Steven Wilson Steven Wilson: Remixing Classic Albums (SoundonSound article)

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Within the latest issue of SoundonSound is this fantastic article all about Steven Wilson's remix work:
https://www.soundonsound.com/people/steven-wilson-remixing-classic-albums

To read the full article, you have to either purchase the article (for like $1.50) or buy the whole issue digitally.

I won't post the full article here out of respect for SoundonSound, but what I will say is that there's an AWESOME section within the article about Steven's (still unreleased) 5.1 surround of "The Seeds of Love" by Tears for Fears, plus at the very end of the article, it reveals that he has remixed both "Phaedra" and "Ricochet" in 5.1 surround for that upcoming Tangerine Dream box set along with an unreleased album of theirs from 1974.

Buy and read!

:)
 
Oh man, Ricochet in 5.1! I used to chill out to that album with headphones and the stereo mix in that was very good with the drum sound drifting left and right. SW did what I think is a clone of Ricochet called April-Mortes from his Unreleased Electronic Music, so I am expecting a fantastic mix.
 
My experience is that in the fullness of time (6-9 months?) SOS articles drop the paywall and become freely accessible, FWIW.
 
Great read. Funny that his catalogue at the bottom doesn't show the two Emerson, Lake and Palmer albums he did. Wasn't there something about Emerson not liking the?
 
Great read. Funny that his catalogue at the bottom doesn't show the two Emerson, Lake and Palmer albums he did. Wasn't there something about Emerson not liking the?
Thanks for posting this great read, Jonathan! The exclusion of the ELP remixes is interesting indeed. I thought I’d read that Steven was turned off by some post mix comments made by Carl Palmer. What a shame if true!
 
A case in point arose on his remix of Marillion's 1994 album Brave. At one point, two songs are crossfaded together, but this hadn't been done too well on the original release. "The final note of the previous song was supposed to hit the first note of the second song, and in the original it missed. I asked myself, 'Should I fix that?' At first I fixed it, but then I decided no, I should put it back to how it was, because that's the way people have been listening to it for 25 years. It's no longer a mistake: it's become the way it is. For every person who complained that I didn't fix it, there would have been someone who'd have said, 'How dare he change that? Sacrilege!'"

I assume this must be referring to the transition from "Bridge" into "Living With The Big Lie". I thought he did end up altering that on the remix? The piano note is shifted a second or two forward in comparison to the original. I think it sounds much better on the remix, but I haven't been living with the album since 1994.
 
Bummer about some missing bits on The Seeds Of Love.

It's really not that big of a deal.
The fact is he was able to make the remix work with what he had.
I'm still thinking that it could be his greatest work in surround to date, if only we can actually hear it!
Still expecting a fall release for the 30th anniversary reissues, and I hope I'm not wrong on that!

:)
 
He also name-drops "Seeds of Love" in this interview talking about its sonic excellence:


:)


Didn't realize Tears for Fears Seeds of Love was an early 16 bit digital recording and agree with Steve it's always sounded magnificent ..... even on RBCD so Steve, WHERE'S the 5.1 REMIX? I know, it's THE BAND itself!

Also, glad he mentioned the Beatles in 5.1 because like him, I have a sneaking suspicion it will with the addition of The White Album and the upcoming Abbey Road have a major impact on the future of SURROUND despite 2019 having been somewhat of a lackluster year.
 
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