A LENNONOLOGY EXCLUSIVE - FOR YOU BLUES (EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ON THE JAPANESE LET IT BE SDE)

[mikec]

It's the same track, just a different vocal. My guess is that there are multiple vocal tracks on the multi-track and they just chose the wrong one. If nothing else, that proves they're not using a bootleg as their source.

1969 mix:
- 19 seconds intro that includes:
- two false starts (0:09 and 0:15)
- glass sound at the very beginning fading in
- taping noises mixed in the right channel with slight echo in the center
- a bass note at 0:04 mixed in the right channel
- George saying "okay" at 0:08 with a little reverb added, and John saying "yeah" very faintly in the center right before the first false start
- some intelligible chat (from what I understand "you're happy Jim?" etcetera...) in the center mixed very low, and that ends less than a second after...:
- John shouts "quiet please!" at 0:16 in the center, followed by very faint whispers and wood tapping/scratching noises in the right channel
- all with natural reverb
- original vocal take

1970 mix:
- 14 seconds intro that includes:
- one false start (at 0:09) which is the second false start from the 1969 mix
- glass sound at the very beginning
- taping noises mixed in the left channel with slight echo in the center
- a bass note at 0:04 mixed in the right channel with reverb
- George saying "okay" at 0:08, and John saying "yeah" faintly in the center with slight echo in the left channel, right before the first false start
- some intelligible chat (from what I understand "you're happy Jim?", etcetera...) in the left channel mixed louder, and that ends less than a second after...:
- John shouts "quiet please!" at 0:10 in the right channel with a lot of reverb, followed by whispers mixed a little louder slightly oriented in the right channel, and wood tapping/scratching noises in the right channel as well.
- 1970 vocal take, except from 1:54 to 2:28 (original vocal take)

the 2021 version found in the EU/US "Let It Be" Super Deluxe Edition:
- 19 seconds intro that includes:
- two false starts (0:09 and 0:15)
- glass sound at the very beginning fading in
- a bass note at 0:04 mixed in the right channel with reverb*
- George saying "okay" at 0:08 with a little reverb added**, and John saying "yeah" very faintly in the center right before the first false start
- some intelligible chat (from what I understand "you're happy Jim?" etcetera...) in the center mixed very low, and that ends less than a second after John shouts "quiet please!", but in the left channel!
- John shouts "quiet please!" at 0:10 in the right channel with a lot of reverb, followed by whispers mixed a little louder slightly oriented in the right channel, and wood tapping/scratching noises in the right channel as well.
- 1970 vocal take, except from 1:54 to 2:28 (original vocal take)

The version found in the EU/US boxset is an edit of both mixes, which cuts exactly before the second false start. You can clearly hear by turning up the volume than the hiss changes at that very moment, and you can see it even by looking at the spectrogram by using a tool like iZotope:

So personally, I wouldn't assume they went as far as using the original multitracks.
In fact, the lower quality 1969 intro being edited into the higher quality 1970 mix makes me think that the mix we have in the EU/US boxsets and on digital platforms is the one that was meant to be released and that it is the Japanese boxset that has the "wrong" mix. Not to mention it was one of the first pre-release tracks. I don't think they would have chose it as an advanced track if it wasn't the mix they wanted to release.

Now, if the only difference between the version in the European boxset and the Japanese boxset is the vocal track being the original one, then we'll still have these 4-5 seconds from the 1970 mix added in.

* : to me, it sounds like this bass note has the 1969 mix EQ with the 1970 mix reverb
** : I could be wrong on this one, but it seems to be a little louder than the 1969 mix

Exactly! Thank you and no, the Japanese and the Rest of the World versions both have different sound, both different sources.

[CharlesHawtrey]

I have the Japanese track in my hands thanks to a friend who has shared it with me meanwhile my box set arrives. It is not the same EMI master multi-track tape.
The now exclusive track on the SHM Deluxe Japan Edition has the same sound of 'hiss' throughout the track, with the correct 1969 mix.
The track in the Deluxe Edition available for the rest of the world has an edit at 00: 15 where the sound changes drastically and another source is inserted, so they did not use the same multi-track tape and chose by mistake the wrong vocal track, but two different sources were used to edit it.

