question re: (Yet another) Beatles remix/remaster/reimagining/retread whatever

mhardy6647
mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
edited October 2018 in Music & Movies
of6s5dli1a4d.png

I may be totally barking up the wrong tree asking here, but I imagine that some of you have had more than passing exposure to the Fab Four's oeuvre, so I figured I'd ask your opinion.

There is, of course, a cottage industry (check that, more like a big business) of remixing, remastering, repackaging any and all snippets of anything Beatles recorded or related -- almost to the point of comic exaggeration.

I am also not particularly a Beatles completist, even though I'll admit to more than a passing fancy for their records (at least, as I knew them growing up, as US Capitol LPs played on a Magnavox tabletop record player, which in my memory sounded pretty damned "right").

But, I got sucked in and I just read this review of sorts of the "White Album" re-whatever by Giles Martin:
https://www.analogplanet.com/content/beatles-re-mixed-giles-martin-any-good

... and I am wondering, I suppose:

If any of all y'all'd care to share your opinion(s) on any and all of the recent (last 20 years'!) worth of Beatle album retreads? There have been so many (and, yeah, I've gotten suckered into springin' for a few of 'em already) -- any that you think are great, or terrible for that matter? "Terrible" might mean "so different to what you grew up with that you wouldn't like it", I suppose. :)


Would (will?) any of you invest in any shape or flavor of this particular... umm... reissue? Exhumation? Whatever one would call it?

Thanks for your consideration and insight!

q4gn710bzrt7.png

oi6hyneeuvv3.png

Comments

  • kharp1
    kharp1 Posts: 3,453
    I heard they broke up
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    Yeah, something about Yoko.
  • pumpkinman
    pumpkinman Posts: 9,497
    My second favorite Beatles album after Revolver. The one set I saw had a book and a Blu-Ray. I’m not sure if I’ll swing for this one.
    lmivdewpnb28.jpg


    Because I am The Pumpkinking


    A Kind Word Is An Easy Gift To Give
  • OleBoot
    OleBoot Posts: 2,065
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    (and, yeah,yeah, yeah I've gotten suckered into springin' for a few of 'em already)

    FIFY

  • gudnoyez
    gudnoyez Posts: 8,056
    edited October 2018
    The third disc of the new Beatles remaster of the White Album is mostly Demos, I'm content with the LP and the CD I've had for years, therefore I will pass. Looking forward to hear what Mr Hardys impression is on this latest and greatest. The White Album ranks third behind Rubber Soul, then Revolver for me.
    Home Theater
    Parasound Halo A 31 OnkyoTX-NR838 Sony XBR55X850B 55" 4K RtiA9 Fronts CsiA6 Center RtiA3 Rears FxiA6 Side Surrounds Dual Psw 111's Oppo 105D Signal Ultra Speaker Cables & IC's Signal Magic Power Cable Technics SL Q300 Panamax MR4300 Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables Audioquest Forest USB Cable

    2 Channel
    Adcom 555II Vincent SA-T1 Marantz SA 15S2 Denon DR-M11 Clearaudio Bluemotion SDA 2.3tl's (Z) edition MIT Terminator II Speaker Cables & IC's Adcom 545II Adcom Gtp-450 Marantz CD5004 Technics M245X SDA 2B's, SDA CRS+

    Stuff for the Head
    JD LABS C5 Headphone Amplifier, Sennheiser HD 598, Polk Audio Buckle, Polk Audio Hinge, Velodyne vPulse, Bose IE2, Sennheiser CX 200 Street II, Sennheiser MX 365

    Shower & Off the beaten path Rigs
    Polk Audio Boom Swimmer, Polk Audio Urchin B)
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    It's the well-known Esher demos -- but supposedly with high sound quality.
    In May, Lennon and McCartney, home tape recordings in hand, met with George at his Kinfauns bungalow in Esher and recorded 26 demo versions of songs, most of which would appear in finished form on The Beatles, which, thanks to the late pop artist Richard Hamilton’s stripped down plain white cover became known as “The White Album” (but you already knew that!).

    The Esher demos escaped the bungalow as poor sounding bootlegs but here they are presented as the superior recordings they always were—taped on Harrison’s 4 track Ampex recorder. The Esher tapes’ inclusion is but one of the vinyl and digital set’s attractions and offers irrefutable documentation that the studio effort that followed was more cooperative and collaborative than was at the time reported.
    (from the review linked to in the OP)

  • motorhead43026
    motorhead43026 Posts: 3,892
    edited October 2018
    As I approach the twilight years of my life, I have developed an almost radical appreciation of the Beatles.
    2 channel: Anthem 225 Integrated amp; Parasound Ztuner; TechnicsTT SL1350; Vincent PHO-8 phono pre; Marantz CD6005 spinner; Polk SDA2BTL's; LAT International speaker cables, ZU Mission IC's and power cables all into a PS Audio Dectet Power center.

    Other; M10 series II, M7C's, Hafler XL600 amp, RB-980BX, Parasound HCA-1500 amp , P5 preamp, all in storage. All vintage Polk have had crossover rebuilds and tweeter upgrades.

    The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

    It is imperative that we recognize that an opinion is not a fact.

