At Abbey Road Show Vol. 2 (Master Of Beatles Essentials MBE-12-07001/2/3)
Disc 3: 1-13 Strawberry Fields Forever – Take 2/1-6, Christmas With The Pirates, Strawberry Fields Forever – Take 25 Remix 4, Strawberry Fields Forever – Take 26 Remix 9, Strawberry Fields Forever – Take 7-26, I Am The Walrus – Take 7/9, Hello Goodbye – Take 1, Christmas Time (Is Here Again), The Inner Light – Take 5, Across The Universe – Take 2, Lady Madonna – Take 5
Disc 4: Revolution – Take 20 / Playback, Jam #1, Jam #2, Revolution – Jam, Revolution – Jam / Jam #3, Revolution – Jam, Revolution – Si Onto Take 20, Jam #4 / Revolution – Take 20, Playback, Jam #5, Revolution – Si Onto Take 20, Jam #6, Revolution – Si Onto Take 20, Chat, Revolution – Si Onto Take 20, Chat And Loop Playback, Revolution – Take 20 Remix 1
Disc 5: Fuck A Duck / Sexy Sadie, Brian Epstein Blues, Sexy Sadie – fragments, Sexy Sadie / Who The Fuck You Think You Are, Sexy Sadie – playback, While My Guitar Gently Weeps take 1, Lady Madonna jam, While My Guitar Gently Weeps jam, Not Guilty, Hey Jude sessions, Come And Get It. Additional stereo tracks from John Barrett tapes: Hey Jude take 8, What’s The New Mary Jane overdubs remix, Rip It Up / Shake Rattle And Roll, Kansas City / Miss Ann / Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Blue Suede Shoes, Cannonball / Not Fade Away / Hey Little Girl (In The High School Sweater) / Bo Diddley, Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues, Come And Get It – double track demo, Because – remix, Ringo’s message, Anthology outtakes medley
At Abbey Road Show Vol. 2is a continuation of the first volume documenting the complete monitor mix collection of Beatle sessions and outtakes. Like the first volume, these tapes are in mono and are recorded from the back of the room. It is interesting and sometimes funny to hear the engineer and producers turning on and off the tape machine to hear a specific spot. Even at one point in “Strawberry Fields Forever” the phone rings and Martin turns it off to answer it. The first half of disc five are monitor mixes for the first song worked on in the Sgt Pepper sessions, “Strawberry Fields Forever.” The first take dates from November 24th, 1966, takes two, three and four date from November 28th, and takes five through seven from November 29th.
“Christmas With The Pirates” is a recording session in 1966 for the fan club Christmas message. Some of these playbacks appeared with the “Free As A Bird” single, but these are much longer. The following “Strawberry Fields Forever” sessions date from December 9th, 1966. “I Am The Walrus” takes seven, eight and nine date from September 5th, 1967 and except for take eight aren’t terribly interesting. The third take in this collection is an instrumental run through of the developed track. “Hello Goodbye” take one dates from October 2nd, 1967 and again isn’t terribly interesting. “Christmas Time Is Here Again” was recorded on November 28th, 1967 and the following track, take five of “The Inner Light” was recorded on January 12th, 1968 in Bombay. “Across The Universe” take 1 dates from February 4th, 1968.
Disc four contains the complete “Revolution” tape with Yoko prattling on and on over the takes. These date from EMI studios on June 4th, 1968 and remains one of the strangest unreleased Beatle sessions. This tape was released in 2007 also on “Off White”and Misterclaudel’s White Album Working Tapes. The monitor mix is in mono and still is a bit difficult to sit through. The final disc continues with monitor mix editions of sessions from the white album that are found on the other two collections. The final part of the disc contains odds and ends from the John Barrett tapes and closes with the Anthology medley. Overall this, and At Abbey Road Show Vol. 1 forms an excellent collection of all of the monitor mix material into a chronological and cohesive collection.
