Binaural / Riot Act / Avocado Vinyl Re-Issues?

[ledvedderman]

S/T Was the FIRST CD I've eher bought with my own money, and it still have a good place in my memory as something special. And it is IMO the last PJ record that EV sounded actually good.
Seen this mix, makes me so mad.

You thought Ed sounded good on the original album?? I think he sounds awful on this record, and somehow, BOB managed to make him sound worse on the new mix. So much new distortion and effects added in.

[lecherouslittlestump]

Yeah he sounds sloppy on S/T, which is odd because the 2006 tour is probably the last of the god-tier vocal era.

[WaitingForBluey]

So is the new Spotify mix different than the vinyl reissue mix? I can't say I'm hearing all these differences that everyone is talking about.

[Strat]

So is the new Spotify mix different than the vinyl reissue mix? I can't say I'm hearing all these differences that everyone is talking about.

There are two on spotify. the 2017 mix and then this other mix that none of us are sure where it came from. People with better ears than I can certainly tell a difference from the "other mix" compared to the original release.

The 2017 mix is absolutely different than all of them and inferior.

[Biff Pocoroba]

Riot Act was released 15 years ago today? Wow, years do grow shorter as you get older.

[WaitingForBluey]

Spent some time with headphones on, can definitely hear some of the notables differences with a quick skim through. The neutered guitar lead in Parachutes alone is almost criminal, the snare is too prominent as well. The intro to Inside Job is a bit awkward. The acoustic rhythm is too clunky to be the center of attention. However, I kind of like the extra attention given to Stone's guitar fills in Come Back and at first glance I think some of the other issues are way overstated. A/Bing audio sources with the hope that you can finally convince yourself to fall in love with this album means you're never gonna love this album.

[Strat]

Spent some time with headphones on, can definitely hear some of the notables differences with a quick skim through. The neutered guitar lead in Parachutes alone is almost criminal, the snare is too prominent as well. The intro to Inside Job is a bit awkward. The acoustic rhythm is too clunky to be the center of attention. However, I kind of like the extra attention given to Stone's guitar fills in Come Back and at first glance I think some of the other issues are way overstated. A/Bing audio sources with the hope that you can finally convince yourself to fall in love with this album means you're never gonna love this album.

I absolutely love the additions of stones guitar work in come back. Love it.

There are some things that this mix makes better and other things that are a total abortion.

Luckily, we have all three mixes to enjoy.

[Birds in Hell]

Two mixes, one of which we have two masterings.

(Sorry.)

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Birds in Hell]

I corrected to be more clear (not that the original was incorrect.)

[Strat]

sooooo coool spenno.

[Revelator]

LP Wasted.

Can you believe this is the same guy that produced Vs through Yield? Me neither.

Ask myself this all the time, not to mention his excellent work with RATM, STP, and SG back in the day

A big kudos for uploading the Spotify mix though (no the BO'B mix), I'm LOVING how this sounds and I'm noticing subtle nuances to Binaural and Riot Act as well. Everything sounds so much clearer than the original version I have on CD, it's like hearing each album again with new ears or something...

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

The reissues are not getting good reviews outside of this forum. I was just checking out an audiophile forum and someone just posted a quote from BoB where he states that they store all of PJ's masters on DAT because dealing with analog tape is too much of a pain in the ass. Needless to say, people are laughing in his face. What a buffoon.

[96583UP]

wow.

and this is for the "viva la vinyl" band.

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

He also stated that it's not a big deal because "DAT sounds better anyway".

And you guys wonder why his recent productions are so poor? This guy doesn't even understand the basics of audio storage.

[ledvedderman]

So, is the version on Spotify not labeled as the BOB mix a new master? Also, is there anywhere to hear the new Binaural and Riot Act yet?

[coptheriotact]

Listening to the Spotify BOB mix now, I've always had issues listening to this album and didn't really play it much after 2006. The harsh cymbals, vocals and lack of depth to the instrumentation always made for an unrewarding listen. This album marks the first album that I can remember that made me want to learn about mixing and mastering. Thanks, pearl jam! for making an an album so frustrating to listen to.

