George Harrison - The Apple Years Box Set (Pt4)

I don't think he and John had such a cordial relationship...

 

Is the new remaster of the Dark Horse album any better than the previous version ?

By the way, here is the bonus track included on the new remaster :

 

I find the tone Phil used to be quite interesting - he clearly knew that as George's first album the perfomance and stuff should be immaculate, and even if his production did end up a bit OTT, he honestly wanted the best out of George to make the album as strong as possible.

And hey, George brought him back to produce The Concert of Bangladesh, so he must have still liked him.

 

I never knew Clapton actually SANG on the album-a bit of a revelation for me, and further insight into Eric making Paul perform the song (ATMP) at the concert for George. I am assuming that is the Eric Spector is referring to.

 

Been through the whole set now and it's a joy to listen to it. Had never heard WM or ES before buying it, and Wonderwall is so good. What a great album. My only complaint is ATMP. The 2010 DL & vinyl sounds better than the one in this box. But this version of the 2001 edition is better sounding than the original George disc! LITMW, DH & ET are all improvements over the older CDs. Buy and enjoy.

 

I know this a long thread, but there have been MANY reviews posted. Most, if not all, including my own, have stated that this is the best-sounding Dark Horse available. The original 1991 CD is murky and lacks high end. The original US and UK LPs were pretty good, but not great. The new CD has sparkling highs and a nice midrange and solid bass response. That being said, the original recording is no audiophile's dream. It was the first album recorded at George's home studio and there are some limitations throughout the sound spectrum. That being said, the new CD is very good indeed. The early version of Dark Horse is worth the price on its own, IMO. Ron

 

Ron (or anyone else), do you think the basic track of "So Sad" on the Dark Horse album is really a leftover from the Living In The Material World (LITMW) sessions (with some likely touchups and newer "hoarse" vocals by George added for the Dark Horse album)? It is the only song on the Dark Horse album with a 1973 credit (all the other songs are credited as 1974 on the original LP). And it's the only song with Nicky Hopkins, who was on the LITMW album.

Just wondering since I've been concentrating on the Dark Horse album as of late---it's definitely a flawed album, but it has a lot of character.

Arnie

 

Isn't it more likely that the song was just written and copyrighted in 1973?

 

I don't know. "So Sad" has Ringo and Nicky, who were featured on LITMW (but not on the Dark Horse album). And the backing track sort of "sounds" a bit more reminiscent of stuff from LITMW. And I believe the song "Dark Horse" was also written in 1973, but not copyrighted until 1974.

So I was just trying to see if it had an earlier history.

Arnie

 

I haven't bought anything from the box set yet (still deciding), but I've been sent a couple of tracks to compare. Here's my comparison of two tracks from ATMP (the title song and Isn't It A Pity version 2).

Both tracks stay perfectly in sync with the 2001 mastering, indicating they are taken from the same raw transfer made back then (the phase is reversed though). Interestingly, the 2009 version of ATMP from 'Let It Roll' does not sync up with either, indicating a fresh transfer was made for that CD.

Even though the 2001 and 2014 tracks seem to be taken from the same initial transfer, the processing is very different. The NR on the 2014 is a lot less (with noticeable hiss - too much?), and the EQ is less bright and more bassy than the 2001. BUT both 2014 tracks are slightly louder (with more limiting) than the 2001 versions.

I have to say that so far I'm preferring the 2001 versions of these two tracks (after a little treble roll-off)

I haven't compared to the 2010 download yet.

 

Didn't Alvin Lee cover this song? Any idea when he recorded it?

 

Bingo! Thanks Steve. Yes, Alvin Lee recorded it in mid-1973 (released Nov. 1973) with George even playing (acoustic slide?) on his version:



Arnie

 

Ringo was on Ding Dong, Ding Dong as well, and that was recorded in November 1973.

 

Thanks for reminding me. Lots of guests on that song too, including Ron "Would If You Let Him", Alvin Lee, and Mick Jones (Spooky Tooth/Foreigner).

Arnie

 

The backing track is from those sessions no question. The track simply sounds better (at Apple, instead of Friar Park) than most of the other songs on the album. Too bad he didn't have a finished vocal from the earlier session. Ron

PS Wiki say So Sad, Ding Dong and an early version of Dark Horse were recorded at the November 1973 sessions at Friar Park using the same backing band from "Material World" i.e Ringo, Keltner, Voorman, Gary Wright and Billy Preston. Maybe Chip can chime with precise recording info (I don't have his marvelous book at my disposal (Eight Arms To Hold You).

PPS If this correct, I wonder why So Sad sounds better than most of the remaining tracks from the album???

 

And Ron Wood's version of "Far East Man", also with George on it (harmony vocals; and guitar---but the slide on this version might be played by Ron Wood, as it sounds more like Ron than George):



Arnie

 

Thanks for chiming in Ron. Arnie

 

You can't always trust Wikipedia. Your ears probably are a better guide. Arnie

 

It seems strange that they would use raw digital transfer made in 2000 when a fresh one was clearly made in 2010 (on what I would assume better digital equipment and higher resolution). I haven't picked up the 2014 CD yet but based on some of the reviews here, I think I may just stay with the 2010 download. From the samples on iTunes, I also found the 2014 ATMP to be slightly lacking in upper end giving perception of less clarity compared to the 2010.

 

I don't think there's any way to determine by listening to the piece that "there were more creative decisions applied to it afterwards." The complexity of the arrangement could be due to the fact that it's not simply something Krause was improvising on the spot, but contained examples of ideas he'd worked out in advance and was planning to use on an album of his own. If Krause to be believed (and I think his story is credible) the entire piece is nothing more than a recording of him. And it's not really analogous to something like a session musician auditioning on Black and Blue. There's a big difference between a musician being brought in to play on a track that was written by someone else, and a musician's improvisation being used as the basis to create an entire track (a track that makes up half an album, no less), without his knowledge or consent, as well as without pay. If Krause's story is even partially true, it really is a pretty sordid thing that George did, and I don't think it ought to be minimized or excused away.

 

I'm making a complete left turn here, but Krause has a pretty varied background. If Wiki is correct, Bernie did some sessions as a studio guitarist, and replaced Pete Seeger in the Weavers for a short time before they split up. Then he went on to study electronic music. I don't usually picture a guy going from the rootsy/folkie thing like the Weavers right into electronic music, so he must be kind of an interesting guy.

 

Just in case anyone was wondering how the Apple Years & Dark Horse Years boxes look side by side:

 

Oh! I thought Brainwashed was included in the Dark Horse box! D'oh!

 

No, no, that would make too much sense.

 

So each box is missing an album:
The Apple Years Box is missing the Concert For Bangladesh, while the Dark Horse Years Box is missing Brainwashed. Everything is in perfect balance...
Arnie