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)