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[yertle-the-turtle]

I'm at Punch Up. Some lovely Thom wailing in the intro.

[The Wanderer]

yeah I wasnt sure what to make of all that talk, the demo albums sounds fucking great though doesnt it?

amazing that it's not the final version!!!

[Gickies Gageeze]

definately, so check this out from a guy who supposedly has the final thing AND has credibility for being truthful (he posted the lyrics to backdrifts a day before the album was leaked).


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Here are the differences, in painstaking, ridiculous detail:

01. 2+2=5: on my copy, in the intro noises to 2+2=5, you can hear, very loudly, someone saying "hello" on a studio talkback mic and then thom goes "that's a good way to start." on the mp3, this is buried all the way in the background. the busted-tape-recorder noise goes on for about five seconds longer in the mp3 than on the master. (soundwise, however, it sounds very similar to the mastered version.) the guitar under the “don’t question my authority” part is panned hard right in the mp3, but panned dead center in the master. The panning of the squealing synth at the end is opposite as well.

02. Sit Down. Stand Up: my "Sit Down Stand Up" begins with the beat ticking away for about 14 seconds before anything at all comes in, whereas the mp3 i have begins with the echoey xylophone and no beat at all. The echo of the piano, panned center in the mp3, is panned left in the master. The pulsing bass that comes in right before the change is lower in the master.

03. Sail To The Moon: There’s more vocal reverb in the beginning of my "sail to the moon." Also, mine ends at 4:19, where the mp3 ends at 4:28 with nearly 8 seconds of silence at the end.

04. Backdrifts: my "backdrifts" has much louder music, where the mp3 version has the vocals standing out loudly above the music. it also cuts at 5:22, where the mp3 cuts at 5:31.

05. Go To Sleep: my "go to sleep" has the acoustic guitar in the right channel at a much louder volume than the mp3. the same acoustic also has a wider pan across the stereo in the master, it’s squished into the right and center on the mp3. phil’s cymbals, all panned dead center in the mp3, are panned left and right in the master, giving the track a fuller sound. The second vocal track in the “you don’t really want a monster” is panned to the left in the master instead of center in the mp3. thom's voice also seems to have more reverb. the middle portion is much less muddy.

06. Where I End And You Begin: the bass and drums are much louder and thom's voice sits better in the mix on my "WIEAYB." Also, there’s more reverb on the drums, they’re pretty dry in the mp3. there is also an extra 4 seconds of silence on the mp3 at the end.

07. We Suck Young Blood: the vocal reverb is totally different (and more tasteful) on my "we suck young blood."

08. The Gloaming: one of the biggest differences i detected was in "the gloaming": my version clocks in at 3:32, the mp3 clocks in at 4:22. in the mastered version, Thom does not sing again after the first time he says "this is the gloaming." the repetition of the "when the walls bend, with your breathing" part in the MP3 is not in the mastered. it cuts past all of that right to the end, which is the same.

09. There There: "there there" sounds fuller, but there's no difference otherwise.

10. I Will: my version of "i will" is 1:59, compared to the mp3 which is 2:24. there is no instrumental intro on mine, thom and the guitar come in at the same time. my version of "i will" also leads directly into the opening drum machine beat of "punch up at a wedding." there is no silence between the two.

11. A Punchup At A Wedding: probably the biggest difference is "punch up." the mastered "punch up" starts with a measure or two of the drum machine beat, before phil and colin come in. also, the last chord of "i will" is still ringing when the drum machine starts. in the mastered version, thom does NOT sing a two-part harmony in the verse right away. he comes in with one vocal, and a harmony joins him on the second part of each verse. different vocal harmonies accompany him on the chorus. there are clearly some bad edits on the mp3 version which are not on the master. thom does not do those ridiculous little vocal adlibs (like hyp hyp hypocrite). the sequence at the end does not go as long by itself on the master. also, the master sounds MUCH fuller than the mp3, which sounds very flat.

