Giles Martin on Remixing The Beatles' 'Abbey Road'
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- čas přidán 22. 07. 2024
- Multi Grammy award-winning Giles Martin is a key part of the Abbey Road family, having produced and mixed many projects at the studios, with one of his most recent being the highly-anticipated #AbbeyRoad 50th anniversary reissue.
We sat down and spoke with Giles about the process behind remixing The Beatles' last recorded album, what we can expect from the project and his work at the studios. - Hudba
You never give me your outtakes...
You only give me a remixed album...
@@CB-xr1eg And in the middle of the exploitation, you repeat buy...
that's so funny guys.. had me and my girlfriend laughing...well done
Out of college, money spent, hear no outtakes, pay my rent
@@methampheminist All the outtakes gone, nowhere to go.
So much like his dad, and a nice man like him too.
The son every Dad hopes his son will become.... respectful & hard working.
his Dad would have never taken these risks... just saying..
@@cmkilcullen8176 His Dad's stock-in-trade WAS taking risks - constantly...
never noticed until this video how much he sounds like his pop!
Not quite as posh, but very few people do sound as posh as George!
@@slothfromthegoonies8201 - The funny thing is George Martin was born in a working class environment and it was Giles who was born "well to do" as they say.
Not to mention his looks and his hair ;)
George Martin actually originally had a thick Cockney accent, and worked to change it to the posh one we associate him with.
@@thewilythylacine Nonsense, he was born in Highbury north London, so why would he have a " thick Cockney accent "? Cockneys come from East London.
It’s like seeing George Martin speaking through this son! Wow
His voice is getting similar
It's uncanny, he looks like the old black and white pictures of George Martin in the studios; the somewhat older, distinct looking gentlemen in the studio
His father would be rolling in his grave if he could hear the remix.
I agree with everything you all said except, mcmike 100.. his father couldn’t hear anymore, thats why he hired Giles as his “ears” i think they sound great
@@mcmike100 I have not heard the remix. Is it that bad??
I think Jiles is the only person alive I would trust to re-mix The Beatles.He’s done and incredible job. Especially considering what’s at stake, as he states.
And sadly, he failed.
@@mcmike100 I wouldn't say he failed. Sgt. Pepper sounds incredible for the most part, The White Album was good, but Abbey Road was unnecessary. There's nothing wrong with the remix, but it didn't need to be done.
I wouldn’t want him mixing a scrambled egg.Just a money making meddler
@@ian_5184 if you think Sgt. Pepper sounded incredible, you must like the volume war. Pepper was unneccarily over compressed. I returned the CD. Giles did a great job with Pepper on Rock Band. Get those 4 CD's if you can find them
@@mcmike100 If one is against increased warmth and clarity, an improved stereo image, reduced tape hiss, then yes, he failed. Otherwise, he did a great job.
I bought the 2019 remix last week and I'm surprised with how much I like it. There's a roundness to the music that feels wonderful. And a clarity to the instruments that's just superb.
I really hope we get a remix of revolver, the mono mixes are so much better than the old stereo mixes I'd love to hear Giles do a new stereo mix
@Top40Bill also Rain and/or Paperback Writer
I'm dying for listening She Said, She Said in a new stereo mix
Revolver will be done, trust me :) I have heard from a good source.
@@petemarr824 As much as I love 'Revolver', even with the 2009 remastered version it sounds harsh compared to 'Rubber Soul' so if they do remix it, I hope it has a crisper, less harsher sound but still packed with a punch.......Millenials won't know what they're hearing with a remixed 'Tomorrow Never Knows', they will surrender to the Beatles.
@@terrythekittieful The Revolver remaster you refer to (on vinyl) is “blustery”-how I’d describe it, not sure if that’s the same as “harsh”-too bassy at times. Making it a “crisper” stereo mix may require less extreme panning, which may also turn off a lot of people.
you got your wish!
In spite of what the media and many millennials want, it is box sets like this that show that physical music media will never die. Long live CD’s and Vinyl.
Damm right, in my collage they(the professor's) keep on going on about how physical mediums are dead and noone uses them any more which is pattently untrue.
Agreed!
