On Oct 19, 2009, at 1:19 PM, Mike Dickson wrote:
For everyone's information, I asked Robert about the 'oddities' on Epitaph and got this in reply:
"the album was re-mixed. that's the answer. the original mix was the template, but it's not possible to exactly match the original. so, in the details, there may be changes."
So there you are.
So he seems to be saying that they couldn't match the original. Did they even try? I have to say that I am let down by what I've heard from your two samples. Omitting that high note in the resolution of the chorus into the verse was not a wise move in my opinion. Whatever their intention, it sounds like a note was left out, and I really can't see any concrete musical reason for it. To my mind, it was one of the most elegant moments on the whole album. But in thinking about it, if you've heard any of the live versions of this song by KC, the high note was not included (for obvious reasons: only one mellotron on stage) -- and maybe that's coloured Fripp's thinking. Only he can say. I think it is a huge omission.
As for the climax before the instrumental interlude, that was obviously a complex thing to construct (and why it was so effective). They've just done a new take on what was there. That is their prerogative. However, the new mix would never have caused me to say, "I don't know what that thing is, but I want one!" which was my initial reaction -- like so many others'.
Rick
Has Robert actually stopped using capital letters at the beginning of sentences on all his communications? How 20-years-old of him!