Marky Dread Remasters

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Marky Dread
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Re: Marky Dread Remasters

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Last edited by Marky Dread on 19 Jan 2021, 8:15am, edited 1 time in total.
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Forces have been looting
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Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty


We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.

"Without the common people you're nothing"

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Marky Dread
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Re: Marky Dread Remasters

Post by Marky Dread »

.
Last edited by Marky Dread on 19 Jan 2021, 8:16am, edited 1 time in total.
Image

Forces have been looting
My humanity
Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty


We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.

"Without the common people you're nothing"

Nos Sumus Una Familia

Heston
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Re: Marky Dread Remasters

Post by Heston »

Marky Dread wrote:
01 May 2018, 10:46am
matedog wrote:
01 May 2018, 10:15am
Heston wrote:
26 Mar 2018, 6:45pm
Just gave EW a spin, lovely crisp remastering job Marky. The guitars seem punchier, and like Maj says, Sleepwalk is definitely the biggest improvement.

Shame most of the songs still disappoint all these years later, and the buried vocals render the few successes nearly unsalvageable. Why the hell did the Clash, Joe and Mick seem to have so many production/mixing problems throughout their collective career? I think only London Calling, Megatop Phoenix and Global are albums that you can say are unequivocally well produced and mixed from their whole oeuvre. I sometimes fantasize about the Clash's whole output recorded with the CoL EP/London Calling production.

Anyway, another great job Marky, looking forward to you hopefully getting back into the saddle with more remastering jobs.
I think the GEER production is pretty sharp.
The production on GEER is terrific but the mix is a let down.
Agreed, and the song lengths come under production too. A good producer would have knocked a minute off some of the songs. Last Gang In Town and All the Young Punks spring to mind.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

muppet hi fi
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Re: Marky Dread Remasters

Post by muppet hi fi »

Heston wrote:
01 May 2018, 12:15pm
Marky Dread wrote:
01 May 2018, 10:46am
matedog wrote:
01 May 2018, 10:15am
Heston wrote:
26 Mar 2018, 6:45pm
Just gave EW a spin, lovely crisp remastering job Marky. The guitars seem punchier, and like Maj says, Sleepwalk is definitely the biggest improvement.

Shame most of the songs still disappoint all these years later, and the buried vocals render the few successes nearly unsalvageable. Why the hell did the Clash, Joe and Mick seem to have so many production/mixing problems throughout their collective career? I think only London Calling, Megatop Phoenix and Global are albums that you can say are unequivocally well produced and mixed from their whole oeuvre. I sometimes fantasize about the Clash's whole output recorded with the CoL EP/London Calling production.

Anyway, another great job Marky, looking forward to you hopefully getting back into the saddle with more remastering jobs.
I think the GEER production is pretty sharp.
The production on GEER is terrific but the mix is a let down.
Agreed, and the song lengths come under production too. A good producer would have knocked a minute off some of the songs. Last Gang In Town and All the Young Punks spring to mind.
Agree with the fine production but odd mix. Disagree that Last Gang and Young Punks are too long; those leads are pure guitar heaven for me, they really sing - like Richards, Ronson & Thunders all wrapped into one cat. They'd never be so guitar-cenrtric again. And as they showed later, they loved to jam. But seldom on straight up major key, barre chord anthems. So you get Joe jamming on the vocals & lyrics and Mick jamming on the six string. What's not to love? And anyway, we'd all crave the full album mixes if they'd been cut down by Pearlman for the album (i.e. Rat Patrol mixes edited by Johns).
Strong shoes is what we got and when they're hot they're hot!
- Marky Dread and his fabulous Screaming Blue Messiahs

Heston
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Re: Marky Dread Remasters

Post by Heston »

muppet hi fi wrote:
01 May 2018, 6:44pm
Heston wrote:
01 May 2018, 12:15pm
Marky Dread wrote:
01 May 2018, 10:46am
matedog wrote:
01 May 2018, 10:15am
Heston wrote:
26 Mar 2018, 6:45pm
Just gave EW a spin, lovely crisp remastering job Marky. The guitars seem punchier, and like Maj says, Sleepwalk is definitely the biggest improvement.

Shame most of the songs still disappoint all these years later, and the buried vocals render the few successes nearly unsalvageable. Why the hell did the Clash, Joe and Mick seem to have so many production/mixing problems throughout their collective career? I think only London Calling, Megatop Phoenix and Global are albums that you can say are unequivocally well produced and mixed from their whole oeuvre. I sometimes fantasize about the Clash's whole output recorded with the CoL EP/London Calling production.