Vinyl? Yes
CD? Hell, no that shit's dying and it's for the best
@Jim McCracken with the rise of digital music, I think it is now simpler to find some bootlegs even though I did find some rare beatles recordings on vinyl. The disc seller kept it hidden for me cause he knew I was a Beatles fan
Yeah, I am saving up for The White Album and Abbey Road Deluxe sets.
With pepper, the White Album, and now Abbey road being remixed with and for yet another generation, I must insist that the same care and the remix of a Beatles album, that rubber soul has to be next and then all of it. Every single song. I thought LOVE was an incredible project. Thank you Giles!
this...
@@manuelgasse I think that Rubber Soul was remixed in some way when originally released on CD. I know it says ADD not AAD on the label.
"Let It Be" will be next. Guaranteed
Dave McLain ill have to find that. My copy of rubber soul is that left-right separation annoying sound. With drums bass and things on the left, vocals on the right. maybe I should just digitize my original final US release with "I just seen her face" as the first song.
@@DaveMcLain for the original 1987 CD releases, George Martin went back and remixed "Help!" and "Rubber Soul". Those remixes are what were used for the 2009 stereo remasters. The original 1965 stereo mixes were included as bonus tracks on the 2009 Mono box set of those albums. However, the very first pressing of the 1987 CDs from Canada contain the original 1965 stereo mixes. They were released by mistake, and are rare as hell.
Still waiting for a Revolver remix
I could listen to this guy talk about music pretty much indefinitely. Such an affable, intelligent guy and the perfect person to carry the torch for his father. Nice work, sir.
“Marginally the tallest” = instant thumbs up!
"Penning a moustache on the Mona Lisa" was a pretty one, too.
Giles was born two weeks after "Abbey Road" was released (George Martin was on both proyects at the same time, ha-ha).
I think the majority of his input on the first project ceased about nine months before.
I can listen to Giles talking all day about music and his process, just like his father.
Quite simply the greatest album ever & i just cannot wait to hear the side 2 medley..... Musical perfection
Giles you and Sam are awesome man. Love the 3 remix albums so far. Please do them all. 👍
Giles Martin reminds me so much of his dad. Thank you for remixing these great albums. The Blu-Rays sound amazing played on my home theatre setup. I really like the double Blu-Ray #1s video collection - it is amazing to hear and see the Beatles played LOUD through a decent hi-fi setup. It's a real experience that brings back great memories. Amazing stuff! And finally, please re-mix them all!
" Love " was brilliantly done! The combination of different songs was so effective. As a long time fan, the album is a bittersweet listening experience. When Paul sings, " Once there was a way to get back homeward...," I have a nostalgic feeling.
I really love this. George Martin's son takes over the family business... which happens to be maintaining the sonic integrity of the biggest musical act of ALL TIME. It's pure poetry, because he's probably the only person on earth that can actually do it. He has a direct and personal relationship with the material. Can you imagine the kind of scrutiny one is exposed to when they "tinker" with The Beatles catalog? I'd have a panic attack at the board the minute they pushed play!
His favourite bit of Abbey Road is the long mixed medley at the end, that's good enough for me. He is the right man for the job.
he really has his dad's voice.
seems to have his ear too
Great job Giles. Your a tribute to the beatles and your father. Thank you for keeping these great works alive.
You and the team are doing a tremendous job with our Beatles work, I look forward to all your future projects with the Beatles mixes, I’ve been a fan since I was 6yrs old (1971) and I’m all for what your doing and achieving with all the remixes to date! Love is simply brilliant, pepper is amazing, the white album, brilliant, and Abbey Rd is excellent! I’m looking forward to what you will do with all the early albums! I’d love for the drums ect to be stereo and centered more! I feel this would make listening to their early and mid period music an even more amazing experience for both old and new fans! We old fans have everything the Beatles put out so I feel for us it would be a wonderful experience to have that style of mix! Imagine a wider, cleaner stereo mix of the A Hard Days Night Album! It would be a Wow experience for all in my humble opinion! Please please please do this for all of us Giles, we would be so great full, Ps, The Hollywood Bowl rerelease is amazing! Having said that, I loved the original when it came out here in Australia in 1977, I always love hearing boys on that album! I’m probably wrong, but I feel the drums cut through louder and punchier on boy’s because of Ringo’s vocal mic! The kick being louder adds so much more excitement!
