And the winner is: 2016 remix/remaster. I really must commend the engineers here. The new remix disc is light years ahead of the original version in every way possible. It's my understanding that a better copy of the original recordings was utilized for this new release, and it really shows here. The instruments, vocals, and even the screaming crowd resonate with a brightness and clarity that is simply unmatched on the original release from four decades ago, and the advances made in separating and enhancing different elements of pre-recorded tracks were put to utterly fantastic use here. There isn't a single track on this disc that doesn't shine, and it captures the height of Beatlemania better than any other live recording I've heard, legitimate or otherwise (and I've heard quite a few of them). Stereo separation doesn't feel as wide as on the original, which is definitely a good thing, though listeners expecting a mix that sounds like one of today's proper multi-track efforts need to remember that the original multi-track tapes had only three tracks, and the technology of the time wasn't up to the task of getting a reasonably clean recording of the performers sans the loud roar of the audience. Thus, the screaming crowd noise is still extremely loud relative to the performance, but the new mix succeeds in putting the music a bit more front and center. That being said, there's still only so much technology can do. The August 23rd recordings are still noticeably inferior in sound quality and suffer from a muddiness that no amount of digital tweaking could remove. The 1977 disc is muddier still, though, even on the recordings from the 1965 show, so the new CD still represents an essential upgrade. I'm also very pleased to find that the mastering job did not brickwall the sound and appears to have left dynamics mostly intact. With this compact disc release, my old digital transfer of my LP has now been officially retired.

A few notes: The introduction of the band at the very beginning of "Twist and Shout" is complete on the new CD, while it is shortened and faded in at a later point on the original 1977 LP. A tiny bit of the very beginning of Paul McCartney's introduction of "Boys" is edited out on the CD, where "Roll Over Beethoven" now segues into "Boys" (this was the division point between sides on the original vinyl release).