Abbey Road 50th contents, outtakes and sound quality thread .. only

You are right, I forgot to include this in my comments.
Less musical content and simpler packaging.
So the price should have been lower.

 

I'm really liking this set so far - one of the highlights is actually the "Ballad of John and Yoko" this version is great! I'm enjoying the book too.
I guess my only complaint is why not fill those 40 minute CDs up a bit more - there had to be a hell of a lot more stuff in the archives (then again too many versions of one song is something else I would complain about LOL).

 

Could be at the request of whoever lent the tape, not Apple, to prevent a full audience recording from leaking. It's still only in private circulation.

 

Yep. Very often a lot of these takes aren’t significantly different from each other. Sometimes less is more.

 

It depends on a number of factors, but a recording of a conversation that participants believed to be private has to be treated carefully. The recording itself is probably not an issue, as John was a participant in the meeting and recorded it for his personal use, I guess. However, publishing the recording (by playing to the general public) of a private conversation could violate privacy laws. There might even be criminal law issues. So, I can understand some concern from a privacy law perspective.

 

The "black triangle" version will sound particularly brittle and hissy when the pre-emphasis (high frequency boost curve: 500Hz +0.01dB to 20kHz +9.5dB) applied to that particular release has not been corrected (need to apply the inverse/de-emphasis eq curve). Apologies if you already know and have accounted for this and still find it too bright. Just thought I'd mention in case you or others have overlooked this aspect and are scratching their heads over what's so good about a whole lotta hiss.

 

Well now we have both versions to listen to.

 

Dunno if this makes sense but I think the new mix sounds great as individual songs . But the old mix is better as work of art as an album. George Martin was part of that too.

 

You're assuming there's a lot more quality archive material - I'm not convinced that's the case given the quality of what was released, both on this set and Anthology.

The 40 minutes per disc would be about the max for vinyl IIRC - maybe they wanted both sets to be the same.

 

Okay everyone...so what's the personal deal on this track once and for all??? The book that comes with the AR deluxe set has John on guitar and George on bass...and till now, there have been assumptions that it was John on bass or John on piano, blah, blah. Now we know (don't we...???) there's more than one guitar on the recording. There's that soft, undistorted opening chord guitar and then there's the one that plays those chop chords well as that very cool staccatto, distorted individual note by note thing during the two middles. I'd have never thought the distorted guitar was John...not because John couldn't do it but it sounds VERY George to me. So the way you guys hear it, what's what???

 

Well, I could not wait to receive the replacement for my defective Blu-ray, so I listened to the remix on the CD today. The mastering is a little too hot for may tastes, but I know it will be smoother on the Blu-ray. In any case, not the unlistenable mess some made it out to be.

As for the mix, I liked it much. I think they took the right approach. It remains true to the spirit and the general structure of the original, but gives it a boost in spaciousness and clarity. My favourite ones, the ones I found improved: Oh Darling! (more visceral than ever), Here Comes the Sun (those spread backing vocals and George's voice coming from the center really feel like a sunrise), Sun King (very warm), Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight (yes, I like that they emphasized and spread that orchestra, Golden Slumbers gave me goosebumps!).

The ones I liked less: Octopus's Garden (for some reason, it lost a little of its whimsy nature, it sounds too "normal" for a song about wanting to live like an Octopus ), Because (I think the original feels more ethereal, lighter, the remix sounds down to earth), You Never Give Me Your Money (the new mix sounds good, but I miss the playfulness in the "out of college" part and beyond, that song felt like an adventure, now it just stays there), Bathroom Window (I don't like the sound of Paul's vocals, I don't know what they've done there).

In any case, a pleasant listen, a good alternative presentation of the album, that doesn't replace the original. I love having both now. I will wait to listen to the Blu-ray version, maybe a second listen with the different mastering alters my opinion somehow.

 

I really highly doubt this is in any way accurate.

 

Did you have to return the whole SDE box set, or just the defective Blu-ray?

 

I will have to return the whole set, but they told me I can keep it until the new one arrives.

 

That's a great option, for it means that you not only have music to listen to until the new set arrives, but when it arrives you can mix and match and pick the pieces that are in the best condition to make the best possible set before mailing back the set that you want to return.

 

I just seems it should be G on the guitar, I agree. But what the book says...well...why would they say otherwise?

 

Exactly, I plan on listening to the 3 CDs, and if they are in perfect condition, I will keep them along with the new Blu-ray. The book is in pristine condition, so I will keep it too.

 

I think the two sessions discs were divided by time frame like the actual sessions. February to May and then July to August.

 

I so much appreciate the smooth, un-boosted, balanced approach that Giles took. Playback levels are ideal, where I’m in control of the volume. Nice.

AR’s sonic delights are all present, and with an evenness to the bass response from track to track that I appreciate, too.

QC on my lp and cover are deplorable, but that’s another thread...

 

I avoid those types of stores and only go to reputable ones. Are they as good as the top stores that are in LA or San Francisco? No, but they do have decent selections. Over the years I have rarely found UK pressings of Abbey Road, even later copies. Every once in a while you’ll hit the “mother load”, but Beatles UK pressings are the exception rather than the rule in New York Metro shops. You’ll find them but not frequently.

 

I have never found one in Canada, in Tampa, in Phoenix, in Palm Springs, in LA, in Hartford....

 

A comprehensive medley of bloopers and breakdowns from the sessions (similar to the Anthology DVD outtakes medleys that played over the closing credits) would have been a nice little bonus.

 

Okay, Sun King floored me. I did hear things I never did before.

Isn’t that just fun?

 

I agree. By the time I got to the end of the set (listening to digital files) I was shocked it was almost finished. I think they could have added maybe 5-10 more tracks to the set and it would've been good. Still tho, it does make the set very easy to digest in one or two sittings.

 

I agree. And I have always thought "Octopus's Garden" is a better song than "Yellow Submarine."
There! I've said it.
I will face the consequences with courage.