Post Release MIC Track Discussion

[Amazing Larry]

When the "pony/puppy" lines came up in Made For You, I couldn't help but think it was a little corny, until 1:04, when those harmonies made my hair stand on end. That moment more than makes up for the slight cheesiness.

[Freddie French-Pounce]

It's things like this that annoy me about MIC.



The top mix is the CG Stereo mix from EH V.1
The bottom is the MIC version. While there is notable compression on the top mix too, it can be far more dynamic than the MIC mix, especially from the intro to Verse and at various points in the second verse [I think, this is from looking, not listening].

And there's way too much darn treble!

[jeffcdo]

And there's way too much darn treble!

This is exactly what I was posting about in "all of MIC" thread.  What I don't understand is, weren't Endless Harmony and Hawthorne CA compiled by the same people as the 2012 remasters and MIC?  Why the compression and treble on the latter?  Should we not be seeing the sound quality improve over the years?  My depressing theory is that it's yet another example of "designed for earbuds" contemporary mastering.

[Wirestone]

Endless Harmony was not compiled, mixed or mastered by Mark Linett.

... At least not the first issue with the ugly cover. He returned within a year or so to redo some things for the second version.

[Mr. Cohen]

Too bad the recording your speaking doesn't exist, and is only a figment of your collective unconscious. I just spoke to a Capitol rep today and he confirmed that MIC is not coming out.

[Robert James]

The "It's OK" mix is not new -- it's a '76 alternate mix for those that didn't note that.

even with the Child of Winter intro?

[punkinhead]

The "It's OK" mix is not new -- it's a '76 alternate mix for those that didn't note that.

even with the Child of Winter intro?

Is that what it's supposed to be?

[Robert James]

The "It's OK" mix is not new -- it's a '76 alternate mix for those that didn't note that.

even with the Child of Winter intro?

Is that what it's supposed to be?

oh it TOTALLY is.. and it doesn't fit very well lol

[drbeachboy]

The "It's OK" mix is not new -- it's a '76 alternate mix for those that didn't note that.

even with the Child of Winter intro?

Is that what it's supposed to be?

oh it TOTALLY is.. and it doesn't fit very well lol

Most likely why it wasn't included on 15 Big Ones or the single mix. This is an alternate mix, so we have something different (to piss & moan about) on the box set.

[Robert James]

The "It's OK" mix is not new -- it's a '76 alternate mix for those that didn't note that.

even with the Child of Winter intro?

listen between the Child Of Winter intro and the actual song.. you hear a SQUEAL. It sounds like the two songs were melded together
Is that what it's supposed to be?

oh it TOTALLY is.. and it doesn't fit very well lol

Most likely why it wasn't included on 15 Big Ones or the single mix. This is an alternate mix, so we have something different (to piss & moan about) on the box set.

[drbeachboy]

The "It's OK" mix is not new -- it's a '76 alternate mix for those that didn't note that.

even with the Child of Winter intro?

listen between the Child Of Winter intro and the actual song.. you hear a SQUEAL. It sounds like the two songs were melded together
Is that what it's supposed to be?

oh it TOTALLY is.. and it doesn't fit very well lol

Most likely why it wasn't included on 15 Big Ones or the single mix. This is an alternate mix, so we have something different (to piss & moan about) on the box set.

According to DonnyL, this is not a new mix from Mark Linett, it is a mix from 1975-1976.

[Mike's Beard]

Disc 6

Slip On Through has some really weird ass backing vocals doesn't it? I dig it.
Guess I'm Dumb and Sherry really should have been finished for Summer Days!
Where is She is very good.
Hmmmmm, it must be said that Barnyard Blues is unlikely to go down as one of Dennis Wilson's finer moments to put it politely.
California Feelin' demo seems to have roughly 5 different era Brian vocals on one song.
My Love Lives On sounds like it could have walked right off POB. I like it but at the same time I think I've reached the limit to how much Dennis piano ballads I want to hear.
Hushabye is nothing short of stunning but can't compete with the finished studio version.


