What are you listening to, right now................
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After watching (most of) the Peter Jackson Beatles Doco (discussion is in Documentaries thread) I was curious about the different mixes of the tracks available (see also Rick Beato on youtube)
Not being an avid Beatles fan I didn't really know the backstory and how this album was meant to be somewhere between 'live' at a show and 'live' in the studio without overdubs. Infact some of the base recordings used were performances from the rooftop show.
Anyway there is now a 'super deluxe' issue of the album that has many of the different mixes from over the years.
You get some practice takes, the original Glyn Johns mixes, a couple he then had a second crack at when Apple (the label) decided they didn't like them. You also get some of the 2011 stripped back stuff which I think is the Spector versions with overdubs and strings removed and some new versions done by Giles Martin (George's son) which keep the overdubs but tone them down.
If you are interested in this stuff have a listen to 'Long and Winding Road' for a good example of how much the mix can change the song. I grew up hearing the schmaltzy Phil Spector version which was MoR radio fodder and tbh it coloured my perception of the band.
The rehearsal versions are a bit rough but the Glyn Johns original mix (IMO) is great. It lets the others in the band shine, has clearer drums and is a way better picture of the dynamics of the band at that time. It sounds more like a rock band doing a ballad than an overproduced slice of cheese. -
@crucial So I listened to the Johns version. It is more spare but I don't hear anything resembling a rock group...
I haven't watched Jacksons doco's but my understanding of the gestation of the Let It Be album is
Glyn Johns was the Engineer and George Martin the Producer of the Get Back sessions.
Martin produced the singles Get Back/Don't Let me Down & Let It Be but didn't like all the bickering and bullshit and certainly didn't fancy going through the hundreds of hours of recordings trying to put something coherent together.
Johns got the job instead but neither the Beatles nor EMI liked the result.
Spector was brought in by Lennon and Harrison to finish the record.
EMI didn't credit Martin because he didn't produce the tracks on Let it Be.
Martin's reaction was that the credits should appear as follows:
Produced by George Martin, overproduced by Phil Spector.
Martin agreed to do "Abbey Road" because the Beatles said they wanted to revert to how they'd recorded albums in the past.
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@dogmeat not sure what “bickering and bullshit” you refer to. The post recording stuff?
GM was there most of the time but was also aware that the idea Paul had was for them to knock out some songs and play them live. He kept changing his mind though and there is a scene in the mixing room where he’s listening to Winding Rd and going on about overdubbing strings.
You can see how left on their own they all had their own ideas and no one was pulling it together cohesively. It was compromised all the way.
For all the Lennon/McCartney songwriting stuff you hear about there was little evidence to see of collaboration
My comment about being more like a rock band doing a ballad was a clumsy way of saying it sounded more like a band and not something Paul and a piano could have done with any old backup.Biggest problem with the recording is that the band loses a guitar from Lennon and he’s a terrible bassist just hitting the notes on a Fender 6.
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@crucial said in What are you listening to, right now................:
@dogmeat not sure what “bickering and bullshit” you refer to. The post recording stuff?
GM was there most of the time but was also aware that the idea Paul had was for them to knock out some songs and play them live. He kept changing his mind though and there is a scene in the mixing room where he’s listening to Winding Rd and going on about overdubbing strings.
You can see how left on their own they all had their own ideas and no one was pulling it together cohesively. It was compromised all the way.
For all the Lennon/McCartney songwriting stuff you hear about there was little evidence to see of collaboration
My comment about being more like a rock band doing a ballad was a clumsy way of saying it sounded more like a band and not something Paul and a piano could have done with any old backup.Biggest problem with the recording is that the band loses a guitar from Lennon and he’s a terrible bassist just hitting the notes on a Fender 6.
I reading years ago that despite the Lennon/McCartney writing credits they did very little collaboration throughout the band's history. It was an agreement that all songs written by John or Paul would have the duel writing credits.
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so have been looking around for some good chill music lately as work gets a bit more stressful etc, found myself exploring a bit more Jazz which is not the genre I have listened to a lot of in the past. Found some great music in the Montreaux Jazz and San Sebastan Jazz compilations including this one, hope you like...............
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@nevorian said in What are you listening to, right now................:
looking around for some good chill music lately as work gets a bit more stressful
I've found the mixes at Music For Programming to be pretty good. Lots of ambient stuff.