So......... I've purchased all the (Fish era) recent deluxe sets, the "book" form with 3, 4 disks and a blu-ray, but I haven't had a chance to listen to all of them. I hadn't really paid attention; I know that (generally) there is a remix to stereo prior to the 5.1 remix, and usually they get tacked on on the blu-ray, or something like that. I had listened to the Script one, and the remix was nothing "new". The most recent I purchased was the Fugazi one, and I just received that about a week ago, so I listened to that, and the remix was nothing new (though the ending to Fugazi seemed to be something I hadn't recognized before). Misplaced, famously, doesn't have the new mix, because I guess Steven Wilson refused to let his out since he thought the original mix was so perfect (or something).
But I finally got around to listening to the Clutching At Straws version. Now, this is by far my favorite Marillion album, and one of my very favorite albums of all time. It's literally the perfect record for me. I skip NOTHING on this record, and honestly, the ONLY criticism I have is that the guy that says "My advice to you is, ..." sounds like he's reading the lines off a card where the printing is too small. Other than that, the playing, the writing, the singing, the lyrics, the SOUND, are all incredible. LOVE it.
So the remix was done by longtime colleague Avril MacIntosh (who worked on the original and still works with Fish) and.. someone else I can't remember. And I hate it. I rarely care about remixes or remasters, except when they change something. And here, they changed something. The music is largely the same but Fish is mixed differently, and his vocals are more... dry than the original, and that sucks. Marillion, to me, is not the Rolling Stones. They aren't gritty, dirty, dry sounding rock. They are lush, they are bountiful, and they are full. The Chris Kimsey production is PERFECT for that band, and I love that music so much. The remix ruins that for me. It's not like every song is totally different, but I know that record top to bottom, side to side, and the difference is enough to make me want to go to the original and listen to that. Not the end of the world, since I have the original, but it was a bummer to hear that.