Overall I'm slightly disapointed with this disc, there is the odd bit of the dreaded barrel scraping on this one.

[Nicko1234]

On first listen the Transcendental Meditation backing track doesn't really add anything to the album version.

Slip on Through sounds very unnatural to me.

Lots of good stuff too though.

[Matt Bielewicz]

When the "pony/puppy" lines came up in Made For You, I couldn't help but think it was a little corny, until 1:04, when those harmonies made my hair stand on end. That moment more than makes up for the slight cheesiness.

QFT. Although I am gonna do a re-edit of all the existing versions to zap the pony & the puppy. Then I can have the best of both worlds...

I have this funny feeling that the 'alt version' is itself a 2012 assembly, something that takes various things recorded back in the day at different times and puts them together anew. I have absolutely no inside knowledge of any kind to back this up, but it sounds to me as though a few versions from different eras have been assembled for this. I've got this persistent feeling that there was never a multitrack in 1968 with all the pieces on it that we hear on the new alt version, in that order. I smell fly-ins. Don't know why I've got that feeling, and I could be totally wrong.

There's only one thing I can spot immediately that doesn't feel quite right. Between Mike's intro ("As I sit and close my eyes..." until "...these feelings in my heart, I know, are meant for you") and when the group vocals come in just after Mike stops singing, the tone of the backing organ changes totally. The incoming group vocals do a lot to mask the change, but I think there's an edit of some different sections there.

This *could* have happened for real back in the day, if someone had changed the drawbar settings on the organ very fast at that point... but it seems a bit too quick to be 'live' for me. Of course, it might be that two sections were edited together like that in 1968, too — I could be wrong.

And also, I'm not having a go at the resulting alt version — I love it. I can even forgive the pony and the puppy lyrics, because the singing is so damn marvellous, and I'm so glad the set's compilers decided to go to the trouble to give us this. I don't get too hung up on the whole 'historical accuracy' thing when the results sound as damned great as this track does.

[seltaeb1012002]

I have this funny feeling that the 'alt version' is itself a 2012 assembly, something that takes various things recorded back in the day at different times and puts them together anew.

I agree. The track speeds up a lot right as the "pony" section kicks in. There's also the missing intro, and I don't think we ever hear the exact "do do do's" that fade on the original version.

[doinnothin]

I can't believe how many people have problems with ponies and puppies. I legit love the lyrics. What fitting images to have with the loving beauty of the track.

[Ebb and Flow]

The pony/puppy dog imagery reminds me of posters that would be on the wall of a young girl's room, which is akin to the warm, fuzzy saccharine-filled, mellow vibe that the Friends album presents to the listener anyways.

[Rocky Raccoon]

Guess I'm Dumb and Sherry really should have been finished for Summer Days!

I think Glen Campbell did a terrific job singing Guess I'm Dumb but I do wish the Beach Boys did a version of it.   I'm actually surprised they didn't after Campbell's version didn't chart.

[Dave Modny]

And there's way too much darn treble!

This is exactly what I was posting about in "all of MIC" thread.  What I don't understand is, weren't Endless Harmony and Hawthorne CA compiled by the same people as the 2012 remasters and MIC?  Why the compression and treble on the latter?  Should we not be seeing the sound quality improve over the years?  My depressing theory is that it's yet another example of "designed for earbuds" contemporary mastering.

For me, the mastering is the only real letdown on the new box. I haven't gone back and compared to see if previous Linett masterings were simply pulled "straight" for some songs, or whether fresh transfers or any simple tweaking to those previous Linett remasters were done, but the tonal balance is, frankly, a bit brutal in places to my ears. I don't know if this was Linett's decision/taste, or he was simply acting on orders, but I really don't care for it on many tracks.

