To thine own self be true

the absolute worst newscast announcer out there. Totally frivolous, abysmally ignorant about many facts and anything resembling common sense. She has started talking to herself only on air and she thinks she’s really good (totally deluded).
Your mind is endangered if you listen to her babble away, machine-gunning scraps.

On the recent “Yellow Submarine” demo, first take.

“In the town where I was born,
No one cared, no one cared.”

Hard to believe this song later became a children’s anthem and a Beatles movie with different lyrics!

(One of those Nature-freaks totally wasting his time, money and effort in “vacant lots”)

As I stepped out into the frozen North, Arctic winds, and falling snow–as I am wont to do daily–to feed the birds and squirrels (who might otherwise not survive/as well), my thoughts turned to my son’s family fighting Covid this past week, my sister-in-law’s husband who elected to get a front tooth removed rather than go on suffering with an unknown no. otherwise dentist visits, a Winnipeg friend now down with Covid, and to all the homeless and poor people all over the globe, to make a long story short.

And so when I stepped back into the cozy warmth and candle-lights of the family room, my wife and I resolved to make yet another donation to the local food bank and to pay for some Christmas dinners at the local homeless shelter.

It’s going to be another long winter of our discontent what with a tridemic now officially on. Everyday will be a problematic life-and-death struggle for many hither and yon. Survival and personal charity are the first orders of business this winter. And charity begins at home: a matter of personal choice. The human instinct to persevere and prevail and–let us all hope–the will to look out for others less fortunate and up against it: something December and Christmas always both remind us of.

T.S. Eliot’s “Preludes” never fails to remind me of the fundamental human struggle:

“I am moved by fancies that are curled
Around these images, and cling:
The notion of some infinitely gentle
Infinitely suffering thing.

Wipe your hand across your mouth, and laugh;
The worlds revolve like ancient women
Gathering fuel in vacant lots.”

Once again, the continually relevant 1917 wisdom of T.S. Eliot:

Wednesday night, a Calgary woman told police she discovered a sewing needle inside a packaged chocolate bar her child got while trick-or-treating in the neighbourhood Monday night. Sick and dangerous! Pure evil.

(The woman reported it Thursday to police. The child hadn’t eaten the candy and wasn’t hurt.)

who’ll screw you in the ground.
They’ll fill you in with their sins, you’ll see.”
One of my favorite George Harrison lyrics, from “Love You To”.

Oh, still so true today still with all the myriad trolls and Evil Ones like Trump and the GOPs.

Listened to the original stereo from 2009 boxset first.
Some general comments about the original UK stereo.

Up to Sgts. when Beatles put their foot down, we did not get any of the same album songs and lineups that the UK did.
N. Am. wanted to make more money and broke up the UK albums, creating more albums and changing the sequences of all album songs up to and including Revolver.
The UK Revolver has 3 extra John songs: I’m Only Sleeping, And Your Bird Can Sing, and Dr. Robert so you have to reckon with this big change of 14 songs as opposed to 11.

Two of the sequences become interesting with Taxman running into Eleanor Rigby, then I’m Only Sleeping and Love You To. Follow that sequence of styles and sounds!
Side 2 went from Good Day Sunshine into And Your Bird Can Sing then For No One and Doctor Robert. Another interesting sequence!
More Lennon voices and 2 more rock nos. on the original album, but everything makes sense.

So, after listening to the new stereo mix:
It is louder, richer, and more intense overall.
The vocal parts are better separated–you can hear individual harmonies when three are singing.
The lead singers’ voices seem to have more articulation
The instrument parts are all punched up.

Individually, songwise:
Taxman is wilder. The rhythm guitar part is noticeably punched up.
Eleanor Rigby–nice voice separation on Lennon and McCartney on the home stretch. You can hear each of the classical instrument parts.
I’m Only: there’s a nice boost on the acoustic 6 from the right channel playing most of the guitar parts.
The sound effects are louder, moving around.

Love You To: the drone is deeper. Harrison is sure loudly doubletracked in all his songs. The percussion on this cut is outstanding and more noticeable including Ringo’s tambourine toward the end.
Here There: very sublime vocals; ‘purest’ on the album. The finger snaps at the end are delineated and louder.
Yellow Submarine comes off very well–sound effects clearer and the 3 part harmony individually delineated. Sounds like Ringo is thudding on a tympani on the home stretch.
She Said–one of the best new ones–lead guitar parts crossing channels. Ringo’s spilling, cascading, pounded drumming is elevated, especially on “I said…”

Good Day: 2 pianos clearer, 2 channels.
And Your Bird: incredible bass and drums. Vocals very pumped up,
For No One: 2 pianos, 2 channels.
Dr. Robert: loud with some ‘screechy’ guitar bits occasionally on the right.

I Want to Tell You: always liked that piano discord which is louder now.
Got to Get You–another good new with the brass sounding full: a complete sound now; Macca’s basslines louder.
Tomorrow: new version lets the sound effects move around and make clearer crosses. The periodic mad munchkin voices, the flitting brass fanfares, the constant drone of the tamboura keep popping up more obviously anchored by Ringo’s drumming.

I went back and played some of the mono which may be integrated/unified more, but the volume, depth, richness, intensity, and separation of sounds are completely missing.
So overall, this new mix is the one I will go back to because it’s like being in the studio with them as they make this album. There is a much stronger presence of the band at the recording IMHO.

Also listened to the 45 of Paperback and Rain new (stereo & mono) and the stereo is as good as it gets. You can hear the individual vocal parts and Ringo’s regular tambourine flourished. Great bass, too.
Rain is right up there with She Said and Tomorrow in terms of intensity. Ringo’s sensational drumming is highlighted more.

Haven’t checked out the 2 CDs of demos yet. If I find a need to comment, I’ll get back to you guys.
The 100 page book has a lengthy writeup on the making and recording of each song.
Klaus Voorman, the cover artist, has included a comic about how he made the cover. BTW/ whole boxset was packaged in Czechoslovakia?!

Didn’t hear anything which made me prefer the earlier 2009 stereo and certainly not key songs on the mono.

for legalizing pot. All the negative consequences of that dumbass decision continues to hurt innocent young people.

In Winnipeg this Halloween, cannabis edibles were given out to kids. Dangerous stuff by Trudeau’s druggies.

In Edmonton, homeowners have long unhooked, drained, and put away their outdoor hoses, turned off the indoor taps to outside, emptied their garden and yard pots for the Nov. landscaping pickup, put away things in the yard shed or garage, set up whatever electrical connections for outside Christmas decorations, etc.

Car owners have already checked oil and pumped tires to the recommended max and then some to get through winter.

“You can’t save a person from their own incompetence.”