Days of Future Passed Original Mix Differences/Catalog Number? *

Chip,the only other LP I've ever seen with that label was a VERY short-lived reissue of Moody Blues #1,but with a cover reminicent of DOFP,from '70/'71.---Imagine,being exploited by YOUR OWN LABEL-while you're still recording for them!! Or didn't the idiots in the Deram cubicals realize that Thresold was ALSO part of London????

 

The ambience is different, it's acoustic echo vs. mechanical/artificial on the remix;
also the original mix largely has the band in mono (more or less)
with the orchestra in a circle around them.

Pretty much every "stock" vintage vinyl pressing of this record
on the used market is the original mix!

 

I'd like to know where this notion that the original mix was damaged came from. It's a strange sounding mix, but I don't think there's *any* evidence that anything was ever damaged.

 

That has been my impression as well.

 

I believe that copy you pictured is the first US pressing from '67.

 

I think that's wrong. The original mix simply sounds different. Sounds more like an album from 1967, rather than 1972. It's a murkier/spacier/spookier sound that fits the music perfectly. Much better than the 'cleaner' sounding remix.

Mix differences aren't just about "hey! there's three handclaps at 2:34 on this mix but only two on the other", it's more about the overall sound and feeling the mix conveys, based on the balance of the instruments, etc.

 

There are other differences too.

For instance
- Nights in White Satin comes in after the orchestral interlude in a slightly different place.
- The gong closing the LP "rings" through to its natural fade; on the remix it fades prematurely.

 

Experts-

can I get the catalog / matrix #'s for CDs? U.S. U.K. Japan if there are any differences...

 

I had that feeling, too, BUT upon finally seeing a picture of the mono pressing and seeing that it had what I call the "usual" Deram label, I honestly don't know WHAT to think. Nice to see that I'm not the only one who is confused by this "mystery" label.

Can someone get W.B. in here?!?!?!

 

Who asked you?!

The start of Nights is a good indicator. On the remix, the band comes in on the down beat. On the original mix, the band comes in a bit later, not in time with the orchestra.

 

So, with tongue firmly in cheek, I point out that you're attributing a difference between a recording unavailable on CD and a recording unavailable on vinyl to the mixing? There's another thread for that, Vinyl vs. CD.

I'd tend to agree about the sonic difference in general, but if you've got one of Sam Feldman's Bell Sound US Deram copies I can point out that 'Murky' is a good word. Original UK and German vinyl copies certainly don't sound like that one.

When I first listened to the remix, it was the timing differences and other anomalies that hit me; I wasn't blown away by improvements in clarity etc. like I continue to be on some reissues. I do remember deciding that I too preferred the original vinyl.

To further search for information... it's quite likely that some country managed to use one of their approved production copy tapes to make a CD back in the day (like the Japan Abbey Road). Maybe we just haven't found it yet. Clearly at least Germany and Japan and the USA had something to make records from, in the USA probably several.

 

I believe the re-mix IS available on vinyl but iirc the few pressings that have turned up are right around the end of the 70's/early 80's. I can't recall the source for this.... may be in the forum archives. In any case its pretty scarce though.

I think the previous post you're referring to is mistaken when stating the 're-mix' occurred in 1972 - thats the year of the Quad re-mix. It makes no sense to re-mix the album.... then not release it for another decade or so. Of course as you note all the 'officially' released digital copies bear the re-mix.

The date of 1978 is bandied about as the date of the albums re-mix but even a good source for that factoid is elusive. It makes more sense though than a 1972 re-mix, which is the year that Nights in White Satin re-entered the charts. In the years that followed the album sold well. All seem to be the original mix.....at that point probably the 'only' mix (other than the quad).

 

No, it has nothing (or at least very little) to do with vinyl vs. CD. A few tracks from the original mix have been issued on CD, and high quality tape sources exist. That murkiness is inherent in the original stereo mix, regardless of format.

