Rolling Stones Let It Bleed on CD - Your preferred version

50th CD is now my go to. The mono fold vinyl in the box is a treat, to these ears, tho.

 

Not going to lie, the sound quality on that 50th Anniversary Edition is pretty darn good imo. I still kept my WG London. Curious what people think on a revealing system between the two.

 

2002 ABKCO though I only have the standard Redbook version, not the hybrid.

 

WG London

 

I’ve heard four of these so my vote for them2002 SACD is based around that.

 

Toss up between WG London and the 50th, with the cd box mono following close behind

 

Is there actually a difference between the Abkco remaster and the 50th anniversary disc

 

One of the better sounding rock titles of all time.

 

Define “ABKCO remaster”.

 

Look in the dictionary for the word negligible

 

2002 [In Cd]


foobar2000 1.6.4 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2021-05-18 07:35:17
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Rolling Stones / Let It Bleed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR9 -0.01 dB -10.19 dB 4:31 01-Gimme Shelter
DR9 -0.02 dB -11.83 dB 4:19 02-Love in Vain
DR13 -0.02 dB -15.04 dB 3:07 03-Country Honk
DR11 -0.02 dB -12.62 dB 3:33 04-Live with Me
DR8 -0.02 dB -9.69 dB 5:28 05-Let It Bleed
DR10 -0.02 dB -12.64 dB 6:53 06-Midnight Rambler
DR11 -0.02 dB -14.07 dB 2:50 07-You Got the Silver
DR10 -0.02 dB -11.54 dB 4:11 08-Monkey Man
DR8 -0.38 dB -12.40 dB 7:29 09-You Can't Always Get What You Want
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of tracks: 9
Official DR value: DR10
Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 941 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

2019

foobar2000 1.6.4 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2021-05-18 07:35:50
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Rolling Stones / Let It Bleed [2019 Remaster]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR9 -0.25 dB -10.19 dB 4:30 01-Gimme Shelter
DR9 -0.21 dB -11.36 dB 4:19 02-Love in Vain
DR12 -0.18 dB -14.44 dB 3:08 03-Country Honk
DR10 -0.10 dB -11.55 dB 3:33 04-Live with Me
DR8 -0.11 dB -9.04 dB 5:28 05-Let It Bleed
DR10 -0.15 dB -12.28 dB 6:52 06-Midnight Rambler
DR9 -0.18 dB -13.18 dB 2:51 07-You Got the Silver
DR9 -0.16 dB -10.74 dB 4:12 08-Monkey Man
DR8 -0.27 dB -11.64 dB 7:32 09-You Can't Always Get What You Want
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of tracks: 9
Official DR value: DR9
Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 941 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

 

Any and all for me. After all, it’s Let it Bleed dammit!

However, listening to both Monaural and Stereo versions of the Fiftieth Anniversary version was a very refreshing change.

 

I meant the edition that came out in the early 2000s

 

The 2002 and 50th don't use the same mastering. There are various subtle differences.

 

So much better word than negligible.

 

Certainly not the song Gimme Shelter.

 

I don't know...what doesn't sound good about it? The production is "thick", but I think it sounds quite good.

 

Sounds a bit muddy to me, and the album sonically really opens with the next track. The difference in quality is really quite apparent after listening to Gimme Shelter and then Love In Vain.

I don’t know what this is due to but - maybe - because Merry Clayton’s overdub was done at the mixing stage, or that the song was started at Olympic, then Sunset Sound then Elektra? Taking a session reel to/from three different studios with three different sets of equipment could also introduce an issue, perhaps. Who knows. But to my ears the quality of this track sounds very different from the rest of the album (CD or vinyl).

 

I think it's intentionally atmospheric, as well as intentionally dense, but I don't think that's a "problem" as much as the sound they were going for. Monkey Man opens up a bit when the drums come in, but he intro has a very similar vibe.

Of course, I feel the same way with Exile.

 

Earlier takes sound better. Those are pre-Merry Clayton so thinking maybe something happened at that point, intentional or not.

 

To me I think it’s quite obvious the track should sound that way. It has a creepy and apocalyptic feeling all over. It’s ‘bassy’ and mid-range focused, but I really think it was eq’ed that way on purpose. The Stones used the grimm sound as an artistic tool. Hi-Fi was never on their agenda.

 

I can't imagine a pristine hi-fi serious sounding Gimme Shelter at all, even if it is relatively slick compared to a lot of the mid 60s recordings! I wouldn't change any of them.

I like the way that mixes and production styles change to suit each song on Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed.

 

Oh I don’t want pristine or slick either, but at least on the outtakes you can hear the individual notes of the bass guitar a lot more clearly than a big blob of notes. And those outtakes sound just as menacing to my ears.

Those other LIB songs sound so good, relatively speaking, which just leads me to believe something didn’t go quite right on this recording/mix-down wise. Although obviously just my opinion.

 

I haven't heard the outtakes. Of course, this could just be me being so used to hearing Gimme Shelter sounding like it does that I can't imagine it being any different. I'm one of those people who doesn't buy modern remixes of old albums.

 

Me too I'm good with the let it bleed 86 abkco I refuse to avoid it just because 86 abkco are looked down upon, I have the London aftermath and the majesties request '86 is pretty good too. And you can get them really cheap (abkcos)