The Beatles Bible - Topic: I Feel Fine/She's A Woman

Joe on I Feel Fine/She's A Woman

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 17:32:04 +0000

It was Dave Dexter from Capitol who was responsible for plastering everything in reverb. He's quite an interesting guy - here's a comment by the respected audio engineer Steve Hoffman (who himself has worked on a number of Beatles-related releases): http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/.....ost-252290 (the whole thread is worth a read too).

Ben Ramon on I Feel Fine/She's A Woman

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 13:44:49 +0000

I'm probably just too used to the British versions, but I find the extreme reverb pretty hideous. The sparse, empty groove of She's A Woman is what's great about the song. Rather than filling all the space with a wash of rhythm guitar chords like in many earlier rockers, you get those stabbing, angry chords which gives the song so much more character and originality, and the reverb detracts from that. I Feel Fine just sounds really muddy.

RunForYourLife on I Feel Fine/She's A Woman

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 21:47:08 +0000

Upon further research, it appears that Capitol demanded that Martin add more reverb to American Beatles releases. In response, he added an extreme amount to that single, figuring that they would reject it in favor of the British mix. However, they put the reverb-soaked versions out, and for 23 years, that's how they sounded over here.

Nepomuceno on I Feel Fine/She's A Woman

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 21:30:38 +0000

In the first place, I wonder why George Martin did this? Was it really him, or was that done by Capitol or whoever in America?

I always found She's A Woman a very empty song, "naked" as you said, just boring. The reverb certainly adds something to it and improves it somewhat. I Feel Fine doesn't really need it at all, it's interesting to hear it like this, but I definitely stick with the original version. In general I would say that such strong reverb makes a song less listenable.

Just like George's voice on Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby.. don't ...

RunForYourLife on I Feel Fine/She's A Woman

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 15:59:24 +0000

Our friends across the pond may be unaware of this, but when "I Feel Fine" and "She's A Woman" were released in the United States, George Martin added a layer of reverb that was absent from the original UK release. Before the 1987 CDs, these versions were how the majority of Americans heard those songs. I always wondered why they sounded so drastically different on my vinyl copy of Beatles '65 in comparison to my Past Masters CD.

Which versions of these songs do you prefer?

I place my vote for the ...