Having easily earned a permanent spot on the short list of my all-time favorite albums, Revolver was one of the first LPs I replaced with a CD back in the late '80s. I took a pass on the purchase of the 2009 remaster but simply couldn't resist picking up the 29 track, double disc "Special Edition Deluxe" set in order to hear the new stereo mix by Giles Martin. I was very impressed with what Giles did with Abbey Road a few years back, so I had high hopes with this purchase.
If you're looking for my earlier thoughts on the album plus the usual ads, CD longbox picture, album reviews, chart data, etc., please check out my 2013 post here: The CD Project: Revolver. This post will primarily deal with the new mixes, bonus tracks, and packaging.
I listened once through using my Klipsch speakers then again on headphones (recommended) and lawdy this stereo mix sounds fan-effin'-tastic. Have mercy! My wife and neighbors should probably go ahead and thank me because these tunes may be all they hear for the next week or more.
The individual parts are cleaner, separated, much easier to delineate. Back in 1966, the album was recorded on 1" 4-track tape and first mixed to mono; the stereo mix was an afterthought, which is one reason why many fans prefer those earlier mono versions:
There is an intensity to mono because it was mixed to blast straight into you from that one speaker. By contrast, the stereo separation diffuses the atmosphere in some songs and distracts in others.So this new mix not only benefits from technological advances, but also from a deliberate, concerted effort to produce the best stereo mix available. Now these cuts can "blast straight into you" in lively, rich stereo. It's a revelation to these ears even though they've heard these songs hundreds of times over the past decades. I mean it as a compliment when I say that I don't notice anything in particular about the demixes/remixes here, just that these familiar songs now sound even better.
If you grew up with the mono mix and prefer that sound, then by all means keep listening to it. It's not going anywhere. But if, like me, you grew up spinning an inferior stereo mix (first on vinyl then the original 1987 CD release), get thee to a music store post haste and buy this edition of Revolver in one or more of the many different packages available.
The 40 page booklet that came with the 2 CD set includes a foreword from Sir Paul McCartney ("All in all, not a bad album."), introductory comments from Giles Martin, an essay by Beatles historian/former BBC radio producer Kevin Howlett, a track-by-track breakdown, and lots of photos. Good stuff and all welcome in this house.
Tracks: While all tracks benefit from the remixes to varying degrees, my favorite new mixes are I'm Only Sleeping, Here There And Everywhere, She Said She Said, Good Day Sunshine, For No One, Got To Get You Into My Life, and Tomorrow Never Knows.
Bonus tracks: The second disc starts off with new mixes of Paperback Writer, a mid-1966 non-album #1 single, and its b-side Rain. A fitting inclusion in this set and both sound spectacular, just like the first disc. The remaining 13 tracks are Revolver recording session studio outtakes labeled as "Sessions Highlights." Much like the archived takes on the Anthology CD series from the mid-'90s, these are interesting to hear only once or twice. Likewise, I enjoy reading Hemingway, but I don't see much need in reading his unedited first drafts. Still, I'm glad I got the 2 disc set, if only for Paperback Writer and Rain.
Fingers crossed that Rubber Soul is next on Giles's to-do list.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but I was brought into this world amidst the same global creative energy that gave us this masterpiece so I'm going to claim some lifelong positive vibes based on that (seemingly?) random coincidence. In fact, according to the Beatles Bible and confirmed in the liner notes, the Beatles were at the Abbey Road studios working on Good Day Sunshine on the day of my birth. And in the issues dated two days after my birthday, the aforementioned Paperback Writer debuted in the Billboard Hot 100 at #28, #50 in CashBox, and #40 in Record World. Sounds like a splendid week.
Previously revisited for the blog:
Before they tackle Rubber Soul, I'd love for them to mop up all the stuff in between Pepper and the White Album.
ReplyDeleteI'm good with that, too.
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