The New Remix of I Am the Walrus by The Beatles is VERY different!
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- Опубликовано: 15 окт 2024
- The New Remix of I Am the Walrus by The Beatles is VERY different! #thebeatles
Hey everbody!
Tonight I cover a very specific remix from the new remixes found on the new versions of The Beatles Red & Blue albums!
Of course the song is The Beatles’ I Am the Walrus!
Does the new remix sound good? Or has it tread to heavily on holy ground?
Well that’s just what I’ll be discussing in tonight’s video!
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Michael Noland
The Bottom Line
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I actually love the Walrus remix on headphones. 😀
Atmos or stereo? They sound very different.
How do they sound so different?
@@tdunph4250 The primary thing for me is that the sound effects are a lot subtler in the Atmos mix and blend together better. Sounds like the laughter after 'Don't you think the Joker laughs at you?" are quieter in Atmos.
What I had always perceived as swooping orchestral sounds, have vocal elements in them that are apparent to me in the stereo mix but blend in with the orchestration in the Atmos mix and sound more like the original mix. These appear around "I am the Eggman...", "I'm crying", and again on "jooba, jooba, jooba" at the end.
On "jooba, jooba, jooba" John's voice sounds too loud to me in the stereo mix but is mixed better in Atmos.
All of the sounds in the outro are mixed more closely to the original in the Atmos version.
This is purely based on what I am hearing on Apple Music with AirPods. The vinyl mix sounds better than the streaming mix to me but that would be a whole other can of worms to determine how much of it is my audio setup. Anyways, Giles listens to feedback and I'm thankful we'll hear something like his "I Am The Walrus" mix on the Love album when the remixed Magical Mystery Tour is released.
The atmos mix also has much better dynamics according to a tester online than the cd/streaming version. So it’s probably the best version of these new remixes. The vinyl I think is supposed to be better than the CDs in terms of dynamics. Basically it seems like Dolby atmos is becoming the audiophile version of modern albums because it doesn’t brick wall all the sounds in a mix and could have better dynamic range. I just wish there was Dolby atmos CDs. There are blu rays that can have those files but not for the red and blue albums. And I haven’t heard of any plans of it coming out. But yea the Apple Music version in dolby atmos is great.
Gravesy!!!! ...been a while. You hittin' up that opioid crises in Belleville or what???
All this only makes me hold my original vinyl discs a bit closer to my chest.
I ain't rolling with the new times.
Seriously though, the more they muck with the recordings the less likely it is people 50 years from now will be able to enjoy and appreciate what the Beatles actually did for us in the 60's.
I just listened, back to back, to both versions and I totally agree with you. Masterpieces should be left alone.
I agree with you, Michael! I was shocked!!!
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!!
They didn’t fix it, They reinterpreted it 🙃
I’m not flowing with the complaints at all. I think it sounds like pure acid, now more than ever. The sound sparkles like fireworks in a way that people who have dropped are likely to be able to relate to. Today I took a walk through the city with the new mix playing in my ears, watched the city policemen stand by their cars and just couldn’t help but laugh. This specific mix makes me realise “Walrus” might be my very favourite Beatles song, all categories.
How are you listening to it? The Atmos mix is very different from the stereo mix on Apple Music. The vinyl is somewhere in between but that could just be my setup.
It was my favorite song when I heard it when it came out. It doesn't need to be changed.
@@kgeo753 Atmos 5.1, sounds brilliant
@@peterolbrisch8970 It’s not changed, the version you prefer is still perfectly accessible. I just happen to much prefer the 2023 version myself. No harm done whatsoever.
@@Nerkin610 Well yeah, I get that. I just don't see a need for another version. The first version is the greatest song ever recorded. Jaws has sequels, and that's fine. But nobody goes around "tweaking" it, or God forbid, remaking it in an effort to make a better version. I think you should revisit the original version after awhile. Meanwhile, I'm going to try to find the new version and let you know what I think.
It's important to keep in mind that, back in 1967, few of us owned stereos. Mono mixes were the focus. When George Martin mixed Sgt. Pepper's, he spent three weeks mixing the mono version but only three days mixing the stereo version. By the early '70s, most of us had stereos. At that point, the old casually mixed stereo tracks became the most listened to versions of '60s songs; but in general, they weren’t as good as the mono mixes. I’m glad that new effort has been made to give classic Beatles tunes a more thoughtful stereo mix.
Stereo players were mostly unaffordable in the 1960s (my first stereo album was a used Animals that I found in my local music store about 1965, because my mother had invested in a Magnavox stereo console because she loved music). But before the 1970s stereo players were finally common. All my early original Beatles albums were monaural but by about 1966 or so everything in the record stores was stereo (except old used records and 45s).
@musicproduction1330 Hi very insightful post you entered here. When I met Steve Boone back in 2011 I had him sign my Mono copy of The Lovin' Spoonful's "Everything Playing" album. He was chatting with my friend and I about how Stereo was still a new born baby back in 1967. They were still mixing in mono. I first bought that in stereo, and thought it was a good album, but I bought the mono mix, and I was speechless. The fidelity of it! My Gosh.
Those engineers were wizards at layering on mono
I personally really dig the new mix of I Am the Walrus and it made me appreciate the song more. It's super cool that we have different versions of the song to choose from now. If you don't like the new mix, the old exists. If you aren't satisfied with the older mix, you have the newer one. It's really a great time to be a Beatles fan!
But the old mix has fake stereo from "Sitting in an English garden" on. And the old mix wasn't remixed from the original tapes, which the new mix has, which greatly improves the sound.
The old artsy fartsy move the song makes with completely distorting the second section has never done anything but ruin for me lol. It's such a beautiful song, and to make the entire second half of the song sound like it's coming out of a Nintendo DS from 2006 never did it for me. Let me hear the goddamn song please.
Good point. They haven't obliterated IATW, it still exists in it's original form. This now gives people a chance to hear things that were lost in the original mix. A bit like when they clean up an old oil painting from hundreds of years ago and you see clarity and features which had been hidden behind centuries of discoloured lacquer and dirt.
@@dobythedog It brings up a lot of loud stuff that they chose to not have that was in the original mix.
Doby, it's more akin to taking new paint and painting over the masterpiece, thereby covering up parts of the original. I think people are missing the point here. Those of us who love the original mix WANT to hear it all sparkly clean with improved dynamics. They didn't do that. I think most here would love it just as much as those who don't had they not omitted critical elements of the song. Big difference between revealing buried parts than flushing many parts down the toilet, which is what happened.
Totally agree. This version is I am the walrus destroyed! Kind regards from The Netherlands.
You're spot on with this review .
If Paul and Ringo gave the go-ahead, nobody could say a thing about that .
💯
STYX did a kick butt version of “Walrus” with Lawrence Gowan on vocals that is rockier than the newly remixed Beatles version. Ironic that STYX would out rock the Beatles on “Walrus.”
I wish they didn’t do these remixes they were perfect to begin with and that’s how I remember them!
100% absolutely agree! And where did George Martin's strings go??? Where are my cellos sliding up and down the neck? I'm 65 years old and just now starting to learn the cello and this song is one of the reasons. I'll never listen to this version again! It's embarrassing! Maybe the brilliant minds who did this can eliminate the strings in Elenor Rigby as well!
They wiped the last 30 or so seconds in white noise - unforgiveable! Terrible mixing judgement.
Hi Michael! How are you sir? Hope you are well. This is a great post. I agree with your whole opinion. It is treading on Holy ground. I have the original 1967 mono 45 and that blows me away. I love the extra break before "Yellow Matter Custard" on the single. It's also on the 1980 "Rarities" compilation with the 6 beats in the beginning and in true stereo! Have you heard or do you own the Blu-Ray boxed set of "Magical Mystery Tour"? It comes with the Blu-Ray and regular DVD versions of the movie and the soundtrack is incredible in 5.1 surround! Also comes with the Mono 6 song EP. As I commented to a fellow fan below, on the 5.1 surround and the stereo version on the "Love" CD (and MMT DVD), when you hear the "King Lear" broadcast, You can hear "Death!" after "O Untimely Death!" The extra "Death!" has always been mixed out on previous versions. It's one of John's best songs. When he said "The Walrus was Paul", I always thought that was just tongue-in cheek. Keep up the good work! Nick
Everyone has to realize that these remixes aren't meant to replace the original mixes. Those original stereo and mono mixes are still available on every platform and format and will remain so in perpetuity. Replacing the old mixes wasn't the point of these mixes. it's just a celebratory exercise to see how they would sound with modern mixes and I think the results are outstanding for the most part. Not all of them are going to work but I appreciate the risk Giles Martin is taking with these.