Anyway, another great job Marky, looking forward to you hopefully getting back into the saddle with more remastering jobs.
I think the GEER production is pretty sharp.
The production on GEER is terrific but the mix is a let down.
Agreed, and the song lengths come under production too. A good producer would have knocked a minute off some of the songs. Last Gang In Town and All the Young Punks spring to mind.
Agree with the fine production but odd mix. Disagree that Last Gang and Young Punks are too long; those leads are pure guitar heaven for me, they really sing - like Richards, Ronson & Thunders all wrapped into one cat. They'd never be so guitar-cenrtric again. And as they showed later, they loved to jam. But seldom on straight up major key, barre chord anthems. So you get Joe jamming on the vocals & lyrics and Mick jamming on the six string. What's not to love? And anyway, we'd all crave the full album mixes if they'd been cut down by Pearlman for the album (i.e. Rat Patrol mixes edited by Johns).
It's not so much the long lead sections as the overlong song structures. Why does All the Young Punks have a double chorus every time? Also drops down into a build up before every verse when it could have benefited from a leaner arrangement. Last Gang is a similar story, keeps doing that build up thing before every verse when it could have kicked straight on after a chorus. I know these are minor quibbles but I don't want really want a punk album with 5 minute songs. Cheapskates and Drug Stabbin' time are a bit bloated too.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

muppet hi fi
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Re: Marky Dread Remasters

Post by muppet hi fi »

Heston wrote:
01 May 2018, 6:54pm
muppet hi fi wrote:
01 May 2018, 6:44pm
Heston wrote:
01 May 2018, 12:15pm
Marky Dread wrote:
01 May 2018, 10:46am
matedog wrote:
01 May 2018, 10:15am


I think the GEER production is pretty sharp.
The production on GEER is terrific but the mix is a let down.
Agreed, and the song lengths come under production too. A good producer would have knocked a minute off some of the songs. Last Gang In Town and All the Young Punks spring to mind.
Agree with the fine production but odd mix. Disagree that Last Gang and Young Punks are too long; those leads are pure guitar heaven for me, they really sing - like Richards, Ronson & Thunders all wrapped into one cat. They'd never be so guitar-cenrtric again. And as they showed later, they loved to jam. But seldom on straight up major key, barre chord anthems. So you get Joe jamming on the vocals & lyrics and Mick jamming on the six string. What's not to love? And anyway, we'd all crave the full album mixes if they'd been cut down by Pearlman for the album (i.e. Rat Patrol mixes edited by Johns).
It's not so much the long lead sections as the overlong song structures. Why does All the Young Punks have a double chorus every time? Also drops down into a build up before every verse when it could have benefited from a leaner arrangement. Last Gang is a similar story, keeps doing that build up thing before every verse when it could have kicked straight on after a chorus. I know these are minor quibbles but I don't want really want a punk album with 5 minute songs. Cheapskates and Drug Stabbin' time are a bit bloated too.
Well, Cheapskates and Drug Stabbing are lesser songs for me, but I take your point on Punks and Last Gang, though I still disagree. Hell, I got GEER when it was released and it astonished me how good these guys were, how they could arrange songs in the "classic" tradition of the Stones and Bowie etc. Maybe I was never a proper "punk rocker" all along. :shifty:
Strong shoes is what we got and when they're hot they're hot!
- Marky Dread and his fabulous Screaming Blue Messiahs

Flex
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Re: Marky Dread Remasters

Post by Flex »

I'll never get why Cheapskates is considered a lesser Clash number. One of my all-time fave vocals.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead

Pex Lives!

Heston
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Re: Marky Dread Remasters

Post by Heston »

muppet hi fi wrote:
01 May 2018, 7:00pm
Heston wrote:
01 May 2018, 6:54pm
muppet hi fi wrote:
01 May 2018, 6:44pm
Heston wrote:
01 May 2018, 12:15pm
Marky Dread wrote:
01 May 2018, 10:46am


The production on GEER is terrific but the mix is a let down.
Agreed, and the song lengths come under production too. A good producer would have knocked a minute off some of the songs. Last Gang In Town and All the Young Punks spring to mind.
Agree with the fine production but odd mix. Disagree that Last Gang and Young Punks are too long; those leads are pure guitar heaven for me, they really sing - like Richards, Ronson & Thunders all wrapped into one cat. They'd never be so guitar-cenrtric again. And as they showed later, they loved to jam. But seldom on straight up major key, barre chord anthems. So you get Joe jamming on the vocals & lyrics and Mick jamming on the six string. What's not to love? And anyway, we'd all crave the full album mixes if they'd been cut down by Pearlman for the album (i.e. Rat Patrol mixes edited by Johns).
It's not so much the long lead sections as the overlong song structures. Why does All the Young Punks have a double chorus every time? Also drops down into a build up before every verse when it could have benefited from a leaner arrangement. Last Gang is a similar story, keeps doing that build up thing before every verse when it could have kicked straight on after a chorus. I know these are minor quibbles but I don't want really want a punk album with 5 minute songs. Cheapskates and Drug Stabbin' time are a bit bloated too.
Well, Cheapskates and Drug Stabbing are lesser songs for me, but I take your point on Punks and Last Gang, though I still disagree. Hell, I got GEER when it was released and it astonished me how good these guys were, how they could arrange songs in the "classic" tradition of the Stones and Bowie etc. Maybe I was never a proper "punk rocker" all along. :shifty:
Don't get me wrong, I fucking love it. I just stand by my statement about most Clash-related albums having production issues.

