Binaural / Riot Act / Avocado Vinyl Re-Issues?

[Strat]

Sounds like there is a new Stone guitar track for Come Back and its really nice. What once was an acoustic guitar playing a bunch of counter melodies is now an electric and i really dig it. Or maybe they just removed the acoustic and bumped up the electric

[Strat]

Overall I am totally fine with this new mix. There are some minor annoyances and choices that confound me but it does feel a bit richer and warmer to my untrained ears.

The second half of the record benefits the most with Parachutes and Army Reserve and Inside job. Also parachutes is so fucking good.

[KurtLeon]

Also parachutes is so fucking good.

Parachutes and Army Reserve are SO underrated.

[KurtLeon]

Interesting...they left the regular one. Which is not the 2006 album right?

OMG IM CONFUSED.

There is the Spotify Mix of the original album from 2006 and the new 2017 mix.

[Kevin Davis]

All the "S/T" songs are vastly superior in live versions anyway.

[WaitingForBluey]

Someone help me out here, I'm out of the loop. Is this remix only available on vinyl? Is there a digital version?

[Strat]

Someone help me out here, I'm out of the loop. Is this remix only available on vinyl? Is there a digital version?

Its on spotify.

[Jorge]

WOW the B'OB version sounds way the fuck worse than the original

[Strat]

WOW the B'OB version sounds way the fuck worse than the original

Its less abrasive yet a bit muddier.

[lecherouslittlestump]

lmao they literally added strings and a choir to come back...fuck pearl jam

[Strat]

lmao they literally added strings and a choir to come back...fuck pearl jam

FTR: this isn't true, people.

[Strat]

There are also some really weird issues where a guitar lead line doesnt become prominent until a few seconds into the note. As if a child were mixing this and forgot to bring it up in the mix on time.

[lecherouslittlestump]

Inside Job sounds completely different. New guitar line?

[Strat]

Inside Job sounds completely different. New guitar line?

I think so. The acoustic rhythm is much more sparse. I actually like it a bit more as the song feels like a more natural build to the finale.

[McParadigm]

Gets to the first chorus of Life Wasted.

Hits pause.

Walks away.

Does not return.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Strat]

Life Wasted: The snare drum -- and really it's the space around the snare drum -- is the new center of the mix. It's big, loud, and bright. It's like the snare from Walkin' On Sunshine. Jeff's bass is also noticeably more present, particularly from about 1:30-2:00; you can really hear the grit from his amp. The guitar on the right feels a little more defined.

There's also this weird thing -- it's this sort of crackling sound that you can really hear during the "Darkness comes in waves..." part, that comes in on the left. I checked it against the original, and it's there on the right, and it's really quiet. I don't know what the hell it is and why they chose to accentuate it now, but it sucks. Oh, and the exact same clipping noises are present at the exact same parts as the original. Also the solo at the end really rips on this new version.

Worldwide Suicide: Yeah, that's weird having the bass take the intro part (the rhythm guitar is still there, but it's really quiet). But it's irrelevant, because all I can hear in this song is Matt's new heavy, crackly snare drum. Also Ed's vox appear to have some distortion added. I don't like this. It sounds so affected.

On the plus side, the guitars sound pretty big now, and I'm getting a much better sense of space of the room. And I love how Jeff's new bass sounds right after the "...another, another, another waaaaAAAYYYYYY!!!!" But that won't save what is an overly compressed and unnecessarily distorted remix.

I could take or leave Eddie's new "Yeah" at the end.

Comatose: Matt's kick drum really snaps here, and I really dig the delay effect they've put on Ed's vox at the beginning. Matt's snare is starting to drive me bonkers by this point, but overall I think this remix is actually a net improvement. It feels looser and more raw, and more importantly, it sounds more live. They've done a better job of creating a shared space here (whether through room mics or reverb/delay and stereo imaging tricks, I couldn't say).

