Japanese 1972 Pressing
AP-8443
Matrix:
Side A: YEX-605 2S2
Side B: YEX-606
Now for the Japanese. The one thing I noticed immediately is, Side A has been cut considerably longer than any of the other candidates, therefore running slightly slower (and actually audibly lower). Side B is fine, though. The next thing is, that was the best-quality vinyl out of the lot, dead silent, and no mistake.
Now let’s dive in. “Taxman” immediately makes obvious what the EQ choice was. The Japanese is reduced in volume altogether (-1db). Then, the bass. The whole bass section feels less powerful, even less than the 2nd German cut. It has some nice definition, but just lacks the necessary punch. The voices stand out more, whereas in the UK, they feel harmonically embedded into the panorama. As for panorama, it hasn’t been touched (like the German 2nd did), so it’s just the bass thing. Even on rather mid-ranged “Eleanor Rigby”, the low end feels lacking.
As for the trebles, they are very detailed and fine (tambourines on “Love You To”). The lower trebles (sitar) sound fine and not grating. “Here, There and Everywhere” sounds very pleasant even though the bass is less punchy (but still enough, smooth and defined). “Yellow Submarine” has a nice separation of the effects, but ultimately lacks the ultimate bit of punch in the drum area: “And he told, boom, boom, us of his life, bu-boom, bu-boom”.
As for the last track on Side A, “She Said, She Said” … Being cut both close to the middle and being skewed towards the trebles, it sounds muddled, the long cymbals at “And she’s making me feel…” undefined and murky. It loses out even compared to the (also slightly muddled) UK version.
Another unpleasant surprise: the sibilance. Right at the start of Side B: “Gooood day, thunshine”. The lack of bass is less substantial here, but the raised trebles made the S-s sounds really weird, something not present on any of the previous candidates. Same goes for “For No One” in places: “And in her eyes, you thee nothing…”.
“I Want to Tell You” lacks once again the pounding punch of the UK version. “Got to Get you Into My Life” is somehow similar to the German 2nd in terms of sounding sharp and somehow brittle in the trebles (intro horns), whereas the UK offers a more harmonic experience.
As for “Tomorrow Never Knows”, the last track on Side B. The raised trebles and the lack of bass make it the murkiest version of the lot so far. Sibilance is more pronounced (“relax and float downthtream…”). The tambourine on “it is being…” is more prominent compared to the UK, but sounds brittle and undefined. The distorted “That love is all, that love is everyone” is somehow shifted from the center slightly to the right (unlike the UK or the German, for that part).
Overall: this time, the Japanese version was something of a disappointment. Quite a serious lack of bass, raised trebles (causing sibilance at places) and muddy-sounding inner tracks don’t quite make up for the Japanese quality of Japanese vinyl.