''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' is a
compilation/
soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' ...
by the English
rock band
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
, released in 1999 to coincide with a re-release of the 1968 animated film ''
Yellow Submarine'' that same year. The film was re-released on 13 September 1999 in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States. In contrast with other Beatles remasters available, the songs were fully remixed by
Peter Cobbin
Peter Cobbin is an Australian audio engineer and producer. He served as chief engineer of Abbey Road Studios from 1995 to the mid-2010s, during which he became the first engineer to remix music by the Beatles, remixing their 1999 compilation album ...
at
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music ...
from the original multitrack tapes, something not done for the original CD release of the Beatles catalogue in the late 1980s (except for ''
Help!'' and ''
Rubber Soul''), nor the 2009 remastered albums.
''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' contains all but one of the Beatles songs used in the film ("
A Day in the Life" being excluded), including several that were not included on the original 1969 ''
Yellow Submarine'' album. The additional tracks replaced the
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the " Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the ...
film score from the original release, while Martin's complete score was included as a DVD audio track in the CD/DVD package featuring the album and film.
The album debuted in the UK charts at number 8, selling 19,000 copies in its first week. It also peaked at number 15 on the
''Billboard'' 200, with 68,000 copies sold in its opening week. In France the album debuted at number 13.
''Yellow Submarine Songtrack'' was reissued on CD on 4 June 2012 (5 June in North America) along with the film restored for DVD and Blu-ray release. While the original 1999 release was in a jewel-case, the 2012 version was released in a card sleeve, with the booklet and catalog numbers the same as the earlier version, with a 1999 copyright date on the disc, and a 2012 date on the card sleeve. The sleeve was in the same format as the Beatles 2009 remasters, being slightly rectangular with "The Beatles" logo in the left hand side of the cover.
Structure
The remixed tracks of the album feature many alterations and adjustments from the original
stereo
Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...
recordings.
[Yellow Submarine Songtrack](_blank)
norwegianwood.org. Retrieved on 26 July 2007. Almost all of the Beatles songs included in the film are on ''Yellow Submarine Songtrack''. An exception is "
A Day in the Life", which EMI chose to exclude from the ''Songtrack'' in order to limit the number of songs from ''
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...
''.
The title track, "
Yellow Submarine", contains the line "a life of ease" (delivered by
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
) that had been missing in prior stereo mixes of the song. The replies from Lennon to the main lyric are gradually
panned and
faded from the right side of the stereo field to the left. The sound effects in this version are also more pronounced.
"
Hey Bulldog
"Hey Bulldog" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles released on their 1969 soundtrack album '' Yellow Submarine''. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, but written primarily by John Lennon, it was finished in the recording studio by both L ...
" was entirely recorded on only one four-track tape. The piano and drum performances were recorded together onto one track and were inseparable for a new mix. They remain on the left audio channel while the vocals and the snare overdubs performed by drummer
Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
are centred.
The prior stereo version of "
Love You To", featuring lead vocals by
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
, contains a shorter fade than the initial mono recording. This shortening is retained in the ''Songtrack'' version.
Acoustic guitars and percussion are situated at the left channel for the new mix of "
All Together Now". The lead vocals, by Lennon and
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
, are centred while the chorus is split across the left and right. The background vocals heard on the second verse are more audible and the guitar is clearer.
The ''Songtrack'' version of "
Only a Northern Song" marked the appearance of the song for the first time in true stereo. The original 1969 stereo album featured a synthesised
Duophonic
Duophonic sound was a trade name for a type of audio signal processing used by Capitol Records on certain releases and re-releases of mono recordings issued during the 1960s and 1970s. In this process monaural recordings were reprocessed into a ...
variant of the original mono version. A stereo mix of this song also appeared on the ''Anthology 2'' compilation album, but was made up of alternative takes featuring different overdubs and lyrics.
Additional promotion
A number of promotions were launched to accompany the re-release of ''Yellow Submarine'' film and the remixed ''Songtrack'' in 1999. These include a
commemorative postage stamp series, action figures of the main characters and a variety of assorted ''Yellow Submarine'' merchandise, such as mousepads. Additionally, an 18-coach, London-to-Paris
Eurostar train was repainted with ''Yellow Submarine'' designs; the relivery, which cost over $160,000, was paid for by McCartney, Harrison and Starr. In addition, a life-size yellow submarine was taken out on a publicity tour across the globe.
Track listing
All songs written by
Lennon–McCartney, except for tracks with asterisks, which are written by
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
.
The CD/DVD package
contains the album, as well as a DVD of the film with a remixed and remastered soundtrack, the original 1968
mono
Mono may refer to:
Common meanings
* Infectious mononucleosis, "the kissing disease"
* Monaural, monophonic sound reproduction, often shortened to mono
* Mono-, a numerical prefix representing anything single
Music Performers
* Mono (Japanes ...
film soundtrack, and an isolated track of
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the " Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the ...
's complete score.
This album was also available on a yellow vinyl LP, with tracks 1–9 on side one and 10–15 on side two.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1999 compilation albums
Albums produced by George Martin
Animated film soundtracks
The Beatles soundtracks
EMI Records compilation albums
Capitol Records compilation albums
Apple Records compilation albums
EMI Records soundtracks
The Beatles' Yellow Submarine
Capitol Records soundtracks
Apple Records soundtracks
The Beatles remix albums
Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios