FLYING - THE BEATLES
so after finding the track for Monday’s play I found this and found what Britt2001b had to say really interesting . . . . . enjoy!I did!
STILL FLYING FOLKS!
I always pledge to honour The Beatles’ original versions by not adding anything new. But while working on their 1967 release 'Flying', I found something buried very deep in the mix. It’s extremely subtle, but I couldn’t resist bringing it forward in this remix.
At the 54-second mark—just before all four Beatles begin chanting “La-La-La-La-La”—you’ll now hear a very short bit of pre-chanting that seems to be the result of a fader not fully lowered. After 58 years of listening to this track, I had never noticed it before. In fact, it’s likely inaudible in the original mix and only revealed through the de-mix process, appearing as tiny blips on the vocal stem.
At first, I assumed it was a stray instrument sound caught in the vocal isolation. My standard process would have been to identify it and move it to its proper place. But when I raised the volume by several dB's, I was shocked to discover it was a vocal—not just studio chatter (which de-mixing often uncovers), but an actual chant that seemed to be part of the song’s early structure. So in truth, I haven’t added anything new—it was always there, just hidden.
The original 'Flying' was essentially a mono recording in the left channel, with overdubs added in other channels to create a stereo impression. For this remix, I’ve isolated the bass and drums from that mono channel and moved them to the center for a more natural stereo presentation. The vocal chanting—very low in the original—has been elevated slightly and now sweeps across the soundstage à la Sgt. Pepper’s, which was also recorded in 1967.
No other changes were made to this remix, aside from applying some rotary and stereo expansion effects to the electronic sounds at the end.
This track marks the first instrumental EMI release by The Beatles. ('Cry For A Shadow', recorded in West Germany in 1961 during sessions backing Tony Sheridan, was their first instrumental recording to be released.) Flying is also notable for being the first composition credited to all four Beatles.
Finally, I want to thank channel listener Paul Dowsett for recommending a remix of this track. It was a great suggestion—and one I’ve had my eye on for a while. Paul’s persistence finally nudged me into taking it on, and I’m so grateful he did. It led me to uncover something I’d truly never heard before.
Thanks so much for listening!
