The Smiley Smile Message Board

Just got this in the mail.  Don't have much to say about it at the moment as I've just ripped it to my iPod.  The remastered sound is a step up from the old CD issue.  Billy Hinsche provides the liner notes.  Not sure why his first solo album hasn't received the remastering treatment (aside from it not being that great of an album), but it would be quite nice for at least a remastered release of "Heaven". 

Well, mayby they  are just testing the waters with the second album, so if it sellls out, we'll also get the first one. I have both on Japanese cds.

Was this remastered? I looked all through the booklet and I did not see "Remastered" anywhere; only "Reissued".

Also, I was not aware until the other day that Youngblood was not released through Brother Records like the first one was. I had to verify this by digging out my old LPs. This may be a possible reason why we did not get a 2-fer out of this release.

According to the company site it's been remastered from the original tapes.

Barring the fact that nothing sounds as good as the vinyl, what has been done in the remastering?
Please define remastering, so I don't have to google it. 
Is it mixed differently, or would that be a remix and not a remaster?

The remastering is excellent, there is so much more clarity to this album. I thought the remastering for the tracks used on the Long Promised Road comp was an improvement, but this release is so much more so. Billy's liner notes are well-written and heartfelt. There are a couple of new photos (by Craig Janos) from Carl's '81 solo tour. Caribou artwork and logo are screened on the disc itself.  It's a very nice package, overall.

As for Carl's first solo album, there are no plans to reissue it for now. I agree that "Heaven" deserves to have the same treatment as Youngblood, at the very least a remastered version on a BB's comp.

Emdeeh, is that because Brother Records owns the rights to the first solo album? This was brought up on the Steve Hoffman Forum, and sure enough, upon looking at the LP, the Brother Records logo appears on "Carl Wilson", but does not appear on the Youngblood LP.

I have the Japan pressing of Youngblood, and although I have not given both a critical listening together, my casual listening of the two shows that they are close in sonics. The rermaster is not as loud as the Japanese release. So, I am happy that this release didn't follow the brickwalled trend.

A remix is when the reissue compiler/producer goes back to the original session multitracks and produces a new mix of the previously released song. Richard Carpenter is very fond of doing this, and the fans usually don't like it as they bought the songs the way they originally sounded.

A remaster is when the reissue producer only has the 2-track stereo album master to work with: the internal balances are locked, but the overall sound can be improved by new EQ levels and other clever stuff I have no idea about.

A remix can also be a remaster - in fact, has to be as a new master has to be prepared - but a remaster can never be a remix.

Also, bear in mind that all pre-1982 songs (more or less) were mastered for vinyl and the limitations thereof. Which is why some early CDs sounded like crap (and still can, because an album cutting master is used) and some later remasters (POB, for example) sound so much better.

What I've heard is that reissuing Carl Wilson is more complicated than reissuing Youngblood.

It would not surprise me to find out that there are rights clearances of some sort involved that will take a while to resolve.

Yeah, that makes sense.  Not that I'm really clamoring for a release of his debut solo album; would just like to see a remastered version of "Heaven".  Maybe someone can sneak it into the soundtrack of a feature film.  If they can put Dennis' "River Song" in Marley & Me, they can do something with this.