nearly finished recording their landmark Rubber Soul LP which would, astoundingly, see UK release same day as its accompanying double A-side single. Along with the earlier non-album I Feel Fine / She's A Woman single and some outtakes he had on hand, this meant that by year's end Dorna would have three LPs worth of Beatles material to issue. As a result, Tivowr abandoned his decision, dating back to A Hard Day's Nigh[t] and only slightly contravened on IV, to adhere to the UK album track selections and decided that some creative tinkering was in order. 

Owing to the quota of foreign films released per season, Help! had always been scheduled to be delayed, not appearing on Atlantean screens until late September. Now, it was delayed until November. Knowing he wanted the album release to coincide with the film's local première, refusing to delay the upcoming Rubber Soul album, and understanding full well he could not ask traumatized Atlanteans to pay for three LPs in the last couple months of the year, Dorna came up with a novel solution: the first release would appear on EMI Atlantis' budget Critias label; the second release, though regularly priced on Timaeus, would, with cooperation of the film distributor, come with a coupon for a discounted pass to the film; and the final release, scheduled for the holiday season, would be a standard issue on Timaeus but would feature a recorded message, on a flexi disc included with the LP, from the band to their Atlantis fans.

EMI execs went for the plan, thinking it a wise move to reward a loyal fanbase and, according to Donna's journal notes, partly spurred by a sense of civic duty and wish to restore some normalcy and joy among the young populace. The film distributor's motivation to offer discounted tickets was, per a later report in the Atlantis Aquatic Herald, less than altruistic; they were concerned that fears of possible resumption of terrorist attacks would keep moviegoers away from theaters, and hypothesized that cheap entry might prove irresistible, and so also agreed to participate in Dorna's plan. Tivowr sensed this calculation on their part and so held out until the film distribution company agreed to a fairly steep reduction in ticket price.

Dorna wrote to George Martin, informing the producer of his plans. Formerly of the UK's Royal Navy and having lived through World War II, Martin, sympathetic to the recent plight of the Atlanteans and already keen on how Dorna had been handling his act's catalog underseas, wholeheartedly endorsed the plan, immediately sending over, unprompted by Dorna, some completed recordings for the forthcoming Rubber Soul, including the Help! holdover Wait and an underwhelming instrumental destined to be another outtake. (Martin easily convinced John, Paul, George, Ringo — and Brian Epstein, despite his usual reluctance for the boys to engage in any activity which could possibly be viewed as political — to record a message such as Tivowr requested; more on that later.) Extant entries from Dorna's journal indicate Martin may have even suggested which Soul recordings might be suited for the discount LP; "M: 'no [lacuna] wait on Wait, 12-Ba[r,] [illegible],'" one line reads. 

As preparations for this record neared finalization, an auditor questioned the financial wisdom of selling an album, at a bargain price, as lengthy as — or actually longer than — any previous Beatles release, suggesting it should have fewer songs instead, and opining negatively on its many sombre selections, saying those would harm sales. In an assertive last minute move, Tivor added two additional numbers — one acoustic demo of a song which'd been a UK chart-topper for Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas, and one BBC performance, neither with the sunniest refrain — making this the longest release by the group until a certain lonely hearts club band was introduced. 

The auditor was proven wrong, as the LP was another resounding hit. None at Timaeus ever doubted Dorna's decisions again. 

Named after the track mistakenly left off The Beatles For Sale Atlantis counterpart IV (see that entry for details) with a joking nod to the less than phenomenal stature of some of its selections, and a darkly ironic acknowledgment of the troubled time Atlanteans had faced since the innocent days of the previous release, the band's one budget LP — commonly referred to, in full, as The Beatles Spoil The Party — bolstered Dorna's career, consequently giving Critias renewed life as EMI's low cost imprint. To whatever extent it may have somewhat paled, overall, in light of the albums which came before and those which lie ahead, and, contrary to its title, in contrast to what they'd just endured, Atlanteans found this collection to be a party nonetheless. 

A party nonetheless

Side one

1.     I Feel Fine [mono] °

2.     I Don't Want to Spoil the Party ^

3.     You Know What To Do (demo) [mono] ª 

4.     Bad to Me (demo) [mono] ›

5.     In Spite Of All The Danger (The Quarrymen) [mono] ª

6.     She's a Woman [mono] °

7.     That Means A Lot [mock stereo] ªª

8.     Cry For A Shadow ª 

Side two

1.     Bad Boy *

2.     Act Naturally † 

3.     I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You) [mono]  ˇ

4.     12-Bar Original ªª

5.     Run For Your Life ‡

6.     Wait ‡

7.     Yesterday †

8.     Dizzy Miss Lizzy †

All tracks stereo except as noted. 