No one's going to erase my 1967 mono 45 rpm. 💕 Thanks , MichaeL.
You can now hear weird applause during the solo of old brown shoe as well
It sounds great. I still have the other versions, but this sounds clean, like you hear more stuff going on.
Totally agree, Michael. The intro impacts right away in that the song has been slowed down and made more mellow which is the opposite intent of the original recording. Walrus was supposed to be a hippy trippy walk through some musical fantasy with jibberish mentioned about an egg man and a walrus and sitting on the Eiffel Tower. None of this was ever meant to be anything more than entertainment and maybe a trippy hippy druggy fantasy capturing the very popular acid fueled psychedelic musical era. Anyway, this 2023 version strips away that immediate mood hit of a hippy fantasy by slowing everything down making it a pleasant pop song.
I agree with you 100%.
This new mix and all the discussion about Walrus made me listen to all the other versions, the new mix stands out especially Johns voice, incredible, I love it ❤ The song is exceptional in its tone and feeling and for me the new mix just makes me love the song even more! The Beatles Rock Band 🎸 mix is great too, nobody seems to mention that one!
I'd say the technology that makes all these songs SOUND great should've been applied to this song as it was to all the others WITHOUT butchering the tune. We'd have an EXCELLENT version of IATW had they done that.
I agree with what you stated on your review. Very thorough!
I love the clarity of it until the "sitting in an English garden" section; from that point it loses that clarity (and punch) and submerges into some kind of phasey fog. I mean, it doesn't need to be more psychedelic that it always was. And I'm afraid it's going to be part of MMT when a newly mixed version is released.
That’s when the song goes mono might explain why
The way I describe the difference between this Walrus mix and the original is that the fairy dust is gone, and the magical mystery is lifted from it. What was blended and harmonious is now disparate and isolated. The music almost drops out during the fade, and while the cacophony is interesting, the pulse is gone for a few seconds and we’re simply cast adrift without an anchor, a center. The notion that this would stand as the official version a hundred years from now really bugs me. I have no way of knowing this, and it’s just my crazy opinion, but I don’t think John would’ve approved of this.
Sometimes it should be left alone. Agreed Michael. Give me the old school on this one for sure. Great commentary my brother!❤❤❤👍👍
I mean, listen to all these other great mixes. SFF, Penny Lane, Lovely Rity, hell, nearly all the Giles remixes are highly listenable and mighty enjoyable. While he took some minor liberties here and there, there's been NOTHING even close to this butchery in the entire catalog. I sincerely hope this isn't THE mix for MMT.
I agree with you on 'Walrus' - and Old Brown Shoe is a clunker too. But I think 'Hey Bulldog' was beefed up quite nicely. Thanks for your time!
This made me listen to the new 2023 mix that's on RUclips, yes it sounds very different, yes you can now hear lots more going on and the big muddy mixed up end has had a huge tidy up. Now when looking at all the comments of the uploaded video of the song it's all high praise of the remix. So I'm now totally confused.
To each their own. Just because others like it doesn't mean you have to and vice versa.
To each their own, as they say. No reason to be confused about anything; like what you like or dislike what you dislike. Don't rely on others to make up your mind for you.
I agree100%... I Am The Walrus is my all time favourite song, and the new mix is a disgrace... it didn't need an update, it was perfect...
Agreed. I love that it's now possible to present it in stereo all the way to the end. But certain phrases ("Oh, untimely death" and "bury my body") are iconic and they're missing now.
Also, the mastering adds too much compression (so it will sound LOUDER).
@tagoldich I love the versions on "Love" (both the stereo and the surround sound mixes) and on the Blu-Ray "Magical Mystery Tour". When you hear "O Untimely Death!" You can hear "Death!" after that. I was blown away by that in itself. Heck, I love the true stereo mix on the 1980 "Rarities" with the extra beats in the beginning.
