Beatles remasters - any thoughts?

[Geoff_W]

I have very rarely found remastering of old material to be any good. It usually adds an artificial glare to the sound and often gives it the 'bathroom echo' syndrome. Also, and unforgivable IMHO, is a nasty tendency of producers to remix the original, thus creating a frankenstein monster bearing no relation to your much-loved recording!

Geoff

 

[Craig M.]

not much into the beatles, but i agree with Clare, if they can make it sound as good as the "love" cd i'll definitely be getting some.

 

[the record spot]

"She's Leaving Home" - you could make a damn good play out that song. The lyrics and the vocals captured both the feelings of the spurned parents and the needs of the daughter leaving them behind perfectly. One of their most emotional songs IMO.

 

[Lost Angeles]

I bought "I want to hold your hand" when it came out but soon grew to appreciate that there were other groups around who I liked more. similar to Chebby's earlier reply. I have recently borrowed "Sgt Pepper" but still can't really get into them, the only track I seem to like is "Lucy in the sky with diamonds"
The only track they did was Yesterday and since they've gone there just Another Day sums them up.

 

[Gusboll]

Geoff_W:

I have very rarely found remastering of old material to be any good. It usually adds an artificial glare to the sound and often gives it the 'bathroom echo' syndrome. Also, and unforgivable IMHO, is a nasty tendency of producers to remix the original, thus creating a frankenstein monster bearing no relation to your much-loved recording!

Geoff

Totally agree with you Geoff_W - i.e. ZZ Top, Frank Zappa - bordering on criminal. Although I think it was Mr Gibbons and Mr Zappa themselves who were responsible; nevertheless, complete tosh resulted.

 

[manicm]

Lost Angeles:

I bought "I want to hold your hand" when it came out but soon grew to appreciate that there were other groups around who I liked more. similar to Chebby's earlier reply. I have recently borrowed "Sgt Pepper" but still can't really get into them, the only track I seem to like is "Lucy in the sky with diamonds"

The only track they did was Yesterday and since they've gone there just Another Day sums them up.

So you can't even be original when dissing the Beatles, never thought you'd be caught out is it?

So you're quoting John Lennon - only he was singing about Paul specifically and not the Beatles. And of-course your quote is from John's song How Do You Sleep. I love the irony.

Or you're just taking the ****?

 

[Anonymous]

The guy mastering these brought a track to my friends uni to play them in the 5.1 auditorium.

My friend said it was absolutelyÿphenomenal and that everything within the track had been placed perfectly. He wasÿgenuinelyÿimpressed and will be buying the re-masters. Which I think speaks a lot when the guy doesn't actually like the beatles.

 

[manicm]

Back on the topic of the remasters.

I also think remasters are overrated. I mean I'm very happy with my Sgt Peppers CD I bought 17 years ago, and frankly I don't know how it can be improved.

I often find image depth of remasters truncated.

Read a review of R.E.M.'s newly remastered Murmur and the reviewer wasn't too sure if the new pressing added to the recording, in fact he said it might actually have taken away some of its odd charm.

 

[Lost Angeles]

manicm:Lost Angeles:

I bought "I want to hold your hand" when it came out but soon grew to appreciate that there were other groups around who I liked more. similar to Chebby's earlier reply. I have recently borrowed "Sgt Pepper" but still can't really get into them, the only track I seem to like is "Lucy in the sky with diamonds"

The only track they did was Yesterday and since they've gone there just Another Day sums them up.

So you can't even be original when dissing the Beatles, never thought you'd be caught out is it?

So you're quoting John Lennon - only he was singing about Paul specifically and not the Beatles. And of-course your quote is from John's song How Do You Sleep. I love the irony.

Or you're just taking the ****?

Well "How Do You Sleep" is one of my favourite Lennon tracks and I could not resist.

 

[Tonya]

Clare pretty much nailed it in one. It's quite amazing just how much detail that can be extracted by going back to the original session media. Magnetic tapes of that era can suffer magnetic print through causing an echo effect, so hopefully this has not happened to the early stuff.
Just listening to the stunning Yellow Submarine DVD where they went back and remastered the whole soundtrack in 5.1 reveals details I just had not heard on the original stereo mix.
However, I'm biased as I'm one of the few I guess who think multichannel sound is a better listening experience.
Instead of cramming the whole sonic stage into two loudspeakers, the engineers have the luxury of six.
I mean the 5.1 pressing of LOVE was a sonic treat.