° Beatles '65 {The U.S. Albums box set; 2014}

^ Beatles VI {The U.S. Albums box set; 2014} or Beatles For Sale {The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings) stereo box set; 2009}

ª Anthology 1 {1995}

› The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963 {2013}

ˇ Live at the BBC {2013}

ªª Anthology 2 {1996}

* Beatles VI {The U.S. Albums box set; 2014} or Past Masters {The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings) stereo box set; 2009}

† Help! [original 1965 stereo mix] {The Beatles in Mono box set; 2009}

‡ Rubber Soul [original 1965 stereo mix] {The Beatles in Mono box set; 2009}

next: 07} Helped! (1965)

previous: 05} [lx] IV [$ale] (1964)

Beatlantis: 05} [lx] IV [$ale]

[LX] IV [$ale] aka "Beatles '64 (for) Sale"] (December, 1964, Timaeus)

< file under Beatles In Atlantis >

~ an approximation of this album, using latest remasters, can be heard here on Apple Music ~

Beatles IV is, that's right, the Beatles' fifth Atlantean LP. One short-tenured and short-tempered Timaeus exec had become quite bothered that their successful English act's debut was to stay, in perpetuity, on the unaffiliated independent Plato label, and so insisted that somehow the next release create some distance between EMI and Plato. Tivowr Dorna found this ridiculous; he also thought it ridiculous that Capitol was about to release the US version of the fourth UK album and name it Beatles '65 in 1964; he generally found the Capitol reworking of the Beatles albums fairly tasteless and not at all driven by artistic considerations; and finally he was appreciative of the resigned cynicism of the title Beatles For Sale. All these factors played into his titling this album "IV" ("Beatles IV" on the label) so as to placate the exec— Dorna explained this title was explicitly stating that the new release was only the fourth real (ie, Timaeus) album; ironically Capitol soon employed the same tactic, disregarding the Beatles US debut on Vee-Jay Records when titling Beatles VI. But he had the title treatment on front surrounded by the Roman numeral LX on one side, and on the other side a US dollar sign starting off the spelling of the word "sale," effectively making the title Beatles '64 (for) Sale. A bit heady and convoluted and purely instigated by business pressure, the title proved confusing for some but did nothing to harm sales, which were spectacular. To drive home the point that this record was packaged with some humor, Dorna went with the Robert Whitaker photo of the fabs with umbrellas, a funny image to any Atlanteans as rain in their undersea realm simply didn't occur. It was seasonably suitable though, reflecting an English winter in time for the release set to coincide with Atlantis' winter holiday shopping season.

Though disapproving of what he saw as Capitol's mishandling of Beatles material in the States, he was well aware that he too had been shaping releases to the peculiarities of his target market— even if he was certain he was doing so to much greater artistic effect and with far more sensitivity, and even with George Martin's blessing. He'd helped establish the quartet in the Atlantean market rather successfully, first under the requirement that he alter the debut album for independent release, and then configuring the next couple as consequence of needing to include the band's singles on the LPs for Atlantean listeners. But with his astonishment at the stellar A Hard Day's Nigh[t] and with reflection upon what he saw as Capitol's crassly commercial packaging of the Beatles in the US, Dorna resolved to start issuing the Beatles' album as they were back in the UK, and find another solution to delivering the single tracks. However, due to a clerical misunderstanding conveyed by his new assistant, Dorna found himself switching out a track from the UK LP with an alternate which would not be released in the rest of the world for decades.

Recently hired Estoin Uriphitt, who would prove invaluable to Dorna at Timaeus, was tasked with reviewing the newly arrived tapes. The title for the twelfth track, near end of tape box where room had gotten tight, had been truncated, by whoever wrote down the song names back in England, to simply "Don't Want To" and to its right was a scribble that Uriphitt mistook for the word "use" (to this day no one knows what it really said). Uriphitt therefore relayed to Dorna that the twelfth track was not to be used! Only after this album had hit store shelves did Dorna realize Uriphitt's error regarding I Don't Want To Spoil The Party. In the meantime, he had resequenced the album to keep it at a total of 14 tracks while assigning as its closer the outtake which Martin had sent along.

