Taylor Swift - Taylor's Versions (Re-Recordings Official Thread) Album • Page 70

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how many times do we think jack antonoff has listened to the sonic youth album dirty. is it more than one.

 

“What’s Dirty?” - Jack Antonoff when you directly ask him that question.

 

Maybe my favorite moment of the original album is the way the drums on "State of Grace" crescendo in the middle of the third chorus, coming out of that post-bridge slowdown, around the 3:50 mark. That part absolutely loses something in the new version, and I cannot put my finger on why. It feels like everything else is a little louder at that moment and the drums are a little lower in the mix, so they don't explode quite the same way.

There are little moments or ingredients in almost every song that I have similar attachment to on the original that aren't recreated QUITE right.

 

This is how I've always felt about those songs, and to me these new versions work and fit a little bit better in the context of the overall album, and I think all 3 are improved here even though I still don't like them very much. Especially now hearing some of the other songs that were written and considered that I feel fit the overall album much better and are also better songs.

I honestly feel like the entire album sounds much better, but I didn't listen to Red when it first came out and I am not nearly as big a fan of it as many of the people here.

I absolutely love the ten minute version of All Too Well. It doesn't drag for me at all.

 

That's interesting since those are the songs that Big Machine couldn't really hinder since it's Max Martin/Shellback and not Nathan Chapman. Shellback is still involved with those, but Max Martin isn't. But it also could come down to how those are mixed too. As others more involved with the music-making process have said, it seems like a mix of different instruments, studio and age.

 

Those three songs stick out so badly to me and sound like they're plucked from an entirely different project and are just dropped into the tracklist of the actual album at random. For people who are huge fans of Red, do they not sound / feel different than the other songs to you, or do you just like them so much that it doesn't matter...???

I know cohesion isn't the end-all-be-all consideration when making an album, and those tracks certainly seemed to be first steps in a direction she was planning on going all out down going forward. I think I struggle so much with those songs because while I'm a huge fan of Taylor Swift, I don't really care for Max Martin and/or Shellback very much at all.

 

They do sound different. I think the fact that they're songs that were co-written and produced by someone who didn't have a band in the re-production of the re-recordings, it's more or less a cover song by a different band. I'd have to see the actual liner notes to know if even Shellback had a hand in producing the re-recordings as well or not. I know Max isn't on these new versions though, and assuming not even Shellback returned for these 3 songs in particular, that would definitely be the top reason why these sound so different. Production makes such a big difference, and if you weren't in the room when the original producers/co-writers were working, you can only go so far when trying to replicate something.

Gasp.

 

See, Red to me really spans a spectrum in terms of sonics, so it has never struck me as "These three songs are over here and everything else is over there.

It's more like you have those three clumped at the "poppy" end of the spectrum, then you have a group of very poppy songs that aren't quite as clearly aimed at mainstream pop radio ("Red," "Holy Ground," "Starlight"). And then toward the other end of the spectrum, you have all the country/folk songs ("All Too Well," "I Almost Do," "Sad Beautiful Tragic," "Begin Again," etc.) And then some stuff that's more in the middle ("State of Grace," "Everything Has Changed").

The sonic variety is part of what makes the album really special, I think. She does a lot of things very well over the course of the record.

 

Also, just realized Lori McKenna co-wrote "I Bet You Think About Me." Would love for those two to collaborate more in the future.

 

I *really* tried not to skip past those 3 songs and give them a chance when I first listened to this re-recording, but I am weak and there are so many good songs here - the whole rest of the original album, plus some of the amazing songs from the vault. The Phoebe Bridgers & Stapleton collaborations were both incredible, plus I knew there was the 10-minute All Too Well all the way at the very end.

I'm gonna try to listen to all 16 songs when I listen to the album now and keep what you said in mind.

 

So, I just finished this album! Right off the bat, the only re-recordings I didn’t enjoy were IKYT and WANEGBT basically for the same reasons everyone else has already stated. But other than that, this album gave me that nostalgic experience of 11 year old me pretending I just went through the worst breakup ever, and I had the best time with it. I love all of the vault songs so far, but I think the ones on here are stronger than Fearless, especially the collaborations. Nothing New with Phoebe Bridgers is my favorite out of all of the vault tracks so far (I’m so happy she got her own verse!). I know this is really jumbled lol I wanted to get my initial thoughts out.

 

For what it's worth, I think all three of those songs are considerably worse on the re-record. "22," in particular, really loses a lot. But I have never felt like "22" or "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" stuck out too much on the original record. I do think "I Knew You Were Trouble" is a little more jarring, but that's mostly because it felt almost immediately dated to me.

 

What a special album. It snowed today in Chicago and it was perfect. ♥️

 

this made me chuckle

 

Man, where is the energy on the first 3 re-recordings. They’re all lumbering like a middle aged arena band on tour.

Still very excited for the vault stuff

 

I never had a real big connection to Red.

So, I'm adoring the shit out of all of this. I'm sure if I had spent more time with the OG over the years, I'd have more of a connection to the way it sounds, since even a mastering of one of my favorite albums can mess with it in my head.

 

The vault stuff, once again, is worth the price of admission. I'll probably never play the re-recorded version again after @Garrett, @Anna Acosta, and I publish our reflections on this album next week.

 

I just want her to go full country again at least one more time after the song with Chris. I love her voice in this song so much.

 

Honestly, it feels like a nice live album. I could see revisiting once in awhile like I hit Songs in the Attic or something.

The “All Too Well” re-record does work exceptionally well though. In my mind, like “The River” off Live 1975/85 basically.

Edit: “I Almost Do”, too

 

man this works too well haha

 

“The Last Time” is objectively better than the original version. Honestly shocked it’s still produced by Jacknife Lee, who seriously fucking leveled up behind the desk in the interim.

 

I just came to say the same about Everything Has Changed good grief, it’s night and day to me. the drum sound on the new one (particularly that snare jfc) has so much more body it’s amazing

 

also now on this one and you’re right imo. the piano sounds way improved on the new one. old one almost sounds meek by comparison.

edit: the further in I get, the more the original one sounds like a demo by comparison.