Monday, March 28, 2011

Pitch-corrected version of Bananafishbones

"As I'm sure you're aware, the Remaster of The Top has "Bananafishbones" playing a little bit faster than the original studio version (which gives Robert's voice an unnatural, almost helium sounding quality to it). I used some software to correct this problem because I hated hearing this song at the wrong pitch whenever it would come on in my car but I do like the loudness of the remaster. I was just doing this for myself at first but I thought I would send it your way so we can share it with other Curefans.

Here's Bananafishbones (Remastered) at the ORIGINAL studio tempo of 144bpm and with the correct pitch.
And here's Bananafishbones (Remastered) at the REMASTER tempo of 151.95bpm and with the correct pitch."
(Thanks to Brian from the The Curse)

Note: As I've been reminded, Robert says the original version is the wrong pitch. The remastered one is the way he intended it to sound. Still, if you prefer the old "wrong" version, now you have a choice.

15 comments:

  1. The version on the remaster is the correct pitch; Robert Smith corrected it from the original version, which was mastered incorrectly.

    What I hate is how he refers to the remaster as having the "wrong pitch." Because something is different than you are used to does not mean it is incorrect.

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  2. Sorry if you hate that I refer to it as wrong, if I ever heard that the remaster was apparently the correct version I must have forgotten. Kind of odd though because the original studio version sounds a lot more like the live versions (vocally and in the same key). If the remaster is in fact correct then that means the song is in a different key on the album than it is when played live. The only songs I can think of that are played in a different key live are Friday I'm In Love and Fire In Cairo, and sometimes The End Of The World.

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  3. Actually you're both wrong.

    The 1 semitone speed increase to Bananafishbones on the remaster is how it originally was in the very first early releases in 1984. Chris Parry didn't like it so he changed later pressings to the other slower version which was not Robert's prefered version, so when the remaster came out Robert changed it back to the original version which was on the very first earliest sold pressing of The Top in 1984.

    *On the topic of The Top remaster, a lot of people have complained since it came out about a bit of the Shake Dog Shake drumroll being cut at the start - I can tell you as fact the whole song is actually a slightly different mix to the version on The Top album since 1984.

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  4. You finally did it eh Brian, I remember us talking about that when the top first came out. Guess I need to check your version out.

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  5. To be clear, Bananafishbones on the 2006 remastered The Top is the original version released in early 1984 (Robert's preference).
    Later in 84 it was changed to the version that was sold up until the 2006 remastered version came out (Chris Parry's preference).
    Robert changed the 2006 remaster back to his preference of the original version sold on early 1984 copies of the Top before it was changed in later 1984.
    It has nothing to do with mastering errors or speed errors or any crap like that.
    Both versions are supposed to sound exactly the way they do.

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  6. So in conclusion: I shouldn't bother downloading "Bananafishbones (Remastered)144bpm with the correct pitch" or "Bananafishbones (Remastered) 151.95bpm with the correct pitch" as the 2006 remaster that I already have is in fact at the correct speed and pitch that Robert intended it to be?

    Also maybe someone should post a remastered version of Shake Dog Shake with full drum roll if that's possible? Why was it cut from the remaster? :S

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  7. Hi Thomas Lee-Smith,
    There's a lot of wrong information and presumptions made about The Top remaster, false information like errors in remastering resulting in wrong speed etc.
    Do you really think Robert released The Top remaster in 2006 so a fan can change the speed and tell everyone "here's the correct version".

    Yes the 2006 remaster is how Robert intended The Top album and Bananafishbones to be.

    Like I said 2 times already (I'll try and word it differently a 3rd time), the 2006 The Top remaster is exactly the same as The Top album would be if you purchased the day it was released in 1984, the way Robert intended it to be.
    This was the mastered version Robert approved of.

    There was another mastered version which later in 1984 Chris Parry changed it to which was sold up until 2006 when Robert changed the remaster back to the original version which was originally sold in 1984.

    About Shake Dog Shake on the 2006 remaster...
    All the claims that the opening drum roll is cut are wrong.
    The fact is that on the 2006 remaster it was changed back to the original mix which was originally sold in 1984 along with the 1 semitone changed Bananafishbones.

    Quite possibly other songs have very small differences in mix...

    Bottom line is. There were at least 2 versions of The Top mastered, one Robert liked, the other Chris Parry liked.
    The original pressings sold when it was released in 1984 was the version Robert liked, later in 1984 Chris Parry changed it to the version he liked (which had differences of at least a different Shake Dog Shake mix and Bananafishbones 1 semitone slower).

    *Robert's version sold early 1984
    *Chris Parry's version sold later 1984 until 2006.
    *The 2006 remaster was changed back to Robert's version from early 1984

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  8. Thank you for clearing that up Brent. Make sense to me now. I was gonna say I've always heard a drum roll at the beginning of Shake Dog Shake. I was gonna say how much longer could it be :P

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  9. I'm fairly certain though the only differences are the different mix Shake Dog Shake and 1 semitone different Bananafishbones.

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  10. Technically the whole Top remaster is a fraction slower.
    Each song is about 1 second longer than the old The Top.
    With the exception of Wailing Wall being 4 seconds slower, The Caterpillar being 2 seconds slower and The Top being 3 seconds slower.
    (and I'm talking about the actual musical content of the songs, not silent gaps at start and end of tracks).
    And of course Bananafishbones is about 11 seconds faster.

    Brent
    (Bomber1978)

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  12. Pretty sure though the 1 second differences in songs is just the remastering, not intentional or to do with it being a different master.

    But for the 3 songs which are 3-4 seconds slower anything could be possible, obviously the 11 second difference in Bananafishbones is because of the 1 semitone speed increase.

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  13. Thanks for the details Brent. Do you happen to know what reason Chris Parry had for speeding up the original in 1984? I'm wondering if the early release you mentioned (which you say is the same speed as the remaster) bothered him the same way it bothers me. The remaster may be Robert's preferred version but it definitely sounds like the voice was not RECORDED at that speed. Especially when comparing it to the way Robert sings that song live, or better yet, when comparing the tone of Robert's voice on that song to his voice in that range on other songs from that album, like Dressing Up. Also, do you know if Robert talked about this speed issue in the years prior to the remaster?

    Either way, I would hope Robert is too busy working on new material or other re-releases that he wouldn't have time to care about a fan editing/altering one song from a remaster. After all, he must not have had a problem with releasing that Wrong Number Remix on Join The Dots. :P

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  14. Yeah Eli, it only took me nearly 5 years to get around to it.

    Don't forget to contact me about your Fender VI!

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  15. could someone upload a high res copy of the Chris Parry version of Shake dog Shake? much appreciated.

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