On August 21 of last year, I saw a promotion for this mega-reissue on social media and felt compelled to comment, "That package is gonna cost $90 and damn right I’m gonna buy it." And I was close! I paid $86.97, gave it to myself for a Christmas gift, and waited until the holiday bustle calmed a bit before listening - the real unwrapping is today.
For more on the packaging:
Peaks on the US Billboard Top 200 chart:
- Original release: #1 (11 weeks between Nov 1, 1969 - Jan 24, 1970)
- Peak on the Billboard Pop CD chart*: #1
- 2019 Anniversary Edition: #3 (October 12, 2019)
Before listening to these discs, I'm going to have a look at this beautiful hardbound book. Gimme a sec. [...time passes..] That thing is fantastic. Almost worth the excessive anniversary edition price simply for the photos (most by Linda McCartney) but the thing also includes a track-by-track breakdown. It isn't a read-once-and-put-away coffee table book.
CD 1 Gonna grab some headphones and spin the 2019 mix. Freakin' masterpiece. It sounds fantastic - so clear. Those Beach Boy-esque harmony vocals! I'm hearing all the parts, some I've never noticed before (e.g. Billy Preston's wonderfully subtle organ work on Something). Metacritic has this edition rated at 99 and that seems a bit low to me. A fantastic collection of songs that never sounded better and once it finished, I needed a cigarette and I don't even smoke. Whew. I gotta take a break before moving on to the bonus stuff...
[...runs errands...]
CD 2 (Abbey Road Sessions) 12 tracks, 43:47
If you liked the Beatles Anthology CD series from 1995-96, you'll probably like this disc because it's got the same feel - alternate takes, demos, studio chatter. The demos are a cut above your usual demo tracks because the band and material are a cut above your usual stuff. Highlights include Paul's demo for Goodbye (recorded/released by Mary Hopkin in 1969) and the slightly out of tune studio demo of Something which shows the simplistic brilliance of the writing.
[...lunch break...]
CD 3 (Abbey Road Sessions) 11 tracks, 41:44
More of the same. Highlights on this disc include Paul's studio demo of Come And Get It (a different mix than used on Anthology 3 in 1996) and the trial and edit mix of the side two medley (aka "The Long One" from July 30, 1969) with slightly different sequencing.
[...nap...]
The fourth disc is a Blu-Ray Audio disc featuring:
- Dolby ATMOS
- 96kHz/24bit DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- 96kHz/24 bit Hugh Res Stereo
I don't know what any of that means and since I don't have a 5.1 system, I'm guessing it doesn't matter. But I'll give it the old college try using my usual, utilitarian Blu-Ray movie watching set up: a Microsoft Xbox One S and a Bose CineMate 15 home theater system.
I didn't mind listening to the album again but, as one would expect, the mix sounded funny because of the lack of proper equipment.
1) I'm glad I took my time with these discs, and 2) I'm glad I used headphones. Will probably listen to the 2019 mix again tomorrow if not later tonight.
Finally, if you like this album, treat yourself to the 2019 mix even if it's the single CD version. Overall, I'm glad I ponied up for this edition, as I've really enjoy reading the book and then reading it again while listening.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Abbey Road was one of the first CDs I purchased in the late '80s. Unfortunately and embarrassingly, I was introduced to much of this music through the 1978 movie, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (my sister owned the 2 LP soundtrack album). I watched that movie last fall and it is so campy as to be mildly enjoyable.
 |  |
Previously revisited for the blog:
Blog post #1550
No comments:
Post a Comment