Thank God there's a few innovative companies still remastering old material before it disintegrates, some of the DTS discs I've got include Band On The Run, Santana Abraxas, and probably most of the Pink Floyd and Elton John back catalogue.
They all sound as if they were recorded last week, some of the early Elton John stuff, particularly Tumbleweed Connection sounds so open and spacious it's downright spooky, it's like he's in the room with you.

Not wanting to use an advertising soundbite here, but providing it's done right with the collaboration of the original artists, it's a whole different listening experience.

With the Beatles, AFAIK, great care and attention was always paid to their recordings, something I feel will pay dividends in the imminent releases.

 

[Clare Newsome]

I'm a recent convert to Mobile Fidelity masters. Awesome stuff so far

 

[lonely boy]

The older MoFi discs rock - not so keen on recent releases though.

Mobile Fidelity did release a Box set of the Beatles albums on vinyl in 1982.

http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=142897

 

[Clare Newsome]

chebby:
Clare Newsome:I'm a recent convert to Mobile Fidelity masters. Awesome stuff so far

This is only my second one.

I have the MoFi Roy Orbison "All Time Greatest hits" on UltraDisc Gold CD too.

Hey Clare, you may like this one....

http://www.mofi.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=140

Treated myself to the vinyl version of that at the Bristol Show

Now tracking down the Little Richard and Chuck Berry Mo-Fi albums.

 

[Clarkey_71]

No vinyl?
NO SALE!

 

[Fenton Beasley]

charlieh1f1:
Should we all rush out and buy them when they're released later this year, or stick with the original 1980s CD issues/vinyl?

I also read that as well as stereo remasters, there'll be a box set of mono albums too. Is this a cash in for completists or would the earlier tracks benefit from being in mono?

http://www.thebeatles.com/core/news/

I think there's a good chance they will be far superior than the 80's versions we have today. It's taken them 4 years to do it and I doubt they been sitting there just drinking cups of tea in that period. They should sound like cleaned up versions of the originals. "It" says that they have been remastered and not remixed like LOVE and Yellow Submarine Songtrack have.

It will be worth it for the mono versions. We can finally hear them as they were meant to be heard (on CD). And we can finally hear She's Leaving Home at it's correct speed, also the fuller guitar solo in Tomorrow Never Knows, also the decent version of I am the Walrus without the second half decending in to fake stereo

, oh the list is endless.

 

[Fenton Beasley]

Just listened to Paperback Writer in glorious mono. The opening riff as it should be heard; full and powerful, not all quiet and weedy in the left channel.

 

[Pete Shields]

Yesterday I aquired the 2009 remasters stereo box set from, better hadn't say, (I couldn't resist)..... They are generally MP3's ripped at an average of 200Kb. Played them back through my Sonos and they sound so much better even at this bitrate than the old cd versions that I bought in the 80's.

I was just going to buy a select few of the full CD's on their release...having listened to these MP3's though, I'll no doubt end up investing in in the box set.....either that or the forthcoming genesis live box set.... decisions, decisions. Probably end up getting both....plus whatever I may have to invest in at the Manchester show......

 

[tonky]

I honestly can't believe that 200kb bit rate sounds better than the original cd. No way Jose! There is less information - so how?

 

[method man]

tonky:I honestly can't believe that 200kb bit rate sounds better than the original cd. No way Jose! There is less information - so how?

oh it can do, easily. if the 80s cds were pretty dire and mastered as such that they were flat/lifeless muffled etc compaired to the original vinyl. 25 years on with better technology and most importantly a loving master and production. even a 128kbps mp3 cqn sound much better on a revealing system.

what is it some pople say on here. when talking about cd players being an important part of the hi-fi chain. 'get the best source that you can'? we ll that applies to the cd as well.

 

[Fenton Beasley]

kena:Well they have spent 8 years remastering them so hopefully that means they will have done a good job. We will see

They have spent a total of one year remastering them spread out over 4 years

 

[Gerrardasnails]

al7478:
I concur with those totally unnecassarily pointing out that the Beatles are/were rubbish...