 

FWIW, I have only ever compared the two mixes on vinyl. IMO they sound rather different. The early mix is more "tubey" sounding. The rhythm section sounds a bit out of phase and less distinct on the early mix. However, the vocals uniformly sound more alive on the early mix. The later mix has more present drums, and more of a "hifi" quality with regard to the orchestra audio. I enjoy both mixes

Yes, the second mix is available on vinyl (see my post above #24). The MFSL (mastered in 1981) and the more recent Speakers Corner vinyl pressings both definitely feature the later mix. Both pressings are easily obtained.

Acoustic Sounds has the Speakers Corner available new.
http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/5666/The_Moody_Blues-Days_Of_Future_Passed-180_Gram_Vinyl_LP

It would be cool to nail down the story behind the remix. The what and why. There's seems to be lots of conjecture floating around the interwebz...

 

I always assumed that the phasey drums was a production decision, not a mixing fault (they do vary through the album quite a bit). Later Moodies albums don't exactly have crisp percussion either.

It would indeed be nice to get the story, and maybe even trace a tape or two. For the next DE Download Edition, of course.

 

Track down a used LP instead of asking questions that will get you booted from the board.

I highly doubt that it was damaged. Even if it was, London US would still had a safety copy in 1978 when the remix was done.

 

Maybe not a big difference to you! To me, the remix of "(Evening) Time To Get Away" sounds absolutely horrible, missing that essential harmony part...makes it sound like a completely different song - with a guest appearance from Tiny Tim!

 

Yup, seek out a used US Gilbert Kong (G.K. in deadwax) pressing. They can usually be found cheap (My VG++ copy was a scant $2.99). It can be challenging finding a completely click/pop free one (due to the many quiet passages on the album), but it is worth seeking out to make your own comparison.

I like both mixes, but the 1967 original is my preferred version.

 

Does anyone have the original mix on CD?

 

It doesn't exist officially.

 

Anyone own the Speakers Corner reissue vinyl? I have a tremendous sounding 70's UK vinyl copy of the original mix and the SACD with the remix. Both appeal to me for different reasons, but all the Moodies SACDs sound a bit edgy to me. I'm curious about how the remix sounds on vinyl.

 

From Ed's Moody Blues Appreciation Thread... concerning the Moody Blues mono LP releases (from the classic years).

 

I'd heard that the versions of Nights in White Satin and Tuesday Afternoon, on the Time Traveller box set are the original boxed set.

You can listen to sounds samples on Amazon, and a quick YouTube search for the band, the song, and the year should reward you with a video featuring the album cover and the 1967 mix's audio.

Key giveaways... the sound is warmer.... the vocals are more to the fore... the drums are more to the back, and the cymbals don't have the same shimmer as on the current mix... and the timing of the band parts to the orchestra is quite different. These are all details you can notice even through a YouTube copy:

- Intro: in the original mix, the band comes in after the string part's final note (during the closing harp flourish). On the remix, the first hit of the ride cymbal falls right on the beat at the same time as the final string note - nearly a half second earlier than on the original mix.

- Bridge-Ending: when the orchestra comes back in after the flute solo, it is ever so slightly slightly ahead of the beat in the original mix. In the remix, the orchestra is behind the beat (most noticeable on the strings that accompany "letter's I've written", and in the final repeat of the chorus); I wonder if the playback speeds of the two tape machines (the band 4 track and the orchestra 4 track) weren't as well synchronized the second time around. The final roll on the toms, as the song transitions back into full orchestra, has more reverb in the remix.

 

I have the Speakers Corner and MFSL vinyl--both pressings feature the remix.

I like the Speakers Corner pressing quite a bit. It's very rich and warm sounding IMO. The EQ is very different from the MFSL.

 

Let me try that again in a way that makes sense:

I've heard that the versions of Nights in White Satin and Tuesday Afternoon from the Time Traveller box set are the original 1967 mixes.