The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's 50th Anniversary (Content, Sound Quality & Discussion Thread Only!)

After a traumatic week and one that most certainly did not go to plan in respect of my listening to the deluxe Sgt Pepper I have finally heard the new mix (that is all at the moment but this is not a sprint).

All I can say after the first listen is "Bravo Giles". You were never going to get an easy ride with this, but in spite of all of the technical analysis that has been thrown around what really matters is what it sounds like to the person listening. And you know what it sounds bloody brilliant to me. I sat there with a smile on my face marvelling at the clarity and separation (but not in a false way or imposed by the limitations of the recording process) and was able to listen to elements that had been there but not as impactful or balanced before.

The title tracks rocks and has a drive that was only hinted at before and when it segues into With A Little Help From My Friends a new world opens up. Those drum fills shake the windows and the backing vocals are sublime spread across the stereo field as they are. The bass is thunderous but supremely clear and Ringo, well he did nail that lead vocal perfectly.

There has been a lot of talk about people getting fatigued with the sound and distortion and limiting. Did people actually try enjoying this mix before looking for techninal issues? I can't really fault this as a brave attempt to take away the layers of fog imposed by the technical equipment available in in 1967 and the choices made at each bounced stage which inevitably lead to a lack of mixing choices further down the line and the inevitable degradation of certain elements as generations from the source recording progress. To me this is like cleaning the windows and seeing the garden in a whole new light. The dirt and smears are taken away and the colours look so much crisper and brighter.

Nothing really jars here which is certainly the case with the original stereo mix. If one thing really stands out with this first listen it was what a great band they were. The cohesion and blend of voices really does bring a tear to the eye. It reaffirms why The Beatles have not been surpassed. They really were the best band that has ever walked the Earth.

And at that point I am going to find a handkerchief, dry my eyes and dip back into that box to find out what other wonders await me. Thanks Giles, thanks Apple and thanks JPG&R.

 

That seems apparent and more than a bit troubling.

 

Got the 2 CD version on Friday…listened a few times now, like the new mix but it just sounds a bit too loud/in your face/compressed for me. Shame…does the vinyl sound better? Loving the outtakes on CD2 particularly the instrumental Penny Lane and the various Strawberry Fields versions

 

What were your settings for the downmix ?

Mine is :
- adjusting the center channel (lining it up with the left/rightstereo tracks) and set it to -3db
- remove LFE channel
- setting the back l/r channels to their corresponding front channel equivalent and set them to -3db.

 

Many thanks to everyone who's commented in this and the anticipation thread. Your comments have been very informative and entertaining. It's great that so many people still love and care about this wonderful music.

I'm a huge fan of Pepper and celebrated Pepper's 50th with a highly enjoyable listen to the 1987 stereo CD yesterday. Despite it's lop-sided mixing, I prefer the stereo to the mono, as it sounds "smoother" than the mono to me, it "rocks " sufficiently for me where necessary (the title track, the reprise and GMGM) and I can hear the bass (my favourite instrument) clearly enough - which is typically how I judge a good mix.

I had intended to pick up the 2-CD version, but as I feared, it really doesn't sound as though I'd enjoy the remix. So, as I'm very happy with my 1987 and 2009 CDs, I think I'm going to pass on this - though my resolve might weaken when I actually see this in a shop sometime soon.

I'm glad so many of you enjoy the remix. I'm glad all of us have Pepper in all its variations to enjoy.

 

Nada.
Is it the sound level high or low compared with 2017?

 

She's Leaving Home, In Stereo, At The Correct Speed!!!!!!

THIS IS FAB!

 

Can someone please tell me what the hell that voice is at the beginning of the "Lovely Rita" bonus track?

 

87 CD is lower than new remix.

 

Don't look at dynamic range numbers -- that alone can't quantify sound quality. Music is more than just a number.

 

Agreed, hearing this remix is now making me appreciate this album a lot more. Still a Rubber Soul/Revolver Man, but damn, this is a pretty good album.

 

I can't believe you have to tell people here that, but apparently...

 

No. 9

 

Mongo, I don't understand why you take my post so personally. Of course my post is my opinion, as everyone else's post.
My "half-deaf" remark wasn't meant to personally insult anyone, but a way to express my feeling about how this mix was made, half-jokingly.
I don't rule out the possibility that I'm generally a stupid person, or what I wrote is stupid, but I do think that I'm entitled of questioning the decisions and professionalism applied to this project. Why not? People can order a salad for ten dollars and if spot something wrong with it they can, sometimes even furiously, to question the cook or waiters professionalism, or (going to the highest artistic level) many can trash and bash the great late Luciano Pavarotti for cracking a high note during a performance in La Scala, and the man can say - yes, I did id, I failed, and yes, they had the full right to boo me, but if someone put 120 dollars for a Beatles related product, he is not entitled to be critical? Why's that?
And believe me, my own professionalism was questioned several times, and in some occasions rightfully so, if for some reason I failed to meet the highest standards in my profession.

And it may seems completely off topic, but because I mentioned Pavarotti and we discuss professionalism, I'll let myself to put this small clip. make an attempt to watch it until the end (you can start from 0.40, so it's about 1 minute). At the very end he said something that is very relevant to our discussion here, IMO:

 

in this case this is totally wrong ! that low DR is a perfect reflect of a bad sound quality .

 

FL and RL were hard panned left, FR and RR were hard panned right> FL and FR set at about -6 db, RL and RR at about -11 db. I kept the LFE. C was tricky as the vocals were (oddly) a lot louder in the first minute of the song so I did some custom volume adjustment. I also wanted more presence in the drums so I flew in the drum track from Rock Band. The RB drums are a bitch to sync but a bit of time stretching gets them very close.

 

yeah. I'm trying to decipher what they are saying. I think it's Lennon but it's pure gibberish.

 

I've been listening to this album in vinyl, Apple Music, CD all weekend occasionally listening to the other versions as well 2014 mono vinyl, 1987 CD and the 2009 Stereo Remaster from iTunes. Earbuds, headphones, Speakers and It does not have bad sound quality.

 

SHforum Beatles Fans concerns?
" In my opinion they are right"

 

I wouldn't say that all the CD versions are recreated, but they've certainly been messed with. The crackle is on all the CDs I've heard apart from the new remix, and I couldn't hear it on the R2R clip posted in the other thread, but the tape hiss might hide it a bit there. Of course, the new one 100% digital.

I guess Giles and Miles might have messed with the gibberish on the remix too, Giles probably going back to the original tape. At some point I might compare, but it could be down to something as simple as variations in tape playback speed.

 

on your "system" it must sounds good… for sure

 

I only listened to the new mix through my years old Audiotechnica ATX-M50's Headphones (And through Esi Juli@ Soundcard, if that matters). And even I could tell from the first bass hit on Sgt. Pepper that this was sounding ugly compressed.

 

Systems would be more accurate, I haven't tried it in the car yet but I will at some point this week.

 

A happy conclusion.

 

@Mal was the "detective" to solve this puzzle:

It seems that Paul is reading from a text that includes the motto from his old school - The Liverpool Institute Highschool For Boys ("Liverpool Childhood" concept still going?):



"NOT BORN FOR OURSELVES ALONE, BUT FOR THE WHOLE WORLD"

Derived from Cicero's treatise De Officiis, apparently.

De Officiis - Wikipedia