I listened to the remix and although my musical ear leaves a lot to be desired (ie, I am not a musician or particularly musical), I noticed it sounded very sanitized and indeed a little lacklustre. I am the Walrus has always been one of favourites and I fully agree with you Michael. I did not like it. And, yes, they should have left it alone. But then, I'm not a big fan of all this remixing.
Ha ha. After all this time, it dawned on me, the “sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun” loop was closed by “Here Comes the Sun and I say, it’s alright.”
Great assessment. It is good to improve the sound of the recording but the recording itself should not change. Especially this song. It is one of Lennon’s masterpieces and only he himself should be able to make any change.
Agreed. An official re-release of an official release should NOT omit parts and replace them with other parts aside from a LOVE-type project. Why couldn't they just give this song the Giles magic treatment?
@@tatvidprod Exactly.
Thanks for this info. Now I'm gonna revisit my Magical Mystery Tour-album from 2009. Never been a fan of Best of-releases. And that goes for remixes too. Why mess with a perfect song?
The best mix of Walrus would have been the US Rarities mix with the second half in true stereo as in the Love mix. Sit you down, Father, rest you. (Where did that disappear to?) It would have been a good opportunity to add the seven notes to Penny Lane.
For those saying 'you still have the original version you can go back to'...stop. you're not understanding the problem. We were looking forward to the ultra hd 4k version and they butchered it. It's NOT the same movie. We complain. You say, don't fret...you still have your VHS copies to enjoy! Gee, thanks for understanding!
There is one version from the Beatles rarities that added an extra siren sound, and extra beats after “I’m crying”. I wish that could be remixed.
The Beatles were the soundtrack to my childhood, everything is permanently etched into my brain. I haven't heard everything on the two albums yet. A Hard Day's Night sounds great. There's an incredible mix of I Saw Her Standing There with John's and George's guitars hard panned left and right.
I agree - the new one is way too soft and balanced. It's lost something.
The 2006 Love version mix is the best mix, by far. So disappointed with IATW 2023. Totally misses it. I hope this is corrected once the MMT remixed album comes out (I am assuming). Pitiful! What happened to the finally brilliant stereo we had with the 2006 version. It was AMAZING! I agree, IATW is one of the best Beatles songs ever! So sad to be ruined in the 2023 mix. The stereo after "Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun" is basically BACK to the original fake stereo again, but perhaps even worse. I just don't get it. The 62-66 release is the best of the two. It was a nice glimpse into the Rubber Soul remix album which I hope to see soon after the new year.
I dread the coming remix of MMT, whenever that happens, as this remix here will probably be the remix they will use. They have buried the coda in static wash. OMG! Unforgiveable.
Listen to the version on The Beatles Rock Band videogame. Ends abruptly, but its a nice stereo mix.
This series of albums is why you should NEVER get rid of the previous versions. The track that really made me say “Giles! WTF?” Was his remix of A Hard Day’s Night which RUINED thst incredible opening chord. KEEP YOUR OLD ALBUMS KIDS!!!
I love the sinister laugh Paul does after all the yeahs at the end of Hey Jude off the blue Album
You're right on the money! Also, you can't hear as much of the talking during the ending fadeout as you can in the original or the 2009 remastered versions.
One complain I have with the Red Album is that they used an earlier, and less polished, version of "Love Me Do"; the version Ringo drummed on - the more common version has the studio's session drummer on the drums and Ringo on tambourine (because George Martin wasn't satisfied with Ringo's drumming due to his lack of rehearsal time with his new band mates).
When I first heard the Walrus remix, I thought “WTH?”; after a few more listens I upgraded to “WTF?”. If this is the best they could do, leave it alone….
I agree, Michael. I actually think the first half of the new mix is pretty good, but in the second half, things start to sound amiss, with the whole thing descending into sonic mush at the end, where several iconic pieces of the "King Lear" broadcast are now inaudible and the actual track gets drowned out by all the chaos. I haven't seen anyone mention that there's a bizarre orchestral part that now comes in and out around the four minute mark that was NOT present on the original recording. (However, I checked the "Love" remix and it's there.) I seriously don't understand what they were thinking with this. A Beatles remix should retain the integrity of the original recording and just make you feel like you're hearing it better. When you are adding elements that weren't there to begin with and/or making it sound radically different, you've gone too far.
I totally agree. They have effectively wiped the ending in white noise. Is there any way to formally complain to Giles Martin or Apple? I would if possible!
