Just so we can keep the remix discussions in one place, at least for the future, I thought this might be a fun way to bring back the SOTM feature---by looking at the whole remixed record one at a time.

As a general comment, I think the remixes as a whole are very successful. Even if they aren’t all better than the originals (in my opinion, at any rate), each one manages to not reinvent (which I did not want), but reinvigorate the original. It’s like hearing them for the first time while still knowing what to expect, a really compelling mix of familiarity and discovery that is a blast to listen to. O’Brien does a great job making the entire record audible, and there are a number of parts I feel like I’m hearing for the first time.

The remixes are intense—more aggressive versions of an already aggressive record, almost as if every moment of reverb is replaced instead by force, and Eddie’s voice is like a hurricane or a bomb—it just obliterates everything in its path, and while it’s fair to think that he sings better today from a technical standpoint, he’s never had this much power. It’s an amazing listen. It also reminds me how much he used to fully inhabit their songs, and this, more than anything else, is what I really wish future records would learn from Ten. Eddie is a force of nature, and the more time he’s in a song, even just with wordless vocalizations and improvisational fills, the better off the song is—he lends them a richness and fullness that is absent on a lot of later numbers. The highlight to Into the Wild for me is Eddie’s wordless moan during hard sun, and this record is just full of these moments, and BoB does a great job giving them their due.


Once

I missed the master/slave intro on the RVM remix and it is nice to have it back, and with a richness and fullness that makes it more mysterious and foreboding and makes the intro into once more intense.
The immediacy and general in-your-face quality of the new remixes works really well on Once. The anger, the frazzled, frantic collapse that the story documents is more powerful and effective with the extra energy. There are not that many new details to notice here as there are in a number of the other remixes, but everything that was in the original is punched up and more sharply defined. It is nice to finally hear the bass in this song too, especially during the second verse. The guitar during the outro has more of a fuzzy snarl to it as well that I like a lot.

I did like how in the RVM remix eddie’s vocals during the bridge (you think I got my eyes closed but I’m looking at you the whole fucking time...you better open yours too) were finally audible. There are lots of hidden lyrical gems on this record and in general I’d prefer to hear them.

I think this one is probably my favorite studio version of once to date. The BoB version from RVM is a close second, and both are vastly superior to the original version on Ten.

Even Flow

This is currently my second favorite remix. Nothing that 'new' here either (except for the bridge) but it has totally breathed new life into what was once my favorite Pearl Jam song. The original one, once their catalogue started to expand, felt a little dated. There was a bit too much of a sheen to it. I really started to prefer the Dave A version from a year or two later--I liked the slow, bluesy burn to it. But I feel like this one strips Even Flow down to its essentails, without making the song any thinner in the process. It has the intensity the song needs, and even a little bit of the grit without sacrificing the beauty in this vocal performance (one of Eddie's better ones) and the really terrific groove that runs through the song. It's just incredibly smooth now without being artifical, and the without some of the overproduction on the original version it's even more powerful than before.

I was excited to hear the vocals in the bridge and figure out where the hell the 'merry christmas' thing came from, but all in all I'd rather it not be there, or have it a bit muted. It takes me out of the song, and if they were gonna add a spoken word bit the one at the end of the Dave A version is much much better.

I think what this new version does better than any of the others is reach an utterly killer climax. There are some really spectacular finishes to some of these songs (release, porch, black, alive) and I had never included Even Flow in that number, but it just ramps up so beautifully coming out of the spoken word bridge into an absolutley thrilling conclusion.

Overall I think this one (with my one complaint with the bridge) is a total success. I think I this remix version has become my favorite.