Giles Martin's remix and remaster of Abbey Road was a revelation to me. It's almost like being in the room.
Thanks for all your work. It's paid off!
I’m glad Giles Martin is taking on the legacy of his father and doing these remixes. He is the logical person to continue preserving his fathers legacy and the Beatles music as well. Good Job 👏🏻 Man! Abbey Road is the only album that the Beatles recorded in Stereo and with 8 tracks.
Not entirely true. Portions of the White Album were recorded with an 8-track console, and that was the first one recorded in stereo.
There are other engineers/producers who are out there remixing classic albums and could have done equally as good, if not better, at remixing Abbey Road. Giles inherited this opportunity, he didn't exactly earn it. He's got a couple Grammys, but they were for Beatles stuff (go figure!).
The work that Giles and his people are doing is just amazing. It's a real gift for fans being able to listen to such a rich and layered album that's already epic. Thanks Giles. Hope you do Let It Be next with the new Disney series.
Giles has done amazing work on these big Beatles box sets. Can’t wait to get mine on Friday! Let’s hope next spring/summer we will get one for Let it Be.
That's gonna be massive!!!!!...I can't even imagine how many CD's that'll be...
Im praying we get an All Things Must Pass Box to with a "Naked" mix...
I mean, they can release the get back album considering how much stuff has been recorded
Flame-inn-Gun$ Gaming we can always dream... 😢
I think Let It Be...Naked was the best mix that McCartney made. Now that would be a treat to hear from Giles!
I like all that you did in form and content.
What were you thinking with Octopus's garden though man? All the tracks on Abbey Road bring his drumming out so well except Garden - where he is actually singing. My heart sank!
All said - love that you did take the risks and gave us all more fun!! Thank you!!
Fantastic interview! I'm expecting my Abbey Road box set to arrive tomorrow...:-)
Ok, What's next? Back to "please please me" 60th anniversary?
Separating the instruments from the original two track?
That's true - there's not much that can be done with those tapes, or those of the second album.
Oh Yes!!!!
@@ClarenceFisher For stereo, not without (potentially controversial) digital extraction. For surround, I'd love a professional (I'd done my own amateur mixes) surround mix using a front/back/sub balance of the twin tracks instead of the left/right hard panning as per the traditional stereo mixes.
@@coryserratore5951 Would Love To Hear You'r Amateur Mixes But I Do Agree It Would Be Potentially Controversial To Audiophiles. On The Other Hand Wouldn't They Risk Damaging The Master Tape?
There's not much you could do with the early ones up to Help. I think those are best in mono, but I'm confused why they didn't start with Rubber Soul and Revolver. Those 4-tracks would be so cool remixed with outtakes.
Excellent commentary! Giles Martin keep up the good work!👍
From what I’ve heard so far, I think Giles did a fantastic job. Does it sound like an original UK press? No, but it’s very charming in its own right. The panning of some of the instruments have been spread out nicely. There’s definitely more clarity to the instruments. Ringo’s drums have have more attack to them, especially his kick drum. Paul’s bass is more defined, etc. Can’t wait to receive my copy. I’m sure the outtakes are very cool. 🎶🔊🙂
It's not "charming". It's brilliant.
Thank you Sir Giles for your service. Peace and love ✌️✌️☮️☯️💟
Let it be and let it be naked for 2020 remix? To go alongside the movie Peter Jackson is making?
100%
Adamthegreat984
rumor has it thr Let It Be project will be remixed by Phil Spector’s son
😎
This HAS to happen, surely?
what movie?
I prefer the Let it be naked version
Really looking forward to it. I’d love to get Rubber soul. Who wouldn’t want to hear take 1 of In My Life or Nowhere Man. I wish Apple would open the vaults and let fans have access to it all. Create a subscription model like Apple Music and we can access anything from the vault.
westfield90 hey bulldog,great idea‼️ I had some bootlegs of early Beatles with rubber soul out takes, but of coarse there wasn't any nowhere man. They perform nowhere Man on the live in Japan album , those harmonies sound like butter. Unfortunately they were tapes and are long gone. Oh blood DO blood die all life goes on🍏
@@poppinpatty2507 Coarse
I wouldn't be surprised, and some fans here and on other places, (Facebook, Instagram, etc.,) are predicting that we'll get every Beatle album from PPM to Revolver in a remixed/deluxe release...as for the complete opening of the vaults of EVERY take, mix, and such...Apple would probably do it inhouse instead of using an outside outlet...I'd love it, but The Beatles and Apple Corp may not wanna go overboard like they've done with Elvis...