Take "Marcella' for example. Sounded really bright, glassy and and piercing to me when I first sampled it, so I pulled out my 2000 Sandoval-Hersch version to compare. While both may or may not be dynamically compromised, the earlier one just has a richer, better overall balance than the "whiter and brighter," 2013 Linett version (though, one might argue that even *that* earlier one is a bit over-EQed). The new Linett version also seems to have a bit of a channel imbalance -- with a louder right channel -- if one listens or looks at the waveform. Odd.

I don't know what anyone else's preference is, but personally again, and while perhaps not perfect, I'll still stick with that aforementioned Sandoval-Hersch 2000 version for this particular track.


(Note: I didn't pull out "Classics" to compare that mastering, but the earlier, '93 box set version, mastered by Larry Walsh and ML almost sounds like it's from an inferior tape source and with some possible NR on it. I also didn't dig out the original Gastwirt, CATP version. But, I seem to recall that one as being pretty uninspired, tape source-wise, as well.)


Anyway...if anyone wants to compare, I believe 30 second samples are still allowed. Uncompressed WAV for download or 320 kbps MP3s (both of which can be streamed in most browsers). Also note that the Sandoval-Hersch version is a few db louder for that section of the clip. Something to take into mind when comparing or ABX'ing:


WAV:

Marcella - 2000 - Sandoval and Hersch
http://www.lukpac.org/~dave/Marcella%20-%202000%20-%20Sandoval-Hersch.wav


Marcella - 2013 - Linett
http://www.lukpac.org/~dave/Marcella%20-%202013%20-%20Linett.wav


or:


320 kbps MP3:

Marcella - 2000 - Sandoval and Hersch
http://www.lukpac.org/~dave/Marcella%20-%202000%20-%20Sandoval-Hersch.mp3


Marcella - 2013 - Linett
http://www.lukpac.org/~dave/Marcella%20-%202013%20-%20Linett.mp3

[Bosco82]

On other remixed tracks the bridge of Wouldn't It Be Nice no longer has the phasing in the backing track. Sounds a lot better.

[runnersdialzero]

The "It's OK" mix is not new -- it's a '76 alternate mix for those that didn't note that.

even with the Child of Winter intro?

Is that what it's supposed to be?

oh it TOTALLY is.. and it doesn't fit very well lol

I heard someone else say it sounds a lot like "Some Of Your Love", and it does. The melody also just reminds me a bit of the "In the sum-sum-summertime" vocal at the end of "It's OK", although it's definitely not exact.

[EgoHanger1966]

I heard it as "Some of Your Love" on my first listen. Or "Mike Come Back To L.A", whatever. Clearly the same melody line, though.

[drbeachboy]

I also noticed that Mark fixed the missing "...arlin" in "Darlin' that was missing on the stereo version of 50 Big Ones.

[send me a picture and i'll tell you]

So it hasn't bothered anyone else yet that the Beach Boys' voices are autotuned to the point of sounding like car horns throughout this ENTIRE collection (previously-released material included)?

The only completely  untouched track seems to be the Surfin' rehearsal. Even instruments are sometimes apparently run through the bitch.  Some of the supposed original alternate mixes (especially Sail Plane) sound like they are likely contemporary Pro Tools experiments.

How much did this cost again?!

[Wirestone]

So it hasn't bothered anyone else yet that the Beach Boys' voices are autotuned to the point of sounding like car horns throughout this ENTIRE collection (previously-released material included)?

The only completely  untouched track seems to be the Surfin' rehearsal. Even instruments are sometimes apparently run through the bitch.  Some of the supposed alternate mixes (especially Sail Plane) sound like Pro Tools experiments.

How much did this cost again?!

Um, I would very much doubt that this is the case. Not saying a pinch of manual pitch correction isn't present on a handful of tracks, but given that a lot of things are simply remastered versions of earlier mixes, what you propose is simply impossible. The entire set would need to be remixed for this to even be a possibility.