So the Japanese version uses a different master for this song only or the whole album?

If the whole album is a different master, I would guess:
The true 1969 master was originally meant to be the one released everywhere, but at the very last moment they decided to use a better quality 1970 master to recreate the 1969 mix very quickly, despite the Japanese boxes already pressed with the true 1969 master.

[mikec]

I have the Japanese track in my hands thanks to a friend who has shared it with me meanwhile my box set arrives. It is not the same EMI master multi-track tape.
The now exclusive track on the SHM Deluxe Japan Edition has the same sound of 'hiss' throughout the track, with the correct 1969 mix.
The track in the Deluxe Edition available for the rest of the world has an edit at 00: 15 where the sound changes drastically and another source is inserted, so they did not use the same multi-track tape and chose by mistake the wrong vocal track, but two different sources were used to edit it.

So the Japanese version uses a different master for this song only or the whole album?

If the whole album is a different master, I would guess:
The true 1969 master was originally meant to be the one released everywhere, but at the very last moment they decided to use a better quality 1970 master to recreate the 1969 mix very quickly, despite the Japanese boxes already pressed with the true 1969 master.

the song, check your PM, I will find out about the whole album when my SHM Deluxe box arrives but there is a delay with a promo poster that comes with it

[BDJ]

Before you all start writing angry letters to EMI, I would like to make a fine point:

The 'For You Blue' that all of us hear was actually mixed in 1969: The Japanese version in January 1969, and the 'rest of the world' version in December 1969.

It is the convention to speak of the '1970 Glyn Johns Mix' which is confusing.

'I Me Mine' was actually mixed in January 1970, and is correctly listed in the Box as I Me Mine (1970). So, the tracklist of the LIB Box is accurate!

If you want to be precise, then speaking of the '1969 Glyn Johns mix' and the '1970 Glyn Johns mix' will simply not work. In fact, Glyn Johns actually mixed 'For You Blue' three (3) times, all of them in 1969! And then Phil Spector remixed it in 1970 with new vocals.

[Doug]

In fact, the lower quality 1969 intro being edited into the higher quality 1970 mix makes me think that the mix we have in the EU/US boxsets and on digital platforms is the one that was meant to be released and that it is the Japanese boxset that has the "wrong" mix.

Since the Japanese version of "For You Blue" matches the bootleg we've had of the original Glyn Johns "Get Back" album for the past 50 years, why do you say it's the "wrong" mix?

[CharlesHawtrey]

Before you all start writing angry letters to EMI, I would like to make a fine point:

The 'For You Blue' that all of us hear was actually mixed in 1969: The Japanese version in January 1969, and the 'rest of the world' version in December 1969.

It is the convention to speak of the '1970 Glyn Johns Mix' which is confusing.

[...]

If you want to be precise, then speaking of the '1969 Glyn Johns mix' and the '1970 Glyn Johns mix' will simply not work. In fact, Glyn Johns actually mixed 'For You Blue' three (3) times, all of them in 1969! And then Phil Spector remixed it in 1970 with new vocals.

Completely wrong.
I Me Mine was recorded on January 3rd 1970.
The new vocals were recorded on January 4th or 8th 1970, engineered by Glyn Johns.

Johns remixed his last version of Get Back (known as compilation 4) between December 1969 and January 1970, and included Across The Universe (which he remixed in December 69), I Me Mine and For You Blue with new vocals on most of the track.

It would've been hard for Glyn Johns to mix vocals that wouldn't be recorded until weeks later

'I Me Mine' was actually mixed in January 1970.

by Glyn Johns and included in his 1970 Get Back compilation

So, the tracklist of the LIB Box is accurate!

The tracklist as written is accurate, some of the mixesaren't.

[CharlesHawtrey]

In fact, the lower quality 1969 intro being edited into the higher quality 1970 mix makes me think that the mix we have in the EU/US boxsets and on digital platforms is the one that was meant to be released and that it is the Japanese boxset that has the "wrong" mix.

