” But why ! ? exclaimed Ghyslain Luc Lavigne when he was asked to remix Beau Dommage’s first album. “Why go play in the tracks of this great Quebec classic that already seemed so perfect to me? he first replied to Michel Rivard. Good question, the big question, as related by the most requested sound console man in Quebec today in his word of explanation… and justification.
Let’s relay the question to the first interested parties. Around a mastering console, in a studio on rue Saint-André, are gathered Ghislain, Michel, Marie Michèle Desrosiers, Réal Desrosiers as well as the lyricist Pierre Huet. Missing Robert Léger, whose health is fragile, and Pierre Bertrand, who no longer leaves his campaign. So why ? The first Beau Dommage is not the Revolver the Beatles (see box): there were plenty of tracks available in 1974, there is nothing to discover or fix. At most we can make the album live… from the inside.
The degree of satisfaction
“Everything was already there,” Michel willingly concedes. Undeniably, 500,000 satisfied people can’t be wrong (evoking an Elvis compilation title).
“The remixing is not to die for, but for us, the difference is big. When, at the time, we played the hot vinyl for the first time, we were all disappointed. the mastering “botché”, had to raise the sound two notches, it was not like what we had heard in the studio. The rest of us were aiming for the James Taylor sound. Everyone nods, Réal confirms: “Now I hear the drums as they sounded when we recorded. It brings me back there. »
This is the essence of Ghyslain Luc’s work. “When you listen to the 1974 mix, everything is on the ceiling in the treble, everything is brilliant. Rivard adds: “A little too brilliant. This is the grace of remixing: we are with Beau Dommage in the Tempo studio. “For me, adds Marie Michèle, what stands out the most is the work on the vocal harmonies. Things are happening, I hear everything. The voice of Marie Michèle, our Quebec Judy Collins, touches us in Every time like never before. “When I edited the voice tracks, says Ghyslain, I was flabbergasted. It blended so much. That’s what I wanted to make even more. »
The sum and identification of the parts
Rounder, Robert’s flute begins to exist differently, a beautiful walker. Réal’s famous tom hits have even more depth. The drummer is surprised to hear a little Monkberry Moon Delight by Paul McCartney in The giant Beaupré, where we only perceived pop-prog a little Gentle Giant. Marie Michèle measures the place of Elton John in the piano ofEvery time.
“We don’t have the same ears,” summarizes Michel. The elements of the mix of influences that was Beau Dommage are more identifiable. But it’s still a group sound. Pierre is even more surprised at what his words have become, once in music: “It may be that thanks to the remixing, 13-year-old ears hear what I wrote with their references, that it resonates in their world. »
Unlike the box Revolver of the Beatles, there are no working tracks. Everything that existed was included in the box The family album. As a bonus, the cover opens, and a drawing by Réal Godbout guides the walker through the places mentioned in the songs. We would have taken a mix with the voices only, as on the box Pet Sounds of the Beach Boys.
“Our goal, reiterates Michel, is to give audiophiles – and even more so future generations – the most faithful witness to our creation that 2022 technology can provide. » Discover the remixed album in the present of listening. And, yes, everyone wants it, the sequel: a remix of the second album, Where did the wedding go?. “To get it, you’ll have to ask for it”, specifies Pierre, pragmatically.
Message to the public and the record company. Free translation: you are much better!
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