Severed Hand: In an attempt to make Matt's toms sound big, they've really just drowned out Jeff's bass at the beginning. It's initially too muddy for my liking. But once we get to the verse, and Jeff gets higher on the neck, his bass actually starts to stand out in a way in never did in the original. I can hear his notes way more clearly, and his fingers clicking on his strings at points. I'm appreciating his contributions to this song even more. It could make for a really nice change, if only the song weren't so compressed. They've just destroyed the great dynamics of the composition. And I always enjoyed the original mix of this, so I'd say it's ultimately a loss. But there are some intriguing changes. I do enjoy how Mike's solo really stands out at the end now.

Marker In the Sand: One of the lesser PJ studio cuts IMO, but I'll admit this sounds way better than the original. The original one sounds so neutered compared to this one, and now I can finally see myself enjoying this one to the same extent I have been able to in the live setting. The snare/room sound great, Jeff's bass playing sounds TERRIFIC during the verse after the breakdown. Still too loud, but this is a clear win for me personally.

Parachutes: Ugh, that snare is much too loud. Why are they mixing this like a rock song? Otherwise this is very close to the original.

Unemployable: By this point my ears are getting pretty fatigued. Thanks BOB. I do really like how much fuller Matt's toms sound on those fills, though; also his cymbals are more present. They are smashing the OH mics on this one I think, and it works well enough.

Big Wave: I actually think this one sounds much better. This track needed some more drama in it. The solo section before the outro sounds great now.

Gone: Same changes as everything else: Fuller snare drum, more guitar separation. I think the chorus sounds better, but I hate this song so whatever.

Wasted Reprise: Whatever.

Army Reserve: Ugh, that snare sounds awful on this one. It's ruining my favorite PRAMG song. I love how Jeff's bass sounds, though.

Come Back: I like that the organ is a little more prominent, and I enjoy the more defined guitars at the end. But the compression doesn't do this song any favors. Would be a great track for the Armageddon 2 trailer.

Inside Job: The "how I choose to feel" part sounds a lot more dramatic than the original track, and the solo at the end really stands out now. But again, that damn compression.

Final thoughts: This is a very mixed bag. They didn't take these songs in any new directions whatsoever; basically they just gave Matt's kit a firm kick in the nuts, carved out some space for Jeff's bass to stand out more, defined the guitars more acutely, and added a lot of minor distortion on stuff to make it sound more gritty (listen to those tom hits and bass guitar notes for example). Matt's snare overshadows every other instrument on this new mix, and it's an obvious and modern choice that doesn't really suit every song. They are doing a lot of subtle things with room mics and/or reverb & delay to better create the sense of a live band in a shared space. The effects are flattering on some songs, definitely not on others.

But there's just no overcoming how heavy the mastering job is; any gains that may have been made are getting lost due to my ear fatigue. Jeff's bass parts are the big winner here, everything else is more or less hobbled by the heavy compression.

i agree with most everything you said but i actually felt less ear fatigue listening to this. First impressions of course. But its not nearly as brittle as the original release.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Strat]

Life Wasted: The snare drum -- and really it's the space around the snare drum -- is the new center of the mix. It's big, loud, and bright. It's like the snare from Walkin' On Sunshine. Jeff's bass is also noticeably more present, particularly from about 1:30-2:00; you can really hear the grit from his amp. The guitar on the right feels a little more defined.

There's also this weird thing -- it's this sort of crackling sound that you can really hear during the "Darkness comes in waves..." part, that comes in on the left. I checked it against the original, and it's there on the right, and it's really quiet. I don't know what the hell it is and why they chose to accentuate it now, but it sucks. Oh, and the exact same clipping noises are present at the exact same parts as the original. Also the solo at the end really rips on this new version.

Worldwide Suicide: Yeah, that's weird having the bass take the intro part (the rhythm guitar is still there, but it's really quiet). But it's irrelevant, because all I can hear in this song is Matt's new heavy, crackly snare drum. Also Ed's vox appear to have some distortion added. I don't like this. It sounds so affected.

On the plus side, the guitars sound pretty big now, and I'm getting a much better sense of space of the room. And I love how Jeff's new bass sounds right after the "...another, another, another waaaaAAAYYYYYY!!!!" But that won't save what is an overly compressed and unnecessarily distorted remix.

