After The Astronaut 1998 VS 2026: A Mix Comparison
Hi all, first time poster (though I've listened to the Surfers for a number of years now). I've been listening quite a bit to the new release of the long-lost After The Astronaut, which has finally seen its own release nearly 30 years after Capitol Records cancelled it and Hollywood Records mandated it be reworked into the heavily compromised Weird Revolution.
Although interestingly, this new release of the album isn't the exact same version that was submitted to Capitol in 1998 (and which subsequently circulated on bootlegs). Instead, Paul Leary decided to put together a fresh mix for its first commercial edition, and to assist those who might be confused, I decided to do a track-by-track comparison between the two to list any noteworthy differences that I came across, and how much they change the songs:
1. Weird Revolution: Although this version uses the same skeleton as the 1998 version, including Gibby's original monologue, some of the samples used in the 2001 reworking of the track have been slipped in (which I don't mind too much). Most concerning for purists will be that the 1998 mix's prominent flute sample is missing, and a new extended outro has been provided to accommodate its absence. I personally don't mind this, actually, as I kinda feel like the flute didn't fit the original very well.
2. Intelligent Guy: More or less the same as the 1998 version, but with more prominent bass.
3. Jet Fighter: Mostly the same as the 1998 version, though I did notice that a portion of Gibby singing "Jet Fighters Never Die" has been added to the intro. Not a bad change, helps set the tone of the track a little. I also noticed that the vocals are more prominent, especially towards the end.
4. Mexico: For some reason Mexico and Imbuya's places on the tracklist have been swapped compared to the 1998 running order. Other than that, it appears to be more or less the same as the 1998 version with a touched up mix.
5. Imbuya: More or less the same as the 1998 version, with a touched up mix.
6. Venus: Mostly the same as the 1998 version, though the outro comes in slightly earlier and is supplemented by a sample of someone saying "Cause I'm Jesus Christ, and it's probably due to the rice". No clue who it is that says it.
7. The Last Astronaut: Although the song is mostly the same as the 1998 version, I can't help but think that some of the samples have been moved down in the mix somewhat, especially towards the middle. Gibby's vocals have also had a filter applied to them so they sound less clear.
8. Yentel: More or less the same as the 1998 version.
9. Junkie Jenny In Gaytown: Another song which'll likely be a sore spot to purists, as the integral Bollywood vocal sample the song is built around is pitched down compared to the 1998 version. This might be a dealbreaker to some, depending on how well you're able to deal with the change. Personally, I don't mind it too much, though I can see how people might be put off. Interestingly, while the 1998 version fades out, this one keeps going in an extended outro, ending up a good 40 seconds longer.
10. They Came In: Mostly seems to be the same as the original, though I did notice a difference in how the drum track's mastered, so it's got a bit more of a clang to it. Also, while the 1998 version appears to open with a bit of electronic drums before moving into live ones, here the live drums are present throughout.
11. I Don't Have A Problem: More or less the same as the 1998 version, though I did detect some added reverb to the telephone samples.
12. Turkey And Dressing: The last song on the record, and another one that received some more substantial changes. The bridge has had some vocal samples removed, and the outro has been changed to add an odd synth bleep as the fadeout (and there's also a bit of guitar feedback from the intro that's been snipped out). Admittedly the new burp transition out of the bridge and to the following verse is pretty funny, and totally on brand for the group. Also, the guitar solo appears to have been double-tracked in the new mix.
And that's your lot, as far as I can tell. Obviously one of the most pressing questions will be: why change anything? Why mess with the original? Well, while I can only speculate, my assumption is that it's precisely because the 1998 mix got rejected by the label and never came out, so that version never had a chance to be canonized. And now, with nearly 30 years of hindsight, maybe a few touchups made sense to Paul Leary and co. before finally sending it out to the masses.
Overall, I don't mind this new version at all. It's definitely still the overall same album, and it's still a lot better than 2001's The Weird Revolution. The bass is noticeably clearer in this new mix, and there aren't any changes from the 1998 version that ruined it for me. Obviously your mileage may vary, and if you've grown up listening to the bootlegged Capitol version (which I haven't really), you may take more issue with it. In any case, I wanted to throw my thoughts in as best I can.