Shine a Light...worst mix ever!!!!

[frennis]

Watching this on Palladia...Holy Crap! Let's all agree to never let Martin Scorcese make another concert movie. You can hear every string in Keith's guitar, and every audience sound, and all the vocals are completely buried and the whole thing sounds like a mess. Why not do a remix of this thing.

 

[jammybastard]

Actually both the audio and video were heavily edited.
Don't blame Scorcese unless you don't like the camera angles.
(Personally I don't like the lighting)
Jagger had "final cut" on all of it. Jagger approved the cut and the mix.
Those are the terms when you work with the Stones.
You're right though...it still sounds like crap.

Honestly though the Stones don't sound that great live these days. Keef barely plays and many times doesn't even play in the same key as the rest of the band. Get on YouTube and look up the Isle of Wight Festival footage. I think "Sympathy for the Devil" is up there. That was shot on the same tour "Shine a Light" was shot on and it's brutal, especially Keef.
I can't believe they allowed it to air on ITV in the UK, but I'm sure they got paid a ton for the rights so they let it go.

 

[Ted Witcher]

They sounded pretty good on that tour, actually, but those shows weren't the best (they were shoehorned into the schedule). The mix was a creative decision, and a bad one: I believe it was Scorsese's idea to have whatever instrument the camera was on (closeup of Keith, closeup of Ronnie, etc.) become more prominent in the mix at that moment, as if you were standing right there... and then standing right there... and now standing right here, all through the show. Bad idea.

 

[Ransome]

Thank you! I have really disliked the mix since I first saw it. The film itself wasn't bad, someone should have stepped up and gotten fired for say the mix was crap!

 

[Captain Midnite]

Sounded like they rode the faders depending on who was in the shot.

 

[b3john]

There is a lot of competition for that "Worst Mix Ever" title, starting with Journey's "Live from Manila" video.

 

[pbmw]

I watched about 15 min of it last nite
Just had to change the channel.

 

[todd richman]

Actually I like it. Bob Clearmountain did the mix and his work is great.

 

[pak1001]

Actually I like it. Bob Clearmountain did the mix and his work is great.

To me that film was a revelation. It's a lesson on how to play to the song rather than for yourself. No problem with the mix. Please note: Charlie rules!

 

[sixty2strat]

the stones sound bad live:this comes as news to you, the stones have not sounded good live in years, saw them in 94 and decided never again. saw them in 81 and when I heard the live album and film I was shocked, the excitement of being there blinded me. sawthem in 89 and got to hear the fulll show rehersals, much better but the newer developments in sythns samples back up singers and a large horn section burried the band. Now it seems more about the show as spectacle in a way that De Mill, Ziegfield or Busby Berekley would grasp.

 

[Gas-man]

Just watching Some Girls Live in Texas now and the mix is quite good.

Clearmountain did this one too.

 

[Shiny McShine]

I thought it was interesting the way they brought out whoever was on camera in the mix. It's an approach, that's all.

 

[Jon C]

Just watching Some Girls Live in Texas now and the mix is quite good.

Clearmountain did this one too.

The credits said Clearmountain did a 2011 remix ... intersting, did you notice that?

 

[Dave1]

I thought the mix was awful, but the performances were worse. It is a train wreck. I had a lot of respect for kieth's playing until I saw that. Not any more. It sounded like someone wanted to remove any glue from the mix and blow all the instruments as far away from each other as possible.

 

[Gretsch6136]

Cut Keith some slack guys. He was still recovering from his brain surgery at the time Shine A Light was filmed.

 

[GA20T]

Unlistenable performance. Was too distracted by that to notice how poor the mix was.

 

[StonieSlagg]

The version of "Sympathy" from this film is actually the worst version of the song I've ever heard including every cover version. I'm not being hyperbolic...

 

[Ephi82]

Actually I like it. Bob Clearmountain did the mix and his work is great.

I agree, and I love the concept of the mix following the shots......."Shine a Light" on reality! I like hearing what they sound like without all the mix sweetening and post editing.

However, this is not their best performance live. I read that it was pretty much a big party before, during and after the show (the Stones enjoyed themselves with their musical guests and friends), so they were kinda sloppy

 

[bgood]

it was a terrible performance. mix or not. only Charlie delivered.

 

[Shiny McShine]

Hey, they're like 150 years old in dog years. It's not going to get a lot better from this point forward folks. Frankly, I'd be happy to have off nights like that!