Sgt. Pepper's Master Tape Unboxing - A Genuine Beatles Holy Grail 

After this video, it's hard for me to think of Andrew simply as a Beatles collector and commentator. In my mind, he is now a true Beatles archivist.

That's insane. Imagine your friends are over and they ask "What are you listening to?" and you say "Sgt. Pepper's." They're like, "Okay, on what format?". "The original master tape."

I worked for a company called Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs when it was relocated to Northern California and we released a remastered vinyl collection of the Beatles entire catalog. Stan Ricker cut the albums. We kept the original 2-Track masters in a little safe in a back room where we kept supplies and cassette duplication machine. I was in my 20’s at the time but I still couldn’t believe that those masters were allowed to sit in that safe (which was left open by the way). When I held them in my hand I simply couldn’t believe the significance the tapes represented and how MoFi was entrusted to keep them in such a casual manner. John Lennon was killed just 5 years prior and knowing the Beatles would never be together in a studio again made keeping those tapes laying there in a stack, complete with George Martin’s notes on them, something I never forgot. Thank goodness they made their way back to Abbey Road Studios.

Crazy to think that so many of us have listened to that tape in its various duplicated forms. You’re a custodian of some true history there! Fantastic.

You have a treasure, indeed. Protect it at all costs.Seriously. Being a former studio engineer, I never used BASF, but that is great to hear that you do not have to "bake" it to listen to it. (AMPEX was the tape of choice in my day.) I see that it was properly stored....tails out. That is how you store magnetic tape, due to "print-through." (The data can transfer through the tape, and result in "pre-echo.") Your discussion is very educational when it concerns engineering jargon.......that is indeed a "pancake." That is the same term we used here in Nashville. As for recording, we used Studer 24 track and 2 track machines. You might be able to pick up one at a good price, if you shop around! LOL. Anyway, as someone who heard master tapes before they were sent away to be turned into vinyl, you might be in for a shock. My fellow engineer would always tell me, "You will get spoiled when you hear master tapes." And he was right. The low pass eq, high pass eq and compression used for making vinyl masters takes the TOTAL LIFE out of master tapes.(For those who say that vinyl is the ultimate listening platform, then I am sorry to say NO. In fact, NO platform has ever come close to an actual recording. So there!) Please update us when you do finally get to hear those master tapes! I am totally envious that you have these............this is the album I have always wanted to hear on master tape! Keep up the good work! (for those of you who say, "this is just another album. what's so special about it?" Well, beyond the social aspect, which means that it changed society in a short period of time, and turned the world upside down.......it was also a musical revolution. It took pop music forward, beyond the 3 minute disposable pop song. Some might say that Bob Dylan already did that, but he never made an album like Sgt. Peppers. But for engineering and recording, this album really changed how things were done. But no-one cares to hear about that. LOL! That's old-school.)

Only Parlogram gives us this kind of amazing material. You're the best, Andrew. Happy Holidays, and we're all looking forward to your channel content in 2024!

It feels as if I just witnessed the unveiling of a musical holy artifact. Thanks for sharing this video Andrew & Happy Christmas and New Year to you and your family. 🎄 from 🇨🇦

Here's a bit more about the technical specs on the tape. "AES" would refer to the AES standard playback curve, which would be the equilization curve necessary for proper playback. That function would be selectable on the machine. They also included a set of test tones (1k, 5k, 10k and 100Hz) and a reference level of -4 dB plus another note that 0 VU on the meter references +2 dB. The "reference fluxivity" or "hotness" of the tape is also given: 320 nano Webers/meter. All for ensuring the playback machine is calibrated for maximum gain in the preamp section without distortion. It's also curious to see the outside leader pasted back onto the spool of tape instead of somewhere on the reel. Its not often that we mere mortals get to see a first generation production master dubbed directly from the official studio master tape. This is as close to the "true" sound of the album as any listener is going to get, save for Abbey Road engineers. Thanks!

