The Final Cut reissue - background info
Written by Matt   
Saturday, 21 February 2004

With thanks to our friends Chris Diemoz, and Nicola at Hey You, we have some background info on the release, directly from a key, unnamed person involved in the remaster release:

"The reason of this reprint is because the album is now on the EMI label worldwide. Until now, Sony Music owned the rights for North America, Japan, etc... and EMI wanted a new version to celebrate the return to its catalogue. The main change, in this version, is represented by the addition of 'When The Tigers Broke Free'. As you know, Tigers was recorded for The Wall film. It was originally destined for The Final Cut album, but at the end it was discharged, it was too much linked to Roger.

"EMI suggested inserting this song on the reprint of TFC, and both Roger and the band approved it. A copy of the album was done, placing 'Tigers" into the sequence in four different points to find the best place. Finally the copy was sent to Roger and he decided. We then did a new mix of the song, starting from 16-track tapes of the film soundtrack (a different mix from the "Echoes" one) and we inserted it into the sequence using a cross-fading effect. The other mixes are the originals.

"We mastered all starting from original analogue tapes, using a special machine built by Tim de Paravicini. It used a valve EQ (by Tim too), linked to a "Gold Series" A/D converter from Dan Lavry Engineering. The album was compiled in SADiE. This version of The Final Cut has the best sound it ever has had on CD..."