German 3rd Cut (1980)
1C 072-04 097
Discogs | German Matrix Database
Matrix:
Side A: 04097-A1
Side B: 04097-B1
This is the famous “Big Bass” version which has a bit of a special status among fans. As a matter of fact, it has been first published in 1980, though my copy is a repress from the early 80s with a newer label. I extra had to look for a copy for this shootout and found a NM copy, no less.
Also, interesting: while there are slight runtime and speed differences between all the candidates, the German 2nd and 3rd actually have virtually identical runtimes. That could mean that the same tape was used as a source for both cuts, the change being just the tweaking of EQ.
And how it’s been tweaked! “Taxman” is already a dead giveaway. Where the difference in bass between the German 2nd and the UK was rather marginal in comparison, the German 3rd has the bass really turned up (dynamic frequency analysis shows a gain of ~6db). On the downside, the inflated bass lacks the definition and details compared to the UK. Though the voices and Ringo’s cowbells and cymbals are still detailed and pronounced. But that’s because the trebles have also been turned up!
This actually leads to some not-so-nice experiences on “I’m Only Sleeping” and “Love You To”. The thumping bass (on the former one) aside, the problem are the heightened trebles. The acoustic guitar on “I’m Only Sleeping”, the sitar and tambourine on “Love You To” sound so brittle, it’s almost painful to listen to, actually. And “She Said, She Said” is a bit overpowered by everything, the bass, the vocals, the brittle guitars, it’s all too much.
The first half of Side B is actually a bit better. Though being amplified, the bass retains some of its definition, “For No One” is a good example, as is “Doctor Robert” and “Good Day Sunshine”. But then we have the three last songs with the thumping bass. It is especially thumping on “I Want to Tell You”, slightly less so on “Got to Get You into My Life” and then droning relentlessly on “Tomorrow Never Knows”, so the rest is just drowning. Now if there is one track that is really ruined by the Big Bass, this is it.
As a matter of fact, only one song really profits from this EQ treatment. The double-basses and cellos on “Eleanor Rigby” now have a nice low end to it.
Overall: if you have some fancy Japanese cartridge with weak bass reproduction, this is probably the copy to own. I liked it in parts, but on the other hand, some tracks were outright unpleasant to my ears. An entirely different experience compared the 2nd German cut, let alone the UK version.