Ah, Yellow Submarine, considered to be the weakest of the Beatles’ albums (and all because it didn’t debut at number 1). However to this reviewer, like Magical Mystery Tour, it’s always been a personal favorite. “Only a Northern Song” really benefits from the remastering, with its tape effects and the organ is pratically hovering in its hazey chords. The feedback of “It’s All Too Much” is practically searing in a proto-shoegaze kind of way, and if you never felt the urge to join in the music hall atmospheres of “Yellow Submarine” and “All Together Now,” I’m positive you’ll find it hard to fight the urge now.
What truly benefits from the remastering though is the glorious orchestral music by George Martin. Back then, one could get away with renting a giant studio like Abbey Road and capturing an entire orchestra live to tape properly. The main “Pepperland” piece and “Sea of Monsters” are a joy to the ears with its marvelous strings. “The March of the Meanies” is all the more spooky and menacing, while “Sea of Holes” with its blocks of sounds is a force to be reckoned with with its starkness. The real beauty of the bunch is “Sea of Time,” with its absolutely lovely swells and playful intro, which is a nod to the fictional George Harrison in the film. Before this remaster, I usually skipped the orchestral suite. Now I’m finding it to be just as enjoyable as the Beatles’ songs.
