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So I got this in the mail today, and listened to it now...
As far as whether you'd be able to tell the difference, I'd say with the remix, definitely. If this is an album youre familiar with and have heard a few dozen/hundred times, Id say youd definitely notice the difference in the production between this and the original recording, its apparent. With the remastered version, maybe not...aside from the fact that its "louder", most people probably wont benefit. So...do you need three? No, but I think these two come together exclusively, so...youre kinda fucked there, youre kinda forced to jump your personal Ten album count from one to three if you want the remix.
I'm impressed by the remixes, got a few listens in today and they're very good. Didn't get past Alive on the remasters...aside from volume/compression, they're largely indistinguishable from the originals, not much noticably different, to my ears. At first I kinda thought it was excessive/duplicative to include them, because its pretty clear to me that the O'Brien remixes are going to be the ones you go to from here on out; but it's nice to have a document of the original mixes, if only for reference...also if there's anyone out there who actually ends up preferring them, it's nice to have a fresh, remastered copy to listen to, since I'm sure the original will be going out of print now. Anyway...some thoughts on the remixes, track by track:
Once - Jeff Ament is a big beneficiary of the new mix, no doubt...there is a growling, distorted fretless bass line powering this track that I swear was nearly inaudible on the original recordings...it's brought up significantly in the mix, for good reason, as well as a rhythm guitar line that was previously drowned out. O'Brien treats the couple spoken word bits on the record unideologically...the "you think I got my eyes closed" part in Once is turned down quite a bit, while the mumbling during the Evenflow solo is much louder (and finally distinguishable...I'd never even been able to make out what he was saying before), while the "I died..." tack-on to Evenflow is excised completely (for the better).
Evenflow - Vocals are most noticably different hear, less of the backwards/reverby fluff during the chorus...this one's been re-recorded and subsequently remixed since the original sessions, so the differences are less pronounced.
Alive - Cleaner and dryer, but nothing song-altering
Why Go - Think I mentioned the echo on the chorus-teaser, don't like that at all...the guitars are more defined, particularly during the verses, which is a great thing...they were muddy and indistinct on the original which was a shame, the riff really cuts through the mix now
Black - Seems like the tail end of Why Go no longer bleeds into the start of Black...they still transition smoothly, but the tracks don't encroach on one another. The piano and organ during the verses are a bit more noticable, definitely a good thing...you also catch a lot of Mike's Hendrix flourishes, which are fantastic...the lead guitar was always a bit low in the mix, I spent a lot of hours in my bedroom with the volume turned way up trying to mimic that guitar...I rationalized that it was mixed low because it would take away from the song if it was too loud...but its perfect now...
Jeremy - Another instance of some nice lead touches that were nearly inaudible the original...only other big difference is that the "hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo" bit at the end has been pushed back *a lot*, while the "spoke in" is more prominent...the result is...strange. I dunno. The "hoo-hoo-ing" was probably a little silly, objectively and 17 years on...but Im not sure this is a good idea. This is probably the most "extreme" tinkering on the record, in that in changes the song in some way, I'm not sure it's a good thing. It ends up sounding like the Police and defuses the climax of the song a bit
Oceans - Relatively unfuckedwith (and unfuckwithable)...dryer vocals as on all the tunes, though this is one of the few songs where the reverb was always well justified. Also a slightly more prominent place for the guitar swells between the first and second verses, which I like. The vocals in the second verse are no longer phased/flanged, which is tragic in my opinion...I always absolutely loved that part...but I'll concede that it was a personal taste and it might have been a little thick. I would flange every vocal if I was behind the board, it sounds cool.
Porch - Pretty standard, guitars are jacked up and sound good...nothing earth-shaking
Garden - *This*, though, is earth-shaking. The guitars are crisp and clear and really really ring...and my god, that upright bass during the verses is fucking *chilling*. It's amazing work and I would swear I never even heard it before. It's a complete travesty that that bass wasn't more prominent in the original mix, it adds so much to the song. It's otherworldly and literally gave me goosebumps, very cool. I'd say if you don't buy the album it's at least worth it to pay to download this song
Deep - Nothing too drastic, but a good remix...better defined guitars, particularly when the chaos kicks in towards the end
Release - Likewise, a pretty standard remix, sounds pretty good, though that wah-ed out guitar seems significantly louder during the choruses...probably a little more than I'd like.
Anyway...overall I'd say its better than I'd expected...I can't see, for the most part, seeing much need to go back and listen to the original mixes, after hearing these. It will be interesting to really listen to eatch track back to back though, with the old and new mixes...it's really a great example of how much a good producer can affect a song. All of the songs, even the ones that don't have any discernable "big" changes made, are just generally crisper than their earlier counterparts...the instruments are definitely better articulated throughout...that was something I hadn't expected really...I assumed they'd just jack up the volume and knock the reverb.
Oh, the demos are interesting too...SOLAT and Breath are interesting to hear in their early versions, as Ive gushed before its *great* to finally have a proper copy of Brother with vocals, unlike that god awful instrumental version they crapped out on Lost Dogs...and 2000 Mile Blues is interesting as a curisoity at least...never heard that one before. It actually includes some pretty decent guitar work.
_________________ Joe Orr Road Rod wrote: It's more fun to be a victim Caller Bob wrote: There will never be an effective vaccine. I'll never get one anyway.
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