Two Things I learned from the 2009 Sgt. Pepper's Liner Notes

1. I always wondered why some of the songs featured vocals that sounded higher pitched than usual. The first thing I assumed was that the entire track was sped up, but that would knock all of the instruments out of key, which they aren't. Turns out they recorded the vocals for several tracks at a much slower speed, that way when you play it back the vocals have a higher pitch but maintain the correct key. Ah, the joys of analog.

2. The end of A Day In The Life caught me off guard when it kept
playing after the end of the song with a bunch of garbled noisy stuff at the end , al la the "hidden track" trend of the early to mid 90s.

Turns out this was part of the original vinyl release & subsequent UK CD release but removed from the American pressings in the late 80's. Back in the day, if you had a turntable without an auto-return feature it would replay the last groove on the record until you got up and changed the track. The Beatles thought they would have a little fun at the expense of these folks. Ah, the joys of analog.

- Coop