I was never big on punk either, cream of the crop only, most of it wasn't for me.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

Heston
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Re: Marky Dread Remasters

Post by Heston »

Flex wrote:
01 May 2018, 7:38pm
I'll never get why Cheapskates is considered a lesser Clash number. One of my all-time fave vocals.
Maybe because it's like getting beaten with a "slab of hate" as someone once said.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

Flex
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Re: Marky Dread Remasters

Post by Flex »

Heston wrote:
01 May 2018, 7:41pm
Maybe because it's like getting beaten with a "slab of hate" as someone once said.
You say that like it's a negative.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead

Pex Lives!

Heston
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Re: Marky Dread Remasters

Post by Heston »

Cheapskates is one of those songs that has great lyrics but the tune is a bit leaden. I like the chorus but it seems to miss Mick's usual melodic touch in parts.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

muppet hi fi
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Re: Marky Dread Remasters

Post by muppet hi fi »

Flex wrote:
01 May 2018, 7:38pm
I'll never get why Cheapskates is considered a lesser Clash number. One of my all-time fave vocals.
Oh it's got a great vocal for sure, I just think the melody and progression are a bit busy. What did Marcus Grey call much of GEER's themes - "Mott the Hoople Syndrome"? I do agree with him on some of those 1978 lyrical concerns, but it could have been worse: Pete Townshend Syndrome. :mrgreen: I still love Cheapskates, just a lesser song on what's maybe my fave Clash album. (if I had to chose just one. I'm such a fan-boy).
Last edited by muppet hi fi on 01 May 2018, 8:14pm, edited 1 time in total.
Strong shoes is what we got and when they're hot they're hot!
- Marky Dread and his fabulous Screaming Blue Messiahs

Flex
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Re: Marky Dread Remasters

Post by Flex »

muppet hi fi wrote:
01 May 2018, 8:10pm
Oh it's got a great vocal for sure, I just think the melody and progression are a bit busy. What did Marcus Grey call much of GEER's themes - "Mott the Hoople Syndrome"? I do agree with him on some of those 1978 lyrical concerns, but it could have been worse: Pete Townshend Syndrome. :mrgreen: I still love Cheapskates, just a lesser song on what's maybe my fave Clash album.
Not to take anything away from Marky in a thread about his remasters - as they're still basically the definitive versions of everything under the Clash name - but for anyone looking for GEER on vinyl the Drastic Plastic reissue is :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead

Pex Lives!

muppet hi fi
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Posts: 5190
Joined: 19 Feb 2009, 1:10pm

Re: Marky Dread Remasters

Post by muppet hi fi »

Flex wrote:
01 May 2018, 8:14pm
muppet hi fi wrote:
01 May 2018, 8:10pm
Oh it's got a great vocal for sure, I just think the melody and progression are a bit busy. What did Marcus Grey call much of GEER's themes - "Mott the Hoople Syndrome"? I do agree with him on some of those 1978 lyrical concerns, but it could have been worse: Pete Townshend Syndrome. :mrgreen: I still love Cheapskates, just a lesser song on what's maybe my fave Clash album.
Not to take anything away from Marky in a thread about his remasters - as they're still basically the definitive versions of everything under the Clash name - but for anyone looking for GEER on vinyl the Drastic Plastic reissue is :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:
Oh mate, I love Marky's remaster of GEER, and the fact that he used the early CBS versions as his template rather than the 1999 or 'Sound System' masters is even more impressive. But unless I win the lottery or something, I'm done with vinyl. There's only so much new or improved sound you can get out of an old recording, and I think it was done on SS and Marky's fairy-dust approach.
Strong shoes is what we got and when they're hot they're hot!
- Marky Dread and his fabulous Screaming Blue Messiahs

Heston
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Re: Marky Dread Remasters

Post by Heston »

If anything GEER needed unmastering. You could only take away, not add.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

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