By Mark Teehan
This essay is intended to be an independent extension of Paul King’s
interesting article, “The Byrds’ Remastered Albums, 1996-2000,” from 14
September 2009 (http://users.skynet.be/byrdsfollower/remasters1996-2000.htm).
While that superb piece included new, clarifying information on the approximate
number of tracks remixed from the Byrds’ first four studio albums from Bob
Irwin (Founder, Sundazed Music,1989; noted veteran mixing and mastering
engineer), who oversaw their reissue on CD in 1996, it left a number of
relevant questions unanswered. Paramount among them were, precisely which
tracks from the group’s first four studio albums had been remixed? As well,
were all the remixes actually done from the three-track reduction masters?
To provide some perspective on this somewhat confusing topic, back in
1996 when the first four Byrds’ studio albums were released as CD’s by
Columbia/Legacy (hereafter referred to as ‘Legacy’), Bob Irwin discussed why
these four albums had been both remixed and re-mastered in an article published
in Ice magazine (No. 108, March 1996):
“The first four Byrds albums had sold so
well, and the master tapes used so much that they were at least two, if not
three generations down from the original. In most cases, a first-generation
master no longer existed. They were basically played to death; they were worn
out, there was nothing left of them.” (King, 2009, 3)
The solution, according to Irwin, was a comprehensive remixing process:
“Each album is taken from the
original multi-tracks, where they exist, which is in 95% of the cases. We remixed
them exactly as they were, without taking any liberties, except for the
occasional song appearing in stereo for the first time.” (ibid)
Thus it was understandable that the natural consensus among Byrds’ fans
was that the group’s first four albums had been remixed and re-mastered for CD,
for about a decade after their release. Alternately, some folks believed that
the reference to “mixed” in the liner notes only referred to the bonus tracks.
The fact that the sticker on the Legacy CD jewel cases prominently used the
words “New 20-Bit mastered expanded edition”- without any reference to
‘remixed’ tracks- served to reinforce this misunderstanding. Furthermore, the
possibility that some fans might not have heard the original stereo mixes on
vinyl LP or CD (maybe just the hits in mono on AM radio back in the day…), led
to occasional surprise at the very mention of ‘remixes’! Contributing to this
situation was the general tendency of the Legacy remixed tracks to sound
faithful to the original mixes. Meanwhile, in the past five years, some-
including this writer- had become convinced that while virtually all of the
regular tracks from the first three albums had been remixed, only a few of the
songs from Younger Than Yesterday had received this treatment.
Significantly, it was quite surprising to learn from Paul King’s 2009
article that, according to Bob Irwin, not all of the tracks from the first
three albums had been remixed:
“Only part of the Tambourine
Man and Turn, Turn, Turn albums were mixed. They were ‘mixed’ by me from the
three-track reduction masters, with ALL original processing- compression, eq,
reverb, etc., PRINTED TO TAPE. No liberties taken, none needed. Same for a
third of Fifth Dimension, because of oxide loss problems.” (King, 2009, 4).
On the other hand, our hunches regarding the minimal remixing from Younger
Than Yesterday were confirmed by Irwin in the aforementioned article: only
three tracks were remixed for the Legacy CD reissue.
My goal in this essay is to identify which tracks from the Byrds’ first
four original studio albums had been remixed for the Legacy CD’s through the
use of comprehensive, detailed listening tests. By carefully listening on
multiple occasions through both headphones and speakers, and keeping meticulous
notes, I was able to compare the sonic details, musical cues (when instruments
and vocals entered a song, and guitar solos, instrumental breaks, and fades
started), as well the soundstage of each song. My methodology consisted of
matching the output levels of each track from each relevant source closely by
meter and ear, so as to make the listening comparisons more valid; differences
in volume due to variable mastering levels were thereby eliminated.
Further insight into any differences between mixes was obtained by
charting the output levels of both channels from each relevant source on
24-segment, peak-reading LED meters; the input levels were of course matched
first. Where it seemed relevant, and to provide further insight and context for
the differences between the original mixes and the Legacy remixes, certain
monaural mixes as well as other stereo remixes were analyzed and discussed (for
further details, see ‘Appendix A’).
