2010 mixes

[moom]

The most recent Syd Barrett compilation, An Introduction To, contains five 2010 mixes David Gilmour, Damon Iddins, and Andy Jackson. Though I've been having it since day one, for some reason it's only now that I'm making a minor revision of my collection I've decided to put this baby on. I was mostly interested in the new mixes of two of my most favorite songs here, Matilda Mother and absolutely gorgeous, sad, bored Dominoes. And changed are noticeable with one's naked eye, - different lyrics, additional instrument parts...
I wonder of they used original unused recordings or made new ones themselves.

[my breakfast.]

Not totally sold on the Matilda Mother remix. For a start they are the dodgy lyrics thieved directly from somebody else's poetry....

Also, they added chorus to the guitar. To me the charm is the jangly almost-12-string tone of the telecaster on the original, but Gilmour and co added a shitty chorus effect to make it sound more Byrdsy.... meddling!

Its a weird mix, both boxy/roomy sounding AND cavernous at the same time.

[moom]

Not totally sold on the Matilda Mother remix. For a start they are the dodgy lyrics thieved directly from somebody else's poetry....

Also, they added chorus to the guitar. To me the charm is the jangly almost-12-string tone of the telecaster on the original, but Gilmour and co added a shitty chorus effect to make it sound more Byrdsy.... meddling!

Its a weird mix, both boxy/roomy sounding AND cavernous at the same time.

Somewhat agreed.
So, it's not an original recording, is it?

[Chris Moise]

Not totally sold on the Matilda Mother remix. For a start they are the dodgy lyrics thieved directly from somebody else's poetry....

Also, they added chorus to the guitar. To me the charm is the jangly almost-12-string tone of the telecaster on the original, but Gilmour and co added a shitty chorus effect to make it sound more Byrdsy.... meddling!

Its a weird mix, both boxy/roomy sounding AND cavernous at the same time.

Somewhat agreed.
So, it's not an original recording, is it?

Of course it is an original recording. Same guitar playing heard on 1967 mono mix. The only thing added to the 2010 remixes is David Gilmour's bass guitar on Here I Go.

[moom]

What about vocals with new lyrics?

[Chris Moise]

What about vocals with new lyrics?

Rick wasn't alive when Matida was remixed for the An Introduction To Syd Barrett compilation. The "new" lyrics were recorded at the Floyd's first Abbey Road session on 21 Feb 1967. The Belloc estate didn't grant permission for the use of lines from the Cautionary Tales for Matilda so Syd had to write new lyrics.

[moom]

Thanks. That was what I wanted to know. I know he wasn't alive, I simply thought those were his vocals previously unused.

[my breakfast.]

I prefer Syd's lyrics...

I think new instruments were added. On Dominoes it seems a new guitar and drum part was added, the original Rhodes/Wurlitzer piano was boosted in the mix a bit as well. I think they could have even 'tightened up' the rhythm a bit and have it more metered and easy to listen to. Its nice but I don't know if it gets us closer or further away to what Syd wanted musically from the albums he made.

[moom]

I prefer Syd's lyrics...

I think new instruments were added. On Dominoes it seems a new guitar and drum part was added, the original Rhodes/Wurlitzer piano was boosted in the mix a bit as well. I think they could have even 'tightened up' the rhythm a bit and have it more metered and easy to listen to. Its nice but I don't know if it gets us closer or further away to what Syd wanted musically from the albums he made.

1. Me too. The "new" ones are too plain and simple.
2. On Youtube, someone said the MM is actually an earlier cut with lyrics based on some book, but the copyright holders disagreed, so Syd had to change the lyrics...

[danielcaux]

Agreed on Barrett's lyrics being more interesting than Bellloc's. I find them a lot more evocative, they give the song a completely different feel. Compare this:

There was a boy whose name was Jim
His friends, they were very good to him
They gave him tea, and cakes and jam
And slices of delicious ham

and tell me this isn't more magical and spellbinding:

There was a king who ruled the land
His majesty was in command
With silver eyes the scarlet eagle
Showered silver on the people

Isn't the alternative Matilda the same recording that's included in the 2007 Deluxe Piper? Or was that the original 1967 mix and then Gilmour remixed it yet again in 2010?

