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| Sir Stonesalot |
I saw this on Sticky Fingers Journal, thought you all might find it interesting.
NEW ABKCO REMASTERS SOUND GREAT
by Skippy
Abkco's new promo release 21 X 5 sampler of the upcoming SACD hybrid of the
Rolling Stones remastered albums gives us a peak of what we are to expect
from the 21 SACDs coming our way.
Since these tracks are remixed from the master tapes we have different mixes
of the Stones material we are use to. Having new mixes is unavoidable no
mater how much
Abkco and they're counterparts may have or may not have tried to stay true
to the original mixes.
Do these remixes change the songs? The answer is yes. Are they better, worse
or different you may ask? A little different is my answer. However many are
better end the jury is still out on others.
The older material has a more noticeable different mix on many tracks while
the post 1967 doesn't have noticeable differences over all.
Mosty the songs on the new sampler all have a new mix and improved sound.
What is most noticeable
about the older material is the mix and the newer material is the improved
sound. The sond has improved throughout. Twenty-one songs is only a small
sampling.
It's All Over Now, Jumping Jack Flash, Honky Tonk Woman, Factory Girl and
Brown Sugar jumped out at me as terrific ground breaking improvements!
Jumping Jack Flash gave me goose bumps and made me teary-eyed since it is such a
great improvement. The song is stronger and more clear than ever! From the
beginning of the song all of the way through it had a harder edge! The drums
pounded harder the guitar was in my face. This song never rocked
so hard! It's great! I can't put into words how great it has become. It's a
major improvement like many of the twenty-one SACD sampler shows.
Jumping Jack Flash like many of these new releases has more separation than
most of it's predecessors but they are not wide stereo. It's not just the
over all great sound and fabulous mix of Jumping Jack Flash that makes this
new version. It's the clarity! I believe this separation comes from the fact
that the technology of producing recorded music has improved greatly that
everything is much clearer now to hear. What impressed me most is at the end
of Jumping Jack Flash we can now hear guitar work that was very buried
before. Now this guitar stands out clearly and adds great dimensions to the
song and helps take it from a pop tune to more serious heavier rock!
I was never crazy over Brown Sugar. I held the track in the highest esteem.
I've analyzed it over the years and
was in awe over it magnificence. Even with my love of the Rolling Stones and
it didn't 'get my motor running'. I always preferred the 1976 Love You Live
version.
Brown Sugar has a noticeable difference, I feel, for the better. It's not
that barrage of sound that it once came charging at us. It has more clarity
and the mix brings out more of the song. The mix weaves more than meshes.
It's like waves flowing one on top of the other. It reminds me of the mix of
Goats Head Soup where
each instrument would take turns to rise to the forefront of the mix at the
appropriate time. It's not that radical but there's a definite difference.
I'm not sure if it's the mix or clarity factor or both but the lead guitar
that was buried throughout the song is up front and most prevalent. I love
this version of Brown Sugar, for me it's a vast improvement.
The new Factory Girl is a sonic wonder. This new version is beyond great!
Factory Girl is the prime example of the great achievements ABKCO has made
with these remasters. The clarity of Factory Girl is like taking cotton out
of me ears for the first time while listing to it. The stereo separation is
beautiful. The fidelity is unbelievable! It's not just the range of highs
and low or over all clarity that makes it great but the sound of each
instrument. The tones of the guitars never sounded so rich. The percussion
of the wood that is struck during the song never sounded so much like wood.
Such great definition! The bass guitar is very clear like it is throughout
the sampler. The sound of each instrument is much better not because of some
studio wizardry but because we can now hear them much better. How can I say
the instruments never sound so good, so clear like we are now listing from
inside the studio instead of down the hall. For me it's like hearing a band
live at the sonicly perfect Tower Theatre than anywhere else. Like I said,
it's like were in the studio with the band!
Of course many fans have had copies of many excellent true stereo versions
of Honky Tonk Woman, Jumping Jack Flash and Satisfaction not to mention
Between the Buttons and Aftermath but the samples here show major
differences. So, don't part with those old CDs. These new sampler doesn't
feature any wide stereo versions like we have from some rare previous
official releases.
Satisfaction is in narrow stereo which is much different from the wide
stereo version from over a decade ago. I'll have to give this one a listen
some more. I'm not sure if the fuzz tone guitar is a sharp as it should be.
Also a round of "Hay, Hey, Hey" may be up too far in the mix. (I've only
played this sampler twice so far.)
We've had some great true stereo versions of Honky Tonk Woman before but
it's better here. This to the jam solo part and you'll hear more than ever
of what's going on.
2120 South Michigan is a beautiful version of the long rendition. It's All
Over Now sounds great too!
Miss Amanda Jones has an interesting mix. Much clearer. Playing it my car
some instruments
seem too far in the back ground. While playing the song on my home system
loudly, the mix sound cool. For general use I don't like it.
Dandelion may have a little too much clarity as I don't like this mix at my
initial listenings. It seems too separated. On the chorus you can distinctly
hear three different voices as opposed too one harmony. It's interesting but
I don't like it.
I Am Waiting is a nice improvement in sound.
Midnight Rambler from Get Yer YaYAs Out has a new better sound. The guitars
are more clear and forceful. Overall the instruments are slightly more
separated. It has better sound but other than those things I didn't notice
any major differences.
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| Martha |
Thanks for posting this Sir Stonesy. Details...details..it's all about details!
Cannot WAIT!
rockin' hard today,
martha
P.S. catchin' the Nug tonight at the Ohio State Fair..while it pails in comparison it will be fun...and it's a freebie! |
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| Sir Stonesalot |
Maybe Ted will shoot some squirrel with his bow and BBQ the meat for ya'll. Serve it all up on a Ritz cracker...
Squirrel on a Ritz. MMMmmm MMmmmm...goooooood cracker! |
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| Scot Rocks |
Cool, JJF sounds if it is a great improvement, I can't wait to hear it.
Cheers
Mark
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| padre |
How do they sound compared to Mickboy's remasters? |
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| Staffan |
Haha, did you know that the Nug recently wrote a cook/hunt-book called Kill it and Grill it!
Hilarious.
I desperately look forward to hearing these songs, the sound quality has annoyed me some times. |
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