Abbey Road 50th Anniversary

This became a great thread....I listened to the album again tonight as I was reading through it.  Excellent album and fun discussion.  Thank you!

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/when-the-beatles-walked-offstage-fifty-years-of-abbey-road?source=EDT_NYR_EDIT_NEWSLETTER_0_imagenewsletter_Daily_ZZ&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_102119&utm_medium=email&bxid=5be9f7b624c17c6adf0e1022&cndid=48617592&esrc=&mbid=&utm_term=TNY_Daily

I still have to pull the trigger for the CD/Blu Ray, which may happen this week.

I would love to hear some feedback back on the Blu Ray versions, both high res stereo and 5.1. Granted this medium may go the way of DVD-A but the remasters I do own are KILLER.

One being Led Zeppelin's How the West Was Won" and Love & Rockets first album, Seventh Dream of a Teenage Heaven...that one blew me away it's so good.
 

Mine is still sitting in the "on-deck" bin. No time for listening the last couple of days. :(

@big_greg,

I compared my three copies on the music thread last week and the MFSL was the loser.

Given what they seem to sell for on Discogs, I'll probably toss it out there instead of the ocean if I don't like it.

He's not.  Most MOFIs of that era were crap.  After playing the MOFI of Sticky Fingers my college buddies and I took it out on the beach and tossed it frisbee style into the Atlantic Ocean.  That's how bad it sounded.

Here an interesting review and comparison from Vinyl Rewind:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mhk2XgVPCIM

 
I didn't watch the entire video, I skipped to the end to hear the conclusions. 

I loved the 2019 version.  I haven't done any A/B comparisons myself.

Even listening on youtube, the snippets played from the 2019 version seemed "meatier" and fuller bodied. 

I just picked up a used MOFI copy.  I'm hoping he was wrong about that one not sounding so great.  I haven't played it yet.

Here an interesting review and comparison from Vinyl Rewind:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mhk2XgVPCIM

I don't think Abbey Road was made to be played on a Dansette, so some things must have changed along the way. 

Well there is no question that since 2009 all the digital versions have had the bass turned up a notch or two compared to the version George Martin himself put out in 1987. 
I would have preferred a far more subtle increase in bass as a result of possibly better transferring technology some 40 years later. In fact I would have preferred all of the post A Hard Days Night releases to have been kept flat as in the 87 versions - just a tad clearer and with a hint more bandwidth.

As things still stand this 50th version will soon become an interesting but soon forgotten curio as the 1987 version remains the standard. The infamous Japanese Black Triangle which was all too hastily withdrawn, but can still be found online, is still the best digital version to date. It just sounds that much slightly closer to the original LP than any of the other digital versions.
So far. 
I’m sure that this is not the last release of the back catalogue that we will ever see. Far from it. One day, but only as the near bottomless money well starts to run dry, they will eventually succumb and let someone have a go at getting as close to the original Harry T Moss vinyl releases as it is humanly possible.

Harry, the mastering engineer at Abbey Road might just be one of the most important unsung heroes in the Beatles story. Here’s a couple of quotes attributed to the great man,

“The Beatles came here in 1962 for an artist test in Studio 3 and that was the first time I met them. Around that era, before anybody was put on to tape to be recorded by a big organisation, they did a test first and I attended hundreds of these tests. I was blasé about it because of every hundred that you had to sit through and suffer; there would only be one that was any good. Frankly I wasn’t impressed by The Beatles at that time.”

“We made records so that they could be played on a Dansette, and we used to argue that instead of making our records inferior to suit an inferior machine, we should tell Dansette to make better players or just go out of business.”

Bass was very good with this version much like the others I have heard over the years.

I listened to the 50th version this weekend at a friends house and I had the same impression about the bass being too overwhelming, though I didn’t think it was the recording because my friend didn’t have a great stereo and his new speakers were sitting on the floor. We were listening to the 5.1 HD version. Then I asked him to switch it to the atmos version and it brought the bass down quite a bit. The balance was much better.

So do I or don’t I buy the super deluxe version or buy the deluxe version? Is the 5.1 High Rez version that much better?

Decisions decisions.

JD

Yeah, I agree.

I purchased the LP and it is very different. At first, listening at a low volume I thought it was a little soft compare to the original and 2009 remaster. Listening again at a higher volume, it came to life. The sound stage was very good and I really enjoyed it. The bass is definitely stronger, and maybe a hair too much, but listening to the drum solo on the end was powerful and dynamic which sounded incredible. I would love to hear the MO Fi LP and I want to get a UK 1st pressing. My original is an American pressing bought the day it was released 50 years ago. Happy listening!

Another home run by Giles Martin and his team. I am already looking forward to the 50th for 'Let It Be'.

Happy Listening!

I've probably listened to the "new Abbey Road" 5 times by now.  Frankly, I think it transformative.  It sounds sooooo much better than a lot of the current pop and rock that is being released.  I hope that it tops the charts, exposes new generations to what music can sound like, and helps deliver the recording industry a wakeup.  

I'll get off my soapbox and say that I streamed it from Qobuz, the 96 Hz/24 bit version.  Thought that it overall that it was clean and balanced.  The bass was just right (organic sounding) and the detail and sound stage were fantastic.  It's not often that I sing along to an album, as it scares the neighborhood, but I cut lose with this one!  It provoked a very emotive response from me, which often doesn't happen with remastered albums.  Would be great if they could do this with all the old Led Zep, Stones and Who albums as well :)  

@rdk777

You are welcome, thanks for your reply!  This is one of my first online posts, so not only have I been enjoying the new “Abbey Road”, but I’ve seen inspired by reading all the comments.

The new album sounds great! 

Thanks for the links to the video reviews. 

I listened to the album on Qobuz - the 96 Hz/24 bit hi-res version.  Great sounding mix - the outtakes were my favorite.  White Album, Sgt Peppers and now Abbey Road on hi-res...keep em coming.

I don’t notice any bloat. 
Just compared to the 1979 MoFi pressing. The new one is very good. Clean, new detail I’ve never heard before, and excellent balance. I still far prefer the 1979. The MoFi one is richer, full bass, and darker (that’s not to say it’s missing high end detail). This is most obvious on Come Together. The new one sounds like a nice rock song. The MoFi sounds like a dark, moody jam. 
They are really very different. Both very good, but to me, the MoFi is how Abbey Road should sound. 
(Played on AMG Viella Turbo with Koetsu Onyx Platinum)

I’m looking forward to getting a copy of the 50th Anniversary release. What exactly is on the Blue-Ray?  Is it just the 5.1 high Rez or are there pictures and videos on it as well?

Thanks.

JD

My room is acoustically treated with GIK panels. My Virtual System has photos. Prior to the panels I had difficulty listening to albums like Siamese Dream from the Pumpkins. A lot of bass on that. After the treatment no problem, even at high volume levels.

I listen to the Beatles a lot while I work at home and my old pressing of Abbey Road gets played a lot without any sound problems in my room. The new pressing was not so room friendly for me. I do not plan on keeping the new one in my library.

In comparison, the remastered Sergeant Pepper sounded great. I was not a huge fan of that album for 30 years (though I played it a lot) but the remaster won me over big time. No problems listening to that one in my current room.

I didn't A/B it with other versions, but the bass definitely was one of the things that stood out to me, not in a bad way though.  The bass lines were clear and clean and well defined in relation to the other instruments and it gave it more of a "live" feel.  That's with 4 large high powered subwoofers in my system.

I hear it even in the areas of my room with minimal bass modes, not calling it bloat but just a higher level. It is definitely the recording, my other versions don't have it.

Bass "bloat" is usually a result of room acoustics and/or interactions with the floor or furniture speakers rest on in some cases. Very likely if heard with the small ls50s.

I noticed the bass bloat on my KEF LS50;s of all speakers. Hurt my ears on a few early tracks. I will stick with the other pressing on Tidal.

Once again the dreaded bloated bass boost....

Other versions sound more natural...

If you can get hold of the BT version you would probably keep this GM version as occasional digital alternative.

This is the best I've ever heard the Beatles. Drums have more impact and way better sound stage and imaging. Well done remastering studio!

I finally got around to listening to this last night.  I really like it.  I particularly enjoy the more water like clarity of vocals and the instruments sound more defined in parts.  The drums/bass rhythm section is more prominent in the mix.  

I'm in the camp that thinks Giles has done great work. To my ears, his White Album work is an improvement. Wasn't the original White Album mixed to narrow tape, reducing its bandwidth and the reason for the remaster was to pull the tracks in full analog to digital first to get around this issue? 

I downloaded from Hdtracks....am listening for the second time...easily one of the best quality recordings I own...Come Together, which is one of my favorite Beatles songs, is just fantastic...bass is just amazing...great remix...I also own the hdtracks White Album and Sgt Peppers...all of them are very well done...totally worth every penny

I have the Japanese Toshiba Pro Use on vinyl and that will be good enough for me. No OBI and the jacket is probably VG+ but the vinyl is essentially mint.

I like the record but it is not a desert island piece for me. But still nice to listen to every once in a while.

@alexberger, yes the 2009 CD remasters left an awful lot to be desired. The stereos were just wrong.

The tweaked versions in the 2014 US box might be the best the Fab 4 sound on CD. 