To have the Studio 5 vinyl alone is crazy cool but to have the actual tape used to make that album is stratisphere cool! Congratulations on having a set of some really wonderful The Beatles collectibles!

Many thanks for an entertaining, informative and educational year’s worth of viewing Andrew. Here’s to an exciting and expansive 2024! Best wishes from the Fens.

How fascinating that despite the tape being BASF (and you're absolutely right that depending on the particular formation there should be few issues with sticky shed) EMI clearly still had a stock of EMITAPE pancakes lying about to use up even in the 80s! I bet that is going to sound amazing at 30ips...

It's beyond impressive that you got your hands on this.

Most exciting 15 minutes I have had in a long time - WOW Andrew and as an Aussie it's nice to see this copy coming your way ! I have so many questions... 😉

Absolutely an amazing find Andrew. I know from Geoff Emerick's book that the tape of Jet shredded during recording of the song and he had to add treble to it, hence the odd sound of it. But glad you said it was tails out. Once again you have outdone yourself Andrew.

Oh man! My jaw just dropped! I’ll make an offer on the bubble wrap those came in!😅 Wow how beautiful!! Glad you showed how the cake reels work. Well this made my holidays a lot nicer! Congratulations for acquiring the tapes! And I wish you a very merry Christmas and a Cool Yule new year Andrew!

That master tape holds a lot of significance for me. I just checked my copy I bought here in Australia with my pocket money on the album's 20th anniversary when I was 9 and it has the same matrix numbers. Fortunately my dad taught me early how to properly handle and care for records, so mine is in great condition. It's a really good sounding record and the side 2 inner groove is complete - it scared the absolute shit out of me back then when my record needle failed to auto-return and I wasn't expecting it.

Nice find Andrew, you now have the best sounding SPLHCB with the exception of the flat master that resides in Abbey Road’s Archive. As you and I both know, the “Powers That Be” will never release to the general public a copy from the original Flat Master on vinyl or digital. It’s not in their DNA to do such a thing.

So there's that audiophile Audio 5 edition we've heard about before that is so rare and expensive to get as it was a limited run of just 497 sold only at the Sydney Hi-Fi And Audio Show on July 3rd, 1983... And you have the tapes from which that was cut! Don't think we need to further explain how exceptional that is.

There were Audio-5 labels (Side 1 & 2) taped to the rear of each box. These have been removed at some point, but some minor tape scars remain. Remember seeing info on this tape at auction and thought the probability of it ending up with Andrew at Parlogram was pretty high. It's reassuring to know it is in safe hands and not "lost" in an unknown individual's private vault. KUTGW

My Maxell reel to reel tapes are 48 years old. They are due for a play. Last time out of the box was 2 years ago. Thanks for the show. I am really speechless.

We can’t all own Beatles artifacts like this, of course, but I certainly am thankful for people like you who not only acquire objects like this, but also share them with us via video. Thank you, Andrew!

A beautiful piece of history from the last century, not only musically, but also culturally and you have it in your hands. Totally blessed that you managed to access these tapes and I hope that one day some masters can be legally cut to re-release SPLHCB with this unique mix and equalization. Congratulations Andrew!!! Greetings from Argentina :)

Andrew, thought I would share that the 2nd cutting was done by Otto Ruiter, he along with Don Bartley and Allan Parsons (no relation to the more famous one) were the three main mastering engineers working for EMI Australia at or around that time. The signature on the tape box next to 25-10-82 is his.

Great to see this treasure in safe hands Andrew. Can only imagine how incredible it’ll sound when you get to play it. Delighted for you 🎉

Come on Apple, contact Andrew, let’s get a half speed all analogue pressing from this tape, on optimal heavy vinyl, in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve. With this pressing in 1 sleeve and a repressing of the 2014 mono in the other. As a fan I’d quite happily pay for that!!!

This isn't "The Sgt. Pepper's Master Tape" - it's a duplication master. However, this one appears to be a rarity - the only 30 ips (highest quality) dupe that was made. That could make it valuable if there are ever any issues with the original master or the numerous high-resolution digital transfers that have already been made (which were obviously done far later than 1981).

