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Now that Astwipe has reamed us all with his latest remaster of one of the greatest albums of all time, an important question comes to light: what is the definitive version of George Harrison's master work? I know this topic has been discussed extensively over at Hoffman, but with this thread I'd like to focus on the work of Chris Desjardins and Mickboy. I have copies of both versions which are badly scratched( I will be getting replacements shortly), but there are areas of both discs that are playable so as to get the general idea. Both recordings are tranfers from the Japanese vinyl of "All Things Must Pass" and both have the trademark sonic signatures of compression, noise reduction, improper turntable setup and poor isolation, and cheap playback systems. Despite this fact, both are VERY good and a significant improvement on Astleys miserable treachery. Thus far, I gather that these "bootleg" versions are as close as we are going to come to justice. There is NO DOUBT that Desjardins and Mickboy are talented. I just wish I could have loaned them some of my gear to do the initial transfer from the lp. So which one is better? In brief, I prefer the Desjardins version. It is cleaner, more natural, and less doctored. Any comments??

I don't have either version, but I'd like to.

I have a mint German vinyl of this set, but I don't have my TT set up at the moment.

Good thing I read this, prix. I forgot to send you your replacement copies. Hopefully, these will arrive unscratched. Sorry for the delay.

Let's face it, we're stuck with vinyl or vinyl dubs to CD-R at the moment; no CD edition extant captures the dynamic range of the original recording. Neither does the vinyl, which makes Steve Hoffman's remaster of that album(since destroyed when EMI or someone changed their mind)never seeing light of day not only lamentable, but for a fan, nothing less than tragic.

ED

I like Chris's...better sound than the old stock CD, which is all I need at this point, really.

I'd argue that the final, produced recording probably doesn't *have* lots of dynamic range...Phil's Phil.

prix wrote:Now that Astwipe has reamed us all with his latest remaster of one of the greatest albums of all time, an important question comes to light: what is the definitive version of George Harrison's master work? I know this topic has been discussed extensively over at Hoffman, but with this thread I'd like to focus on the work of Chris Desjardins and Mickboy. I have copies of both versions which are badly scratched( I will be getting replacements shortly), but there are areas of both discs that are playable so as to get the general idea. Both recordings are tranfers from the Japanese vinyl of "All Things Must Pass" and both have the trademark sonic signatures of compression, noise reduction, improper turntable setup and poor isolation, and cheap playback systems. Despite this fact, both are VERY good and a significant improvement on Astleys miserable treachery. Thus far, I gather that these "bootleg" versions are as close as we are going to come to justice. There is NO DOUBT that Desjardins and Mickboy are talented. I just wish I could have loaned them some of my gear to do the initial transfer from the lp. So which one is better? In brief, I prefer the Desjardins version. It is cleaner, more natural, and less doctored. Any comments??

Hey prix, when are you gonna send the discs you owe me? It's been almost a month! I have your replacements for the scratched discs here, but I'm holding them until yours arrive.

I was also interested in hearing what you heard that would tell you there was improper turntable setup, poor isolation and cheap playback systems? I'm just curious.

I got a copy of that Mickboy from somebody (cant remember who) and it was scratched on the last few tracks. I never got around to sending out blanks for a new copy though. Anyone want to help me out with either the Chris version or the Mickboy? What else has Mickboy done other than the Stones? I guess it is ok to talk about bootlegs here? Throw me a bone if you have any Clapton, James Taylor, or Lennon.

I have a version of ATMP on CD-R. Someone sent me a copy last year. How can if my copy is Chris Desjardin's version or Mickboy?

Mickboy's has bonus tracks from the ATMP era boots, mine does not.

The Mickboy CD is way too EQ'd. The bottom end is silly. Chris' original transfer sounds so much better, IMHO.

Both are a little too de-clicked for my tastes though. Todd Fredericks is still the king of elimnating noise from needle drops.

If I may ask, how does something too de-clicked sound? I mean, I can set a plug-in to do some nasty things, but as long as you do things within reason, I'd be hard pressed to find someone that can say "this is over de-clicked".

No, you can't expect a plug-in to get rid of *everything*, but I doubt few people do.

lukpac wrote:If I may ask, how does something too de-clicked sound? I mean, I can set a plug-in to do some nasty things.

Well, you just explained that you can go over board with the processing, so you obviously know what that would sound like.

lukpac wrote:... but as long as you do things within reason, I'd be hard pressed to find someone that can say "this is over de-clicked".

Well, you just found someone.

Seriously, it sounds like low level tape drops outs, one right after another in the worst spots. I don't know if you have a copy of these CD's but listen to the top end. It almost flutters sometimes, sort of like an MP3 but less chirpy. Maybe the plug in he was using wasn't high quality. I've never really heard this problem before.

Seeing how EQ'd the Mickboy version is, I say he's not one for restraint when using plug ins.

Hrmm. Not having heard it I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

I've ceased being surprised at how *bad* a lot of dubs are that people cream over. The old "Original Master Recordings" boot is a great example. Then again, so are many of the things I've heard coming from some people over at SH.tv.

lukpac wrote:I've ceased being surprised at how *bad* a lot of dubs are that people cream over.

You'd be appalled at how much low end EQ the Mickboy version has. Bleck!

lukpac wrote:Then again, so are many of the things I've heard coming from some people over at SH.tv.

Like all those early CD's everyone seems to love sourced from LP masters or high generation tapes. Most are truly awful sounding. I feel some people love them simply because they have tape hiss.

Personally I've found things usually lie somewhere in between the "all early CDs suck" and "all early CDs are great" camps. Just as "night and day" differences usually aren't in my book.

If I may ask, what brings you here?