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: