Thick as a Brick: 40th Anniversary Mix vs Original

Original TAAB vs 40 Anniversary Verison
July 28, 2014 Jeremiah Craig 0 Comments

The Jethro Tull catalog has been undergoing remixes and remasters over the past few years. I’ve always thought that some of their tunes were poorly mixed and mastered. Sometimes, like on “Cold Wind to Valhalla” for instance, Ian Anderson’s vocals are completely drowned out by the electric guitars so I’m happy to see that these classic albums are getting attention again. Thick as a Brick got this treatment back in 2012 and the new remixed and remastered version was released on vinyl along with Ian Anderson’s forgettable Thick as a Brick 2. Before my brother gave me the box set I had the vinyl of the original mix of Thick as a Brick and thought it would be fun to do a comparison of one of my favorite albums ever.

Why is Thick as a Brick one of my favorite albums? Because its a concept album, because the entire album is really just one non stop song, because the lyrics are incredible and because the music is complex and progressive.

The original mix of Thick as a Brick on vinyl sounds great already and as I was listening to it I really didn’t know where the new mix was going to take it. Immediately after listening to the original mix I threw on the 40th anniversary edition and the remixing of the instruments and remastering of the entire work became very apparent.

Right off the bat I noticed how there was much more focus on Anderson’s vocals. They were so clear that you could clearly hear him exhale while singing certain words or phrases. The reverb was also more noticeable on his vocals. Perhaps the reverb was lost in the first mix from the guitars or maybe it just from the original vinyl being played so many times but either way, it sounded great.

In the second section when the song suddenly becomes a driving force thanks to the electric guitars and 5/4 time signature, I noticed that the cymbals were brought down slightly in the mix. This technique may have help the vocals ring out better as well.

The song slows some after the 5/4 part and the flute fills sound terrific. They were given some stereo treatment which made these flute parts sound completely new in a way. Something so simple as giving the flute parts focus on the right side or left made it sound familiar but also completely new at the same time. It was refreshing to hear that little alteration from the original.

I also never realized that there were extra woodwind parts in the original version. I guess I always thought that it was the organ but the new mix has brought out the unique timbre of the woodwinds and I was blown away at how much they added when they can be heard.

The one thing I didn’t like about the new mix was a slight phase effect on the snare and cymbals on side one of the vinyl. The effect just didn’t sound natural to me and it was distracting. The effect is used less on side two so I was able to get over it.

Overall, I was impressed by the way the vocals, guitar and organ were treated in the new mix and the way they shine out at times. It was refreshing to hear one of my favorite all time albums get a little bit more attention because it certainly deserved it.