Fans are sharing a controversial opinion on The Beatles‘ hit track, Strawberry Fields Forever, and say a remixed version is better than the original.
Strawberry Fields Forever featured on the Magical Mystery Tour release, but some fans are claiming the version heard on Love, which released in 2006, is much stronger. A post to r/TheBeatles saw users split on which track was the better version. One user wrote: “Unpopular opinion: The version of Strawberry Fields Forever on the Love album is the best version of the song.” Other users have since agreed with the positive assessment of Love, with one saying it was their “favourite Beatles recording”. Some agreed with the assessment of the Love version of Strawberry Fields Forever being the superior version, though others said while they appreciated the remaster, nothing beats the original.
Another user wrote: “I do love the way it showcases the history of the recording – it’s like a self-contained auditory mini-documentary. That said, I still prefer the original overall- just an incredible piece of music.” A third wrote: “I think Strawberry Fields Forever is the greatest song ever written. The version on Love is amazing.”
Fans of the Fab Four also considered other Love recordings as highlights in the band’s backlog. One wrote: “I listen to this version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps at least once a week.” Another replied: “It’s the first version I ever heard, so when I looked the song up on Spotify and heard the original it was super jarring and I didn’t like it at first!”
A third wrote: “Strawberry Fields Forever is the best song of all time, let alone the best Beatle tune. There’s no wrong answer in any Beatles recording.” High praise for the song continued as other users say lesser-known, early takes on the song from the band were worth listening to.
One user wrote: “Agreed on all counts. I sometimes declare that the core-band-only, no-orchestral Take 7 is my favorite version… only to wind up missing those elements (not to mention the sleight of hand where the key/tape speed had to be matched, giving John Lennon‘s vocal that otherworldly feel).”
Unpopular opinion: the version of “Strawberry Fields Forever” on the love album is the best version of the song
byu/Select-Cantaloupe-60 inTheBeatles
Some users went as far to say the Love version is the original concept Lennon had been aiming for with the song. They claimed: “If this is an unpopular opinion, I don’t ever want to be popular. It took 40 years but I think this version is the closest to John’s original concept for the song.
“I think George Martin took a LOT of care especially with Strawberry Fields Forever and While My Guitar Gently Weeps on the Love album. His orchestration on While My Guitar Gently Weeps is beautiful. On a side note, the vinyl edition of this album is beautifully packaged and sounds incredible. Highly recommended.”
Another agreed, adding: “Wholeheartedly agree. This was actually the first version of the song I ever heard. So when I finally heard the original, the super impressive and innovative pitched original tape edit stuck out like a sore thumb to me. I still feel it a little jarring to hear, but realize that in the context of the times it was incredible.”
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