The idea sounds nice, but I disagree. They're better off holding on to them and putting them on rerelease and what not. If they release it all at once, they'll have nothing more to put out and the Beatles will truly be a band of the past
I, too, would love to hear all that. However, one thing to keep in mind and oft-forget is that Michael Jackson purchased nearly all the rights to Beatles songs after outbidding the combined effort of both Paul and Yoko. One ironic and sad chapter in that is that it was during the sessions of Paul and Michael Jackson on their smash collaboration "Say, say, say" that Paul had mentioned to Michael that owning copyrights was a great way to make money. Then, the asshole, Michael, took "his friend's" advice and bought all the rights to Beatles songs, resulting in the fact that, at that time, whenever you heard a Beatles song, Michael would receive royalties, not The Beatles.
I must admit, however, I do not know what is the present state of Beatles' royalties lies.
Here is something from 2017:
"McCartney lost the rights to the Beatles catalog back in 1985, when Michael Jackson outbid him when they went up for sale. Jackson paid more than $47 million for ATV, the company that had owned copyrights to Beatles songs since 1967. A decade later, Jackson sold half of his share to Sony for $100 million"
I can neither confirm or deny the accuracy of my last paragraph; however, here is the source I am using
2019 Ultimate Classic Rock is part of the Loudwire Network, Townsquare Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Read More: Paul McCartney and Sony Settle Beatles Copyright Suit | ultimateclassicrock.com/paul-mccartney-sony-beatles-copyright/?
He seems like such a cool guy. Man, he worked through that injury....❤️
I love all the remixes so far.....
Giles worked hard with all the pressure of a Beatles reunion on his shoulders. With lots of help he did a great job on Pepper. Looking forward to this.
Absolutely Awesome Giles
Amazing brilliant remix just got it on vinyl genius work
Sgt Pepper and the White Album remixes are so fantastic, but I REALLY need Revolver to be remixed in the same way ❤️☯️🙏
The new mix on vinyl is awe inspiring.
It just sounds amazing
Great job!!!
Good job on Here Comes the Sun. Sound better that the first time, never thought I would say something like that.
Gracias por seguir los pasos de tu genial padre, el legado de los beatles esta en buenas manos
Really likeable, clever man just like his dad. Great ear for mixing too
RUBBER SOUL AND REVOLVER, AND PAST MASTERS 2!
YES!!!!!! We know how great Rubber Soul can sound just by hearing "Nowhere Man" from the Yellow Submarine Songtrack remixed album in 1999. Superb!!!
Jon Woolsey exactly. I love that yellow submarine album. That Nowhere man mix sounds so good.
& MMT
Giles your mix of The White Album blew my mind thank you.
I loved when he said he could not choose his favourite. Of course not. The album is so fantastic...I fail to understand who come some people do pick a favourite track.
Such a great man. Respect.
If John were here I'm sure he'd agree Giles has great hair.
Would George Harrison like his tie I wonder.
Amazing work from an amazing crew. Looking forward to the next remix! And I so wish I could visit the studios. I sure hope they keep their tapes in a fire and bomb proof vault, having the Universal catastrophe in fresh mind.
Yes. I remember mixing thru Abbey Road. Moving into multitracking.
Great video! I could listen to you talk about this stuff all day. Was Abbey Road ever released in mono?"i've got a feeling" this will be a super awesome album! I love the sergeant pepper 50th anniversary edition🍏
Nope...no mono mixes of Abbey Road were ever made...it was released in Brazil, and some other countries in mono, but they're simply a fold-down of the stereo mix...
I loved George Martin, his voice is so similar to his father. His fathers talent and finesse rubbed off on him. He learned from one of the greatest..
And Geoff Emerick,don't forget him as well!
Giles and Mark Lewisohn are two of the luckiest guys in the world, getting to listen to every Beatles multitrack. They really should release everything, like Bob Dylan's complete 65-66 sessions on The Cutting Edge.
