"Melt Away" end vocal round

[Andrew G. Doe]

Of course, those of us who bought the album when it was originally issued have no such problems. 

[Vega-Table Man]

I remember sending my "incorrect" remaster back to Rhino and getting the corrected replacement in the mail. I assumed the corrected version would also be put in stores, but apparently it wasn't. I did have a CD burner at the time, so I did back up the "incorrect" mixes. But I've never re-listened to them.

The missing vocals at the end of "Melt Away" bothered me, so when I read about the replacement program in ICE magazine, I jumped on it ... What a gorgeous coda.

[Andrew G. Doe]

A question:

Vega-table Man, where are you ?   

[Sorry, but currently reading a Syd biography, and it was just too good a chance to pass up]

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Is it the new one that just came out? Anything we don't already know in it?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Is it the new one that just came out? Anything we don't already know in it?

Pretty new-ish - A Very Irregular Head by Rod Chapman, published last year. Interesting: some great original research and myth debunking, and lots of input from Libby Gausden & Syd's sister Rosemary, but the main problem I can see is that the author insists that Syd's increasingly bizarre actions in his latter days in the Floyd were because he was bored with doing the normal stuff and started expanding his horizons, and therefore concious decisions, and not because he was, frankly, imploding and pretty much out of it at the time. I mean, when his bandmates all agree that he was tap-dancing on the rings of Saturn after the summer of 1967, I think it's a pretty persuasive argument.

[Dove Nested Towers]

Of course, those of us who bought the album when it was originally issued have no such problems. 

Except that ours is not re-mastered, as Roger points out. Fairly significant.

[JaredLekites]

Of course, those of us who bought the album when it was originally issued have no such problems. 

Except that ours is not re-mastered, as Roger points out. Fairly significant.

Bernie Grundman mastered the original. He's certainly one of the top mastering engineers in the music world, whom also happens to run one of the top mastering facilities.

[Dove Nested Towers]

Like I said, not very significant.

[Roger Ryan]

Of course, those of us who bought the album when it was originally issued have no such problems. 

Except that ours is not re-mastered, as Roger points out. Fairly significant.

Bernie Grundman mastered the original. He's certainly one of the top mastering engineers in the music world, whom also happens to run one of the top mastering facilities.

However, the improvement in digital sampling rates between 1988 and 2000 is significant. The Rhino reissue sounds warmer and has more clarity than the first version on CD, plus it has all those cool bonus tracks. If you're talking about the original vinyl album, then there is less of a difference.

[Dove Nested Towers]

Of course, those of us who bought the album when it was originally issued have no such problems. 

Except that ours is not re-mastered, as Roger points out. Fairly significant.

Bernie Grundman mastered the original. He's certainly one of the top mastering engineers in the music world, whom also happens to run one of the top mastering facilities.

However, the improvement in digital sampling rates between 1988 and 2000 is significant. The Rhino reissue sounds warmer and has more clarity than the first version on CD, plus it has all those cool bonus tracks. If you're talking about the original vinyl album, then there is less of a difference.

As I was saying, quite significant.

[Aum Bop Diddit]

Just one more thing -- other alternate mixes notwithstanding, the dropping of the "ahhhhs" on "Melt Away" is so egregious -- how could that have been missed?  I noticed immediately and like others was extremely disappointed as that was what put this wonderful track over the top for me.

Who was getting paid to drop that big of a ball?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Just one more thing -- other alternate mixes notwithstanding, the dropping of the "ahhhhs" on "Melt Away" is so egregious -- how could that have been missed?  I noticed immediately and like others was extremely disappointed as that was what put this wonderful track over the top for me.

Who was getting paid to drop that big of a ball?

Recall it being explained at the time that there wasn't a single, banded master for the whole album, so the songs had to be pulled individually from the racks, and in a couple of instances, the wrong one was used. It happens, even with complete album masters, as per the Sony reissues of 1991.

[Vega-Table Man]

A question:

Vega-table Man, where are you ?   

[Sorry, but currently reading a Syd biography, and it was just too good a chance to pass up]

 

I need to pick up that Syd book actually ... Been meaning to for a while.

[JaredLekites]

Just one more thing -- other alternate mixes notwithstanding, the dropping of the "ahhhhs" on "Melt Away" is so egregious -- how could that have been missed?  I noticed immediately and like others was extremely disappointed as that was what put this wonderful track over the top for me.

Who was getting paid to drop that big of a ball?

