I get what he's saying about not wanting to replace the original, but come on - what's wrong with a full remix on a bonus disc? The original would still be there for those who like the sound as is, but those who don't would surely appreciate an alternate mix.
Amen! Better yet, they could've done 2 remixes - one with the original mix and the bass added back in, and a second one where they used the ambient mics that were in the studio to give it a more layered sound, instead of the flat in-your-face sound that resulted. I recall reading an interview with Flemming who commented that those additional tracks (of the mics picking things up ambiently) weren't used at all, but that was what he had intended. Would love to have heard what his vision (as producer) would have sounded like. But nope. Not gonna happen. Thanks guys.
And BTW, for those of you hoping for the rough mixes to sound better, maybe they will, but don't bank on it! While it was a demo and not a rough mix, I remember having a Japanese import CD that had a demo (probably for One) that had no bass on it either, although the liner notes expressly stated it was done on a 4-track, so there was no room for the bass. Hopefully the rough mixes won't be the same way, but if Lars was already meddling with the sound when those mixes were made, they probably won't sound much better.