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On Destroying the Musical Past
by Noctir (Oct. 2010)
How many times has a band attempted to rewrite history and only ended up tarnishing it instead? With the recent announcement that Gorgoroth intends to re-record Under the Sign of Hell, it brought up the never-ending debate on bands meddling with the past. This is something I generally frown upon. Very rarely does it end with anything other than failure.
There are three main ways a band ruins its own legacy: remastering an album for re-release, redoing parts of the recording but not the entire thing, and completely re-recording songs or entire albums.
Remastering has been going on for quite some time. In many cases, it is hardly noticeable and does not severely alter the atmosphere of the original. Then there are bands like Megadeth that want to update albums to sound more contemporary. Some years ago, I found myself at the home of an acquaintance, looking for tolerable music to listen to. I ran across the remastered version of Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! The different cover art was already a turn-off, but suffering through the horridly altered music was another story. It was offensive from the beginning, yet some kind of morbid curiosity compelled me to continue. Later, I learned that other Megadeth albums also received this treatment and sampled bits and pieces for forming an opinion. The general feeling I got was of having been aurally raped. One of my strongest reasons for disliking newer music is sterile modern production that sucks the life out of the music. Taking this mentality and robbing old albums of the aura that made them special is ridiculous. This is not merely nostalgia. The same goes for any Speed or Thrash album I dig up years later. If any of those had such an empty, lifeless production, I would hate them as well.
If the person remastering limits himself to fixing imperfections such as drops in sound, that is different. Sometimes, the clarity of the CD reveals imperfections not easily noticed on vinyl or cassette. For example, Anthrax's Fistful of Metal had some flaws that surfaced. If these could be removed without compromising the album's integrity, it would be acceptable.
Some albums need remastering. Looking at albums from Hellspawn/Unisound, one can't help but pity some bands. Marduk was especially harmed, with the impact of Those of the Unlight and Opus Nocturne reduced almost to nothing. Years later, remastering brought out the potential always there.
Perhaps some artists feel they are fixing something unsatisfactory from the original recording, whether errors in production or playing. However, there is a difference between cleaning something up and trying to modernize it.
The next step is re-recording parts of a song while retaining the rest. In some cases, bass lines or vocals are redone. Ozzy had the bass and drums replaced on early albums due to royalty disputes. The result was more horrible filth that destroyed the feeling, though it was not as bad as the Megadeth treatment. Dave Mustaine is guilty of re-recording too. When remastering and reissuing Rust in Peace, some original tapes were missing, leading to re-recording some parts and using alternate takes. This ruined the album completely. With the original out of print, future generations have no choice but to accept this inferior version as the classic. My question is why they did not just use an existing CD and make minimal changes. The album was fine as it was and did not need tampering.
More recently, The Crown re-released an album with Tomas Lindberg's vocal tracks replaced by their original vocalist when he returned.
Finally, completely re-recording select songs or entire albums is a separate matter. This is at least acknowledged as a new recording rather than meddling with existing albums and passing it off as the original.
Motives for re-recording usually involve artists not feeling the material was presented as intended. Burzum’s “A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit” was re-recorded shortly after its original release for the Aske EP. Varg got the song how he wanted and made this correction quickly, which seems understandable.
Other times, re-recordings seem pointless. Black Funeral released Vampyr – Throne of the Beast in 1996, then re-recorded 85 percent of that material for Empire of Blood in 1997. The arrangements were mostly the same, with only production and vocals altered. This was useless and a bit deceptive since songs were retitled with no mention they were the same. Still, it happened within a short time and the band may have been dissatisfied or chosen a different direction.
Bands also re-record songs to showcase new members, usually on an E.P. Hypocrisy did this on Inferior Devotees, with Peter re-recording just the vocal track to introduce fans to his style and prove he could fill Masse's role. This was done shortly after the original and served a clear purpose.
Dissection showed that sometimes the past should be left alone. After Jon Nödtveidt’s release from prison, the band re-recorded “Unhallowed” for the Maha Kali EP. While displaying the skill of the new lineup, the song failed to capture the magic of the original. As a fan, I enjoyed the new version but would not claim it matched the Storm of the Light’s Bane recording. It was a bonus track and a way to show Dissection remained a force.
Testament and Anthrax are prime examples of how disgusting re-recording classics can be. On First Strike Still Deadly and The Greater of Two Evils, respectively, both bands ripped through classic songs and thoroughly ruined them. Both bands had not performed at the same level for some time, but revisiting old songs showed they were capable of energy and precision. Still, trying to give ’80s thrash a modern feel is a crime. Testament’s thicker production ruins everything and Chuck Billy’s ’90s vocal style does not fit. Anthrax’s John Bush should never cover Belladonna or Turbin-era material. His style is nothing like theirs. Modern production ruins those songs as well.