Recall it being explained at the time that there wasn't a single, banded master for the whole album, so the songs had to be pulled individually from the racks, and in a couple of instances, the wrong one was used. It happens, even with complete album masters, as per the Sony reissues of 1991.

Did the producers of the reissue not have a copy of the original album on CD or vinyl to compare to the tapes they had?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Just one more thing -- other alternate mixes notwithstanding, the dropping of the "ahhhhs" on "Melt Away" is so egregious -- how could that have been missed?  I noticed immediately and like others was extremely disappointed as that was what put this wonderful track over the top for me.

Who was getting paid to drop that big of a ball?

Recall it being explained at the time that there wasn't a single, banded master for the whole album, so the songs had to be pulled individually from the racks, and in a couple of instances, the wrong one was used. It happens, even with complete album masters, as per the Sony reissues of 1991.

Did the producers of the reissue not have a copy of the original album on CD or vinyl to compare to the tapes they had?

An excellent question, and one much asked back then.

[Craig Boyd]

Sorry for posting in here after such a long time but I stumbled upon the thread and wondered if the version on spotify is the correct version or not? I'm sure it's the same as the one I bought on cd about ten years ago.

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Omg, just listened to my 88 cd (I have both, so I've never really listened to the old one) THE CODA IS AMAZING.

[Craig Boyd]

Omg, just listened to my 88 cd (I have both, so I've never really listened to the old one) THE CODA IS AMAZING.

Now you're just teasing! The one i've been listening to is pretty much my favourite tag in a Brian song, so to think there's a different version that's even better is making me too excited!

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

It's worth it, the "aahhhh" is just so great, sounds a bit like adding the "2nd verse vocals" to CIFOTM

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

My claim to fame is that, upon release of the reissue, I mentioned the wrong mixes on the PSML.  Somebody forwarded my comments to Mark, and he insisted that they were the right mixes, even saying that the 3 loud synth notes before the L&M coda were loud because of the higher bitrate.  Yeah, I don't think bitrates add like 6 dB; just sayin'...
 

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Also, the "ahhhhh"s in Melt Away are on the IJWMFTT version, If you really want to hear it but have the reissue

[Wilson Love]

Rhino replaced my copy of BW '88 with the corrected one almost immediately after the release. Not only was the coda to "Melt Away" affected, but "Love & Mercy" and "There's So Many" featured different mixes as well.

Makes me sad I didn't buy the one with the different mixes; When you say "replaced" did you have to send one back to get the other? 

seconded -  very curious!

Yes, I did have to mail in the "wrong" disc to get the correct one sent to me. I hesitated briefly, but the earlier mixes were definitely inferior as far as I was concerned and the lack of the high vocal at the end of MELT AWAY was a dealbreaker (it's perhaps my favorite moment on the album).

Bummer. I wonder if they destroyed all the returns, or kept them to sell as collectors items...

Those of us who bought the CD in 1988 were, of course, spared any such dilemma. 

Mark will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure I recall reading that when the 2000 reissue was compiled, it was discovered that there wasn't, in fact, one single master for the album, so the tracks had to be pulled from the vault individually.

I can't believe there was that much ineptitude in preparing a  remastered re-release. I was disgusted with the way the disc sounded, particularly the missing vocals in "Mely Away". I'd like to have a "corrected" copy myself!

[Outtasight!]

Those 3 synth notes on Love and Mercy annoy the hell out of me everytime I play it. They shouldn't but they do. I also end up singing the missing vocals on Melt Away when I play the remastered version. 2 of the 3 greatest songs on that album screwed up, very poor! Maybe I should just stick to playing the original issue, the first BW/BB's album I ever bought incidently.

[hypehat]

Am I a bad person if I like the reissue mixes as that's the first way I heard that record and I never really miss the coda? And what synth notes? The little run up the scale to the final chorus? Is that not supposed to be there?




I just remembered, I actually have an old pre-reissue CD of this. Maybe should stick it on the computer 

[Craig Boyd]

Am I a bad person if I like the reissue mixes as that's the first way I heard that record and I never really miss the coda? And what synth notes? The little run up the scale to the final chorus? Is that not supposed to be there?




I just remembered, I actually have an old pre-reissue CD of this. Maybe should stick it on the computer 

If it's the same three notes i'm thinking about it's after the lovely harmony bit in the middle leading back into the chorus. I've always hated it, those little notes ruin the whole section that comes before.