I could take or leave Eddie's new "Yeah" at the end.

Comatose: Matt's kick drum really snaps here, and I really dig the delay effect they've put on Ed's vox at the beginning. Matt's snare is starting to drive me bonkers by this point, but overall I think this remix is actually a net improvement. It feels looser and more raw, and more importantly, it sounds more live. They've done a better job of creating a shared space here (whether through room mics or reverb/delay and stereo imaging tricks, I couldn't say).

Severed Hand: In an attempt to make Matt's toms sound big, they've really just drowned out Jeff's bass at the beginning. It's initially too muddy for my liking. But once we get to the verse, and Jeff gets higher on the neck, his bass actually starts to stand out in a way in never did in the original. I can hear his notes way more clearly, and his fingers clicking on his strings at points. I'm appreciating his contributions to this song even more. It could make for a really nice change, if only the song weren't so compressed. They've just destroyed the great dynamics of the composition. And I always enjoyed the original mix of this, so I'd say it's ultimately a loss. But there are some intriguing changes. I do enjoy how Mike's solo really stands out at the end now.

Marker In the Sand: One of the lesser PJ studio cuts IMO, but I'll admit this sounds way better than the original. The original one sounds so neutered compared to this one, and now I can finally see myself enjoying this one to the same extent I have been able to in the live setting. The snare/room sound great, Jeff's bass playing sounds TERRIFIC during the verse after the breakdown. Still too loud, but this is a clear win for me personally.

Parachutes: Ugh, that snare is much too loud. Why are they mixing this like a rock song? Otherwise this is very close to the original.

Unemployable: By this point my ears are getting pretty fatigued. Thanks BOB. I do really like how much fuller Matt's toms sound on those fills, though; also his cymbals are more present. They are smashing the OH mics on this one I think, and it works well enough.

Big Wave: I actually think this one sounds much better. This track needed some more drama in it. The solo section before the outro sounds great now.

Gone: Same changes as everything else: Fuller snare drum, more guitar separation. I think the chorus sounds better, but I hate this song so whatever.

Wasted Reprise: Whatever.

Army Reserve: Ugh, that snare sounds awful on this one. It's ruining my favorite PRAMG song. I love how Jeff's bass sounds, though.

Come Back: I like that the organ is a little more prominent, and I enjoy the more defined guitars at the end. But the compression doesn't do this song any favors. Would be a great track for the Armageddon 2 trailer.

Inside Job: The "how I choose to feel" part sounds a lot more dramatic than the original track, and the solo at the end really stands out now. But again, that damn compression.

Final thoughts: This is a very mixed bag. They didn't take these songs in any new directions whatsoever; basically they just gave Matt's kit a firm kick in the nuts, carved out some space for Jeff's bass to stand out more, defined the guitars more acutely, and added a lot of minor distortion on stuff to make it sound more gritty (listen to those tom hits and bass guitar notes for example). Matt's snare overshadows every other instrument on this new mix, and it's an obvious and modern choice that doesn't really suit every song. They are doing a lot of subtle things with room mics and/or reverb & delay to better create the sense of a live band in a shared space. The effects are flattering on some songs, definitely not on others.

But there's just no overcoming how heavy the mastering job is; any gains that may have been made are getting lost due to my ear fatigue. Jeff's bass parts are the big winner here, everything else is more or less hobbled by the heavy compression.

i agree with most everything you said but i actually felt less ear fatigue listening to this. First impressions of course. But its not nearly as brittle as the original release.

No, but it is much brighter, and a while not necessarily louder, it's squashed -- everything is basically the same volume throughout. I was listening with headphones and A/Bing with the original mix, and by the end my ears were toast.

Yea i definitely notice a huge lack of dynamics throughout individual songs and the album as a whole. Which seems to be BOB's standard approach these days.

[lecherouslittlestump]

I'll be listening to this on cheap ass headphones through Spotify, sounds pretty great to me.