Vapor Trails Remixed up on Rolling Stone Website

[analog guy]

This is incredible. I really didn't think they could improve it this much, but they did.

[ZivotSon]

I've had the chance to listen to it through twice, the second time with some wine and I can attest it gets even better with wine!

 

Seriously though, I'm not one to read lyrics sheets that much so I tend to come up with my own lyrics as I misinterpret what I hear. Must have been 10 times so far that I've said to myselft "Oh, so that's what he's singing." Geddy's vocals are so much better now. My only nit other than the solo on CU covering my favorite part is Alex's guitar getting a little too low in the mix at times on Secret Touch.

 

The Stars Look Down, How It Is, Sweet Miracle and Freeze are sooo much better.

Edited September 28, 2013 by ZivotSon

[thizzellewashington]

lol I'm not going to listen to this for the first time on a web-stream. Glad it sounds good, though! I just got the email from Amazon that my vinyl and 89-07 box set shipped. Excited to listen on Monday.

[Bangster of Goats]

So, for all of you that have ALWAYS loved this album (I never could understand why, but I honestly respect your opinion), what is your overall take?

 

Is it "much better"?

Or is it "ruined"?

 

Clem

PS - After listening to this just once, I am now convinced that there is a God :)

 

I've always loved most of the songs on it, but of course I've always HATED the mastering. I've always had the notion that they had spent so much time working on the album, that at the end they got burned out and were like "screw it, let's just get this effing thing out... I'm sick of it."

 

This remix/remaster makes me really happy. I would have been satisfied with a proper mastering job (and I was considering the HD Tracks version until I had heard that this remix project was finally a confirmed go), but the remix Botrill did has really brought the songs to life. He's peeled back the layers, revealing the hidden bits underneath, and the songs breathe, and they're just plain more interesting now that my ears aren't under constant assault from a maxxed-out mix. The songs I loved on the album, I love even more. The couple songs on there that I didn't care much about one way or the other (Sweet Miracle, The Stars Look Down) I actually like now.

[Anguyen92]

I never actually listened to Vapor Trails in its entirety and if this remixed version sounded like this, I don't even want to hear what the original version sounds like.

 

Overall, it's very listenable. Doesn't make the ears bleed or anything like that.

[Cygnus 2112]

Anyone have a mirror to the album? Rolling Stones doesn't work on my phone.. :(

 

Oh no... This means it may not work for mine too? What kind of phone?

 

iPhone, sadly. Biggest piece of junk of a smart phone lol.

 

I guess you've never heard of a Blackberry?

[English Muffin]

Am I the only one who thinks that the bass on secret touch sounds amazing!?

[Cygnus 2112]

I learned to enjoy these songs while playing through the RUSH library on shuffle on my iPod. Whenever I tried to listen to the album as a whole it came across as a wall of sound and I would get a headache before Track 05 and find myself unable to finish the album. I've heard the entire remix in this low quality stream and it sounds amazing. Tuesday can't come soon enough.

[treeduck]

I swear to get this album and listen to it loud and send it telepathically to Tony R and rushgoober! :madra: :smoke:

[Tony R]

Holy shit, Ceiling Unlimited has a guitar solo! :o Wha.. what happened to the jam section! Wow, interesting.

 

HATE IT. Why'd they add that stupid little guitar solo there? That power chord section was my favorite part of the song, and now it's buried behind a solo that wasn't there before and didn't need to be added in! Don't change the songs, just make them sound better!

 

The song sounds good now apart from that.

 

Ive listened through it 4 times now, I like it. Some of the jam session is cut out, but id rather have half the jam session sound good with a solo than a fuzzy full jam session

 

None of the jam was cut out, but they added the guitar solo on top on part of it. They could have just left that solo out like they did 11 years ago.

That's more apparent now, none of the jam was cut out. There's just this guitar solo sitting on it.

 

This will take many listens. And on real equipment. I'm listening on little Logitechs at work and I don't dare crank it.

