What a difference a great mixer can make. A few weeks ago I posted the isolated lead guitar and vocals from Eric Clapton’s short-lived band Derek and the Dominos hit “Layla.” One of the things that struck me about the original song when listening with fresh ears was how odd the original mix was, with unusual panning, a very tinny sound and muddy balance.
A few years ago the 5.1 version of the the album (Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs) was mixed by the great Elliot Scheiner and allows us to finally hear what the original tracks really sound like. As you’ll hear, the difference is substantial. Here are some things to listen for:
1. The bass and drums in the remix sound much larger than the original and are panned in a fashion that we’ve become accustomed to.
2. Everything is so much clearer, including the 3 rhythm guitars panned left, right and center, and the organ.
3. You can hear clearly hear Bobby Whitlock’s harmony vocal. It was probably track shared on one of the rhythm tracks, since they were only recording on a 16 track machine at the time and probably ran out of tracks fairly quickly.
4. Listen for the two pianos on the second section of the song. The original was played by drummer Jim Gordon (who wrote the section) and then overdubbed by keyboardist Whitlock.
All in all, the remix is a pleasure to listen to. Contrast it to the original mix below.