Don Bartley is a amazing mastering engineer :)

I’m continually impressed and also jealous of what you’re able to find and afford!

Alan Crowder worked at Paul's office in Greek St, Soho, MPL Communications. He was the office manager way back in 1977 when I went there to pickup a couple of tickets for a Wings concert Linda McCartney arranged for me at the Empire Pool, Wembley. I went straight from Paul and Linda's house in St Johns Wood and went directly to Pauls office. Whilst I was waiting for Alan to hand me the tickets I waited in the boardroom and was mesmerised by looking at all the gold and silver discs hanging all around the boardroom walls, amazing ! ps. Linda McCartney was an angel, a wonderful lady.

Wow, that’s not just an amazing piece of music history, but history in general.

When I was at BBC Pebble Mill I recall seeing the radio programmes being preserved in real time on pancake reel. It seemed to me a cheap way of keeping shows for a legal period in case the broadcast required needed to be consulted. That was back in 1996 + or so.

What a great privilege and responsibility, not only viewing something like this but to actually own a set of these tapes in unimaginable to me. Thank you for the video!

Absolutely correct concerning Ampex baking. BASF and 3M were not as prone to shedding, which is why most forward-looking studios spec’d those brands instead of Ampex. An ounce of prevention…

As someone who has just gotten into reelto reel music, I thoroughly enjoy this video. Thank you so much.

MY GOD! Pure gold.

Damn…I bid on this went it went up for auction months ago. I bailed around $6,000. Now I know who I was bidding against! Congratulations! It’s definitely amazing and you got it for a great price considering what it is.

Now that's the ultimate in memorabilia, and as always a fascinating video. Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you and your family Andrew.

Wow! What a thing to own! Great video - never thought I’d be so riveted by someone unboxing some reel to reel tapes!!

You're a left-hander Andrew! The most detailed unboxing of an item I have ever seen. I'm surprised you didn't show the guy delivering it! Best wishes Andrew for Xmas and 2024 from Oz.

How big of nerds are we when the suspense of taking it out of the main box was killing us?!

Hi Andrew. Just the biggest jaw-dropping video you've ever put up. I sat there open-mouthed. Can't wait for the spectrograph video of this stunning tape.

You’ve got the short-lived “metric” pancakes there - 1,000 metres per reel. I assume they fell out of favour because the user would expect the full 3,600 feet and get miffed when they ran out of tape several minutes early. (To this day, tape is measured in multiples of 300 feet, with the metric equivalent printed on the packaging. 1200 feet = 16 minutes at 15ips.)

Amazing! Mouth watering! Congratulations, Andrew. Big hugs from Uruguay.

I wish I could be there to hear it played. It must sound magnificent. Thank you for sharing, Andrew!

I would kill to have these tapes in my possession. Congratulations, Andrew, for your new holy grail!

At 8:58, the capital letters of SGT. PEPPERS... that mark the label are in a very recognizable hand. That was Don Bartley who you recognized. Fascinating video.

Well, that certainly beats my polythene dust jacket from NEMS and Percy Phillips acetate (no, not THAT one) into a cocked hat. Thanks for the videos and have a great Christmas fella....

Omg you actually got it!? 😱

Holy Crap Andrew! Santa is on his game this year! Merry Crimble to all

Wow ! What a treasure you have here !! A rare relic of a glorious past... Very moving.

Greetings from Australia. Thanks for another year of incredible Beatles content that you create. You are one of only a small number of RU-vid channels that I watch religiously. In fact, every Monday morning, I'll wake up and put your latest creation on while I have my coffee in bed. It's become the way to start every Monday, and I always look forward to seeing what you share (and more importantly, am I going to then go and want to buy it!) I look forward to what content you create in 2024.

Now that is Christmas present Flex! Grats! I hope you get to listen to it soon. :) What did you get for Christmas? A Tie, and what did you get for Christmas? Oh, nothing much, just side one and side two of the Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Master Tapes. Lol...worth more than a Ferrari in my opinion.

