Lennon 1990 runs a little over 1 second longer than M&H 1986 (3:05:067 vs. 3:03:71). This is accounted for by additional silence at the beginning and end of the song. The sound waves in Lennon 1990 also have more amplitude.

Beyond that, drilling in considerably closer, M&H 1984 and Lennon 1990 are very similar but not identical in terms of sound waves.

Comparing Milk and Honey 1984/1986 to M&H 2001: Tempo

There are radical differences between M&H 2001 and M&H 1984/1986 in terms of tempo, run time, and sound. In terms of tempo, M&H 1984/1986 appears to run slightly faster than M&H 2001. Even trying to line up the sound waves of the rhythm box in the song, M&H 1984 continues to “get ahead” throughout the song.

Here, I roughly line up the start of M&H 1984 and M&H 2001. Note that by 7 seconds (the line at top), they are very clearly out of sync with each other, with M&H 1984 ahead. If one readjusts and re-syncs the two versions, they continue to fall out of sync throughout the song, with M&H 1984 getting ahead. Presumably M&H 1984 was sped up slightly, and the tempo of M&H 2001 was more aligned with Lennon’s original demo.

Comparing Milk and Honey 1984/1986 to M&H 2001: Run time

M&H 2001 is significantly longer (3:09) compared to M&H 1984 (3:04). This is accounted for two things. The first is the faster tempo of the song discussed above. The second is that M&H 2001 includes the sound of Lennon removing his foot from the piano pedal at the end of the song (note the jump in sound waves at the end) as well as two seconds of silence following that. Note that I have roughly lined up the ends of the two versions to make this comparison.

Comparing Milk and Honey 1984/1986 to M&H 2001: Sound

‘Grow Old With Me’ M&H 1984/1986 and M&H 2001 both sound and ‘look’ different from each other, as the 2001 version was remixed and remastered. In terms of sound, studio effects were added to M&H 1984. These effects were removed from M&H 2001.  

In M&H 1984/1986, the rhythm box is centered but echoes from right to left. (This actually makes for somewhat unpleasant listening on headphones.) M&H 2001 has a considerably cleaner sound, and the rhythm box is centered throughout. Additionally, M&H 2001 is slightly slower in tempo compared to M&H 1984/1986 as discussed above.

In terms of the ‘look,’ M&H 1984/1986 and M&H 2001 look radically different from each other, as you would expect.

Comparing M&H 2001 to 2010

M&H 2001 and M&H 2010 ‘sound’ identical to each other. They also look very similar but are not identical. The sound waves in M&H 2001 have slightly more amplitude.

Comparing M&H 2010 to Signature 2010

M&H 2010 and Signature 2010 sound identical to each other. They also look very similar but are not identical, with the sound waves in Signature 2010 having slightly more amplitude.

Comparing Anthology 1998 to WCH 2005 to GMST 2010

Looking at Anthology branch, Anthology 1998, Wonsa 1998, WCH 2005, and GMST 2010 sound identical to each other to my ear. Additionally, they ‘look’ almost identical to each other.

Comparing Anthology 1998 to GMST 2020

As discussed elsewhere, Anthology 1998 and GMST 2020 (19&36) are significantly different in a number of respects. This includes how George Martin’s score and Giles Martin’s bass are used and the vocal sources. As a result, they look and sound very different from each other, as you would expect.

Comparing GMST-2020-36 and GMST-19

The versions of ‘Grow Old With Me’ on GMST 2020-19 and GMST 2020-36 are identical.

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