Alive

The original Alive may be the song that suffered the most from Ten's production. The dramatic impact of the song was lost because it was detatched, floating along on a sea of reverb. It was a middle of the road Ten song for me, and BoB's RVM remix took it from there to my favorite song of all time. It gave the song the focus and clarity it needed, grounded the song sufficently so that the emotional weight really hit you, and made the outro solo one of the most, if not the most, cathartic moments in music. I love it

So in fairness to this Alive, it has to top my favorite song of all time, and BoB had already remixed it once. So this mix of Alive isn't bad, but it is one of the two songs on the remixed version that is clearly not as good as a previous version. While normally it was cool to hear all the extra stuff going on in the songs, the main riff in Alive deserves to be front and center, and it is drowned out by the other music. The extra hush in eddie's vocals are cool, but he's also too loud in the mix (how often do I complain that a song has too much Eddie). the song needs a little distance in order to tell the story it wants to tell, and while this vocal performance might actually be better, it's too in your face for something that is supposed to be contemplative. This is mixed like it is why go or once, and this is an all together different song taking the listener to a different place. the music is too undifferentiated--during the chorus it turns into a wall of noise, and Eddie has to be pushed too far forward into the mix to compete. The volume the whole way through means that the guitar solo doesn't stand out at the end--it feels too much like a continuation of the song rather than the culmination.

Again, I still like it, but this remix is middle of the road on the BoB version of Ten. Some of that is because old songs got a dramatic boost (porch, even flow) but also because this one was a step back.

Why Go

I'm truly torn on which version of Why Go I like better. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. The Ten version of Why Go just sounds enormous--one of the songs where the reverb is used to excellent effect. the remixed why go sounds a little flat in comparison, especially in the begining. The drums are kind of flat instead of booming, and why the new remix is loud and aggressive, it isn't quite as totalizing as the original. It is really cool to hear the guitar parts so clearly, but it gives the song a sort of funk that doesn't quite fit in with the music. On the other hand, I think the chorus at the end (the why go home... part) sounds better, and there are other little changes that I love. The echo on the first chorus, and the angry roar of the guitar before starting the second verse is great--a little change that adds a ton to the song.

So the jury is still out for me on this one.

Black

Black is another song in a situation similar to Alive--the previous RVM remix totally made the song for me (Black was not one of my favorites before then). So it's hard for BoB (I'd assume) to remix the song twice.

Overall I think this is a succesful mix--the annoying lead in from why go is gone, and i like that he kept something of the distant, wistful sound of the intro. As always it is nice to hear the music with so much more clarity. One of the things that really comes through here is how little music there actually seems to be in black. There are a lot of empty spaces that are filled in with the echoes of previous notes, and there may be no song on Ten where Eddie's voice carries the song in quite the same way (not that this is necessarily his best perfomance, but the song is so dependent on it).

But black, like Alive, ultimatley sinks or swims on the outro, and the BoB remix on RVM was terrific at really conveying that sense that this person's life is utterly falling to pieces right in front of your eyes. I can't quite put my finger on anything in particular, but I feel like the RVM remix is a little more succesful on this score than the Ten remix. Not that this version is bad (it's very good), but I think RVM does it better. Part of the problem for me is the very end of the outro (right before the fade begins), where it sounds like Eddie is just making noises and searching for vocalizations rather than really lost in a moment, like we get with the RVM performance


Jeremy

There are certain things the Jeremy mix does great, and a few things that really take you out of it. The volume (many songs are too loud) is noticable here but since it is an angry, alienated song it works. Getting the bass front and center is great since it really drives the song, and as is the case with all the songs, it's nice hearing the music with my clarity (the little fills in the second verse, etc). Overall I think the song is a success until the outro.

The outro runs into problems cuz eddie is doing sooo much and BoB didn't always pick the right things to highlight. Part of the problem is the 'spoke in' parts that follow in the chorus (which are fine there) are used to death during the last few minutes. They sound okay, but they detract from a far more compelling performance (the who, who who who parts, the long held out whoahs, a few really terrific screams slightly hidden behind the mix (listen at 4:27 and 4:27) when the menacing musical outro begins (I love htat part)--these should be what he's focusing on, not the spoke in, which is a decent counterpoint on the chorus but that's it. I also would prefer, in the same vein, less ah ha's during the final musical outro. It's a great part and at that point it doesn't need Eddie's moaning. We just had 90 seconds of that. It can be left alone.

