1984 without the echo - Bar Italia Forum

Sturdy

The Only Way is Down

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Date: Sep 24, 2022

1984 without the echo	Permalink

This is just a bit of an experiment really, I'm not sure how worthwhile it particularly is! A few people have said over the years that the Bad Maureen demo of I Want You is great, except that it's so bloody echoey. They've got a point. See what you think of this: https://soundcloud.com/mark-sturdy/i-want-you-84-deverbed?si=780c2cd1771444878846a73ed13cb5bc&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing I've been playing around with a software plugin called Unveil which gets rid of reverb/echo from recordings. It's pretty impressive, although it's not been 100% successful on this track, I think because the vocal in particular is so ridiculously echoey. It's been fairly successful in de-echoing most of the instruments though. To really do a proper job of this, I think you'd need to pull the track apart into its individual components and treat them individually - which is possible, but not something I've got the skills, equipment or patience to do! I've also had a go at Snow from the Dec '84 Leadmill concert, which again is a pretty echoey recording for different reasons - the result of a tape recorder probably somewhere near the back of the room I think, rather than any production choices: https://soundcloud.com/mark-sturdy/08-snow-deverbed?si=780c2cd1771444878846a73ed13cb5bc&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing So there you go! I'd be interested to hear what anyone thinks. __________________ "Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"

hawalius1

Different Class

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Date: Sep 25, 2022

RE: 1984 without the echo	Permalink

These are really interesting, thank you for sharing them! The Leadmill is good to hear, the software changes the sound so that it doesn't sound so much like a cave. It might be really interesting to hear other bootlegs put through this. I can't quite tell whether I prefer it to the original, I know there's something removed, but it brings the song to life in an interesting new way. Coincidentally, just last week I came down from the loft with my copy of the Pulp People issue from Winter 2002 where all the band gave their 'Ultimate Pulp' playlists (as reproduced here), where Candida included Snow, so it's good to hear it in (effectively) a slightly different mix! The Bad Maureen demo sounds a little less convincing, but it's SUCH an echo-drenched recording; it just sounds a bit odd with some processing going on. The choruses sound really good, but it kind of has the effect of making it sound like Jarvis' vocals have been recorded from the room next door. Both of these make me wish again that there will be an official curation of all these wonderful recordings at some point. __________________

Sturdy

The Only Way is Down

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Date: Sep 25, 2022

1984 without the echo	Permalink

Yes, the studio one is harder to pull apart because there's different levels of echo on everything - a fairly normal amount on the instruments, which the software can handle no problem, and then whatever the hell it is that's going on with the vocals - as well as the echo, they seem to be rather imprecisely double tracked, so there's a lot of very mushy information to deal with there! I wonder what was going through their heads when recording/mixing it in the first place. Thinking of it, I bet Jarvis wanted to go for the same sort of thing the Velvet Underground were aiming for with Sunday Morning - Phil Spector on a garage band budget, or whatever the quote is. That and the whole "Radio 2 ballads subverted with gritty lyrics" concept they used to talk about, maybe. __________________ "Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"

JASON

Hardcore

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Date: Sep 25, 2022

1984 without the echo	Permalink

I do wonder just how bad the bad Maureen demo is? Little Girl from the session sounds ok to me with this production "style" as does Coy mistress.. I've never heard Maureen from this session though, just how bad can it be? __________________ WHO WANTS A TOFFEE?

Sturdy

The Only Way is Down

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Date: Sep 26, 2022

1984 without the echo	Permalink

It's a fair question. I'd love to hear it. I guess Maureen is a very different style of song to Little Girl and I Want You (and Coy Mistress, if you can call that a song!). Maybe it wasn't so much that it was bad, as that it just didn't hit the spot they were seaching for - Russell's said that it didn't capture the raw feeling it had when they first played it in the garage. Hope we get to find out one day. __________________ "Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"

Eamonn

The Only Way is Down

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Date: Sep 26, 2022

RE: 1984 without the echo	Permalink

Any chance Truth and Beauty can have a 20 year update to time with the 2023 reunion? __________________ Tell mester to fck off!*

Sturdy

The Only Way is Down

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Date: Sep 26, 2022

1984 without the echo	Permalink

Give me 5 grand and I'll do it. __________________ "Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"

Sturdy

The Only Way is Down

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Date: Sep 26, 2022

1984 without the echo	Permalink

On reflection, make it 10 grand. 20? __________________ "Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"

Eamonn

The Only Way is Down

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Date: Sep 26, 2022

1984 without the echo	Permalink

Soz, i've already spent that type of money on my own music over the last couple of years! Nowt left in the piggy bank. Do you own the rights to the book ie if Omnibus weren't interested in reissuing it in a revised and updated edition but another publisher were, could you do that? __________________ Tell mester to fck off!*

Sturdy

The Only Way is Down

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Date: Sep 26, 2022

1984 without the echo	Permalink

I think there's some way that the rights would revert back to me in that scenario yes. But honsetly, don't waste your time thinking about it, realistically I can't see myself doing it anytime in the foreseeable, nice though it'd be! __________________ "Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"

Ian

Master Of The Universe

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Date: Sep 27, 2022

1984 without the echo	Permalink

These sound quite interesting. I've always said that this version of "I Want You" had the potential to be better than the final version. I think Jarvis also mentioned in an interview that he thought it was better. As for a "Truth and Beauty" 20 year update, I think it would be great to read all the extra stuff from pre-1991. I think that some ex-members have made themselves known since 2003 (Steven Havenhand springs to mind) so it would be nice to hear their perspective on things. Everything that Jarvis or the band have done since then is quite well-documented (alright, in terms of articles and YouTube clips) but would be great to read about if one or more "current" members were got involved. Jarvis and Candida would be fantastic but I can't see it happening. Have you ever thought of doing some sort of online interview with an ex-member that appeared since the book was published? Alright, only about 10 or so members of this board would be interested but it would be very well received. Of course, this begs the question of whether they would be interested or can remember that much after 30+ years. __________________ What is this feeling called live? www.feelingcalledlive.co.uk

Sturdy

The Only Way is Down

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Posts: 1715

Date: Sep 27, 2022

1984 without the echo	Permalink

Yeah I have definitely thought of doing that! Steven H was definitely in the frame at some point, but then there was a Q+A on this board which kind of supplanted it. I'm afraid it just comes down to really boring grown up reasons. I work 6 days a week in 2 jobs, and have commitments to 3 lovely kids and a mortgage. If I was going to have another crack at the book I'd want to do it properly, and it's no longer an option just to drop everything and dedicate a year to something like this in the way it is when you're young. Same goes with online stuff, it'd be nice to do but so would lots of things... Ask me again in 10 years, it might be a different story if I can get early retirement! __________________ "Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"