Giles Martin: Update the Beatles

That was a fold-down, wasn't it?

 

You must've missed the end where he said the police would come round knocking on doors and confiscating everyone's old pressings.

 

Neither were Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives & Sevens, Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Elvis's Sun Sessions — and many, many others — but that doesn't mean I want some heavy-handed tinkering to make them sound "audiophile good."

 

We can see if this is a good or bad thing by the Sgt. Pepper release this month.

Given that Giles has confirmed this probably means he is already working on it. The White Album was still recorded on four tracks except for While My Guitar Gently Weeps which was recorded on eight tracks.

 

Let's call this what it is; a way to make more money. They don't have to remix anything really but you can't resell the same thing without adding a little sparkle dust to attract people. Especially since they've done the remasters, done the Monos, done them both on lp. Nothing wrong with that. It's retail.

I don't see why they're stopping at a remix though. I mean are the new generation really going to rediscover The Beatles because of a new mix? Doubt it. So why not get current bands to do some tasty overdubs? Maybe Kanye can rap a few lines over top Revolution No 9? Actually Kendrick Lamar would be a better choice. The Beatles: The Duets. Snappy tittle.



Regardless of how dumb or great you think this is, at least the original mixes will continue to be available.

 

And that's the point. The original Elvis Sun records are revered not only for their performance but for the sound

 

The sonic landscape is changing so fast these days that whatever sounds 'modern' to Giles today may sound laughable 10 years from now. If you don't get the Beatles on their own terms, Giles' version of them won't convince you either.

Does anyone think remixing Ellington's "Black and Tan Fantasy' or rolling some of the high end of Gould's Goldberg Variations will propel them into being embraced by some heretofore undiscovered listenership?

 

Of course The White Album is next! The Beatles have discovered 50th Anniversary pounds, dollars, yen & euros to be made!

So Abbey Road can't be far behind.

I think Steve once said - people remix music because they can. The thing is...I believe that Sgt. Pepper needed to be remixed. We all know the story ... The Beatles worked on the mono mix first hand and then left the stereo mix to the folks at Abbey Road ... and the result was "lacking".

The question is: Does TWA need a new stereo mix. I tend to think that, generally speaking, the stereo on TWA is better than the stereo on Pepper - if for no other reason than the fact that the times were changing and more attention had to be given to stereo. I suspect that some remixes will sound more "different" than others. For example, I wouldn't do much to ballads like "Martha My Dear", "I Will" - but songs where the drums are buried in one channel probably need the help.

Personally, I would like them to tackle Rubber Soul and Help! next. The former, with it's severe panning, could really be opened up with a proper remix. (No offense to his dad, who did what he could within the time he had.) And Help has never sounded "right" in stereo to me - even the original mix.

Could Revolver be remixed? Yes - I guess anything can - some songs easier than others. But should it be?

I don't know that I would touch Beatles For Sale or the earlier stuff...

 

The Beatles 2.0?

 

Updating for current tastes: Brickwall the life out of it!

 

Rubber Soul and Help! have already been remixed in 1987.

 

Supposedly. SOME people claim it's a different mix, I can't hear anything new.

 

I wish you wouldn't have mentioned Robert Johnson in that statement, because I agree with you. I generally shy away from remasters. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but I usually prefer listening to the original versions, warts and all. However, the Centennial Collection remasters of Johnson's catalog are wonderful. After hearing them, I have no desire to ever listen to his original, scratchy recordings again.

 

But, but, but... it's a slippery slope!!

I mean, what if it turns out to be first iterative step towards some sort of Grey Album.

 

But, what about the slippery slope??!!

 

Elvis' Sun records were once updated for modern audiences with the Electronically Reprocessed Stereo versions of 'For LP Fans Only' and 'A Date With Elvis' albums in the early to mid-sixties. There's nothing new under the 'Sun'...
Oh and they were awful...

 

A) This is special anniversary release and will not be replacing the catalog version. All this is doing is giving us another option.

B) Comparing this to colorization is ridiculous....colorizing is adding something that wasn't there. Remixing is refining what is there...and Giles used the "Beatles authorized" mono version as a template more than the original stereo mixers did.

 

Agreed. But the Centennial Collection will never be used for demo purposes in any high-end audio showroom. And that's a good thing!

 

So... will Giles use the mono mixes as a guide for the remixes, like with the quicker fade-out on Helter Skelter, no "blisters on my fingers," sped-up version of Don't Pass Me By" or the stereo as a guide?

 

I'm sure whatever he decides will be met with unanimous approval here, it's just minutiae!

 

Funny. I don't see that these reissues/remixes/surround presentations are for the current generation at all. They are for old farts like me who want to extract as much as possible from these records that we know backward and forward. The current generation could really give a s**t about all of these current and upcoming deluxe editions. They are aimed at an older demographic.

 

Maybe Paul & Ringo could overdub new parts. They've had 50 years to come up with something better. We could finally have Ringo on "USSR". Oh the possibilities!

Just kidding - I'll buy whatever they put out (and they know it). LOL

 

To some people, every kind of restoration will be like painting a moustache on Mona Lisa.
Go listen to your ol' scratchy vinyl, then.

 

...and a small niche within that demographic as well.

I'm sure I'll check this out when it's released (as I will likely do with Pepper), but I don't plan on buying either. My experience with these remixes - starting with the Yellow Submarine "Songtrack" - is that I listen to them once or twice out of curiosity, and that's the end of it. That Yellow Submarine CD sat, unplayed, on a shelf for decades before ending up at HalfPrice Books (along with Let It Be Naked).

 

The Beatles made it clear to Giles' Dad George they did NOT want anybody messing with the mixes they'd laid down,so they wrote a "Hands Off!" note to Him..However now,with George and John gone,Giles' "I Don't Care" approach will,no doubt,bring howls of protest from fans! However,due to the age of these masters,it now seems appropiate. As long as Giles doesn't mess with the Original concept,all will be well.