The Beatles, for sale, where those umbrellas won't do any good

Side one

1.     No Reply °

2.     Baby's in Black °

3.     Leave My Kitten Alone [mock stereo] ª

4.     I'll Follow the Sun °

5.     Mr. Moonlight °

6.     Rock and Roll Music °

7.     Kansas City ^

Side two

1.     Eight Days a Week ^

2.     Words of Love ^

3.     Honey Don't °

4.     Every Little Thing ^

5.     I'm a Loser °

6.     What You're Doing ^

7.     Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby °

All tracks stereo except as noted. 

° Beatles '65 {The U.S. Albums box set; 2014} or Beatles For Sale {The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings) stereo box set; 2009}

ª Anthology 1 {1995}

^ Beatles VI {The U.S. Albums box set; 2014} or Beatles For Sale {The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings) stereo box set; 2009}

next: 06} Spoil The Party (1965)

previous: 04} A Hard Day's Nigh (1964)

Beatlantis: 04} A Hard Day's Nigh

 A Hard Day's Nigh (September, 1964, Timaeus)

< file under Beatles In Atlantis >

~ an approximation of this album, using latest remasters, can be heard here on Apple Music ~

Owing to another circumstance of Atlantean protectionism, the frequency of foreign film releases was limited in the undersea nation. The studio with rights to The Beatles' impending big screen debut faced an eager viewing public and the possibility of seeing the film's release date pushed back a year. (In fact, it was only held back from summer to fall.)

Acknowledging this potential delay, and wanting to assure the fanbase that the movie would make it into Atlantis theaters, the distributor started promoting the upcoming feature with the slight wordplay "A Hard Day's Nigh." By the time the movie arrived in front of audiences and the associated LP was ready to ship, the public had grown so used to the promotional phrase that our friend Tivowr Dorna felt it best to title the album to match. Not that he had much choice — the very same film distributor had the rights to release the movie's instrumental score, and released that score, just like the film, under the title A Hard Day's Night, leaving Dorna obliged to issue the actual Beatles album under a different name. He cheekily used the local film company's well-worn slogan to great advantage, playing on the familiarity they'd built through their promo campaign.

That's about all he changed compared to the UK release, other than his now standard practice of selecting less common mixes, and it's the most noticeable change beyond the color scheme of the cover. He recognized this as the band's first masterpiece, the first (and only) album comprised solely of Lennon/McCartney originals (emphasis on Lennon), so he set upon releasing it effectively unadulterated to the Atlantean public. His faith that even the so-called serious music press of Atlantis would have to take notice of such a strong selection of songs was rewarded. Critical praise previously unheard of for a pop combo was heaped upon this long player, particularly directed at the songwriting duo.

It wasn't just critics who were captivated; like the accompanying film, the disc was an enormous popular hit as well. The Beatles were bigger than ever down at the depths of the sea. The album stayed on the charts well into the spring and the film drew theater crowds through the winter holidays. For Atlanteans, watching The Beatles on the big screen was the closest they'd yet gotten — and, it turned out, would ever get — to seeing the band live and in person. 

Dorna rightfully anticipated this release would scale new heights

Side one

1.     A Hard Day's Night °

2.     I Should Have Known Better ‡

3.     If I Fell †

4.     I'm Happy Just to Dance with You †

5.     And I Love Her [mono] ^

6.     Tell Me Why †

7.     Can't Buy Me Love ‡

Side two

1.     Any Time at All [mono] π

2.     I'll Cry Instead [mono] †

3.     Things We Said Today †

4.     When I Get Home [mono] π

5.     You Can't Do That [mono] ∞

6.     I'll Be Back [mono] ª

All tracks stereo except as noted. 

° 1+ {2015}

‡ A Hard Day's Night {The U.S. Albums box set; 2014} or A Hard Day's Night {The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings) stereo box set; 2009}

† Something New {The Capitol Albums, Volume 1; 2006}

^ A Hard Day's Night {The U.S. Albums box set; 2014}

π Something New {The U.S. Albums box set; 2014}

∞ The Beatles' Second Album {The U.S. Albums box set; 2014}

ª Beatles '65 {The U.S. Albums box set; 2014}

next: 05} Beatles lx IV $ale (1964)

previous: 03} The Beatles' Third Album (1964)