 

I dunno, the guitar solo is pretty rockin but I can see how some will be bummed they messed with the original. I've pretty much had constant goosebumps listening to these remixes.

Maybe when they came to mix the original the guitar solo was so fried they just dropped it.

 

 

[Tony R]

I swear to get this album and listen to it loud and send it telepathically to Tony R and rushgoober! :madra: :smoke:

 

Mindrape? You beast!!!

[Tony R]

Anyone have a mirror to the album? Rolling Stones doesn't work on my phone.. :(

 

Oh no... This means it may not work for mine too? What kind of phone?

 

iPhone, sadly. Biggest piece of junk of a smart phone lol.

 

I guess you've never heard of a Blackberry?

 

Or a gramophone, reel to reel, 8 track...

 

[treeduck]

I swear to get this album and listen to it loud and send it telepathically to Tony R and rushgoober! :madra: :smoke:

 

Mindrape? You beast!!!

:banana:

[lifeson90]

Had a good listen last night and sorry to say will be sticking to original.

 

Too much unnecessary added and too much necessary taken away.

 

Tracks like secret touch just changed for change's sake altered with important focal points just stripped away

 

You dont f*ck around with secret touch is a rush classic.

 

was interested to hear a cleaned up album with maybe little tweaks but this is butchery.

 

its somebody elses interpretation of the album.

 

i didnt sign up for that.

 

and way too much echo of geddys vocals. an album doesnt improve by making the singer echo more. I mean whats that about.

 

no ill be sticking with original ty very much.

 

[Snaked]

Had a good listen last night and sorry to say will be sticking to original.

 

Too much unnecessary added and too much necessary taken away.

 

Tracks like secret touch just changed for change's sake altered with important focal points just stripped away

 

You dont f*ck around with secret touch is a rush classic.

 

was interested to hear a cleaned up album with maybe little tweaks but this is butchery.

 

its somebody elses interpretation of the album.

 

i didnt sign up for that.

 

and way too much echo of geddys vocals. an album doesnt improve by making the singer echo more. I mean whats that about.

 

no ill be sticking with original ty very much.

 

To each their own.

[Steel Rat]

Holy shit, Ceiling Unlimited has a guitar solo! :o Wha.. what happened to the jam section! Wow, interesting.

 

HATE IT. Why'd they add that stupid little guitar solo there? That power chord section was my favorite part of the song, and now it's buried behind a solo that wasn't there before and didn't need to be added in! Don't change the songs, just make them sound better!

 

The song sounds good now apart from that.

 

It doesn't even sound like a solo to me, it's more like an 8-measure guitar ornamentation.

 

I also feel that today, Vapor Trails has been elevated from a stagnant bottom-dwelling album to nearly their best album since '85.

[Tony R]

Had a good listen last night and sorry to say will be sticking to original.

 

Too much unnecessary added and too much necessary taken away.

 

Tracks like secret touch just changed for change's sake altered with important focal points just stripped away

 

You dont f*ck around with secret touch is a rush classic.

 

was interested to hear a cleaned up album with maybe little tweaks but this is butchery.

 

its somebody elses interpretation of the album.

 

i didnt sign up for that.

 

and way too much echo of geddys vocals. an album doesnt improve by making the singer echo more. I mean whats that about.

 

no ill be sticking with original ty very much.

 

How do you know that the remix isn't the way the album was supposed to be and the "added in" stuff had to be discarded because it was unusable?

 

 

[lifeson90]

Oh come on how do we know this how do we know that, the original is the album Vapor Trails, this remix is someone elses interpretation. Its ok it just isnt what the band were happy with originally (barring sonic issues).

 

As already stated theres just too much important stuff been altered or removed completely and too much silly stuff like echo added.

 

Ill take the bands original product from 2001 not this reworking from another guy, is all i sayin.

 

No ifs and buts or what if this was meant to be etc, the problem with original was the f*cked up sonic issues that killed our eardrums.

 

we didnt need someone to come along and give us different tunes

Edited September 28, 2013 by lifeson90

[treeduck]

Had a good listen last night and sorry to say will be sticking to original.

