::Abbey Road

[Lazarus_2]

The quality of the sound on the 87 CD release is not to my liking.

I like music much more IF they get the sound right.

[ANGRY]

ok, i'll own up to not being a wiz on the aspect of sound mixing/mixes etc.
laz, seems to have spent some time researching things of this nature. i know, back in the day, i used to do this about the then new video systems ( vcrs, betas, laserdisc etc) but, that ws part of my then job, to be up on that stuff.
but, i'm curious: when they 'remastered' in '87...or, at anytime...wouldn't they HAVE to have approval of the remaining beatles if they messed with any aspect of the 'mix' that might in any way alter the sound ?

i ask, because we all know that the beatles always seemed to be so in control of each specific sound thay let go onto any record, at anytime, for any reason.

or, are the references made to just the quality of the transfer from the master to the mass produced product ?
which, if my faulty memory serves in any way, is a common problem for all recorded commercial items.
heck, criterion has made a brand name for itself in home video just on making sure each movie is transfered from one form of medium to the next, never mind all the extras.
so, are we talking subpar transfers or actual tweaking of the textural sounds ?

[Lazarus_2]

ok, i'll own up to not being a wiz on the aspect of sound mixing/mixes etc.
laz, seems to have spent some time researching things of this nature. i know, back in the day, i used to do this about the then new video systems ( vcrs, betas, laserdisc etc) but, that ws part of my then job, to be up on that stuff.
but, i'm curious: when they 'remastered' in '87...or, at anytime...wouldn't they HAVE to have approval of the remaining beatles if they messed with any aspect of the 'mix' that might in any way alter the sound ?

i ask, because we all know that the beatles always seemed to be so in control of each specific sound thay let go onto any record, at anytime, for any reason.

or, are the references made to just the quality of the transfer from the master to the mass produced product ?
which, if my faulty memory serves in any way, is a common problem for all recorded commercial items.
heck, criterion has made a brand name for itself in home video just on making sure each movie is transfered from one form of medium to the next, never mind all the extras.
so, are we talking subpar transfers or actual tweaking of the textural sounds ?

The Mastering Of The Disc alters the sound, and the general Quality of the transfer.
If the transfer is a little subpar or not Perfect(because of deterioration) i believe A New Mastering can improve the sound quality greatly.

The newly Mastered Dylan Albums are an example.

I do believe a Re-Mastering(done properly) is in order for all the Beatle Albums. When will they do this? When they believe they've sucked enough money out of us people who bought the inferior Masters they originally released a-ways-back.

EDIT: So, mabye i've mislead people if i wrote the word "mix" anywhere.
Though sometimes a new mix can sound better than the original.
My Dad says the 5.1 for Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan feels like your actually in the studio around the musicians themselves!

I've got a hankering for some well-done 5.1 mixes of Beatle records.

[ANGRY]

so...'let it be...naked' would be a new 'mix' and what we'd all like to see is a new 'remastering' ?

i can buy that logic !

...just, when will we get to buy the disk(s)!?!

[Berkeleyan]

Thank you people,

All the exchanges were very useful to me ! I haven't mastered (or remastered ) no recording techniques with them but they came in handy for sure !

[bobrocks]

I find it stunning that no one has posted anything about this album in two years on this board.
So I'll use a quote.

"There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who transform a yellow spot into the sun." - Pablo Picasso

[ProgRocker]

Honestly one of my favorite Beatles records. I think it's only second to Revolver in my book.

[RhayaOnTheHill]

great album obviously the end always makes me tear up a bit

[mr h atom]

bobrocks thought it a shame that know one had posted anything about this album in two years back in '08...then proceeded to not really talk about the album...curious, that....

...so, four years later...

this is by far my second favorite beatle album...it has everything one could want and then some in the finale by the fab four...yet, there are few things i feel hinder it that keep it from being on the distinctly great level of TWA: all other beatle albums, however, do not compare to these two juggernauts, tho...

first...the likes...um...well...everything: the beginning 'come together' starts out with predatory caution but quickly rips into a stealthy overdrive...'something' mellows out, but remains a slightly detached, almost forlorn look at look at love...'maxwell..' swings its mighty silver hammer of sardonicism at least as well as sondheim would with his demon barber, only many years earlier ! 'oh, darling' haunts a '50's vibe with a hard rock pulse and a swagger little richard would've been envious of...'octopus's garden' offers a delightful pitstop: a perfectly scrumptious snack by the side of the road before veering off into the dark 'i want you/she's so heavy': which...it is; a slightly meandering, sonic discourse on 'love' that is every bit the opposite of georges previous side one ode: GH wants to woo...john wants to get down 'n nasty !

...was john trying to out-heavy paul and 'helter skelter' ?

...then all the middle bits: side two begins its day trip into proto-prog rock with the soft, twinkling of 'here comes the sun' and jumble-fun-runs all the way through a carnival of sights and sounds on up to 'the end'; the beatles had, of course been here before, dabbling off and on (more on with sgt pepper than off) but with this diversion they took it all to new heights of 'what the fu..??" prog rock wonderousness ! it'd be hard to next-to-impossible to seperate out the bits...so i'm not gonna even try: to me, it has always been one long track, meandering on it's merry way, with all four offering their tips of the hat in a cacaphony of sounds and words that, to this day, just make my merry heart hum with extravagant glee.

there is not a moments time wasted: this is as tight a set of tracks as they ever laid down...even when it seems like they might be wallowing in excess it is all so dedicatedly on purpose as to not be noticable to any but the most discerning: you either 'get' what they are going for or you're left outside wondering what the heck is going on in there; just about any fan of any form of prog rock knows these doors of perception are oft left purposefully illuminated in a manner to evoke mood as well as thought...a definative guide that leaves intepretation up to the listener as often as the story teller

and, if all that isn't enough to make your head swirl...they end their musical careers together with 'her majesty' no band will ever go out with a better note of irrascibility

now..the wee sticky bits...for me there is a mood throughout the album...i've always felt that it all feels dirge-like...like they knew this was the last one...they tried as hard as they'd ever tried and did a fantastic job...but, underneath it all, you can sense it...far more than all the folderol of 'let it be'...there is a note to every song of finality...it pervades, somberizes...even times which could/should be exultant joy (maxwell, octopus', oh darling), feel robbed somehow, for the one thing truly missing is overwhelming zeal of happiness...is this the first goth album ?

and for that...it all also feels a bit more workman-like...for all the creativity going on...it doesn't perk-up like sgt pepper...TWA...or, heck, even 'you know my name, look up the number': like they knew, by heart, all the tools to use, but did it just by the numbers

of course, for the beatles, at that time, by the numbers is pretty freaking magnificent...but, still, for me, there is a...lingering...

i should point out that i had always felt that way, from my first listen...even back-in-the-day, as young, uninformed tyke...thinking that 'let it be' was the end...but this one ?? this one felt like it was the end...

still...i wouldn't change an iota of this gem...it remains the second, very best album the beatles ever made...a giant leap over number three and a mere smidge behind the greatness that is TWA

that's my story...and i'm sticking to it

[blmeanie]

Thanks for reviving this post. Thanks for your lengthy (but great) analysis. This remains #1 for me with Pepper #2 then the White Album very close behind.