I agree.
I’m not a big fan of remixes, I think they originally took a lot of time to get things how they wanted them released. The story of John playing and showing George Martin,the song for the first time is pretty interesting? Supposedly Martin looked at John like he was out of his mind,and said what am I supposed to do with that John? And Lennon supposedly wasn’t to happy with George Martin remarks about Walrus.
Agree 100%. The Red and Blue Albums were a gateway to the Beatles for many people from the 1970s onwards and no doubt will continue to be. This is not the place to mess about with the mixes, they should honour the original releases as much as possible. I’m mostly ok so far with the new editions but not the ending to I Am the Walrus. It doesn’t enhance the original it alters it. Also, WTF is Glass Onion doing on here? Surely one of the weakest tracks on the White Album. Lyrically interesting as it references so many other songs but musically very pedestrian.
What bothers me most about the remix of I'm the Walrus is the new/different radio sounds during the fadeout which was an integral part of the original song/recording IMHO.
Biggest complain for me is "what the hell did you do with 'bury my body' at the end of the track?????" That was part of the song and was part of the PID myth. Why are they changing / rewriting what was done originally???
the last third ish of it just sounds so strange. like it was played in a cave or something, it’s hard to describe
The crime is that the new mixes are replacing the originals rather than being available as alternatives.
I agree with you 100% Michael.
Absolutely right. This mix has destroyed the uniqueness of the old. It needed a remix but not this and bearing in mind how good other ones are this is so disappointing
Just listened to you after watching this. You're right. It's terrible. The whole middle section after the 2 min mark originally signaled a dramatic change in the song, a foreboding. They cut the balls off it. And the ending is now totally unlistenable. For some reason the they decided to raise the volume of the whole King Lear section instead of the music, which is just awful. I hope radio stations do not play this version when this comes up on the rotation.
I agree with you Michael. The new mix stinks. It lacks all the muscle of the original (which was so important paired with all the madness going on in the song.) However, I think the vocals sound too loud (and modern-distorted...over compressed?.. sometimes) through the whole song. And what the heck is that newly-added stutter rhythm at 1:15? And completely changing the original ending?! What's that all about? It's all just wrong. Glad I have copies of the original on various media.
I Am the Walrus is my favorite song of all time. You should never mess with perfection, so a remix will leave me cold no matter what was done to it. Sad.
Did you notice on the remix of Old Brown Shoe, the missing guitar notes of the lead guitar? Just before the second verse the first few notes of the lead guitar are missing, and it happens again after George starts singing the second verse. Twice in a row the notes of the guitar are missing. How could that mistake get through the final mix, and be released?
Because Giles Martin can be very sloppy. His remixes are at times excellent and other times pretty bad.
@@goplad1 It's not only Giles doing these remixes. Sam Okell is part of it too. Plus, these mixes have to be green flagged by Paul, Ringo, the Harrison estate, and the Lennon estate.
I Prefers This Remix 2023 Version.
You nailed it. It sounds like a sad attempt to "whitewash" a brilliant, spikey difficult song. This seems to confirm that most of the value of this project is in the Red Album.
I agree!
Actually it's the last one minute or so that destroys it for me .... the BBC King Lear part. It was changed COMPLETELY for this remix. It's no longer what it once was. The license taken with it is both astounding and sad to me.
Geoff Emerick complained about the re-mix of Pepper because you could now clearly hear things that you couldn't clearly hear before. He said you weren't supposed to know it was a cowbell on one track otherwise he would have mixed it differently. For me though, I don't think it's possible to actually ruin a great Beatles song, even with a drastically different mix.
Hello Michael, no reason to touch the Walrus!
I completely agree the song is not the same. We don't need to be changing things. These were recorded at a certain place and time we should leave it at that. These songs were recorded with what they had back then and there sound was what we know as The Beatles. Origanals are best left untouched.
I agree with you 100% -
I seem to remember that a clue to "Paul is dead", was his costume on the cover of "Magical Mystery Tour".
It was to signify death. Part of John's "the walrus was Paul" was to tell the fans that Paul instead wore the walrus costume.
BTW- I agree with your commentary completely regarding IATW.
