HiRez Poll Beatles, The - THE BEATLES (The White Album) [Blu-Ray Audio]

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Rate the BDA of The Beatles - THE BEATLES (The White Album)


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Please post your thoughts and comments on this 2018 reissue of The Beatles' self-titled album, also known as "The White Album".
This 50th anniversary edition contains a brand new 5.1 surround mix of the album from Giles Martin (George Martin's son) and Sam Okell (Abbey Road Studios Engineer) along with extra CDs featuring demos and unreleased studio outtakes.

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Content: 10 By definition.

Mix: 10. They let Giles loose and has delivered big time. Some mixes are truly magnificent. He's gone bonkers on Revolution 9 which, by definition, is bonkers and now simply crazy amazing. Also, fine detail has now been revealed throughout the album with excellent clarity. But...

Fidelity: Variable. The highs sound a bit smeared or over-emphasized in places and certain cuts have an "edge" requiring EQ at times...for example the cymbals on Dear Prudence. Yet other cuts sound just fine. Love remains the fidelity standard for The Beatles as it sounds much smoother throughout than both this album and Pepper. So I knocked off a point from the overall score which is a 9.

My preferred codec is Dolby HD as it sounds a tad smoother on my system than DTS HD.
 
I'm in love.
If only Pepper were this good but I'm not gonna go there.
I'm very pleased, Rev 9 is a Rev-elation, everything breathes but retains it's bright grit, the recording was meant to be this way IMO.
Abbey Road will be even better, but I prefer this album overall. I'm so jazzed about this one!
 
30 amazing tracks... stunning clarity of sound (I'm hearing things I never noticed before)... many fantastic surround mixes throughout (I'm listening to and enjoying tracks that I always used to skip... yes, you, "Honey Pie")... what a great release. My son and I sat down and judged each song based on its surround mix giving a score from 0-3. Using the average (2.1) we would rate the disc as follows:

Content=3/3
Fidelity=3/3
Surround Mix= 2/3
+ 1 Bonus Point for a great set

But he's not a member here and I am, so I'm giving it a 10 :) . It's a must have.
 
I always liked the White album listening to it today made me realize how much better it is 5.1 . It was worth the wait and thank you QQ was not sure I was going to purchase this and reading the glowing reviews clinched it for me. I seldom vote not really my thing but what the hell a most deserving 10. And for those of you who play with decibel level and wave charts I do understand that is part of the fun on this site for some to do I get it. I sincerely hope you take the time to enjoy the music.
 
I believe I went into enough detail the day I received my copy..on another thread. After a few days of letting my emotions settle down.....I still think it's wonderful. I do not get fatigue listening to this......at all. I do get the concept of fatigue, as I think I can get this from other titles that are simply brickwalled, way, way too loud and all 5 speakers slammed with equal loudness. Geez, this isn't remotely like that...I mean...not even worth mentioning. :)

I have to give this a 10. You know, I'm done comparing everything to Steven Wilson's best. I absolutely have to consider previous versions and how much better this sounds.

What a great release and is above my original expectations.
 
In comparison with the packaging between this release and Sgt. Peppers, I much prefer TWA.

I’ve only listened to the 5.1 Mix and Esher Demos once, but since this is a vote on the BDA Surround Mix only (or, is it the BDA in general?), I will cast my vote on the 5.1 Mix.

My random thoughts in general. I won’t go into detail what this box set may be lacking and what could have been included because, actually, we do get quite a bit of recordings which is never bad. Normally, I’m the type of person that can give a shite regarding demo and outtake recordings. I just want to get to and listen to the finish product. But with The Beatles, it’s a different story. So, I’m still looking forward to another day when I can play those outtake discs. If I had one gripe about the packaging, it would be the disc sleeves. It’s hard to take them out without putting your fingers + thumb on the disc. The positive to that is not having the disc fall out unexpectedly.

Yes, I hear a bit of hardness to the sound on certain tracks but it’s not as bad as Sgt. Peppers. It’s not compression because the numbers look good but in comparison, it doesn’t have the smoothness of say a mix like The Pineapple Thief’s latest album Dissolution. In no way is this enough to affect my score. I’m giving this one a 10.
 
I'll refrain from voting until I have heard it a few more times, just gave it one spin.

I have said for some time that this is my favourite Beatles album. Hearing it again all in one session, I am not so sure I will say that anymore, it's hard to match the power and genius of Revolver, for instance. I do however love the "honesty" of it, much more than the hugely overrated Abbey Road (ducks for cover) which comes across as a sanitized and retouched version of the Beatles by comparison to this sprawling mess. But that's the charm of it too...take the good with the bad. So for content, I don't think it's a 10, even though it's still a great album.