 

Too much unnecessary added and too much necessary taken away.

 

Tracks like secret touch just changed for change's sake altered with important focal points just stripped away

 

You dont f*ck around with secret touch is a rush classic.

 

was interested to hear a cleaned up album with maybe little tweaks but this is butchery.

 

its somebody elses interpretation of the album.

 

i didnt sign up for that.

 

and way too much echo of geddys vocals. an album doesnt improve by making the singer echo more. I mean whats that about.

 

no ill be sticking with original ty very much.

 

How do you know that the remix isn't the way the album was supposed to be and the "added in" stuff had to be discarded because it was unusable?

Listen Tony he didn't sign up for more of your nonsense!!

 

He signed up for...

 

http://i.imgur.com/pIaQhcg.jpg

[lifeson90]

Honestly, i think all these changes to the album represent sheer acknowledgment that they just couldnt fix what the fans really wanted fixing, giving us an album full of distractions to disguise the fact.

 

If the remix could have just been easier on the ears like what we and the band wanted, im sure thats what we would have got.

 

Instead we got geddy echoes and fuzzy special effect add-ons.

 

I think the word is.. fail. :)

Edited September 28, 2013 by lifeson90

[H. P. L.]

Had a good listen last night and sorry to say will be sticking to original.

 

Too much unnecessary added and too much necessary taken away.

 

Tracks like secret touch just changed for change's sake altered with important focal points just stripped away

 

You dont f*ck around with secret touch is a rush classic.

 

was interested to hear a cleaned up album with maybe little tweaks but this is butchery.

 

its somebody elses interpretation of the album.

 

i didnt sign up for that.

 

and way too much echo of geddys vocals. an album doesnt improve by making the singer echo more. I mean whats that about.

 

no ill be sticking with original ty very much.

 

How do you know that the remix isn't the way the album was supposed to be and the "added in" stuff had to be discarded because it was unusable?

Listen Tony he didn't sign up for more of your nonsense!!

 

He signed up for...

 

http://i.imgur.com/pIaQhcg.jpg

You gotta tell me where you get these images, duckie.

[Snaked]

Proof that some people just aren't happy unless they're miserable.

[vital signz]

Honestly, i think all these changes to the album represent sheer acknowledgment that they just couldnt fix what the fans really wanted fixing, giving us an album full of distractions to disguise the fact.

 

If the remix could have just been easier on the ears like what we and the band wanted, im sure thats what we would have got.

 

Instead we got geddy echoes and fuzzy special effect add-ons.

 

I think the word is.. fail. :)

 

I honestly do not think they added anything. I think it was all there, just all hidden in the swamp that was the original. This is redone, everything pulled back and properly mastered. This was what was intended IMHO. I'd bet the solo was there in Ceiling Unlimited. And even if it wasn't, and added by Alex before this release, if you would rather have the old swamp version of this vs the newer "oceanic" (I'll call it) version, then so be it...

[presto123]

Wow. Anybody complaining about this remix compared to the original need their head examined.

[vital signz]

Honestly, i think all these changes to the album represent sheer acknowledgment that they just couldnt fix what the fans really wanted fixing, giving us an album full of distractions to disguise the fact.

 

If the remix could have just been easier on the ears like what we and the band wanted, im sure thats what we would have got.

 

Instead we got geddy echoes and fuzzy special effect add-ons.

 

I think the word is.. fail. :)

 

I honestly do not think they added anything. I think it was all there, just all hidden in the swamp that was the original. This is redone, everything pulled back and properly mastered. This was what was intended IMHO. I'd bet the solo was there in Ceiling Unlimited. And even if it wasn't, and added by Alex before this release, if you would rather have the old swamp version of this vs the newer "oceanic" (I'll call it) version, then so be it...

 

It would be interesting to get MiTA's (Music in the Abstract's---Chris's) take on the hidden gems in the original---he is so adept at pulling out the little gems in tracks or hidden elements. I am sure someone with his ability could say something very pertinent regarding this.

Edited September 28, 2013 by vital signz