So if she weighs the same as a duck, she's a witch? Burn her!

2026-05-18T22:26:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…5m9g
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So if she weighs the same as a duck, she's a witch? Burn her!

Links in the article expire in a few hours. Maybe worth a read. ...

2026-05-18T22:19:51Z

Links in the article expire in a few hours. Maybe worth a read.

quoting
naddr1qq…26c7

Like you, I listen to a lot of music. After all, with a near limitless archive of artists and albums available at our fingertips, it would seem a shame to let it all sit unattended on some dusty, old server.

Still, no matter what sonic rabbit-hole we've found ourselves spiraling down, most of us will eventually re-emerge and return to a core of foundational albums that have most affected our lives.

Abbey Road is one of those albums.

It may come as a surprise that despite our near-universal familiarity with this landmark recording, most of us have never heard it as originally intended by the band.

For those lucky enough to have an original pressing, this article may not apply. For the rest of us, this guide outlines the differences between the three most important digital releases of this monumental LP.

The Black Triangle (catalog CP35-3016)

1983 Toshiba-Emi (Black Triangle) download

The Black Triangle CD, issued by Toshiba EMI, was the first digital release of any Beatles material. It is often considered the 'holy grail' of Abbey Road reissues due to the flat-transfer achieved from tape to CD via U-matic video cassette.

It's important to note that while the technology employed in 1983 allowed for a near-perfect 16 bit/44.1k transfer, the tape used for this process was not the original master, but a 1970 1/4-inch stereo copy sent from Abbey Road to Toshiba-EMI in Japan.

Unfortunately, Toshiba-EMI was ordered to cease production after a formal complaint from UK EMI, who had not officially authorized the release on CD. It was withdrawn from shelves in 1985.

While the CD itself is rare (and valuable), the biggest reason for audiophile intrigue stems from the engineers' decision to leave the analog tape's dynamic range and frequency response entirely untouched. In this way, The Black Triangle release may be as close as we can get, digitally, to the original recordings as they were intended to be heard.

The 1987 Remaster (CDP 7 46446 2)

1987 (CDP 7 46446 2) download

The 1987 release is the one most of us know and love. EMI finally authorized a global rollout of the album on CD, and unlike the Black Triangle, this release was transferred directly from the original UK master tapes.

But they couldn't stop themselves from intervening further.

Though the remaster was overseen by George Martin to maintain the original artistic intent, the engineering team decided to introduce a controversial technique known as 'helped-fades.'

Basically, the engineer(s) were worried about tape-hiss being noticeable on the CD during quiet passages. To remedy this, digital gain controls were employed which cut the tail-ends of songs into silence, sometimes prematurely. These abrupt cut-offs are most noticeable in the transitions between tracks near the end of the album.

The 2019 Remix - Super Deluxe Edition

2019 - Super Deluxe download (24bit/96khz)

Overseen by Giles Martin (George Martin's son), the 2019 release is a complete re-imagining of the original stereo mix.

Going back to the original 1-inch 8-track session tapes, Abbey Road was reconstructed from scratch. AI was used to separate instruments that were merged or 'bounced' together and these separated tracks were sent to a modern console for complete panning/eq/mix control.

It's really a different animal. The heavy panning of bass and drums now appear centered. Orchestral elements are given a wider sound-stage and a low-end boost finally gives modern 2.1 systems something to work with. It was also released in hi-res, 24 bit 96khz on Blu ray disc.

It sounds awesome, but it's also not without its complaints. As you may imagine, the revisionist methodology applied to one of the finest mixes in music history was not universally accepted by fans or critics. This was not what The Beatles had originally approved. It seems (to some) more of an ode to the engineer's own arrogance than to one of the greatest rock-albums of all time.

To each their own.

In all honesty, I find all of these digital releases to be great in their own way. As far as I'm concerned, none are definitive, as each have strengths and weaknesses in comparison with one another. Finding the 'best' version of any album is a purely subjective endeavor anyway. I just hope you find this write-up useful when making that decision for yourself.

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

The albums linked in this article were sourced from Soulseek, with the exception of the 1987 CD which I ripped myself for inclusion here. The Super Deluxe hi-res download was limited to the original 17 tracks and does not come with a .log or .cue file. Enjoy!

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2026-05-18T20:47:49Z

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2026-05-17T22:46:51Z

Datsun 1600. Ran on 3 of 4 cylinders. Starter was shot. On my 1st ...

2026-05-16T21:42:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…s4lx
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Datsun 1600. Ran on 3 of 4 cylinders. Starter was shot. On my 1st date (16), I had to ask the lucky girl to help me push start it.

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2026-05-16T21:27:12Z

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2026-05-16T18:20:47Z

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2026-05-16T03:07:32Z

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2026-05-15T19:20:36Z

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