Why did George Martin remix Rubber Soul for cd?

That he remixed Help!, I can understand. Those original stereo mixes were made by Norman Smith. But he made those stereo mixes for Rubber Soul himself.
And they doesn't sound too bad to my ears.

So, why did he feel he had to make new mixes for Rubber Soul?

 

Because he felt he could do a better job, and he was mistaken.

 

To annoy us?

 

Are you saying Norman Smith didn't know what he was doing? I don't understand that statement.

 

Who said Norman didn't do the Rubber Soul original mixes?

 

"Rubber Soul" was remixed for CD? I didn't know that. I grew up with the U.S. versions and didn't hear the U.K. version until I bought the CD.

If these are an improvement I would hate to hear the original stereo mix.

 

I think there was a thread on this topic pretty recently....

I remember reading a long time ago...that the original Rubber Soul stereo mix was, according to George Martin, "experimental", meaning he was trying to do a stereo mix that could then just be folded down for the mono, instead of having to do 2 separate mixes, one for stereo and one for mono.

So for what it's worth, he wasn't satisfied with the original stereo mix done in 1965 and thought he could improve it (?) or maybe just tinker with it.

That's my understanding anyway. Steve Hoffman might know more.

 

There's about 50 threads on this topic

 

The same reason he remixed the tracks on "AMERICA's Greatest Hits"; because he could!

 

It was only an improvement if you like 1980's digital echo! Not one of Sir George's finest moments IMO...

 

If George Martin felt uncomfortable with the original mix, why did he re-create it? I think there's no improvement over the original mix: still left/right with (almost) nothing in the center. All we got was the same way of mixing with weird EQ-ing and digital echo. He did a better job with the remix of Help, although it was needless, too.

 

I guess we need Capital to release the 2nd Beatle box so we can finally get the U.S. "Rubber Soul" with that "authentic" sound.

 

Rubber Soul, PPM & WTB are the only original Stereo mixes I really dislike. I guess PPM & WTB were never really meant for stereo, but I think all the other stereo mixes up to RS were quite good for their time. RS was almost like going back to the first 2 albums the way the vocals are on one side for the most part. All 3 albums sound pretty awful in headphones. Mono is the way to go for those 3 IMO. The RS remix from 87 just made a bad mix worse. I think HELP! was fine. No need for remixing. Whenever the catalog does get remastered, I hope the go with mono for RS, PPM & WTB. It would be great if they go with mono/stereo for all the albums, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

"Help" is, in places, one of the weaker original stereo mixes, I think. The George Harrison songs sound especially thin, and some of the Paul songs were over-reverbed. I think part of the problem is that the performances and multitrack recordings were simply a bit rushed and lackluster, or their musical ideas had started to grow past their recording habits? Or Mary Wanna? When I heard they were planning on remixing these two albums, it seemed like a decent idea to my young mind.

But the remixes are really annoying. Extra reverb on "I've Just Seen A Face" really bothers me. It's such an intimate song and the reverb ruins it. (I actually don't mind the echo on "Dizzy Miss Lizzy," as the original mix/performance is perhaps my least favorite Beatles recording....not so with the great live Hollywood Bowl version!!) And yes, Rubber Soul has all the problems and none of the charm of the original mix.

(By the way, does anyone else feel that the US Y&T mixes of "We Can Work It Out" and "Day Tripper" are far better than the UK Past Master mixes?)

 

I know Martin recalled back in 1987 that he remixed both Help and Rubber Soul because he never liked the original stereo mixes. In all honesty, he's right. Both albums (surely not every song, but many) suffered from the old "twin-track" mixing style. That being said, he didn't really "remix" all that much, instead he opted to add digital reverb to some of the tracks. In his opinion, some songs, notably Dizzy Miss Lizzy and The Night Before needed additional reverb to give it the energy and drive he envisioned....problem is, the digital reverb sounded nothing like the original Abbey Road echo plate reverb. Bad decision!! I don't hear any additional reverb on I've Just Seen A Face, Martin doesn't mention adding anything to that particular track either. What I can hear are some minor mix adjustements on The Word, Girl, Norwegian Wood and In My Life...but really nothing drastic. I think EQ was changed too....the tambourine is so clear and loud on most songs it literally becomes a lead instrument. This should not be. The original stereo and mono mixes always kept the tambourine in the background.

