The Smiley Smile Message Board

I was listening to the tracks for the unreleased 1977 Christmas tracks last night. Is it just me, or does the sound quality and mixing suck? Why is the sound so bad? I especially noticed it on the Christmas versions of Loop De Loop and Kona Coast. They sound really muddy. There's no "life" in them.

i agree...i also felt that Christmas Time is Here again isnt too great sounding either...but it might be the sleigh bells added in...btw, was there a cover made for this?  Or since it was rejected, no cover was attempted?

Yeah, let's get them songs remastered. It was good enough for The Beatles! :police:

Some people have also said that Dennis` song sounds far worse that it did at the time as well...although clearly a fine song anyway.

I'm amazed, and seriously embarrassed, that it took me so long to work this out... but there never was going to be a 1977 Christmas album. The first seasonal song session I'm aware of was for "Santa's Got An Airplane" at MIU in 11/14/77, last one was 11/23/77. Bit late for 1977 release, no ?

Bear in mind that some of the 1977 sessions were remixed using the Spatialiser for the 1998 reissue, to wit "Santa's Got An Airplane", "Melekalikimaka" (also a different recording in parts) & "Bells Of Christmas".

was it not that some tapes were in really bad shape ? I think Alan Boyd told that in a interview. I have the boot and official release and Bells of xmas sound really different.

Maybe not a 1977 Christmas album, but how about a 1978 Christmas album? I always assumed that they were planning to record and finish the album in late 1977/early 1978, and release it in the fall of 1978, like MIU eventually was... 

Hey, you just never know with those beach boys and Christmas songs....didn't they record Child of Winter really late too?  ;)

Um....what's a Spatialiser?

http://jeronimomachado.vilabol.uol.com.br/spatializer.htm (http://jeronimomachado.vilabol.uol.com.br/spatializer.htm)

Am I the first to, um, notice a wicked (possibly Freudian) slip o'the pen in the actual threat title?

:-D :-D

If we're talking about the 1977 songs on the 1998 'Ultimate Christmas' compilation; some of those are the ones that Al remixed with the spatialiser and yes they do sound 'odd' (presumably because you're meant to listen to it with some fancy equipment?).

Fortuneately few of those songs require a second listen....

Is the Spatializer roughly the same gizmo as the Aphex Aural Equalizer? That was used by the Bee Gees, if memory serves, and it gave their '70 hits that special, unique, and incredibly bland sound.

(BTW one of the funniest parody songs I know is: 'Meaningless Songs In Very High Voices' by the Hee Bee Gee Bees...)

No, the Aphex, and I quote, "is said to enhance clarity and intelligibility by adding phase shift and musically related synthesized harmonics to audio signals. The Big Bottom circuit combines a low-pass filter and dynamics processor to compress and delay incoming low-frequency information. The process is reverse amplitude dependent, meaning that more is applied as the input level drops and less as the signal gets hotter. Together the dynamics processor and time delay create sustained bass frequencies that are perceived as being louder yet don't noticeably increase peak output."

Yeah... whatever.

Steve Desper's Spatializer is, as best I can understand, a method of encoding 3D information in any given audio signal. It's not unlike surround sound, but requires just two speakers.

Thanks Andrew. This is something I can, um, like, relate to... ;D

Might be why a lot of folks think the "Light Album" sounds so bland (it was mixed with the Aphex Aural Exciter...I assume that's the one you're referring to?).  However, to my ears, "KTSA" sounds far blander, and that was a Desper mix (don't think he had the Spatializer yet, however he did mix "Sunflower" and "Surf's Up" with a quadrophonic "Matrix", so maybe he did something similar with "KTSA"...it just sounds a bit bland in stereo.  Don't think I've ever hooked the Spatializer up to listen to THAT album...maybe I should give it a try!).

Yup, it was the Exciter, thanks. The late 70s and the 80s were pretty strange years for record production. Someone should write a book on it. Many records were bland indeed. I blame Jeff Lynne.

Listening to KTSA with the Spatialzer patched in is... um... interesting.

I always keep the Spatialzer plugged in I think it makes everything sound better.

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but I'm very curious about this spatializer gadget, even with my limited understanding of it. Are they available for purchase? I'd love to see what effect it would have for myself.

Don't think so - Steve Desper sold them for a very limited while: check out his thread for more info on the gadget in general.

BTW, for a truly wrenching aural experience, listen to Denny's tracks on CATP-ST through the Spatializer.  :o

I find that on certain albums (even certain Beach Boys albums) not encoded with the quad "matrix", the center vocals tend to become buried when listening thru the Spatializer...last two Steely Dan albums, for instance ("Two Against Nature" and "Everything Must Go").

Really to me it just makes everything more life like. I never really liked stereo compared to mono until I got one.

where did you get yours?

From Stephen in 2003. I really hope that he starts selling these again, the difference is amazing.

The Christmas Album. If I am not mistaken Jardine and Love offered this Album to Epic Records didn´t they? Epic said no - means that the guys from Epic must have good taste.

It´s absolutely sad that "Winter Symphony" and "Morning Christmas" did not make it on an album. Because some of this song ain´t not too bad - I always liked "Christmas Time is here again"... but all this remaked MIU tracks, what do they want with them?


As for the sound - my suggestion: Listen to the CD with lousy speakers and boxes, then you don´t mind the poor sound quality anymore :)

Winter Symphony just might be the most overlooked, or unknown, song that Brian was ever involved in. Even if it copies Macarthur Park almost note for note.  ;D

Speaking of the Beach Boys and electronic gismos, I've heard on several session tapes that Brian and Chuck are talking about something called an "oscillator".  What exactly is this thing?