Hot Stamper Pressings of Revolver Available Now
In 2022 we finally reviewed the newly remixed Revolver.
As I was reading the newspaper today, I chanced upon Mark Twain’s famous quote and immediately recognized a way to put it to good use. I had been searching my brain for a good way to start a commentary detailing the multitudinous problems with the remixed, half-speed mastered Revolver LP. Kicked in the head was exactly what I needed.
In 2020 I had reviewed the Abbey Road remix and was astonished that anyone would release a record of such utter sonic worthlessness. A few choice lines:
The Half-Speed mastered remixed Abbey Road has to be one of the worst sounding Beatles records we have ever had the displeasure to play.
Hard to imagine you could make Abbey Road sound any worse. It’s absolutely disgraceful.
I will be writing more about its specific shortcomings down the road, but for now let this serve as a warning that you are throwing your money away if you buy this newly remixed LP.
Of course I never did write more about it. The thought of listening critically to the album in order to detail its manifold shortcomings was more than I could bear and onto the back burner the idea went, where it remains to this day.
In 2020 I warned the audiophile community not to go down this foolish half-speed mastered road, and now that they have been kicked in the head a second time, perhaps when they wake up they will come to their senses, although I doubt very much that they will.
Giles Martin is the guilty party here, and I hope it is clear by now that he simply has no clue as to how a Beatles record should sound. If he did have such a clue, this new Revolver would never have seen the light of day.
Getting Down to Brass Tacks
Here are the notes our crack listening panel (our very own Wrecking Crew) made as they listened to the new Revolver.
Note that they listened to side two first, playing a Super Hot stamper ’70s UK pressing head to head with the new release, so we have listed our notes for side two above those for side one.
They listened to the first two tracks on side two in this order:
Good Day Sunshine, And Your Bird Can Sing.
On side one they played the first three tracks and listened to them in this order:
I’m Only Sleeping, Taxman, Eleanor Rigby.
Some of the highlights from side two:
Not very dynamic.
Missing all the richness.
Dull, [but] almost tonally right
Small, better than side one but voice has less character.
Not as weighty or dynamic.
Side one:
Worse than side two.
No micro-dynamics.
Voice is thin.
Bass is messy.
No thanks.
Half-speed mastered bass. (This means the bass is ill-defined and does not go very deep, as is always the case with half-speed mastered records.)
No real dynamics or detail.
Missing body.
Dry and clean but [that “but” should be an “and”] compressed and flat.
You Owe It to Yourself
That about covers it. What else is there to be said?
There are many audiophile reviewers offering their opinions as to the quality of The Beatles records that have been released since Apple started their prodigious reissue program in 2009.
Some of those folks will have lots to say about this newly remixed Revolver.
We recommend you buy a copy of this album for yourself. Play it and evaluate the sound you hear on your own stereo. Compare it to other pressings of Revolver you may have. Take extensive notes so that you are clear as to what you notice on every track you play.
Now, read what other audiophile reviewers have to say.
This approach — playing the record, then reading the reviews — is the only way to determine if the reviewer you are reading is hearing what you are hearing and listening for the qualities that you are listening for.
See if you are on the same page with these folks.
Perhaps this version of Revolver will help to give the audiophile community some insight into the problematical sound of these remixed and remastered Beatles records.
And if they still don’t see what is going on, we’ll just have to schedule another session with the mule until they do.
Further Reading
Excellent article on yet another Giles Martin travesty.
Engineer Miles Showell must also shoulder the blame with his blinkered use of digital transfers and half-witted mastering.
I’ve listened to a few of his reworkings and unsurprisingly, none of them surpass a good original or re-issue.
These two clowns deserve a spot in your Hall of infamy.
Regards,
James
James,
Thanks for your comment. The Hall of Infamy is indeed very crowded these days.
But where it the outrage from the audiophile community? Judging by what I have seen, they seem to be just fine with these pressings.