As a collector, I am jealous...but I must absolutely admit.....IF there is anyone who SHOULD have that master....it should BE YOU Andrew....as you deserve it!......AND I know it will be PROPERLY PRESERVED for posterity and perpetuity.....

Where did the "Master Copy" in the photo in the book come from? How many copies away from the final 4-track?

This is so exciting to see! Thank you for sharing such an amazing moment. I'm glad to see some of those invaluable tapes are resting in good hands! Merry Christmas Andrew!! 🎄⭐🎵🎵🎵🎵

Totally awesome Andrew, and I couldn't imagine this type of Beatles holy grail now being in better hands than yourself. As an Aussie and someone who has been to 301 Studios in Sydney in the early 90's, it was truly a world class studio.

Not only do you have a copy of the Master, you possess the BEST one! The knife scenes were scary, but we all know that it was the camera angle, and that you were very careful. Now you have to round up a PRO reel-to-reel 30ips stereo 2-track. Can't wait for that video. Thank you so much, Andrew.

I read online that the 1987 cd was mastered from a safety copy because the original stereo master was missing at the time. But the photo of the master tape box shows digital copies in 86 and there is an 1987 copy to 1610, which was probably the cd master. So is the 87 cd actually from the original master? Also, what’s the 97 cd remaster?

Holy Grail is right! What an incredible thing to lay your hands on. Sgt Pepper is the greatest album of all time!!!

Holy living Christ. The rarity is insane. Please, look after her!!! (preferably in a temperature controlled sterile environment). I trust you'll take the greatest care. Beautiful.

Andrew what a Christmas Day treat for you to drop this episode on us. Thank you. What a grail these tapes are. My hands would be shaking too. Merry Christmas to you and yours. Cheers, Steve

Fascinating! Funnily enough, I put out a video a couple of weeks ago comparing the Audio 5 pressing against the Nimbus Supercut etc. which was made considerably cheaper courtesy of CDs containing needle drops. In a way, it's amazing that some of these more revered pressings haven't been repressed in recent years but maybe the plates arent around anymore. Pepper never got the anniversary box set treatment on vinyl (only CD). For a 60th anniversary release, it would be incredible if it somehow included coveted versions like the Nimbus, Audio 5 and UHQR. I admit the latter is particularly improbable, though. Really interesting video as always, Andrew!

My favourite Album of all time.imagine finding that under the Christmas tree .

Very nice. The title of the video may have fooled me into thinking that you somehow got your hands on THE master tape, but this is certainly impressive, too.

Again great video, I really enjoyed it. It would be nice to hear some of it. Good luck on your search for a tape machine to play it on. Again thanks for the video.

It's like watching somebody open the most amazing Christmas present! Thanks for sharing the joy!

Merry Christmas 2023! The best channel ever! :)

Best AMPEX baking instructions I have found so far. If it lasts for several hours, the Tape can still be cleaned. At 30 ips and TASCAM my search engine has to give up. But between €5000 (used) and €70000 (new) there are at least 4 manufacturers.

You lucky bugger! Congratulations! Couldn't have found a better home. Well, besides mine (l kid, l kid, sortsla). But seriously. I'm a safety master collector myself and drooled own my keyboard while viewing the unboxing. Thanks so much for sharing this fab' treasure with us all. Parlogram is without question my favourite Beatles related RU-vid channel. Cheers, Rodney London Ontario, Canada

Andrew, beautiful mate! A very precious artifact. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

What a wonderful treasure! Very interesting to see it and hear about its history. Thanks!

Happy UnBoxing Day, Andrew! Thank you for another year of wonderful videos, and all the best in 2024!

Congratulations, Andrew, on acquiring the tapes. This video is like watching the young ones open their Christmas presents. So excited and full of joy! Thanks for sharing. Wishing you the best this holiday season and into 2024.

Another piece of history in your hands, thank you for this exciting year. Best wishes for the new one and I’ll be there too.