While re-recording within months is one thing, going back a decade or more is rarely justified. Replacing bass or vocals or remastering albums to sound modern, stripping their spirit, are crimes against music. Most bands should leave the past alone. Musicians and technology improve, but that does not justify ruining old records. They represent a captured moment in time, and nine times out of ten, the original atmosphere is not worth sacrificing.
There are three main ways a band ruins its own legacy: remastering an album for re-release, redoing parts of the recording but not the entire thing, and completely re-recording songs or entire albums.
Remastering has been going on for quite some time. In many cases, it is hardly noticeable and does not severely alter the atmosphere of the original. Then there are bands like Megadeth that want to update albums to sound more contemporary. Some years ago, I found myself at the home of an acquaintance, looking for tolerable music to listen to. I ran across the remastered version of Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! The different cover art was already a turn-off, but suffering through the horridly altered music was another story. It was offensive from the beginning, yet some kind of morbid curiosity compelled me to continue. Later, I learned that other Megadeth albums also received this treatment and sampled bits and pieces for forming an opinion. The general feeling I got was of having been aurally raped. One of my strongest reasons for disliking newer music is sterile modern production that sucks the life out of the music. Taking this mentality and robbing old albums of the aura that made them special is ridiculous. This is not merely nostalgia. The same goes for any Speed or Thrash album I dig up years later. If any of those had such an empty, lifeless production, I would hate them as well.
If the person remastering limits himself to fixing imperfections such as drops in sound, that is different. Sometimes, the clarity of the CD reveals imperfections not easily noticed on vinyl or cassette. For example, Anthrax's Fistful of Metal had some flaws that surfaced. If these could be removed without compromising the album's integrity, it would be acceptable.
Some albums need remastering. Looking at albums from Hellspawn/Unisound, one can't help but pity some bands. Marduk was especially harmed, with the impact of Those of the Unlight and Opus Nocturne reduced almost to nothing. Years later, remastering brought out the potential always there.
Perhaps some artists feel they are fixing something unsatisfactory from the original recording, whether errors in production or playing. However, there is a difference between cleaning something up and trying to modernize it.
The next step is re-recording parts of a song while retaining the rest. In some cases, bass lines or vocals are redone. Ozzy had the bass and drums replaced on early albums due to royalty disputes. The result was more horrible filth that destroyed the feeling, though it was not as bad as the Megadeth treatment. Dave Mustaine is guilty of re-recording too. When remastering and reissuing Rust in Peace, some original tapes were missing, leading to re-recording some parts and using alternate takes. This ruined the album completely. With the original out of print, future generations have no choice but to accept this inferior version as the classic. My question is why they did not just use an existing CD and make minimal changes. The album was fine as it was and did not need tampering.
More recently, The Crown re-released an album with Tomas Lindberg's vocal tracks replaced by their original vocalist when he returned.
Finally, completely re-recording select songs or entire albums is a separate matter. This is at least acknowledged as a new recording rather than meddling with existing albums and passing it off as the original.
Motives for re-recording usually involve artists not feeling the material was presented as intended. Burzum’s “A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit” was re-recorded shortly after its original release for the Aske EP. Varg got the song how he wanted and made this correction quickly, which seems understandable.
Other times, re-recordings seem pointless. Black Funeral released Vampyr – Throne of the Beast in 1996, then re-recorded 85 percent of that material for Empire of Blood in 1997. The arrangements were mostly the same, with only production and vocals altered. This was useless and a bit deceptive since songs were retitled with no mention they were the same. Still, it happened within a short time and the band may have been dissatisfied or chosen a different direction.
Bands also re-record songs to showcase new members, usually on an E.P. Hypocrisy did this on Inferior Devotees, with Peter re-recording just the vocal track to introduce fans to his style and prove he could fill Masse's role. This was done shortly after the original and served a clear purpose.
Dissection showed that sometimes the past should be left alone. After Jon Nödtveidt’s release from prison, the band re-recorded “Unhallowed” for the Maha Kali EP. While displaying the skill of the new lineup, the song failed to capture the magic of the original. As a fan, I enjoyed the new version but would not claim it matched the Storm of the Light’s Bane recording. It was a bonus track and a way to show Dissection remained a force.
Testament and Anthrax are prime examples of how disgusting re-recording classics can be. On First Strike Still Deadly and The Greater of Two Evils, respectively, both bands ripped through classic songs and thoroughly ruined them. Both bands had not performed at the same level for some time, but revisiting old songs showed they were capable of energy and precision. Still, trying to give ’80s thrash a modern feel is a crime. Testament’s thicker production ruins everything and Chuck Billy’s ’90s vocal style does not fit. Anthrax’s John Bush should never cover Belladonna or Turbin-era material. His style is nothing like theirs. Modern production ruins those songs as well.
While re-recording within months is one thing, going back a decade or more is rarely justified. Replacing bass or vocals or remastering albums to sound modern, stripping their spirit, are crimes against music. Most bands should leave the past alone. Musicians and technology improve, but that does not justify ruining old records. They represent a captured moment in time, and nine times out of ten, the original atmosphere is not worth sacrificing.
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