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Beatles remastered

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dougjwray

Jul 20, 2005
7,054
7,931
#1
I've been using YouTube to check out the newly remastered Beatles music. What a difference!
For example, in "Penny Lane" you can now clearly hear Paul's double-stops, and even some vibrato (at around 59 seconds, "portrait of the Queen").

 
#3
You should hear these discs on a good system. WONDERFUL!

I'm having fun listening to the entire stereo box set from start to finish. I'm through Abbey Road. It's been MANY years since I listened to all the 'albums' in their entirety, and in order.

Obvious comment, but their output was simply amazing in those early years, and the entire catalogue still sounds amazing.

The remastering is just wonderful. I'm hearing things I never heard before.

Well worth the $178 or whatever Amazon is charging now.
 
#5
Mr. Pickles said:
Haven't heard them yet, but would love to. Are the mixes in "true" stereo now as opposed to two tracks?
Click to expand...

The early albums just separate the two 'two track's into left and right... so vocals left and instruments right (I think... I'm not listening right now... I may have that reversed). So, not true stereo. These are available in 'remastered mono' is that is not your thing. I think it sounds great myself.

Of course, the later 4 and 8 track albums are 'true stereo'. Abbey Road is simply amazing sounding.
 
#6
KJung said:
The early albums just separate the two 'two track's into left and right... so vocals left and instruments right (I think... I'm not listening right now... I may have that reversed). So, not true stereo. These are available in 'remastered mono' is that is not your thing. I think it sounds great myself.

Of course, the later 4 and 8 track albums are 'true stereo'. Abbey Road is simply amazing sounding.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. I used to get a big kick as a kid out of turning off one speaker and listening to half the mix.

Which album was it when they made the jump to 4 tracks?
 
#7
Mr. Pickles said:
Thanks for that. I used to get a big kick as a kid out of turning off one speaker and listening to half the mix.

Which album was it when they made the jump to 4 tracks?
Click to expand...

Part of Hard Day's Night from the Recording notes. However, you still get that overly divided stereo split thing through a couple of more discs. It still sounds great though.

I don't know much about this stuff, and only realized all this by reading the recording notes on the remasters. It is interesting that the recordings of all the early albums (I think through Rubber Soul) were done with mono in mind, since that's how most people listened back then.
 
#8
Oops-- I just looked again at that version of "Helter Skelter", and it was uploaded to YouTube almost a month before the official 9/9/09 release date. Maybe a homemade remastering job?? Anyway, it still sounds great!
("Penny Lane" and "Lovely Rita" look to be the genuine article, though.)
 
#9
KJung said:
Part of Hard Day's Night from the Recording notes. However, you still get that overly divided stereo split thing through a couple of more discs. It still sounds great though.

I don't know much about this stuff, and only realized all this by reading the recording notes on the remasters. It is interesting that the recordings of all the early albums (I think through Rubber Soul) were done with mono in mind, since that's how most people listened back then.
Click to expand...

I haven't read the notes in the remasters, but I think you're right-- I seem to remember that "Revolver" was the first one done in "modern" stereo (not "all the voices on one side, all the instruments on the other side"). I could be wrong, though.
 
#10
I still remember when I first heard a stereo in the 60's and the records being panned hard left and right, I dug it! When you think of the body of work artist like the Beatles[7 years] Hendrix[4 years] back then it just boggles the mind.
 
#15
Still working my way through the discs slowly. Revolver is amazing on headphones (my system is: Sony CDR-W33/Sennheiser HD600 with Cardas cables/Kimber PBJ/Headroom Cosmic headphone amp). Since I grew up with hard panned false stereo... it sounds right to me on the early albums... However, I agree that Abbey Road kills!
 
#17
I have at least six different recordings of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. There must be 500 different recording out there. Each has different tempos, fidelity, and balance. The piece is performed live perhaps that many times worldwide each year.

There was only one performance of … say “Nowhere Man” and it was made 40 years ago. To convert it to digital was a given…to most people. Beyond that, tinkering with the balance is nothing more than a money grabbing activity that will now continue without stopping. Half of the Beatles had nothing to say about it from their graves. I can see it now: “The Black Album Box Set”…. The complete re-re-re-re-re-remastered recordings to honor the passing of the remaining two.
 
#18
This was the result of a remastering effort - not a remix. It demonstrates how far "perfect sound forever" (80's hype) has progressed. Less digital artifacts and overall much cleaner sound. Listen and compare on a decent system and the improvement will be evident. BTW, I own a lot of the original 45's (suck). all American LP pressings (suck), the complete British Box Set (way good), several Mobile Fidelity pressings (very good also), all of the 1st CD releases (meh) and now the remastered (excellent, almost up to the British Box Set standard). IMHO (of course)
 

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