Originals vs. Remixes

Vinylalbumcovers

Ah am so steel een luv weeth yoo
This was posted in another thread but to respond there would have derailed things...so...NEW THREAD! :wink:

3favorites said:
Just wanted to add that the versions of these songs that are on the box sets sound substantially better to me. I think if those versions had been on the original album, I would have liked it more.

See? I feel the exact opposite. The versions of the tunes on this album (and nearly all the others) are far better than Richard's tinkering for me. I don't need to hear the DX-7 on All Of My Life, I don't need overemphasized kick drums, over-reverb'd Karen vocals, or stereo piano. Don't even get me started on the awful remix of "It's Going to Take Some Time" on the SACD. Revising the tunes changed the mood of them entirely - no matter when he did it. I'm fine with the ones done while Karen was alive but the others just amount to tinkering.

I will also give him the work done on Philharmonic because Richard finally seemed to figure out that less is more when it comes to remixing. Still, while Philharmonic is interesting, the originals of almost everything are my "go to."

Ed
 
Generally speaking, I prefer the remixes. I grew up listening to cassette tapes of the originals, and that's how I became a fan of the Carpenters. But when I was a teenager, I received the From the Top set, and I wore those four CDs out. Most of the songs on that set are remixes from either 1985 or 1991, and once I was used to them, it made the originals sound less crisp and clear to me.

The only exception is the Christmas Collection. I prefer the original 1978 versions to nearly all the remixes Richard did for the Christmas Collection in 1992. There's too much reverb on some of those, and the orchestration engulfs Karen at times in the 1992 versions. For this reason, I look forward to the possibility of Richard doing an update of the Christmas albums that re-centers Karen and brings that RPO-level of detail to the holiday songs.
 
Generally speaking, I prefer the remixes. I grew up listening to cassette tapes of the originals, and that's how I became a fan of the Carpenters. But when I was a teenager, I received the From the Top set, and I wore those four CDs out. Most of the songs on that set are remixes from either 1985 or 1991, and once I was used to them, it made the originals sound less crisp and clear to me.

The only exception is the Christmas Collection. I prefer the original 1978 versions to nearly all the remixes Richard did for the Christmas Collection in 1992. There's too much reverb on some of those, and the orchestration engulfs Karen at times in the 1992 versions. For this reason, I look forward to the possibility of Richard doing an update of the Christmas albums that re-centers Karen and brings that RPO-level of detail to the holiday songs.
How do you wear CD’s out?
 
Back
Top Bottom