Anyway moom, there are better web sources for getting info about Pink Floyd history than random youtube comments you know. Perhaps this may interest you:

http://sparebricks.fika.org/sbzine16/books.html

After the Pink Floyd earned their recording contract with EMI, the Belloc estate was approached in order to obtain the rights to use these lyrics in their upcoming debut album. Anticipating approval, the band recorded "Matilda Mother" on February 21, 1967, using the lyrics lifted from Belloc's work. Unfortunately, the request was eventually denied, thereby leaving Syd with some last minute lyrical tinkering to do.

Norman Smith, the EMI producer working with the Floyd, provided some additional tinkering to "Matilda Mother". On June 29, 1967, after all the recording sessions were completed, he decided that the instrumental section on "Matilda Mother" was too long. He literally cut the tape into three pieces. The first and third pieces were then glued together to create what you hear on the album. This transition between "Matilda Mother" (as the first piece of tape was labeled) and "Sunshine" (as the third piece of tape was labeled) is a little awkward. If you listen for it, you can hear the cut in that microsecond before the third verse starts. The label, "Sunshine", just happened to be a convenient lyrical reference point. (You can hear the vocal "Sunshiiiiine!" in the left channel as the lead vocal goes "For all the time spent in that room", predominantly in the right channel.) "Wondering and Dreaming", as the second piece was labeled, consists of the approximately 50 seconds of instrumental that Smith had successfully removed from the song. (The original February recording had a runtime of 3:55, while the released version clocks in at just 3:06.)

I haven't paid much attention to the actual sound differences between the two versions, but what I liked about the alternative matilda is the fact that it doesn't cut the outtro at the end and that it includes the lost chorus after the instrumental break in the middle. Although I must admit I quite prefer how the song suddenly jumps to the last verse after the break in the original version, the one sung by Barrett instead of Wright; that abrupt cut inputs some energy into the song. In the original it's also nicer to hear the guitar riff in the transition without Syd's vocals on top, more "rocking" so to speak, and then BOOM! For all the time spent in that room, the doll's house darkness old perfume...

I just noticed that the two versions are in a different pitch, probably due to tape speed variation, the original sounds lower.

[my breakfast.]

Of course it is an original recording.

Yeah but it has been remixed. The guitar has been subtly re-EQ-ed (is that even a word?) and has had a slight shimmering chorus added. Telecasters are only 6 string guitars, so the slightly hazy detuning sound is a 2010 digital effect, not a 1967 analogue one (long before Roland put the first chorus pedal on the market).

[danielcaux]

Ironically the modern 2010 mix sounds muffled in comparison to the shimmering sound of the 1967 version. The original version drums have more punch too, although less bass end. Weird indeed.

[my breakfast.]

Gilmour has probably lost his treble frequencies and gave it a warmer "old man" mix....

[Duckboy]

Agreed on Barrett's lyrics being more interesting than Bellloc's. I find them a lot more evocative, they give the song a completely different feel. Compare this:

There was a boy whose name was Jim
His friends, they were very good to him
They gave him tea, and cakes and jam
And slices of delicious ham

and tell me this isn't more magical and spellbinding:

There was a king who ruled the land
His majesty was in command
With silver eyes the scarlet eagle
Showered silver on the people

Isn't the alternative Matilda the same recording that's included in the 2007 Deluxe Piper? Or was that the original 1967 mix and then Gilmour remixed it yet again in 2010?

I don't remember the 2010 being different but I can't get my itunes to work to check. I personally like the lyrics from the album version but the arrangement of the alternate.

[moom]

DanielCaux, I only mentioned that comment to see if it has any proof. Of course the PF community such as us knows better

Alan, since David is still a somewhat amateur lyricist with occasional luck, maybe that was why he preferred these other lyrics