Anyway, Some observations on the new mix:
-The first 3 songs, I feel, have similar positives and negatives. The bass has been boosted and now clashes with the guitars, (it is nice to hear the bass playing though) But I'm sure on some systems, it may make the songs pop more so than the original. Cymbals and snare parts come in too loudly at odd times. Eds vocals are still clipped and distorted but the harshness has been rolled back a little.
-Severed Hand is an improvement all around IMO, the song comes to life a bit more. Eds backup vocals are more audible as well.
-Marker in the Sand is an over correction. the toms are too boomy, snare is too loud. interplay between mike and stone is not there, although the original mix was not really that good anyway.
-Parachutes is an improvement as well, it definitely could be more subtle with the drums but it never was in the first place. I did notice the "cool" mike part that was turned down.

-Unemployable has more depth and sounds full, low end has room to breathe. Although, you can hear how processed everything sounds, so its a bit overdone.
Big Wave-It's worth listening to the end solo/jam which actually benefits being fleshed out a bit more with the mixing. although I'm not really sure it was any more pleasing to hear.
Gone is better, although it doesn't really help the poor performance of the song/poor song.
Army Reserve - worth hearing this mix.
Come back - This is an all round improvement, can hear the bass hum, stones and mikes tone is good, and booms organ is placed really nice in the mix. I remember hearing Matt's open hi-hat being too prominent in the original, cutting though the whole song, which has now softened. worth a listen.
Inside Job sounds much less clipped and harsh from what I remember on the original. Guitars and cymbals slowly sounds more processed and thin as it goes on.

Overall the mix is a worthwhile listen. I haven't listened to the original for awhile to be honest, so these opinions could be a little skewed. The new mix benefits the softer songs mostly. I started the album thinking I wouldn't actually make it through to the end, so I was a bit surprised as it went on when there were some notable improvements. I didn't comment much on the vocal, which has not really been improved. lt sounds even more processed but less abrasive, which I think may be an attempt to undo the compressed harshness of the original. If I didn't own the original vinyl already, I might have wanted to pick this up, at the right price.

[KurtLeon]

After listening it about 3 times (One in my PC, other with headphones and other with earplugs), I can say that this mix have some good ideas, with terible excecution.

Life Wasted - Got some cool things, but there are some weird clicking noises during the "darkness comes in wave" part that anoys the shit out of me, and Matts snare. Nice to see that the delay comes in a little bit later. (I wish it was w/o the delay)
World Wide Suicided - I seems to be a little bit "faster"? Can't explain, I thin the proeminency of Matts drums made the song sounds more straight foward and "rocker-ish", wich I like. Matts snare still anoying as shit, and the same problem with the weird clicking noise. I like the removed (or lowered?) backing-vocal from the chorus, focusing on how Ed delivers it live.
Comatose - WTF is that stupid reverb? Besides that, not much difference that I notice. Besides Matts snare. Fuck that.
Severed Hand - I kinda like the preference do Eds(?) guitar in the intro, and the music, like WWS, sounds a little bit more straight foward.
Marker In The Sand - WTFK happened here?
Parachutes - FUCK. MATTS. SNARE.
Unemplyoable - I think it sounds okay, but still, the mastering is horrible. It aplys the same thing as WWS chorus in the "oh oh oh oh" part, and Eds voice sounds more proeminent. Still Matts drums.
Big Wave - It sounds good, but less rocker-ish than the original? And I really hated that they didn't turned the volume up durring the bridge, there's a little guitar in the back (Stones, maybe) that I love, that got no spotlight nor here, nor in the original.
Gone - Still meh.
Wasted Reprise - ...
Army Reserve - I like Jeffs bass, and for one, Eds reverbed voice fits in the song.
Come Back - The outro was REALLY good, and I can hear Stones acoustic guitar, and a more proeminent organ was a nice touch. If this had a better mastering, could be better than the original. Maybe is the only one I liked.
Inside Job - That intro felt so awkward and life-less. But everything else is ok.

Still, this could have been great, if it wasn't for the mastering. Some good ideas (Come Back, WWS), some horrible ideas (Marker In The Sand, Parachutes), but an overall horrible sounding album. Thanks god for the Spotify mix of the original one.

[stip]

has there been a posting of the re-issues yet?

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now