Overall I might like this version better than the 10 version, but there was space to make it even better.



Oceans

The jury is still out for me on this one too. I may prefer the original in the end. It is a solid remix, and I like hearing everything with such clarity (the strummed guitar parts, and the new prominence of Jeff's bass, which is pretty cool), and Eddie sounds great. However, Oceans isn't that complex, or really even that interesting a song musically. The song works because of the dreamy, wistful atmosphere. It floated by on its sea of reverb, and this made a lot of sense for Oceans. This is lost a bit on this remix--it is too loud, too immediate, and what gets pushed to the front isn't quite as good as what is lost. The forest is sacrificed for the trees



Porch

The remixed porch is simply a monster, and probably the best of the remixes (this or Even Flow). Porch is a song about defiance, and the immediacy and forcefulness of the remix amps up what is at stake, rather than detract from the atmosphere. And the thing is we're not actually hearing anything all that new (although the intro is much stronger and clearer here)--we're just hearing it better. The drums may be a little muted, but the guitars ring out with extra clarity when they need to, and slash a little deeper when they are supposed to. It's a pleasure hearing Jeff's excellent bass part during the verses. We still can't quite make out whatever Eddie is mumbling during the bridge, but that's okay. I'm not sure he is necessarily saying anything (other than the 'I don't know')

The climax is incredible, and is certainly up there with the end of Alive as one of the greatest moments in their catalog. My own 'complaint' is that there is too much amazing stuff happening there. you almost can't keep track of it all. BoB decided to push Eddie to the front (and it is hard to blame him), but the guitar orgasam at the end is almost buried. You can feel it more than you can hear it. I'm not sure if there is a way around that though. There is too much amazing stuff happening and you can't focus on all of it. I do wish the drums were a bit more prominent. They kind of drop out after the roll that leads into the final chorus.

There are a number of great moments like this on Ten (CHUD's michael jackson comment in the other remix thread is right on the money) where Eddie really uses his voice like an instrument, and the yeahs at the end of porch convey so much without any actual lyrics. this, more than anything, is what dropped out of Pearl Jam's musical arsenal on later records, and being reminded of it on Ten really makes me long for its return.

Garden

The original Garden was always the song I liked least on Ten, so I wasn't really invested in that version need. I've mixed feelings about this one. Like a few of the other versions it sacrifices atmosphere for clarity. The melody is sharper and Jeff's bass is far more prominent, so it does have that feeling of discovery that makes all the remixes fun. But I'm not sure any of it is an actual improvement. The only moment of the song where I really liked any of the changes was the few moments of music right before the transition into the final chorus, where the guitars wail a little louder than they do on the original.

But Garden was always a bit repetitive for me, and this is still repetitive, just more precise. I think I would have preferred that they remix the song entirely, a la the version they had for the 08 (or was it 06) tour, which I liked more.

I also wish that they had done away with the fade outs for the remix. Occasionally it works (Black comes to mind) but Garden really needs a stopping point and they didn't add one.

Deep

Deep is another one I don't hear too many changes on. It's louder for sure, but deep was already pretty loud. I think the clarity hurts here too. You hear every note but the original Deep got its power less from what was played and more from how immersive it was--you were totally enveloped in the noise and sound. Being able to hear everything so clearly takes you out of that experience. So it's cool getting the crisper notes going into the third verse, and hearing Jeff (as always), but the song is too grounded when it is better served by floating in space, where it can't touch the bottom.

