From: sweet@skat.usc.edu (Rob Sweet)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.frank-zappa
Subject: Re: We're Only In It For The Money... remixed?
Date: 15 Nov 1992 14:18:37 -0800
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: skat.usc.edu


>> Vinksu Chandrasekhar writes:
>>
>> I only know the CD version. I would like to know, in detail if possible,
>> WHAT was removed from the original? What was changed? And I would like 
	[ parts deleted for brevity ]
>> To be honest, the early MOI don't play too good. And the recording
>> technology of 60's is nothing worth of conserving. 
	[ parts deleted ]
>> There's nothing wrong to rerecord the music, if you do it with good taste. 
>> (In general FZ has good taste.)

Mike_Quigley@mindlink.bc.ca (Mike Quigley) writes:

>I am really appalled by this message. I suppose you would throw the Mona Lisa
>in the garbage because the colors are faded, the paint is a bit cracked, and
>a computer-enhanced version of the same thing would probably look better?
>(Not that I am claiming We're Only In It... is one of the great works of
>Western civilization.)
>
>Perhaps we should throw the originals of this album in the garbage and redo
>the whole thing on the Synclavier?
>
>I like this album in its original form because that's the way I've been
>listening to it for about 25 years. It's unfortunate that the bass and drum
>lines got screwed up, but I don't think the decision to add modern sounding
>replacements is a satisfactory solution to the problem. Surely it would be
>possible to take a near-pristine copy of the album (the original) and use
>today's technology to remove the distortion and surface noise. (Anyway, I
>hear that it may be reissued, perhaps from a long-lost tape??)
>

	I have to agree with Mike on this one.  When someone kicks out
the bucks for a CD to replace the scratched up vinyl version, I don't
think he/she would really appreciate the "newly re-mixed by Jelly-Bean
Benitez" version, if they were expecting something like the original.
The best examples of loyalty to the original have to be the Beatles CD's
that were re-mixed by George Martin.  The only surprise on "Sgt Pepper's"
was the loop on the end of the CD (after "A Day in the Life") which was
apparently on the British vinyl release. 

	There are technologies available to takes pops and clicks out of 
vinyl masters.  This has been done to re-master some of the music released
in the 30's and 40's, where the only "masters" were on 78 rpm vinyl.
The "duet" with Hank Williams and Willie Nelson were done this way.  

	I am very much against enhancing the original with new tracks or
solos, much like I would be appalled to see a colorized version of "Young
Frankenstein",  "Dr. Strangelove" or "Manhattan".  In the case of Zappa,
at least these were changes made by the composer.  However this is one of
the few times I have been disappointed with Zappa's decisions.  I was very
disappointed when the solo on "Dumb All Over" was nearly eliminated on the
CD version of "You Are What You Is".

	I look forward to seeing some of the Zappa works (Cruisin',  
YAWYI, and WOIIFTM) being re-re-released as something closer to the
original.

/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\
\  Rob Sweet                         |                                /
/  University of Southern California |  "Who are the brain police?"   \       
\  University Computing Services     |                                /  
/  sweet@skat.usc.edu                |                 - FZ           \
\                                    |                                /
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Newsgroups: alt.fan.frank-zappa