In the end, I attempted to be as objective as possible, with my
determinations based solely on the aural evidence. Certain songs proved to be
more challenging in this regard, and naturally required more time, listening,
and note-taking. All relevant sources used in my listening tests are listed for
each album. Compilations or discs which
have tracks covering multiple albums are listed once, under the Mr.
Tambourine Man album section.
It goes without saying that my remix determinations were only reached
after careful deliberation, based on my hearing and the meter test data results.
The comments for each relevant track were meant to illuminate the sonic
differences from the original mixes- not as criticisms of the remixes.
Any unintended errors of fact are mine, as well as any remix determinations
that turn out to have been incorrect. Constructive feedback and corrections are
welcome.
It also has been assumed that the reader has a basic understanding of
the terms ‘remixing’ and ‘remastering.’ Essentially, remixing refers to the
mixing of the original studio multi-track tapes- otherwise known as the
original work parts- into a new stereo mix, which inevitably would differ from
the original classic mix. Remastering
denotes the production of a new digital stereo master disc, ideally from the
original stereo two-track mix-down master tape- not an EQ’ed ‘cutting master’ tape that was used to
produce vinyl records.
Remixing is obviously a much more challenging process, but both
procedures potentially may involve the addition of some EQ, reverb, noise
reduction, or compression to the source tape (the original master tape); these
measures can have negative repercussions on the sound of the original music.
Both remixing and remastering are heavily dependent on the condition of the
original tape(s), the quality and suitability of the transfer equipment (both
analog and digital), not to mention the mastering engineer’s skill-the
ultimate, most vital factor (for a more detailed explanation, please refer to
Roger Ford’s superb site, http://www.rdf.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk).
Highly acclaimed mastering engineer Steve Hoffman has a wealth of
relevant information on his site, has cogently pointed out the inadvisability
and pitfalls of remixing, and masters only from the correct original
master tapes by judiciously applying minimal EQ (usually subtractive) to bring
out the “breath of life” in the music. He also fastidiously makes all his
mastering moves in the analog domain-never digital-due to well-proven
sonic reasons (http://stevehoffman.tv/forums/;
Rowe, 2013, 3-7). Lastly, this project commenced in January 2012, and has been
conducted on an intermittent basis since.
It should be noted that, prior to starting this project, I e-mailed
both Bob Irwin and Vic Anesini (acclaimed veteran senior mixing and mastering
engineer; Sony Music Studios; Battery Mastering Studios) in an effort to obtain
more definite answers concerning exactly which songs had been remixed from the
first four albums. While both were gracious in responding, neither was able to
offer any detailed information, due to time constraints caused by their
understandably hectic schedules. Vic Anesini mentioned another critical issue-
the passage of time since the Legacy reissue CD’s were released 17 years ago
and noted that, “…It would take considerable time and effort to give you
precise answers. Anything less would just add to the speculation….” (e-mail to
this writer, 2/28/2012). I could not agree more with his statement- on both
points.
In this writer’s opinion, this lack of detailed information may well
have been the case when Bob Irwin responded to Paul King for the latter’s 2009
article. How else can one explain Irwin’s vague answers regarding the number of
tracks remixed for the first two albums (Mr. Tambourine Man and Turn!Turn!Turn!).
As well, Irwin never specifically identified by title any specific tracks that
had been remixed. While perfectly understandable given the circumstances, this
lack of official disclosure has predictably fueled the natural speculation that
Vic Anesini acknowledged, and wished to avoid.
One other aspect to this topic which is worth noting before our
detailed analysis begins is that on the back-page credits of the Legacy CD’s
liner notes, it stated that Bob Irwin was responsible for producing each album
for CD, while Vic Anesini was accorded both mixing and mastering credits.
Unfortunately, no differentiation between original studio album tracks and
bonus tracks was offered with reference to the latter credits. Given the credit
terminology, and his considerable involvement in the remixing of numerous
tracks for the 1990 box set, it has been this writer’s understanding that Vic
Anesini was primarily responsible for the remixing of selected original studio
album tracks.
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