We need a please please me box.. with old photographs from the sessions.. please
That was very cool 😎
☮️❤️🎶
He is a true musical restoring genius.
Giles Martin has to be the Best recording engineer in the world to date. Ironically, I have a B&W 800-5.1system and Giles recordings are Amazing! I spend more time going Wow, than I do listening. It's that good.
He forgot the long panned from right to left lead vocal in the medley…why?
(Or was it left to right?)
The only problem with the Blu-ray and DVD-based issues (for the surround mixes) is that their menus have music on them which makes menu navigation absolutely maddening. If you want to see how menus should be done, check the US-based Criterion Collection or the UK-based Masters of Cinema series. Also quality classical music releases (say, Deutsche Grammophon) demonstrate quality authoring as far as the menu design goes. If you absolutely _must_ put music on the menu, make sure it starts few seconds after each selection so that a person navigating at a reasonable speed does not get assaulted by those awfully butchered snippets.
There's nothing worse than a silent menu because one is never sure if the audio settings are correct - at least for those of us with multiple audio-visual inputs. Define "reasonable speed". For me the second I hear sound on the menu I'm on to where I want to go. The sound bothers me not one iota.
I'm probably not explaining this very well. I'll try to post a typical menu navigation through a classical (Bach's St. Matthew Passion) and a Beatles disc to show what I mean. It's absolutely _maddening._ That's why the Rolls-Royce of DVD publishing like Criterion or Masters of Cinema use either silent menus, or menus with very quiet ambient "space" sound that _gradually fades in_ or at least _enters after a few seconds' delay._ Just try to navigate through the menus for the recent Beatles video collection: you'll end up constantly chopping off bits of very _loud_ (and very good) music. It's absolutely _unbearable._ I always set my amplifier to "Mute" before putting any disc in except the aforementioned Rolls-Royces. Also most Hollywood films have well-designed menus with good music. But all the special Beatles releases over last couple of years are just _dreadful_ in that one department. everything else is purrfect.
I just want a part two of Nowhere boy based in the new york years
It sounds amazing
Great man and son! Giles, tnx!
I can't wait to get my Copy this week not many copy's left
I do like the remastered version of Abbey Road. It's probably the first of the remixes, other than the Cirque de Soli Love album mix, which was amazing. But Abbey Road was the Magnum Opus. They took special care. Everyone was on their best behavior. So to revisit it with an eye towards 'making it better' would be a challenge that I find, fantastic. I guess they're redoing Let It Be for April of 2020! I wonder if Giles wants to tackle anything on Past Masters?
What about the important questions like "Why is so much unreleased and how do you feel about it" or "who really is the walrus"
I have the original Japanese CD pressing of Abbey Road (CP35-3016, 'black diamond'), which sounds incredible! They are very rare. I wonder how these new 50th anniversary recordings sound compared to that?
You have to get used to the more pronounced drums and bass and the much more natural spread of the stereo image, where each instrument and vocal has more clarity and space. This is great for me because it adds a newness to songs I've heard a million times before.
Any thoughts on why there wasn’t a Magical Mystery Tour remix?
Magical Mystery Tour isn't a proper Beatles album but a compilation made up by a double EP and 3 singles from 1967.
How cool! Nice to meet you. Well, you know what I mean. 👍
Love Abbey Road. Love The Beatles.
Still never been equalled.
I wish I could ask Giles why the first four notes on the solo of Something are distorted...could he possibly not have heard this???
Curious why Alan Parsons wasn’t included in the remixes?
Gordon Stanley -Alan Parsons did just release a great new CD and is currently on the road in the US.
@@astrosjer822 SMH
Well, he was only tape op on a couple tracks, I think?
Excited for Revolver remixed in 2026 🤞🏻
Can't wait for the Revolver mix! ha ha ha!..✌️💚♥️😁
I didn't think Abbey Road needed any tinkering, but I'm sure I'll love it too. Love all the new Beatles stuff (i missed them the first time round).
Revolver, and perhaps Rubber Soul are the albums in need of a good modern remix. Sgt Peppers badly needed the remix.....and it sounds fantastic, thanks Giles.
I think nobody knew what to do with stereo when it first happened. Things got put all over the place haphazardly. In 1966 and 1967 stereo was confused. By 1969, and Abbey Road, it was known how to make a rocking good sound.