I am a lifelong Beatles fan and excitedly purchased the new CD's. I was expecting enhanced audio but essentially the same mixes. I listened to the Red album and was very pleased with how vibrant the early tracks sounded. When I got to the Blue album, my initial thought was, there must be something wrong with my CD player. When I got to "I am the walrus," I thought, wow they really 'effed this up. I noticed unnecessary oddities and changes in the mixes that served no purpose. For me, this was about as disappointing as buying a compilation from Asia or the former Soviet States that you know going in is a bootleg, but you buy it anyway. I wish George Martin was still with us and could have moderated the changes to his masterpiece mixes. I imagined for a moment how the art world would feel if someone remixed the Mona Lisa with new colors and more focus on accents because this is what Giles has done. I gave them a second listen today and decided that in the future the 2023 Blue album was just unlistenable. I consoled myself with the knowledge that I can simply burn my own CD's with the original tracks and be satisfied with that.
Oh my. Yes, Giles fiddled with it too much. I had to make my own edit for a “perfect Walrus,” which I did this morning. I mostly used the LOVE remix, which is true stereo throughout, rather than half-stereo / half-fake-stereo original mix. Then I used a snip of the intro (about six seconds) from the new mix, and a snip of the final 12 seconds from the 2009 remaster to eliminate the crossfading on the LOVE mix. Seamless! Perfect “Walrus”! Plus, I believe the LOVE mix retains the punch of the original, in keeping with what Michael said.
It's not only Giles doing these mixes. Sam Okell is right there with him. Also McCartney, Ringo, the Lennon estate, and the Harrison estate has to give the stamp of approval before anything is released. This isn't Giles doing whatever he wants without anyone knowing. A lot of ears hear these mixes before they get out to the fans.
@@michaelharrington75 Thanks! I should have researched those things. Overall, I'm enjoying the new mixes, with just a few gripes now and there. But that Walrus mix is a head-scratcher. As Michael said, Paul might have been the Walrus all along! :)
You should said your mix to me lol
Amen! You know, Michael, there is a book I read years ago called "Barbarians to Beaureucrats" by Lawrence M. Miller. The book is a brilliant expose on how everything in the world begins with Barbarians (The Beatles) and ends in a beauracricy (Apple).
Over time the vision of the founders is lost and diluted.
I'm sorry to say this but George Martin was one of those Barbarians who helped to create the masterful sound of The Beatles.
His son is a fine person but, he was not there and it is virtually impossible for him to envision, in fullness, what the intent of his father was in all aspects.
He tries! But, well, with Paul, the businessman allowing things John and George probably would not have allowed, everything will eventually end up Beaureucratic, in reality, over time.
I don't understand your complaints. Giles has hit the nail on the head again. If you like the old mix, you can always go back to the previous releases.
I haven't heard this version yet, but now that my curiosity is piqued, I'll give a listen on Tidal. I totally get where you're coming from with it being one of my favorite songs of theirs. Speaking of softening a song, XTC's incarnation of Dukes of Stratosphear was one of my favorite things from the 80's, both 25 O'Clock and Chips From The Chocolate Fireball, which I have on both vinyl and CD. So when the Steven Wilson remix came out with extra content, I snapped it up. But Wilson absolutely _destroyed_ it, especially the first EP. How? He cleaned it all up, removing all of the 60's character the boys worked so hard to put in. Sure, it's modern and clean, but also lost its soul.
Dukes! Why remix? I'll never know.☮️
I can certainly understand what you're pointing out and while I tend to agree with you I can also appreciate some sounds that we couldn't hear before this current mix. Part of what made this song so likable when it was first released was the intention that the whole song be a plethora of disjointedness. Therefore to soften and mix it into a more orderly flow isn't what was originally sought. For instance, you pointed to the 2-minute portion which gave total separation of the two channels into the right one for a few seconds. The left went completely dead. There was a reason for that which is now lost in this new mix. The new mix favors the right channel but never completely cuts off the left. That's a radicle change that should have been left alone! Also near the end while "everybody's got one" lyrics are being said the new mix has lost the string section going higher and higher hitting the highest note consecutively with the last word of the song. Another sacrifice in the name of better technology. This song was more than fine, originally, and just like a fine painting they need to be very careful to remember that to toy with an original da Vinci or Rembrandt would be viewed as a crime! Enhancing what is there is one thing, but fully changing bits and pieces is leaning toward changing the masterpiece!