Release

Too loud Brendan--too loud. I don't care all that much for this remix. Release is one of the most atmospheric songs they ever wrote, and the distance in the original is critical to the song. There is space between the music and the vocals, the singer and the listener, the son and the father. The song is defined by this gap, this longing, that the song is trying to overcome. Here everything is bumping into everything else trying to get out in front. The meditative calm that makes the original so effective is just lost in the noise here, and because it is so loud from start to finish the climactic moments of the song lose their impact because there is no space for them to rise out of. The music in release is very pretty, but again it gets pushed so forcefully here that whatever new bits we discover and whatever joy we derive from it are lost in the volume. There have been a few times listening to this version where I didn't even realize the final moments "I'll wait up in the dark...." had even begun, where you can't help but be swept away by them in the original.

I'd probably argue that this is the worst remix on the record.

Way to go Stip-ster finally getting one of these "MERGER" type threads up



and I have to say I like Porch the best, but Even Flow is close too, just changing Even Flow from a Mike song into hearing the parts that have been the background sounds for so long is so great makes listening to these something different.

I like hearing BASS on this album, it's so great.

My votes go for PORCH and EVEN FLOW.

Porch
Why Go
Black

My top 3 remixes.

Even Flow!

I'd never expected I'd say that was my fave of the new mixes, but it's blowing my mind right now.

I agree. I love Ten, and I love Even Flow live, but have never been crazy about the album version. While subtle differences at times, this version is just amazing.

Still holding out till I get it in my hands. Only thing I've heard so far is Brother on the radio, and I wasn't very impressed with that one.

Scientific comparison of the three versions. All are of Even Flow - Original, Remaster, and Remix. I created this in response to the charge on the official board about digital compression. It is true that digital compression/volume increase has been used on the latest two versions. This appears to be a trend in the mastering of CDs these days and I have personally seen it in a few CDs including In Rainbows by Radiohead.

Remixes = success

I'll probably never listen to the original Ten again.

Don't like the Jeremy or Why Go remixes. Not sure why they're still using this version of Even Flow, remixed or otherwise.

Er, wouldn't it be weird to listen to the re-recorded (and totally inferior, in my opinion) version of Even Flow recorded a year later with a different drummer during the middle of the album?

I always preferred the album version and now I'm totally in lust with it with this new mix.

holy shit that's ugly.

the ugliest wav of them all is the remix, and that is the best of the three versions of the song. Imagine how AWESOME it would sound if it wasn't clipped to shit.

Garden is awesome

I see your point, but the album version has no balls (in comparison).

What's the difference in the three different graphs?

Is there another version of Even Flow? can anyone supply a link to it please?

The single version, with Dave A on drums. It's on the Greatest Hits.

I think it's kinda crap but I don't think that's a widely held opinion.

Even Flow

This is currently my second favorite remix. Nothing that 'new' here either (except for the bridge) but it has totally breathed new life into what was once my favorite Pearl Jam song. The original one, once their catalogue started to expand, felt a little dated. There was a bit too much of a sheen to it. I really started to prefer the Dave A version from a year or two later--I liked the slow, bluesy burn to it. But I feel like this one strips Even Flow down to its essentails, without making the song any thinner in the process. It has the intensity the song needs, and even a little bit of the grit without sacrificing the beauty in this vocal performance (one of Eddie's better ones) and the really terrific groove that runs through the song. It's just incredibly smooth now without being artifical, and the without some of the overproduction on the original version it's even more powerful than before.

I was excited to hear the vocals in the bridge and figure out where the hell the 'merry christmas' thing came from, but all in all I'd rather it not be there, or have it a bit muted. It takes me out of the song, and if they were gonna add a spoken word bit the one at the end of the Dave A version is much much better.

I think what this new version does better than any of the others is reach an utterly killer climax. There are some really spectacular finishes to some of these songs (release, porch, black, alive) and I had never included Even Flow in that number, but it just ramps up so beautifully coming out of the spoken word bridge into an absolutley thrilling conclusion.

Overall I think this one (with my one complaint with the bridge) is a total success. I think I this remix version has become my favorite.

kthnx

i was wondering that as well. Can someone please explain the difference?

Holy shit


How can this POSSIBLY SOUND GOOD