It seems like we would have seen an anniversary LP edition of Magical Mystery Tour by now! Giles Martin needs to do a stereo re-mix of this one most of all. That's because much of MMT was never released in true stereo on the album pressings from most countries, which issued most of the side 2 songs in fake stereo. Germany, of course, was the exception. I guess there must be a problem with the multi-track masters, which, I guess have been lost or maybe they're just not in usable condition. Too bad. I don't see any other reasons why Giles would be ignoring this album.
Did Paul and Ringo have a hand in this? How many remixes a hundred years from now. Which one would you want if you were alive?? I’m glad I got the original pressing in 1969 when it came out!! 👍👍👍
I'd love to record a track there someday.
Magical Mystery
where is the here comes the sun solo¿
An interesting interpretation which errs on the bass side of the recording. Good to hear something different. It's growing on me....
When all are remixed I would like to hear them all. 👍( If I’m still around!)
Wow! Abbey Road Happy 50th anniversary!
2 weeks after "Abbey Road" was released came . . . Giles Martin! He was born on 9th October 1969, so when AR was being made, so was he! Happened to be John Lennon's birthday too (29 on that day). . . and then 6 years later came Sean (1975) again, on 9th October.
I wonder if they’ll be able to remix Rubber Soul and Revolver. The 1962-64 albums may not be possible given the nature of old recording techniques but hopefully those specific 2 get a 60th anniversary release or something
Brilliant.
For all of us Beatles freaks, I would highly suggest the bootleg titled "Unsurpassed Masters, Vol. III"
Perhaps that is only the name given to it by the person I bought it from. However, it has
these:
Paperback Writer [takes 1 and 2]
Rain [2]
Tomorrow never knows [mark 1, version unknown (whatever that means]
Strawberry Fields 1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6, 7 and mixes from 25, 26 and 27.
My favorites are 25 - only the London Symphony Orchestra ( no singing)
and 26, where it's much faster.
John liked both slower and faster versions. When George Martin asked him which one to actually record John said, "I'm sure you can something do about it." So George, in his infinite wisdom, blended the two versions. That is one reason why what is heard on the released version is one of the most ephemeral and most difficult to reproduce in any song ever, let alone that this was 1966.
It's kind of amazing how this one band transformed in the 60s nearly everything aspect of how we listen to music and how some people listen to music to this very day.
Please remix every album, 🙏👍😊
So dumb question . Why can’t the master tapes be used to just re-create tho original album mix ? Do master pressings of the original tapes exist ?
Not sure what you are asking here. The original mix has already been released long ago, and of course they exist. Why would someone try to recreate an original mix when it already exists?
let it be, next. plenty of bonus material to work with. the get back session rehearsals with the let it be film. the rooftop concert.
Talk about a record that did *not* need to be remixed! Best engineered and mixed album ever - the one Geoff Emerick recorded and mixed.
Yeah, it's unbelievable. And everybody just falls into line.
Not even close. There’s so much about it that can be improved. Some songs on the second side even sound bad. The 2019 remix is vastly superior. I’ve got hi-fi equipment. I’ve never understood the praise for Abbey Road’s production
@@TheJayson8899 Sorry their work wasn't up to your standards.
@@TheJayson8899 Would you like it if he auto-tuned it as well? Or locked the tempo to a grid?
The 2019 mix is *way* better than the 2009 remix. Way better.
Maccas on board now will these deluxe editions and releases with outtakes and alternate takes. But originally he wasn’t thrilled with the idea because he said they spent a lot of the time polishing the music in the studio to record it and sound perfect. And now your going to release rough outtakes or run thrus that have mistakes? But I like to hear all that stuff and especially studio chatter.
Sounds just like her father 👍🏻💯 just as brilliant
*_"...'cause it's The Beatles."_* 'nuff said
Don't get me wrong, I love the new mixes of the recent releases. The only reservation I have relates to why they chose to remix The Beatles albums that were already in stereo - The only outlier being Sgt. Pepper, which sounds amazing. I would have loved to hear something like "Revolver", "Help!", or even "Rubber Soul" with a fresh stereo mix that could replace the stereo mixes we have now. But again, don't get me wrong, I can't stop listening to the "White Album" and "Abbey Road" mixes.
maybe 1 day