I was a bit shocked when I first heard Walrus’23
But i must add, it does sound pretty wild on a Google set of Headphones.
Giles Martin mixes since 2017 have all been created with the Headphones front and Center
The Younger Gen listen to most of their music through cans
I just went to listen to the new remix, and I have to agree with you Michael. The old version just punches you in the gut, this one sounds a bit emasculated.
Absolutely agree Michael.I listened back to back, and definitely prefer my vinyl bought in the 80s mix.
The outro has been completely messed up.. The weird cacophony that melds into Shakespeare sounds like a bad radio and some guitar notes.
If it ain't broke don't fix it.
This era of Giles Martin " let's redo everything because it needs it" saddens me. The ORIGINAL Beatles albums were / are golden! Changing the end of Walrus? Are you kidding me? And didn't they alter the vocal adlibs from John on Abbey Roads' Come Together? Adding more guitar to the song Magical Mystery Tour? What's next? I mean the sky's the limit with what you can do with technology but should you? Let's have the Mona Lisa as a blonde!! ( yeah I know, I'm gonna get pummeled )
100%
I am of two minds on this.
On the one hand, I have always loved "I Am the Walrus" , I is also in my top 10, and I had the mono mix 45 single, so I understand what you mean by the harder vocal sound. Awesome.
On the other hand, I have read quite a bit about this sound and always have been curious as to all the subtle bits that simply could not be heard clearly, until now. The new ending is a rather jarring, and I not sure having the radio montage so high in this new mix was the right decision. It is however, very interesting. I'm glad both mixes exist.
I had read they had to originally go to the faux stereo because the radio audio was added live during the mono mix, spinning the dial so to speak. So when it came to doing the stero mix, all they could do to preserve it in the 60s was to use the mono mix mixed to make the fake stereo. I do ageree it has gotten muddy in places, and that could be just my equipment while listening, but I actually do appreciate the strangth this mix adds to John's voice. Far from thining this is a great mix, I simply can see what their though process was. Had they had the MAL back then I'm fairly certain all this would have been avoided as they would have stripped the radio audio out and created the mix they wanted, but really, even this late, mono won the day. I heard in the day that the sudden faux stereo was because there was "no bass" as Paul was dead. Go figure. Fortunately we can agree and disagree forever and be happy we live in a time with this, the mix for LOVE and the 2009 remaster to keep us busy for the next century...and beyond.
Your analysis is spot on, Michael. The original is sooooo much better. Lennon’s voice is buried in the new mix. They could have just widened the original and kept everything else the same. 🤘🏼
I don't know why they did this - is was a big mistake. After the 2 minute mark in the original stereo mix, the Beatles are in fake stereo. That should certainly be in true stereo now, but otherwise it should not have been changed this much. When Giles Martin started the remixing project, he said that he was going to use the mono mixes as a guide. Well, he violated that here. The last part here is a complete botch of what it should be - all of those sounds and noises that you don't hear in the original, and most of the stuff from King Lear (that is so much of a part of the record) is too low in the mix.
the ending of the song shouldn’t be changed it should have stayed -the ridle repeating everybody’s got one😳
My only complaint about it is that they changed the FM radio part.
I Am The Walrus is one of those Beatles classic tunes that didn't really need to be improved upon.
It was perfect from the start, even with the limitations of the technology back in the day.
The problem with new technology is that there is a real tendency to improve things into the ground.
Well, the last half is in fake stereo, which has always bothered me (since 1969).
Also, solo John sang, "I was the Walrus, but now I'm John, and you'll just have to carry on..."
I left this comment on the Beatle's RUclips channel after listening to the song, thought I'd share it here.
To re-phrase from a different Shakespeare play, "To re-mix or not to re-mix. That is the question." Just because we can apply modern technology to re-mix and 'fix' limitations and imperfections in the original works, should we? I mean, pop music is not like fine art, or is it? Is it ok to 'modernize' the work and make it sound 'better'? I actually like the first 3 minutes of this re-mix, but the ending is so different it seems like repainting Da Vinci's Mona Lisa to be blonde...
The only bit I had trouble with was it sounds like it fades out and back in the breakdown before "sitting in an English garden". That part made me go WTF.