Very fascinating video. I wonder about print-through. Assuming these are reeled heads-out to minimize what will naturally happen over time. I wonder if it's even a factor, though. I really appreciate you covering every minute detail. Clearly you know how to present with an eye for what we very much want to hear. What a delight to see the well-engineered packaging--which has stood the test so well until today. The Grail! I have seen it!

That is very very fascinating about the Sergeant Peppers, Reel 2 Real, tape recordings!! I do have my copy of the Sergeant Peppers box set that came out in 2017, and I bought my copy two years after it was released and it still sealed to this day! I have my copy at my bank and my safe, deposit box!

And that’s why this is my only ‘must watch’ channel on RU-vid. A very Happy Christmas to you Andrew,.

Fascinating! But one thing: For the little I know about tape technology, to me it appears that the tape was last wound onto the pancake at 'rewind' speed rather than the designated 30 IPS playing speed. If so, this is not recommended as it packs the tape very tightly and unevenly.

Please mint a new DSD256 master of this (just like MFSL)

There are so many clowns on you tube who tell us exclusive news we already know and in box records we already have and who dress up on the obligatory Beatle T shirt. And then there is Andrew who gives us videos like this. Different class Andrew Happy holidays Andrew And thanks for the Beatles education

This is DEEP. LOVE IT! I really was stoked for this information! He is a Master now.

Amazing find, and a little bit of history.

Wow! Thats an incredible artifact. Thanks Andrew for all your great videos this year. You do it best. Happy holidays and all the best in 2024

Very cool to see this what an item! Thank you for the great uploads this year Andrew I wish you and your family a great Christmas and a fab 2024. Cheers Tim

Manythnx and Happy holidays Andrew ✌️

This was recorded at 30 ips in the early 80's, so the quality must be very close to the first generation master. If I owned these tapes, I would just find a good studio able to transfer this to Hi-res files, and then enjoy the result back home. I wish I could get a copy of these files (I'm sure such files do exist somewhere at EMI).

4:17 that intro music clip is off the hook!

Fascinating how much amazing stuff your able to get your hands on; not to mention when they all link together!

Absolutely fantastic to add something like this to your collection. But it's also fantastic that you share this with us. Thank you! Have a wonderfull christmas and a great 2024!

That piece is certainly AWESOME REAL ESTATE...I can't wait for you to say how it sounds...dig your show and of course The Beatles...see you soon, Jerry

Andrew, WOW!! What a fascinating master tape!! I feel proud to be an Aussie. Mastered by Don Bartley, this may well be THE best sounding version of SPLHCB in existence. Truly incredible that you've got hold of it. Merry Christmas!!

wow amazing.... a really piece of art you have there,thanks for share

You’ve added a piece to the Beatle’s music history with this acquisition Andrew, how very exciting! Thanks for sharing it with us. I can see these tapes made for a very Merry Christmas indeed. Happy New Year, looking forward to seeing what you have for us in 2024!

This is a treasure, Andrew...enjoy it! Thank you for sharing this with us. Merry Christmas. I have a digital transfer which has floated around online that is flat, but two generations down, with the second copy being done at only 7 1/2 ips. It still sounds great, but a little soft. The raw sound of the mix is just beautiful though, so these 30ips one gen down tapes you have should be amazing to hear. I won't say which album, but I have a digital transfer from another Beatles album from a flat 15ips copy made by EMI when the album was new to send to another country, and its outstanding.

Good Lord.. THAT Australian pressing. Imagine getting that reel through the mail and not being able to play it due to it being too big on your machine. Can't wait for part two (and good to know that one does need a special player for that size!)

Wow! And that is why this is the best channel on you tube! Thanks Andrew.

Man, a direct rip of this tape would be really cool to hear.

Great! Andrew, i noticed how you were emotionally driven !! Me too, watching The video! Really interesting! Happy Xmas to Andrew and everyone out there! Ciao

Thank you for showing us this, Andrew! I wish you a Happy Christmas!

wow - what a great acquisition. Thanks for sharing!