12. Myxomatosis: big difference in "myxomatosis" as well. the synth does not pan around the stereo field. there are two gigantic synths in either ear and they are stationary. everything is much louder. ed's guitar is not panned center; it is panned right. there is also a weird noise that swirls around behind thom's vocal that does not seem to be in the mp3. the mastered version seems to use a different vocal take than the MP3, which is good news for those complaining about the vocal. the vocoded vocal that appears behind thom after "i been where i like" is only in the chorus on the master. colin's extra funky bass does not keep going after phil quits hitting the cymbals, it cuts right when the beat calms down at the end.

13. Scatterbrain: no differences i noticed in "scatterbrain" besides being louder and everything sitting better in the mix together.

14. A Wolf At The Door: instruments on "wolf at the door" are a clearer and louder. the synth that sounds a bit like french horn is panned right in the mp3, and panned left in the mastered version. (the panning of the other instruments doesn't change, so it's not that someone flipped the stereo image.) the loud acoustic guitar in the left channel of the "nononono" part right after the chorus in the MP3 is NOT present in the mastered version. the loud acoustic in the left channel at the very end isn't there either.

No wonder Jonny sounded pissed on the MB, I would be too. I don’t know where this leak came from but it is a different source than the final version, probably early mixes or something that were swiped from the studio. Either way these MP3s sound like crap because the band wasn’t finished with the songs yet. Don’t let them color your view of the record, which sounds amazing. (Though Nevertell’s “10x better production than OK Computer” comment might’ve been a little overboard.)

(also, please don’t bother hoax-percentaging me or calling bunk, if you don’t believe me that’s fine, you’ll hear for yourself in june.)

--h

[yertle-the-turtle]

I'm fine with this version. More incentive to buy the original when it comes out.

This should tide me over until then.

[Gickies Gageeze]

thats what i said when i heard the live mp3's last summer.

[yertle-the-turtle]

I didn't get all the live mp3s, because I was on a crap connection then and I was too lazy to trawl through the sites again when I finally got cable, so this is quite a "first listen" for me.

dance you f**ker dance you f**ker

what a great song.

[Gickies Gageeze]

ah i see. i took my laptop to the office this afternoon so i could hook up to high speed.

[u2popmofo]

yeah, I'll keep this and buy the cd when it comes out

[The Wanderer]

http://www.cuttooth.com/concerts/live.htm

all the live tracks from last summer and then some...

[Gickies Gageeze]

i dont even want to listen to those old things anymore.

well, not today anyway.

[The Wanderer]

shut up airbag?

[Gickies Gageeze]

i may be paranoid, but no android.

[The Wanderer]

i love that one where they start airbag, and stop half-way into the intro with thom saying, "oh buggers" then rip off a killer guitar version of the song

[Gickies Gageeze]

thats the oxford version, easily their best. i think the rough quality of the bootleg actually makes that song sound better. the guitars are definately full on, and the whole thing, particularly the ending improv bit is absolutely stunning.

definately the best.

[yertle-the-turtle]

I got the Ten spot show from Cuttooth a week ago. I finally have live versions of Bulletproof, Electioneering, Subterannean Homesick Alien and Let Down.

[The Wanderer]

i'll tell you i was never crazy about "high and dry" but i got a live version of it from way back when and the electric guitars are a shit storm, great version of the song

[Gickies Gageeze]

yes, and as for that song, i just heard it on the radio today.

theyve really been picking up on radiohead in the past two months, i guess in anticipation of the new album. the same station that plays nonstop nickelback and ***** has been playing a fair share of just, optimistic, creep, and now high and dry.

good sign, i suppose.

[u2popmofo]

Hmmm, whether or not the recording we have is the final version or not, I dont know.

I need better proof than some guy posting in atease

[IWasBored]

is 2+2=5 supposed to end that abruptly?

[u2popmofo]

I do believe so IWB