Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (DBM-021)
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, With A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Getting Better, Fixing A Hole, She’s Leaving Home, Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite, Within You Without You, When I’m Sixty-Four, Lovely Rita, Good Morning Good Morning, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise), A Day In The Life
Since Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was officially released on compact disc by EMI in 1987 in stereo only, there has been a need for a good transfer from the mono. But many collectors claim the album sounds much better in that format. Significant needle drops of the mono include several from Millennium Remasters. In 2002 they issued Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Millennium U.K. Collection) (PMC 7027/MFQR 1-100) sourced from the 1982 UK black box set. Two years later they issued Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Millennium Red Collection) (EAS-70137 /EAS 80558) from the Japanese red mono LP from 1982 and also Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (U.K. Collection BM-1/BC-13) PMC 7027/PCS 7027, vinyl transfers of clean sources from the rare mono BM1 “black” boxset of 10 mono albums released in 1982 limited to 1000 sets (this set alone now costs $1000). Also that year they released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Original Monaural Recording) PMC 7027 alone, copied from a Japanese CD issued in the early eighties.
Mirror Spock issued Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (UHQR Stereo And ‘Red Wax’ Mono) Mirror Spock MFQR1-100/EAS70137, and Purple Chick include the mono in the Sgt. Pepper Deluxe Vol. 1 disc 2 (Purple Chick PC-123) along with the stereo and various outtakes. The latest Dr. Ebbett silver pressed edition is an excellent transfer with no flaws whatsoever. There are some differences in the mix between stereo and mono. The mono of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” has prominent guitar in the end, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” has more echo in the vocals, “She’s Leaving Home” is faster than the stereo and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” has the audience noises beginning more loud, for extra beats in the drum introduction, and John says some things which are not noticeable on the stereo. This pressing also includes the high whistle and nonsense at the very end in the runoff groove.
