BlahBlahCafe - Jean-Michel Jarre forum

I have read that Michel Geiss states that there was only ever 1 mix of Equinoxe, yet there are clearly 2 distinctly different sounding versions in exsistence.

The Eminent strings and some VSC sound effects are louder in the 'original' and the mix sounds 'muddier' with some of the other sounds far less prominent.

The other example ( which I first came across on his Essential LP ) sounds like a more sophisticated mix with far more clarity - all the elements seem to have more of their own space within the soundscape.

In the original, nearly everything is panned far to one side with a strong delay bouncing to the opposite - this is not as much the case in the second version.

It sounds to me like a new mix made to take advantage of the then new technology in processing like sophisticated reverbs and enhancers.

But then why would Geiss say otherwise?

It's entirely possible that the final mix wasn't done when the first masters were created. Reason why I think this is that only the very first reprint featured the old mix and the new mix was released even in the same year. Chances are Geiss wasn't even aware that the first mix was actually pressed for a while.

Well I've noticed that in one mix (the first or second one?) there is a very distinct distorded "slip" at about 2:42 into the track. This seems to be the most used version.

Bumping this topic here, but was the original vinyl mix ever included on a CD release? I purchased a red labeled CD earlier today (800 025-2) and I thought I had accidentally put on the Japanese vinyl rip I've made. I honestly can barely tell the difference between the two. Was the Japanese already remixed?

For the two mixes are 1978-82(?) vinyl and 1983-91(?) 1st CD pressings. To my knowledge the original vinyl mix has never appeared on CD. The first time I heard the new mix was on the vinyl release of 'The Essential' in 1983.

shadow wrote:Bumping this topic here, but was the original vinyl mix ever included on a CD release? I purchased a red labeled CD earlier today (800 025-2) and I thought I had accidentally put on the Japanese vinyl rip I've made. I honestly can barely tell the difference between the two. Was the Japanese already remixed?

I just got the red CD myself (800 025-2 01) and yes, it's got the LP mix on it, which has effects missing, but the extra strings playing the melody. Cool stuff.

CD 800025-2 01 has LP version. CDs 800025-2 02, 800025-2 03, 800025-2 05, 824747-2 1997 and 2014 remasters have CD version (all of them have the "distorted slip"). So why they didn't use LP version on the remasters and used the bugged version instead of it?

Additional info:
Single version (or remixed version) of the track is the same version that can be find on the most CDs but has the longer ending. That remixed version has the "distorted slip" also but not so loud as CD version.

Dr_Jones wrote:I just got the red CD myself (800 025-2 01) and yes, it's got the LP mix on it, which has effects missing, but the extra strings playing the melody. Cool stuff.

Ah great! So there is an actual digital transfer of it!

Very interesting info everyone. I assumed that the LP mix was never released digitally.
Is the 800 025-2 01 release solely on the Red Polydor face label ?

You know, I've always been confused 'bout this one. Namely, I've got no idea what the different mixes are!

FLAC recordings from my records:
France 1978
UK 1978

I much much much prefer the France 1978 version to the UK one (which sounds extremely muffled and, in my very humble yet honest view, garbage).

So by my biased preferences, I'd say that the UK one is the so called "LP mix" and the French one is the "CD mix", because I think the French LP one is the one on the MFSL CD/LP editions from 1993 and the 1997 Sony remaster.
MFSL CD
MFSL LP

Or is there a third mix in the... mix?

(Or is the UK 1978 version some odd mistake that shouldn't be taken into account at all?)

AFAIK, the original mix we're on about (most noticeable on Equinoxe 5) was available from 1978 onwards. When JMJ's catalogue up to then was first remastered for CD, the remix - that has been the basis for all releases since - emerged, including subsequent vinyl releases. I assumed up to today that the original LP mix was never released on CD

The France 1978 link is the CD mix
The UK 1978 link is the LP mix

I got my copy of Equinoxe on vinyl in early '81, and noticed immediately
the difference in Equinoxe 5 when I got The Essential on vinyl in '83.
The stereo panning on the arpeggios on the LP version especially.

To throw more confusion in the mix (as it were) the left / right channels
were swapped over for the 1997 remasters and are that way since ...

Alright, thanks for the clarification.

But I've still got to admit that I really dislike the original LP mix - it really sounds to me as if my record player was broken or the record itself had been smeared with something. So I'm thankful for the 2nd LP mix / CD mix being the majority one.

Finaero wrote: MFSL CD
MFSL LP

You're linking twice to the same file!

Whoops!

Fixed.

I wonder, but has anyone ever bothered asking Jarre himself about it? Shouldn't he know the finer details about it also?