Since the Japanese version of "For You Blue" matches the bootleg we've had of the original Glyn Johns "Get Back" album for the past 50 years, why do you say it's the "wrong" mix?

"wrong" because it wasn't the one Apple wanted to release finally.

Now that we know the Get Back master used on the Japanese set is different, I updated my point:

If the whole album is a different master, I would guess:
The true 1969 master was originally meant to be the one released everywhere, but at the very last moment they decided to use a better quality 1970 master to recreate the 1969 mix very quickly, despite the Japanese boxes already pressed with the true 1969 master.

[CharlesHawtrey]

[BDJ]

The 'For You Blue' that all of us hear was actually mixed in 1969: The Japanese version in January 1969, and the 'rest of the world' version in December 1969.

It is the convention to speak of the '1970 Glyn Johns Mix' which is confusing.

[...]

If you want to be precise, then speaking of the '1969 Glyn Johns mix' and the '1970 Glyn Johns mix' will simply not work. In fact, Glyn Johns actually mixed 'For You Blue' three (3) times, all of them in 1969! And then Phil Spector remixed it in 1970 with new vocals.

Completely wrong.
I Me Mine was recorded on January 3rd 1970.

That is precisely what I said, I Me Mine was mixed on January 5th 1970.


Johns remixed his last version of Get Back (known as compilation 4) between December 1969 and January 1970, and included Across The Universe (which he remixed in December 69), I Me Mine and For You Blue with new vocals on most of the track.

It would've been hard for Glyn Johns to mix vocals that wouldn't be recorded until weeks later

Partly correct. Johns remixed For You Blue on either December 21 or 25. Johns remixed Get Back in May 1969.

The vocals on the December 1969 For You Blue are different from the vocals on the May and January versions. There is no record (e.g. Lewisohn) that Harrison re-recorded his vocals in 1969. Therefore, I believe that Johns used vocals from a different (existing) take for his December version.

Then George completely re-recorded his vocals on January 8th, 1970. This is after Johns made his '1970 Johns Mix', so these vocals are not heard on any Johns mix. These new vocals were used by Spector in his mix, later in 1970.

So, the tracklist of the LIB Box gives accurate dates for the mixes!

[CharlesHawtrey]

Partly correct. Johns remixed For You Blue on either December 21 or 25. Johns remixed Get Back in May 1969.

Glyn Johns made 4 mixes of Get Back: Compilation 1 (released as Kum Back on bootlegs), Compilation 2 (broadcasted in September 1969 on WKBW Radio), Compilation 3 (which was intended for release) and Compilation 4 (which included I Me Mine and Across The Universe).

The vocals on the December 1969 For You Blue are different from the vocals on the May and January versions

There's no such thing as a December version of For You Blue.
Compilations 2 and 3 have the same mix of For You Blue, using the original 1969 vocals.
Compilation 4 uses the 1970 vocals except on the verse "I've loved you from the moment I saw you, you looked at me that's all you had to do, I'm living every moment girl for you" and chorus, switching back to the 1970 vocals for the very last "I love you more than ever girl, I do".
Spector uses the 1970 vocals all the way through (including his ad-libs during the solos) and erased the guitar after the intro.

There is no record (e.g. Lewisohn) that Harrison re-recorded his vocals in 1969.

And no one ever claimed that.

Therefore, I believe that Johns used vocals from a different (existing) take for his December version.

Then George completely re-recorded his vocals on January 8th, 1970. This is after Johns made his '1970 Johns Mix', so these vocals are not heard on any Johns mix.

That just means you haven't listen to anything then.
Because they are, on Glyn Johns' 4th compilation. Compilation 4 and Let It Be both uses that same vocal take man.

What Apple did with the Let It Be SDE is adding the intro from compilation 3 to the compilation 4 mix and calling it "1969 Glyn Johns mix".

I don't know if this is some kind of imbroglio or if you're trolling really.