    Imagine making politics your entire personality.
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    The best recordings for me, have been the MoFi editions, though I really like the "Let it Be-NAKED" edition. The sound quality is much better than the 1970 release. IMHO, "The White Album", "Abbey Road", and "Let it Be" all sound very similar, in that they were recorded in a manner that made you feel like you were an invited guest and sitting in the studio with the Fab Four. I appreciate the intimacy and connection I feel to the performances.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    The Rolling Stones rock. The Beatles have a few good songs. However, they did start Beatlemania, which is still a good thing. :)
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.
  • chumlie
    chumlie Posts: 8,658
    Me being the Beatle nut that I am. I'll be getting the 4 album vinyl set and the deluxe CD/Blu-ray set. As far as re-issues go. Hard to top mono box set. For stereo I prefer the Japanese blue box set over the MoFi. Agree with John on Let It Be Naked. I think Giles Martin id doing a great job with the re-mix.
  • muncybob
    muncybob Posts: 2,962
    Another fan of the Naked release. For me it has a more "they are in the room with me" feel.
    Yep, my name really is Bob.
    Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, modded Polk SDA 2B, Rythmik L12 sub.
  • tophatjohnny
    tophatjohnny Posts: 4,162
    Ringo is dating Yoko and said "it don't come easy"
    "if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
    *****************************
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    Ringo is dating Yoko and said "it don't come easy"

    You do still have a day job, right? I don’t think I could bear the thought of you being another struggling comedian. :p
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • afterburnt
    afterburnt Posts: 7,892
    I sometimes think about The Beatles while listening to Jethro Tull.
  • kharp1
    kharp1 Posts: 3,453
    Good info here as I've been thinking about getting some Beatles stuff but with so many re-releases I didn't know where to start.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    kharp1 wrote: »
    Good info here as I've been thinking about getting some Beatles stuff but with so many re-releases I didn't know where to start.

    I (still) pretty much feel the same way :|
  • afterburnt
    afterburnt Posts: 7,892
    @mhardy6647 you should get the Steven Wilson remixes
  • SIHAB
    SIHAB Posts: 4,493
    This is all personal opinion but...
    I haven't heard the "new" 'The Beatles' yet...
    but Giles SPLHCB remasters were a missed opportunity.

    You might find yourself thinking well this isn't what
    Sir George nor the Beatles were going after.

    OTOH,
    John was quoted saying he would redo all the Beatles work.
    The plus side is there is more bottom end on Peppers. I don't
    think this is needed on 'The Beatles.'

    I just listened to the 5.1 of Peppers and it wasn't any great shakes.

    As noted, the Esher demos have been bootlegged from at least the
    early Nineties. (see Unsurpassed Demos)

    I memory serves, the white LP tapes (safety) were stolen out of an airport
    years ago as well. (was this the Stones tapes?) I have heard most of the
    Ultra rare trax series and it is pretty darn good.
    Some of this problem leak was fixed for EMI in the Anthology
    series. I don't think I've ever heard the full long/slow version of
    Helter Skelter reported by Lewisjohn's book (1988) I wonder if it
    is in this release?

    If you want to trip, listen to Yoko's audio diary of the events during
    the white LP
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU_dIRAL6as


    Speakers: Polk Lsim, ATC SCM19 v2, NHT SuperzeroSpeaker Cables: DH Labs, Transparent, Wireworld, Canare, Monster: Beer budget, Bose ears
  • tophatjohnny
    tophatjohnny Posts: 4,162
    Ringo is dating Yoko and said "it don't come easy"

    You do still have a day job, right? I don’t think I could bear the thought of you being another struggling comedian. :p

    Couldn't resist.
    "if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
    *****************************
  • SIHAB
    SIHAB Posts: 4,493
    edited October 2018
    Wish I could just buy the Bluray...

    Blu-ray:
    PCM Stereo (2018 Stereo Mix)
    DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (2018)
    Dolby True HD 5.1 (2018)
    Mono (2018 Direct Transfer)

    No video?
    Speakers: Polk Lsim, ATC SCM19 v2, NHT SuperzeroSpeaker Cables: DH Labs, Transparent, Wireworld, Canare, Monster: Beer budget, Bose ears
  • drumminman
    drumminman Posts: 3,396
    I bought the Sgt Pepper remaster last year and it has given me a newfound appreciation for the greatness of that music and their performance. I really like the Abbey Road remix that was released with the box set too. I plan on buying the white album from the reviews I’ve read and Giles’ involvement.
    "Science is suppose to explain observations not dismiss them as impossible" - Norm on AA; 2.3TL's w/sonicaps/mills/jantzen inductors, Gimpod's boards, Lg Solen SDA inductors, RD-0198's, MW's dynamatted, Armaflex speaker gaskets, H-nuts, brass spikes, Cardas CCGR BP's, upgraded IC Cable, Black Hole Damping Sheet strips, interior of cabinets sealed with Loctite Power Grab, AI-1 interface with 1000VA A-L transformer
  • ^^I agree, it was almost like hearing Sgt Pepper again for the first time, only better.
    2 channel: Anthem 225 Integrated amp; Parasound Ztuner; TechnicsTT SL1350; Vincent PHO-8 phono pre; Marantz CD6005 spinner; Polk SDA2BTL's; LAT International speaker cables, ZU Mission IC's and power cables all into a PS Audio Dectet Power center.

    Other; M10 series II, M7C's, Hafler XL600 amp, RB-980BX, Parasound HCA-1500 amp , P5 preamp, all in storage. All vintage Polk have had crossover rebuilds and tweeter upgrades.

    The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

    It is imperative that we recognize that an opinion is not a fact.

    Imagine making politics your entire personality.
  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,330
    Same experience as above with Sgt Pepper.

    My son recently has gotten in to the Beatles and has gotten me relistening. Having a bit maturity in me, and maybe the better audio equipment, I have a new appreciation of the details contained in their music.

    For some of the behind the scenes, demos and alternate mixes, check out the Beatles Anthologies. Anthology 2 has a beautiful version of "Across The Universe".
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601