Sorrow - 2019 Remix

[mabewa]

I've just listened to the 2019 remix of Sorrow, and here are some thoughts!

First, Sorrow has always been to me the best song and the best recording on AMLOR, so it would be hard to improve a lot--the one song on that album that they really got right. I think they've managed to here, but not as much as they improved One Slip, mostly because the original is so good.

The keyboard drones in the opening guitar section sound a little richer and more ominous to me, but I don't know if they are just mixed different or if it's an example of something lifted from a Rick live performance

The rest of first half of the song doesn't sound dramatically different overall, but the rhythm section is definitely different--dry acoustic drums instead of the drum machine, and while Tony's bass sounds fairly similar, it seems that they've ditched some kind of keyboard bass doubling effect that they had on the original, making the bass more audible and clear (though not considerably louder as it was in One Slip). This makes it sound less huge than the original, but also dreamier and more intimate to my ears. Nick is definitely playing similar fills to the original drum machine, though not surprisingly he sounds less robotic, for better or worse. The other difference is that there are fewer drum and keyboard effects, and some guitar parts that I didn't notice in the original mix. There are the same high keyboard chords (probably Carin's original parts) and some textural keyboard stuff, but nothing that screams Rick until about 3:15, after the 2nd verse, and then there is definitely a new organ part played by him. Subtle at first, but obviously new and obviously him.

The beautiful bridge also sounds similar, but the harmonies sound richer--maybe with less reverb and a less busy mix you can hear them better.

It really changes after that because Rick's organ suddenly gets a lot louder and more aggressive. There is where they manage to improve the song to my ears, and it becomes very Floydian (though the song was always pretty Floydian to me). The original has a very big sound from beginning to end, but the new version starts more low-key and builds up into bigness. In particular, the extended instrumental coda is really great, as Rick is really throwing some cool stuff at Dave's solos. Really sounds like Dave and Rick jamming, though of course it's (presumably) Rick having a lot of fun in a later live performance. I'm starting to suspect that they ended up looking for performances where he got inspired and started going beyond the original arrangements.

Anyway, nice example of managing to make a great song even better, though unlike the old version of One Slip which I feel has been pretty much eclipsed, I'll see treasure the old version of Sorrow. The new one sounds more organic and builds up more into a climax, while the old version had a very big, almost robotic sound that carried through the whole thing--both quite cool.

[Jimi Dean Barrett]

I really didn't want it to end! Preferred the drums on this mix than I did the drum sound on the One Slip remix.
I wasn't sure if it was YouTube speakers or I just didn't notice it before, can't pinpoint the exact spot exactly, but it seemed like there was a sort of echo/sound cancelling out effect. Not in a "drat, out of phase" way, but so heavy its stomp reverberates.
Maybe it's always been there but the 80's effects buried it?

Great opening post, Kansas!

[theaussiefloydian]

I mentioned this in another thread but this new mix sounds a lot more desolate somehow than the original mix, which much better compliments the lyrics that (to my ear anyway) sound very post-apocalyptic. And Rick's organ in the final guitar solo is just magnificent.

[mabewa]

I mentioned this in another thread but this new mix sounds a lot more desolate somehow than the original mix, which much better compliments the lyrics that (to my ear anyway) sound very post-apocalyptic. And Rick's organ in the final guitar solo is just magnificent.

Well put.

Yeah, the organ parts in the final guitar solo are really good, and make that section a lot more intense. For the like of a better word, the organ playing is fiery--almost sounds like Dave's playing is giving Rick electric shocks.

One interesting thing is that on the fade-out, the organ seems to fade a bit slower than the other instruments, which means you can really hear what Rick is doing.

[Wolfpack]

the rhythm section is definitely different--dry acoustic drums instead of the drum machine

The drum machine is still present, and how. For me, it stick outs like a sore thumb.
I'd rather have the 1987 version, where the drum machine fits in the 1980s sound.

Fabio Franco 19 hours ago
@Paul Brian Bell
In the latest issue of Uncut there's an article about this re-issue, Andy Jackson (the engineer) says that they re-recorded almost all the drum parts with Nick but for Sorrow they made a hybrid of the drum machine and Nick, so yes, I guess is mostly new accents and fills.

source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_LbAz9Dn_w

[Jimi Dean Barrett]

Never read in full articles about the Mandela Effect where stuff gets misremembered. Sorrow doesn't have the echoes I reported it having on this thread.
Like all my memories of how it was being erased over by the new mix, screaming out into history.
Same when I heard WYWH remastered, I was pissed off because the sound warped during the quiet bits. But a second listen and the warps weren't there.
Hoping AMLOR gets an individual release but I am going to be gripping mattresses watching past present and possibly fade over each other!

[Master_Chief]

I've listened several times to the remix version and I'm inclined to say that the drums are quite robotic, but there are subtle improvements in my opinion to the overall sound of the song which improve it slightly, especially the organ parts.

But am I the only one that was a little disappointed they didn't alter the outro of the song though. The fade out has always seemed a bit anti-climactic with me, and I much prefer the version from PULSE and DSOT with the sudden change to the iconic guitar sound from the beginning. It sounds much more dramatic to me and also more Floyd-like, particularly as it is the last song in the album.

[theaussiefloydian]

I would argue that the reason Sorrow wasn't changed as much in the mix as One Slip is because of the songs on the original mix of AMLOR it's the most Floydian sounding, so it didn't require as much tweaking. It is kind of strange that they didn't replace the drum track, but that sounds to me like a deliberate choice and not just someone getting lazy. The gated reverb seems to have been lessened or taken away though, so I won't complain too much

[DarkSideFreak]

I've listened several times to the remix version and I'm inclined to say that the drums are quite robotic, but there are subtle improvements in my opinion to the overall sound of the song which improve it slightly, especially the organ parts.

But am I the only one that was a little disappointed they didn't alter the outro of the song though. The fade out has always seemed a bit anti-climactic with me, and I much prefer the version from PULSE and DSOT with the sudden change to the iconic guitar sound from the beginning. It sounds much more dramatic to me and also more Floyd-like, particularly as it is the last song in the album.

I've always felt the outro was one of the worst endings to a Floyd album ever. Quite possibly because the song was once intended to fade into Peace Be With You? I dunno.