One day someone will finally capture the analogue magic and get the digital transfers right. But it won't be Giles - seems as if it's beyond him.

He's the remix cash king.

Why do you use 2009 version for reference?All these late remastering made from digital using digital equipment.I compare some new remasters to 1984 British "Blue Box".

"Blue Box" sounds 1000 times better.I heard latest audiophile remasterings of Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd. Some of these remasterings are better some are worse but all of them lose to old analog reissues.

I was prompted to order the three LP 2019 Giles Martin remastered version after listening to the 2009 CD.  The CD was really unsatisfying.  The upper midrange was, to my ears, too prominent and there was a lack of spaciousness overall.  

The 50th Anniversary LP is a whole different deal.  The upper midrange is in balance with the rest of the frequency spectrum maintaining the clarity of the 2009 CD but with a much more spacious soundstage.  I lucked out on the pressing as the LP is "flat as a pancake" (thanks Head East)  and is virtually devoid of any surface noise!  In a word, the new LP is "beautiful" to listen to and its clarity increases my appreciation for the many layers used to produce the album.

The beauty, clarity and spaciousness of the 2019 Abbey Road is prompting me to look into the LPs of SPLHCB and "The Beatles" albums.

PS The two additional LPs reveal, in considerable measure, the creative process of the band and also how well the guys were getting along during the "Abbey Road" sessions.  The blurbs that explain each take put the happenings at the sessions into proper context and give them interest.

PPS. I have never heard The Beatles recording of "Come and Get It" later made famous by Badfinger.  Good rendition but not as energetic as Badfinger's.

Here are some links to some nice reviews of the new “Abbey Road” that are interesting and informative.

Analog Planet by Michael Fremer:  https://www.analogplanet.com/content/abbey-road-50th-anniversary-remix-full-review-part-2

Michael Fremer’s Video Review:  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b97M9vX7vHA

Steve Guttenberg’s Video Review:  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XAGAoYJC-gA

@geoffkait 

What is the “Dr. Ebbetts Mono CD”?

Does anyone know how many versions there are of “Abbey Road”?  I was watching Michael Fremer’s video review and he mentioned several.

The 50th Anniversary of “Abbey Road” is set to be the No. 1 album this week. I think it’s cool that a 50 year old album is No. 1.

I appreciate the replies and have enjoyed reading all your thoughts over the weekend. This was my second thread and I am inspired by the response.  Thank you!

I listened to the vinyl tonight with a friend. We both thought it was amazing. For whatever that's worth. I'm pretty sure he was leaking at the end of side two. Or he had something in his eyes. 

I also think the bass is too prominent in the mix. For my taste anyway.

I've only listened to the Tidal MQA version and think it's wonderful. I'm constantly amazed how digital playback has improved in just the last 5 years. I still have memories of the original CD players back in the 80's.

Well, I still love my Capital/plum label

I'm playing the CD extra tracks first before moving on to the remix.
Nothing special on disc 2 but I've yet to hear disc 3.

My biggest gripe with the GM remixes is that whilst it's absolutely brilliant to get back to the freshness of the original session tapes why would you want to compress the actual album.
SHEER GREED?

I refuse to pay extra for the uncompressed Blu-ray but by most accounts the audio is markedly better.

 

Quick interrupt! Anybody have the Dr. Ebbetts Mono CD? 

Given that:  a) the original recording and mix of Abbey Road are already very good and b) I probably won't give Abbey Road THAT MANY more spins in my remaining time on earth, I think I'll stick with the excellent re-master I bought just a few years ago.  They should have done the re-mixes of SPLHCB, "the white album" and Abbey Road when the re-mastered versions came out (along with everything else for which they still possess the original multi-track tapes, which is probably most of the catalog).  IMHO we got screwed on this .  Those guys already have too much of my money from American LP's, import LP's, original CD's and remastered CD's.  This is where I draw the line. 

Listening on Tidal HiFi thru MQA - the detail and soundstage are amazing. Crisp highs - detailed vocals- bass is tight.

on my third time thru - great memories - life is good!

Happy Listening! 

Tom8999

Alot of annoying minor surface tics throughout side 2 of the remastered 2019 Abbey Road. No excuse for that. Maybe an ultrasonic leaning will help.

I bought the 3 CD, 1 Blu-Ray set.  The outtakes, which comprise two CDs. are amazing.  They show the songs in early stages of development - 28 tracks. A must for any Beatles fan.  
I have the 2009 remastered LP and I prefer this new CD version.  Contrary to some of the reviews above, it has excellent dynamics and the greatest amount of detail of any previous incarnation of Abbey Road. 
My system is Magnepan 3.7i's, Sonographe SA 400 amp, and 
Apt-Holman pre-amp.