NP - Beatles Remasters

[Robin Landseadel]

On Sep 15, 2009, at 6:49 AM, John Carvill wrote:

> Would be interested to hear p-listers' opinions on these new Beatles
> remaster CDs.
>
> I'm holding out on the mono box - can't quite bring myself to lay down
> £200 quite yet.
>
> So far, I've got the following stereo remasters: A Hard Day's Night,
> Sgt. Pepper, Revolver, White Album, Past Masters, Magical Mystery
> Tour, Abbey Road, Let It Be.

I still don't understand why this couldn't have been included on Past  
Masters:

http://tinyurl.com/q2w8bw

> My overall impression, at this stage, is overwhelmingly positive. If
> I'd come to these remasters straight from the standard CDs, I'd be
> overjoyed at the improvement. Having familiarized myself with the
> 'needle drops' done by Dr Ebbetts, Purple CHick, etc., the difference
> is not quite so startling. But even so, playing a needle drop back to
> back with a remaster, I find that time and again, the remaster has the
> edge.

But what happens when you remove the digital intermaster? It's true  
that  semi-pro needle drops may have superior sound to the '87  
transfers—I've heard some wonderful bootleg transfers of session tapes  
that beat the crap out of the Anthology transfers—but the vinyl still  
kills the needle drops. 16/44.1k digital still doesn't have the  
resolution, warmth or fashion sense and good breeding of the vinyl.

> Abbey Road, in particular, is a stunningly immersive experience, when
> listened to all the way through.

Used to have the Dutch vinyl of AR, it faded out on "She's So Heavy"  
and had no "Her Majesty." Otherwise it was the best-sounding Abbey  
Road I've heard so far.

> The cliche is true: these remasters offer the opportunity to hear
> familiar music afresh.
>
> Shame about the dosgy pricing, of course. Yes something makes me
> reluctant to download them - these are CDs that I actually *want* to
> pay money for.
>
> Any opinions?
>
> Cheers
> J

First, if you can—get the Mono set. Those have good eq choices and no  
compression. The 24/192 intermaster results in better low-level detail  
throughout both reissue series—the stereo and mono—but the little bit  
of limiting in the stereo set results in a hardening of the sound  
that's not present on the less futzed with mono series. It's criminal  
that the mono set does not have its constitute parts available  
separately as the mono Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band is  
the one essential disc in the whole set. There are obvious differences  
between the Beatles mix of the Mono SP and the George Martin/Geoff  
Emerick Stereo mix. Every aspect of the mono mix of Pepper is  
superior. I've collected Beatles records since the White Album first  
came out. The earlier Parlophone vinyl is still the gold standard, the  
remasters don't change that. The mono mixes are what John, George,  
Ringo, Paul and George sweated over, the stereo mixes are  
afterthoughts until Abbey Road. But this series is better than all  
digital remasters save the "Love" DVD-Audio, which sometimes beats the  
LPs as regards resolution, if not surpassing the vinyl in terms of  
overall "feel."

As regards paying more money to Apple Corps, sorry but you folks only  
get my money, & I have no interest in your funny papers. The pre-fab  
four pretty much got all the money they deserve from me ages ago, and  
I'm tired of paying for the same records over and over again. I've  
bought the remasters of A Hard Day's Rut, The Tragical Misery Tour and  
Shabby Road, along with the Old Masters two-fer and am not too happy  
with the eq choices on "Get Up and Go" and "I Am The Waitress." One  
notices that Dirk McQuickly's bass lines are now the lead instrument  
and that all of Ron Nasty's vocals have been erased. Otherwise, the  
fidelity has been improved over their previous issues.

If you really want/need to enter the world of true Beatle obsessives,  
I suggest the Steve Hoffman forum:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/

where collectors, audio engineers and other Trainspotters obsess over  
various audio delights such as the "Black Triangle" cd's of the Be-a- 
tles. Go to the Discussion Forums toggle, then to the "Music Corner"  
option. You'll then find discussions such as these:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=194028

Good luck—some never return from this den of sonic inequity.