Thoughts on Beatles 2009 Remasters?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by A Saucerful of Scarlets, Jan 3, 2018.

  1. milankey

    milankey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, Ohio, USA
    I had always heard that "Dr. Ebbetts" took one listen to the 2009 cd's and retired, saying he couldn't make them sound any better than that.
     
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  2. forthlin

    forthlin Member Chris & Vickie Cyber Support Team

    I used to work with a woman who said of her husband: "He'd b!tch if you hung him with a new rope." I never knew exactly what she meant by that, but I'm pretty sure the principle applies here.:agree:
     
  3. humpf

    humpf Allowed to write something here.

    Location:
    Silesia
    Personally I do not really care, but I suspect some prefer 80s Help! at least. Eq? Dynamics? I do not remember.
     
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  4. telepicker97

    telepicker97 Got Any Gum?

    Location:
    Midwest
    Hmmmm...maybe...I seem to remember a thread or two about comparing the 2009/2014 remastering campaign to what was available pre-2009...but I don't think we came to any consensus??

    :D
     
  5. telepicker97

    telepicker97 Got Any Gum?

    Location:
    Midwest
    :biglaugh:
     
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  6. telepicker97

    telepicker97 Got Any Gum?

    Location:
    Midwest
    Man, I hope not. That 87 Help CD is...ick.
     
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  7. The mono CDs are excellent, no complaints at all. Most of the stereo CDs sound fine to me as well. Sure, I prefer the sound on the LPs from my blue box, and in case of Sgt Pepper and the White Album I'll admit the 1987 CDs were better. But they're much better than most of today's remasters and unless Audio Fidelity or MoFi will get to remaster the entire catalogue (which is very unlikely) we won't hear better digital versions in the future.
     
  8. dustybooks

    dustybooks rabbit advocate

    Location:
    Wilmington, NC
    The Beatles 2009 remasters are............................................... fine.
     
  9. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc

    Location:
    England
    Well, I’m not so sure, I’m probably mistaken. The 2009 Beatles releases IIRC more or less passed this forum by... :whistle:
     
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  10. ToneLa

    ToneLa Forum Resident

    They're my go-to copies. I downloaded the Ebbetts needledrops to compare and they're warm and nice but the 09 remasters aren't missing anything.

    I played an original pressing of Abbey Road my dad bought back when it came out and while that was a lovely, great experience, the 09 version of Abbey Road didn't let me down!
     
  11. bherbert

    bherbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Africa
    The 2009 Mono box is my best music purchase. It’s perfect in every way. Kudos to Apple Corps. I think they exceeded expectations with that release.

    The 2009 Stereo Box is ok. I think Help, A Hard Days Night, Beatles For Sale and Abbey Road all sound excellent. The problem is that half the albums still have the crappy panning. The 2009 Stereo Box should have been remixed. Period. Massive blunder by Apple Corps.
     
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  12. supermd

    supermd Senior Member

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Haha no, just that both could have been done way better.
     
  13. nesboy43

    nesboy43 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    The 2009 Mono CDs have no Bass but I really like the Mono LP set. Has anyone adjusted the bass on the 09 Set? I'd love to have something like that. It'd be perfect.
     
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  14. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    Massive blunder? They used the original historic and (in the case of what has already been remixed) they are far superior mixes
     
  15. bherbert

    bherbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Africa
    Yes, they used the original flawed stereo mixes with all the panning. In 2009 Apple Corps remastered the albums to bring them into the 21st century and get them ready for iTunes. We were ripped off. We should have gotten Yellow Submarine Songtrack style mixes. Instead we got slightly improved but still FLAWED hard panned stereo mixes.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2018
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  16. Ephi82

    Ephi82 Still have two ears working

    Location:
    S FL
    I grew up with the Capitol US stereo vinyl albums.

    I like the 09 stereo CD set better because I get the recordings as they were released in the UK and I like the mastering. Yes, the bass and drums are a bit louder, but I have always wanted to hear more of McCartney and Starr's playing anyway.

    There are claims made that "everyone" on this forum dislikes the stereo 09's, but I am not sure that is true. Why not buy one ( Abbey Road a good choice) and see how you like it.........
     
  17. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    Not sure why anything Recorded 50 years ago should be judged by today’s standards
     
  18. Ephi82

    Ephi82 Still have two ears working

    Location:
    S FL
    I would have preferred re mixes as well, but I bought the 09 remasters knowing full well the mixes were going to be the same, so I dont feel ripped off. (I do admit that the 60's style hard panning doesn't bother me)
     
  19. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    Some of us like wide stereo
     
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  20. sixtiesstereo

    sixtiesstereo Senior Member

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    The 2009 " Beatles For Sale" in stereo is essential. Best it's ever sounded. And I
    can't imagine preferring the mono over the terrific stereo mix.
     
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  21. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    Here’s an idea. If you don’t like the vintage stereo mix, listen to the vintage mono mix. Why remix history?
     
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  22. bherbert

    bherbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Africa
    Because Apple Corps gave us a taste of what could be done with the multitracks. The YSS remixes sound phenomenal. Then there’s the Love remixes which sound great.
     
  23. MHP

    MHP Lover of Rock ‘n Roll

    Location:
    DK
    Has it ever occured to you that you could have been brainwashed on this forum as well?
    If a message is repeated over and over enough times, people will start to believe it.
    In this case, there was not a good word anywhere on this forum in terms of the 80's cd's.
    When the 2009 discs appeared, "purists" flipped on a coin and suddenly claimed there had never been anything wrong with the originals and now preferred them. Steve-Hoffman-Forum-Logic...
    You should, by the way, judge for youself instead of trying to read 'truths' on here...
     
  24. Tristero

    Tristero In possession of the future tense

    Location:
    MI
    The original mixes needed a good remastering at that point, so no, it wasn't a blunder at all. We knew what we were getting with that package, so it's hard for me to fathom how this could be some kind of cynical rip off as you suggest. I'm fine with it if they want to go back and remix certain albums as well, particularly the mid-sixties releases with the hard panning. Revolver is a natural choice. On the other hand, I'm not sure how much some their first few albums would benefit from remixing (Beatles For Sale sounds great as is in stereo.). I also don't think that later albums like Abbey Road (I'd welcome an immersive 5.1 mix, but not Martin's patented semi-surround) or Let It Be (which already got the remix treatment) cry out for a remix as. So in my view, targeted projects are one thing, but there's no point in remixing everything just because they can.

    On the whole, the 2009 mono remasters were outstanding while the stereo versions were very good as well for the most part. They surpassed my expectations.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2018
  25. bherbert

    bherbert Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Africa
    Although, it does make sense as well. Apple Corps is probably keeping a remixed catalogue as an ace up it’s sleeve. They knew we would buy the same old albums in 2009 and they know we’ll buy the remixed catalogue all over again in the next decade or so, whenever they decide to do it.
     
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