Everyone has their likes and dislikes but you cannot say they were rubbish? I love some of the Beatles stuff and a lot (especially the early stuff) is not for me - just like the music by Presley (I don't like any of his songs) - but I would never say he was rubbish. The Stones for me were over rated and I only like SFTD - which is a great track. The thing about the Beatles is they made some corking songs, way ahead of their time. A Day In The Life, Strawberry Fields, Hey Jude, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, would all be hits today if they were brought out.

Someone mentioned the early Pop songs of the Beatles would not last as long as some Abba tunes. Probably. However, that's because the Beatles made much better stuff afterwards and people will remember those first. Abba, Beatles and Pink Floyd. Come on, do they deserve to be in the same post?

 

[Anonymous]

the drugs were good nothing wrong with spliff and sex

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Yessss (in my best Jez Paxman voice)... Anyway, back OT. I have preordered the mono set, so will report back once Amazon and Royal Mail do their worst...

 

[Anonymous]

chebby:
Gerrardasnails:Abba, Beatles and Pink Floyd. Come on, do they deserve to be in the same post?

Pink floyd - mostly - appeal to men of a certain age who spent a lot of time in student digs getting wrecked with other ernest young blokes with long greasy hair and ex-army greatcoats, muttering 'far-out' whilst listening to introspective, depressing, overblown 'prog rock' and convincing themselves they were very clever for doing so. Thank goodness punk, new-wave, two-tone, disco, soul, Ska and Reggae blasted those depressing old f**ts into the ether in their cosmic teapots.

The rest of us would shower, put on our smart togs and go and dance all night - with girls - to music that had not lost that vital element of all such music. Sex.

Sorry, but Yes, Genesis, PF and other such tripe where a 40 minute 'track' needed vast inflatable objects, crashing aircraft and billion dollar light shows to keep people awake, were not descended from rock & roll but came from Music Hall and the circus and 'end-of-the-pier' high camp.

Rock & Roll was supposed to shock the parents & teachers and be about youthful rebellion and sex. It's roots came from the 'wrong side of the tracks' and the seedier/seemier elements of American popular music and Jazz (usually brothels or 'cathouses' if you go back far enough). English prog rock was rooted in the single gender Public schools and Universities and Art schools that a lot of it's performers emanated from.

Really chebby, and to think I used to credit you with more intelligence........

 

[Gerrardasnails]

MENISCUS:chebby:
Gerrardasnails:Abba, Beatles and Pink Floyd. Come on, do they deserve to be in the same post?

Pink floyd - mostly - appeal to men of a certain age who spent a lot of time in student digs getting wrecked with other ernest young blokes with long greasy hair and ex-army greatcoats, muttering 'far-out' whilst listening to introspective, depressing, overblown 'prog rock' and convincing themselves they were very clever for doing so. Thank goodness punk, new-wave, two-tone, disco, soul, Ska and Reggae blasted those depressing old f**ts into the ether in their cosmic teapots.

The rest of us would shower, put on our smart togs and go and dance all night - with girls - to music that had not lost that vital element of all such music. Sex.

Sorry, but Yes, Genesis, PF and other such tripe where a 40 minute 'track' needed vast inflatable objects, crashing aircraft and billion dollar light shows to keep people awake, were not descended from rock & roll but came from Music Hall and the circus and 'end-of-the-pier' high camp.

Rock & Roll was supposed to shock the parents & teachers and be about youthful rebellion and sex. It's roots came from the 'wrong side of the tracks' and the seedier/seemier elements of American popular music and Jazz (usually brothels or 'cathouses' if you go back far enough). English prog rock was rooted in the single gender Public schools and Universities and Art schools that a lot of it's performers emanated from.

Really chebby, and to think I used to credit you with more intelligence........

Don't worry, Chebby goes like that - generalises and then it all dies down. A few weeks ago was talking of his hatred, yes hatred of children and then the other day he was talking in a different light.

My view is that you can have a first love and style but that doesn't mean you cannot like something else. I love the Mod culture. I really like Ska and Reggae like the Chebster. I also like Pink Floyd - only recently discovered their music but it's fantastic. I don't like Elvis. I don't think everyone who like Elvis is a certain person though.