New Beach Boys 2012 Remasters!

[Runaways]

I kinda think Linett made these stereo in a 1960s sense.  I feel like the Please Let Me Wonder stereo mix on summer love songs is a lot wider than the remaster.  But then again Kiss Me Baby remaster is super wide and sounds great.  I think that's where the difference is between the Pet Sounds stereo and the remasters for Today.  PS was given a more modern stereo, while Today is a stereo mix of the 60s. 

And yeah I agree SDSN is hit or miss, but I'm probably just so enthused with the Let Him Run remaster, much better than the Warmth of the Sun Mix. 

Also, the mono remasters are killer too.  PLMW has never sounded so clear in mono.

[tansen]

I don't understand how anyone can say that Today sounds amazing. Some of the stereo tracks work okay, but really, the stereo portion of the album is a hit and miss in my opinion. Smiley Smile on the other hand..

Today was a mess in mono, too much happening for such a closed mix, it needed stereo.

You misunderstand. It's not about needing stereo or not, I just don't think the sound (e.g. overall EQ settings, compression, etc) of most of the stereo mixes on Today are very good.

[sockittome]

I don't understand how anyone can say that Today sounds amazing. Some of the stereo tracks work okay, but really, the stereo portion of the album is a hit and miss in my opinion. Smiley Smile on the other hand..

Today was a mess in mono, too much happening for such a closed mix, it needed stereo.

You misunderstand. It's not about needing stereo or not, I just don't think the sound (e.g. overall EQ settings, compression, etc) of most of the stereo mixes on Today are very good.

Maybe we all need to list the equipment we are listening on in our profiles, like they do over on the Hoffy board! 

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Whether at home or in the car I have to turn the treble down halfway in order to play these discs.

But I am grateful to have the early monos. Been listening to nothing but mono Surfin' USA through All Summer Long for the past 2 weeks.

[SMiLE Brian]

Been listening to nothing but mono Surfin' USA through All Summer Long for the past 2 weeks.

Sounds like Heaven.

[Jim V.]

I was going to buy a couple of these and then I saw that the Surf's Up album has a "Brian's Back"-era promo shot on the back. Makes it all look a little cheap and you'd think there really should've been enough early-70s shots of the group to choose from...

Yeah they probably should have used this one:

[RadBooley]

I was going to buy a couple of these and then I saw that the Surf's Up album has a "Brian's Back"-era promo shot on the back. Makes it all look a little cheap and you'd think there really should've been enough early-70s shots of the group to choose from...

Yeah they probably should have used this one:

...Ringo? 

[EgoHanger1966]

I doubt any of the four living Beach Boys would want that picture on the back of a cd cover!

[Shady]

It's such a great picture though.

Sums up the 70s Beach Boys for me.

[Rocky Raccoon]

This is a better one.  They could have used this one.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Which one?

[Shady]

The Boys as ghosts I guess

[Wrightfan]

Just picked up Sunflower (I never got the 2009 when it came out).

Love it so far. Early in so far but one thing that has stood out are the drums.

[EgoHanger1966]

Just picked up Sunflower (I never got the 2009 when it came out).

Love it so far. Early in so far but one thing that has stood out are the drums.

I heard the new Sunflower today. While there is a new found depth to the sound, are you finding it really bright???

[Awesoman]

Just picked up Sunflower (I never got the 2009 when it came out).

Love it so far. Early in so far but one thing that has stood out are the drums.

I heard the new Sunflower today. While there is a new found depth to the sound, are you finding it really bright???

I found both the new Sunflower and Surf's Up as somewhat hissy when listening on headphones. 

[Nathan Snyder]

Just wanted to add my two cents regarding these releases.  I don’t throw the ‘audiophile’ term around lightly, so I won’t go there, but I can say that sound is of the utmost importance to me.  I’m one of the geeks that cares about file formats (aiff vs wav vs flac & ALAC….even though they’re all lossless, differences in the encoding/decoding, etc.) and CD players and speakers/headphones. (I use sony v6’s, the studio standard and Grado SR-80’s) ANYWAYS……….Posts and reviews and comments on this board and MORESO Steve Hoffman’s website really deterred me from buying these 12 new remasters along with Fifty Big Ones.  I’d like to say that my Beach Boys CD/vinyl collection is pretty complete so this was a departure for me not buying them all on release date, but with money tight I just couldn’t justify buying everything I already have especially with lots of talk of severe brightness, washed out instrumentation for exaggerated vocals, better stereo versions on past complications, flimsy crappy packages, poor cover art scans…..you get the point.  I few days ago, I was pulled into my old ways and bought the entire group.  You know, you learn in life that comments like, “unlistenable”, “totally unacceptable” are foolish to believe just like the kid that told you that teacher is the worst and it turns out to be your favorite.  Case in point, these releases are great.  I’m super happy with each one for various reasons.  I love the sound, I don’t adjust my treble knob, the clarity is great, the mono albums are fantastic, the stereo versions are their own category of beautiful, the new compilation is exciting and I’m already RE-appreciating each album in its own sense more so than when I had to click up to track 13 just to start half their catalog with the twofers.  The packaging is cool, bright, has all the info I need and looks nice.  Sunflower and Surf’s Up are worthy upgrades and I do hear some differences in clarity.  That’s really all I have to say.  I’m not discounting the opinions of others, but I do wish to let those on the fence know that you might as well buy ‘em and prepare to enjoy this great music again!  Now how to explain to my wife that I own Pet Sounds 12 times……..