My first impression of the mix was very favourable, although some tracks are not particularly exciting in surround. That's more to do with the material though - the more sparse numbers obviously don't have too much going on in the rears. But some tracks definitely benefit from the surround treatment, and none more so than Revolution 9 which just became even eerier, unsettling and comical. I like Lennon's tracks on this album more than anything else, and that one really stood out in this mix even if I will hardly ever listen to it.
 
I'll refrain from voting until I have heard it a few more times, just gave it one spin.

I have said for some time that this is my favourite Beatles album. Hearing it again all in one session, I am not so sure I will say that anymore, it's hard to match the power and genius of Revolver, for instance. I do however love the "honesty" of it, much more than the hugely overrated Abbey Road (ducks for cover) which comes across as a sanitized and retouched version of the Beatles by comparison to this sprawling mess. But that's the charm of it too...take the good with the bad. So for content, I don't think it's a 10, even though it's still a great album.

My first impression of the mix was very favourable, although some tracks are not particularly exciting in surround. That's more to do with the material though - the more sparse numbers obviously don't have too much going on in the rears. But some tracks definitely benefit from the surround treatment, and none more so than Revolution 9 which just became even eerier, unsettling and comical. I like Lennon's tracks on this album more than anything else, and that one really stood out in this mix even if I will hardly ever listen to it.
I agree with you after I listened to it today I thought to myself Lennon's tracks stood out.
 
Truly I'm beside myself. Throughout my life music came and went, but this is the album that was always with me, that I'd always come back to. I still can't believe I'm listening to this, or that it is what it is. Trying to put sentiment aside...

Mix: Just perfect. I don't think there's one thing I would change. Fucking magnificent.

Fidelity: Agree with the point above, generally I find it lacking smoothness in quite a few places. The Love album has it better. Then again, this roughness is definitely true to the original mix, and now I'm starting to think it's intentional. Dolby True HD sounds better somehow on my setup, too.

Packaging: It's beautiful, very thoughtful. It's easier to store than Pepper, but I don't think it's ever going on the shelve... I actually love the big LP size packaging like Pepper and Layla. There's something about the history of it that is maintained and celebrated. Especially with Pepper where the design was so important and groundbreaking. Less important with this one, I guess, though I wouldn't have minded getting new vinyls with it. I know, I get those separately :)

Anyway, the scale just isn't suited for this release. 10 seems ridiculously low.
 
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Truly I'm beside myself. Throughout my life music came and went, but this is the album that was always with me, that I'd always come back to. I still can't believe I'm listening to this, or that it is what it is. Trying to put sentiment aside...

Mix: Just perfect. I don't think there's one thing I would change. Fucking magnificent.

Fidelity: Agree with the point above, generally I find it lacking smoothness in quite a few places. The Love album has it better. Then again, this roughness is definitely true to the original mix, and now I'm starting to think it's intentional. Dolby True HD sounds better somehow on my setup, too.

Packaging: It's beautiful, very thoughtful. It's easier to store than Pepper, but I don't think it's ever going on the shelve... I actually love the big LP size packaging like Pepper and Layla. There's something about the history of it that is maintained and celebrated. Especially with Pepper where the design was so important and groundbreaking. Less important with this one, I guess, though I wouldn't have minded getting new vinyls with it. I know, I get those separately :)

Anyway, the scale just isn't suited for this release. 10 seems ridiculously low.

I have to say that your post about your mom and her efforts to listen to Sgt. Pepper and actually getting the album was heartwarming...it would have been endearing on it's own... but being in Jerusalem in the 60's and listening to it on a Palestinian radio station...that's special...that was a determined young lady:)....it shows the power of music and what it can mean to people across the globe....thanks for sharing(y)
 
As I'm away for 2 weeks I only have stereo to listen to. Sat by the pool giving it a hearty listen wondering if I'll hear any difference to the original I have. Even in stereo the mix is offering up some things I haven't heard before and i'm enjoying guessing what bits will fly in surround. The fidelity has been improved (my Razer phone offers THX on headphones)...good bass. Montelimar indeed. Loving it.
 
I have to say that your post about your mom and her efforts to listen to Sgt. Pepper and actually getting the album was heartwarming...it would have been endearing on it's own... but being in Jerusalem in the 60's and listening to it on a Palestinian radio station...that's special...that was a determined young lady:)....it shows the power of music and what it can mean to people across the globe....thanks for sharing(y)
Thank you for that :) Yes, and she still is.

Just read an interview with Giles that confirmed my thoughts on the roughness of the sound:
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-46152217

We actually started mixing it last December, and I got to January and said, "This sounds terrible. It's too clean."
The White Album is slightly trashy. It's visceral, it slaps you in the face. We'd made it sound like Steely Dan or Dire Straits... so we went back and worked out a way to preserve that sound.
 
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