Also, the scream in Revolution needs to be boosted way up, and get rid of that ducking under the ad-libs in Hey Bulldog (not you).
I agree! I do not like the new I Am the Walrus mix. I Am the Walrus was the song I was the most anxious just to hear a good solid stereo mix of. I do like the extra guitar in Magical Mystery Tour.
It sounds fantastic to this professional audio engineer. 🤷♂️
terrible new mix, took a epic ending and completely wrecked it
It's good to know John, Paul, Ringo, the two Georges, and everyone else involved in the originals were so wrong and only today's people can mix them correctly.
Why can't they just leave things alone.
I see it as a very positive thing to keep the mixes updated, rather than outdated. “Red” and “Blue” specifically are mainly important for the new generations of fans, and getting the sound up to par with the rest of the streaming world makes the likelihood of generating them higher. The more people that become fans, the longer the memory of the Fab 4 will be kept alive.
You and I may have grown up with the boys, and the purism of knowing what things “were supposed to sound like” can sometimes be tempting, but what’s even more tempting is making sure they won’t fade away. Sometimes it feels like fans expect them to just have this eternal legendary status, while also looking down on all sorts of updates, as if we won’t be dying off sooner or later and need to pass the legacy of good taste on in order for that to happen. It’s up to us.
Simple.
The "final" Beatles song, the remixed red/blue albums, etc. all represent one last cash grab before Paul and Ringo ride off into the sunset.
@@scottbrower9052please
@@Nerkin610 I can't agree with that at all
Some fans like it. And it makes money.
I nearly always don’t like the revised mix as much … so almost totally stopped listening to them
I have a special love of I Am The Walrus … so curiosity got to me
I have to say I did not plan on getting the Red & Blue (despite loving the original releases) because I felt that it was a bit of manipulation of us fans who I would say 100% were expecting a Rubber Soul remix. But I’ve been hearing good things about it overall…I Am The Walrus notwithstanding. So it looks like I will go for it. Thanks Michael N!
It's an absolute disaster. I had been listening to "I Am the Walrus" a lot recently (as I am wont to do because it may be my favorite Beatles track) so it was fresh in my mind when I got the Red & Blue box. You're so right about the siren sound of the intro (Mellotron?) -- and one of my favorite moments in the whole recording is when the outro chanting starts ("Oompa, oompa... Everybody's got one!"): The stereo switches to mono on "Sitting in an English garden..." but then the soundstage slowly collapses into the center as the radio broadcast sounds come in (ostensibly because they were recorded live off the air and couldn't be multi-tracked) and then the compressed mono pans from speaker to speaker. Whatever the practical reasons for it, it's a GREAT artistic effect that still gives me chills every time. And it's gone in the 2023 version, replaced with a lot of extraneous radio noise. As I said elsewhere, it's like somebody decided to play "Walrus" and "Revolution 9" at the same time for no reason. Some of the key moments in the fadeout ("Oh, untimely death!") are buried! It would be like if they took out John's "cranberry sauce/I buried Paul" from "Strawberry Fields Forever." I'll probably never listen to this version again (it's the first track on side 2 of the first LP so it's easy to skip) -- but at least we still have the 1967, 1987 and 2009 mixes!
I really appreciate the commentary and point of view but it would be helpful to give specific examples or some A/B comparisons of tracks. Love the channel.
I like the new mix. It's different. I have several 'mixes' of Walrus. This doesn't replace the old and original version, it supplements it. It's another viewpoint, that's all. It does sound clearer, fresher, newer... almost like it was recorded yesterday by young band suddenly cutting all the strings that bind them to the ground... and soaring upwards to the stars. They'll go far I'll wager.
Yeah, but with this awesome new tech, give us the MMT version. We're still sure to get the odd sound revealing itself here and there but we'd have the known version in it's full glory. This is a hatchet job.
I love it…..and isn’t it nice to have an alternate version.
So, those that love the original still have that…always
Just heard it... agreed it's not as good as the original (which is top 5 ever Beatle song for me...I love the irregular ins and outs sound). But I like that they did something different for this album. Especially at the end I actually heard what they say!
100% agreed this mix shouldn't be on the album, but I really enjoyed it as a remix for the purpose of this compilation.