[Outtasight!]

Just to throw in my tupence worth. I am loving the remasters. I won't be buying Pet Sounds immediately as I just can't justify buying it again but the others have been worth the purchase. At first I was a little dubious as I was so used to the sound of the two-fers and struggled to appreciate the remasters. However by the third or fourth listen I was loving them. The step up in quality is appreciable. I'm loving the mono mixes previously unavailable on cd and some of the stereo mixes (Smiley in particular) do exactly what they should, ie give us a new way of looking at/listening to these recordings. The packaging is sh*t though. 

[The Shift]

Now how to explain to my wife that I own Pet Sounds 12 times…

This. We need some kind of help group for this very issue. Nathan and I can't be the only ones who have to justify this kind of behaviour, especially when times are hard.  Any therapists/counsellors among our throng?

[Bean Bag]

Now how to explain to my wife that I own Pet Sounds 12 times…

This. We need some kind of help group for this very issue. Nathan and I can't be the only ones who have to justify this kind of behaviour, especially when times are hard.  Any therapists/counsellors among our throng?

Me too.  I'm going to pick up the remaining remasters I need today.  I can't guarantee I'm going to be wise and smart and NOT buy Pet Sounds again.  I just assume that the remaining remasters are coming... and I won't stand for having PS missing from the line-up.  Totally irrational...I know.  But I never liked how my twofers were "complete" but PS had it's own thing.  I think it would be even MORE pronounced in this collection of every album, mono/stereo -- whereas the twofers were all grouped up anyway.

This is total collector's BS, I know.  But some of that certainly is at play with all of us to some degree by now.

[Nathan Snyder]

Now how to explain to my wife that I own Pet Sounds 12 times…

This. We need some kind of help group for this very issue. Nathan and I can't be the only ones who have to justify this kind of behaviour, especially when times are hard.  Any therapists/counsellors among our throng?

Step One:  I open her closet door and show her the vast collection of bags and shoes.  Cloth bags, vinyl bags, leather, felt, shiney, dull, colorful, compact, large bags, totes, purses, baskets, cases, on and on and on.  High heels, shoes, sneakers, slip ons, boots, flats, etc, etc, etc.  Women love bags.  Women love shoes.  Can't get enough of them.  Women buy bags to put things in bags in and those objects within that bags are in nice compact cases.  I'm fine with it and we're both happy. 

[runnersdialzero]

I have to imagine the new stereo Pet Sounds is extremely similar to the MFSL version release a mere six months ago, but with a bit more compression. These remasters have been surprisingly decent with not overdoing compression (most of the time), don't get me wrong, it's just that I doubt it's better than the MFSL in that department.

There's likely a better release for the mono, too. This combined with owning a copy already and the insistence upon always using the poor "restoration" version of the stereo "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" are discouragement enough for me. If yer a completist, though...

[Rocky Raccoon]

I'm sticking with my Pet Sounds box set.  It's the most complete version of the album, it sounds good enough to my ears, I don't need another version.

[Freddie French-Pounce]

I'm sticking with my Pet Sounds box set.  It's the most complete version of the album, it sounds good enough to my ears, I don't need another version.

yeah, I find that the best sounding Mono mix on CD

[drbeachboy]

I'm sticking with my Pet Sounds box set.  It's the most complete version of the album, it sounds good enough to my ears, I don't need another version.

yeah, I find that the best sounding Mono mix on CD

Funny, I have so many releases of Pet Sounds and yet I find that box set mono disc to be the worst of the bunch. It is so tinny sounding that I feel like I am listening to it through a transistor radio. Of all CD releases in mono, Hoffman's  DCC is still the best. It also has the best sounding Wouldn't It Be Nice on CD & vinyl.

[Freddie French-Pounce]

My biggest complaint is that the text is slightly squashed on the spine of Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)