Something that bothers me particularly regarding RS, is that the power of the uptempo songs songs seems tempered....Drive My Car is too clean, the piano and tambourine, more to the fore, and I doubt that was the original intention. The piano is very soft on the original Parlophone stereo album, and now it's much more prominent. Same thing with Think For Yourself....Ringo's drums sound smothered and fragile, Paul's fuzz bass is too loud and his regular bass too low in the remix. BUT as weak as this remix is, compare it to the version on Yellow Submarine Soundtrack IMO it's horrid....the vocals are so upfront the music gets buried. Ringo's drum fills, especially during the outro, and his cymbal work sound like a toy set. Listen to the toms on the Parlophone album...deep and rich...cymbals bright, but not excessively so....such a terrible remix. As George Harrison said in 1987, remixing (the Beatles catalogue) is being a bit naughty..."even the great George Martin's ears aren't what they once were".

So, where does this leave us? Geoff Emerick is the natural candidiate to supervise any new remastering efforts, but will EMI and its staff listen and heed his advice? Apparently, he was able to convince EMI/Apple to NOT use digital copies of the multis for Anthology, but then again, he also used some of his original (and universally panned) mixes that he prepared for Sessions untouched. Was this mandated from above? Who knows, maybe his forthcoming book will shed some light on this? Let's face it, as long as Aspinal remains in charge at Apple....outside mastering engineers will not be a part of any remastering projects...such a shame

 

oops ignore

 

I agree Steve....shame on me But, you must agree his remixing efforts were not nearly as drastic or pronounced as the remixing done on YSS Now, would you kindly fess up and explain why you hate Let It Be, the film? Ron

 

Why did he remix it? Because he could.

 

Apparently, the sound of wooden instruments resonating in a natural and beautiful fashion offended his ears...

 

Nah, I don't think so.
Not good enough an explanation.

 

That's a loaded idea. Some US RS stereos have a bit of extra reverb added in the right channel (like mine, which was pressed by US Decca), some don't. But it would be cool to hear those mixes on CD (thinking of the differences on 'I'm looking through you' and also 'The word'), carefully done from the best tapes in the Capitol vault....

Has anyone ever asked Norman Smith his thoughts on those remixes? After all, he did both the recording and mixing on the original editions of HELP! and RUBBER SOUL.

 

Sums it up for me...

 

C'mon Grant...you can do better than that Seriously, many of us look forward to your in-depth responses to many different postings here. So please tell us, why do you think Sir George remixed Rubber Soul? Yes, he had the authority to do so, but what was the incentive? I've read many contemporary interviews, most from 1987, where he clearly says he never like the stereo mixes for Help and Rubber Soul...but the thing is, he still did these "twin-track" type mixes over the course of the next few years....certainly not as many, but several songs have this feel. Of course, with the voluminous overdubbing they did on 4-track, and odd instrument may have been placed with a vocal, but some stereo mixes still had that more primitive sound. So why remix only these two 1965 albums...and not ummm, lets say, Your Mother Should Know, or When I'm Sixty-Four, or Birthday....just to name a few.

PS One gripe if I may....The true stereo German Magical Mystery Tour album was remixed AFTER the Beatles had broken up. Several songs have additional, or in some cases less....instrumentation, effects, vocals etc... Why is it that album is now considered THE source for this material, when it was NOT the artists, producer or engineers original intention back in 1967???? All this malarky about remixing and/or remastering somehow ruining the original artistic statement is pointless.

If proposed remixes or remasters sound better than they did originally on 45 or LP release, or better than originally released on CD isn't this a good idea? I don't think Ron Richards stereo "twin-track" mix of Please Please Me harmed the Beatles artistic vision, but it is surely different than Martins mono mix! This can be said for dozens of songs in their catalogue. For purists, keep the Official CD Catalogue in print...but for those hoping for better sound...bring on the remixes and/or remasters. Of course, it would be extremely important to have people like our Steve involved, but we all know the chances of that happening. My complaint of the day...Ron

 

Grantie has it right: because he could, of course; apparently he wasn't satisfied with the original mix, thought he could better it, didn't work out that way.