Remastered CDs: c/d -s/d

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In the main, the cycle of remastering has been in the "diminishing returns" stage for a while now. Overly loud and compressed-sounding crap is not an "improvement" by any means. Some (though not all) older CD issues are sonically superior to their recently "remastered" cousins. Surely a case-by-case basis thing, but am I the only one who has of late been fed up with this endless merry-go-round? Capitalism feels that it must go on but I for one am reluctant to re-buy anything yet AGAIN. (Vinyl, CD, a few remastered CDs of the same title - enough is enough!)

So what are your general thoughts on this subject?

And I suppose I'm also wondering if the Roxy Music remasters (first 4 albums) from a couple years back really are any better sounding than the previous CDs (which always sounded pretty good to me). Does anyone know?

― kjoerup, Thursday, 15 April 2004 21:50 (twenty-two years ago)

remasters of anything originally released on CD for the first time during the 80s = generally a good thing. remasters of anything released on CD for the first time a few years ago = pointless

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 15 April 2004 21:58 (twenty-two years ago)

the only remaster job i have actively disliked is that on the recent Cocteau Twins reissues

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 15 April 2004 21:59 (twenty-two years ago)

S: Buzzcocks Singles Going Steady (import only in US)

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 15 April 2004 21:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Surface Noise,

But the American Warner/Reprise CD of T.Rex's 'Electric Warrior' from the 1980s is definitely the best sounding CD of this title out there. Unfortunately it lacks the bonus tracks added to various remasters (all of which sound too shrill and ear-bleeding), but this is the only listenable CD of this album. (And I was lucky enough to find it used for next to nothing.)

OK, there are exceptions and this is one that comes to mind.

― kjoerup, Thursday, 15 April 2004 22:21 (twenty-two years ago)

search: the ryko elvis costello and bowie remasters. they're pretty flawless sonically and have excellent bonus tracks. subsequent bowie reissues stripped the bonus tracks, don't know how they sound, but they can't sound any better. subsequent elvis reissues have too many bonus tracks, don't know what they sound like. but the first stage rykos are the definitive ones to me

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Thursday, 15 April 2004 22:24 (twenty-two years ago)

never thought about this untill I lost my copy of the original CD of Skip Spence's Oar and a few years later bought the new fancier even more extra songs newly remastered Oar on Sundazed and I can barely listen to it, the mood of some of the songs sounds different to me. I with I could A/B them.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 15 April 2004 22:30 (twenty-two years ago)

the CD versions of several (of all performers) Jandek albums are inferior to the LP versions, mainly because of the noise reduction used..

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 15 April 2004 22:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan,

I'll be damned, I just A/B'd these two last night! I'm qualified to say something on the subject of "Oar" because I have no less than 4 copies of it: an original Columbia vinyl, an 80s Edsel reissue vinyl, the Sony CD, and the Sundazed CD. All sound great except for the Sony CD. The Sundazed one is the real deal and has the "proper" sound and atmosphere. The Sony CD is a weird botched remix. I don't know what the hell they were thinking. The only thing the Sony has going for it is that it's the only place you'll find the extended (full?) version of "Diana".

― kjoerup, Thursday, 15 April 2004 22:35 (twenty-two years ago)

AAAHHHH! I was wondering if it wasn't just me missing the version I knew and loved. Diana is one of the most beautiful songs of all time and the "botched mix" I remember having a warmth and darkness, a muddiness that was lost in the Sundazed mix, which I thought sounded too bright, almost cheery. Well, I always have my own EQ!

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 15 April 2004 23:18 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

Does anyone have an informed opinion on jazz remasters?

I just dl'd the remaster of Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet, an old favorite, after not hearing it for years. I remember it sounding so much BETTER than this. Could this just be eMusic ripping music at a poor quality? I dunno though, the whole things sounds flattened, like they compressed it or something. ARGH! SO FUCKING SAD!

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Thursday, 21 September 2006 14:35 (nineteen years ago)

The subsequent Bowie remasters sound miles and miles better than the Ryko ones. As the albums themselves are better and more important than most of the bonus tracks, I prefer the current remasters.

Of course the best thing would have been the audio quality of the EMI remasters, adding the bonus tracks from the Ryko remasters.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 21 September 2006 20:42 (nineteen years ago)

I agree.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 21 September 2006 20:47 (nineteen years ago)

Although the Ryko versions were also cheaper IIRC.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 21 September 2006 20:48 (nineteen years ago)

There are some great bonus tracks on those Ryko versions, e.g. the version of Quicksand added to Hunky Dory is way better than the album version.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Thursday, 21 September 2006 21:08 (nineteen years ago)

At least here, the EMI versions are increasingly likely to appear at a discount.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 21 September 2006 22:36 (nineteen years ago)

The remasters of the XTC catalog are light years better than the original Geffen CDs. The original CDs were so, so, so muddy plus I disliked how they tacked all the bonus tracks in the middle of the albums. Totally ruined the flow of Mummer.

― Sean Robison (yaratnam), Thursday, 21 September 2006 22:45 (nineteen years ago)

Ugh, there seemed to be a rash of putting the bonus tracks in the middle, maybe around the early to mid 90s. I remember the Hendrix remasters did that, and a lot of jazz reissues would have alternate takes right after the original (even worse). Some also rearranged the tunes to put them in their original recording order. So fucking stupid.

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Thursday, 21 September 2006 22:49 (nineteen years ago)

Hey is it worth replacing my Warners Black Sabbath with the UK remasters?

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Friday, 22 September 2006 00:38 (nineteen years ago)

I've grown to hate these super-compressed remastered discs that have been coming out the last couple of years. In a lot of cases the first generation CDs actually sound better. If loudness is what you want you always have the volume knob as an option.

― Lynco (lync0), Friday, 22 September 2006 01:32 (nineteen years ago)

A whole discussion board chock full of people who agree with you.

Actually it's not a bad board to search for opinions about the best cd version of a given thing.

― These Robust Cookies (Robust Cookies), Friday, 22 September 2006 04:39 (nineteen years ago)

ARGH!

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Friday, 22 September 2006 07:44 (nineteen years ago)

If loudness is what you want you always have the volume knob as an option.

Except the fact that recent CDs is being recorded loudly means the volume knob may often not be turned high enough when you play older CD. For health reasons, producers of CD players have decreased the max volume level, which is fine with modern CDs but sucks in the case of CD produced in the 80s.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 22 September 2006 09:46 (nineteen years ago)

Generally, I prefer to buy something from the LP era in its original form (vinyl). Cheaper, you get the art, and it sounds the way they wanted it to sound originally, which is usually better. Not portable, which sucks, but I have plenty of recent records with sound all over them to listen to when I leave the house.

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 22 September 2006 10:52 (nineteen years ago)

>> Hey is it worth replacing my Warners Black Sabbath with the UK remasters?

I hear the original CDs were super-crappy, but I've never heard them.

I've got the remasters of 1st, Paranoid & Vol 4, and they sound great to my ears.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Friday, 22 September 2006 11:06 (nineteen years ago)

Anyone have any comments on the CD versions of Neil Young's 1st 2 albums? They're still the 80s issues. I've been wary of buying them in case the sound is bad.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Friday, 22 September 2006 11:10 (nineteen years ago)

Geir you're a fucking idiot and you don't know what you're talking about.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Friday, 22 September 2006 11:26 (nineteen years ago)

i have a feeling the neil young catalog is getting reissued soon, since they haven't been remastered yet and they're all selling at bargin prices new.

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 22 September 2006 22:15 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah I had that same feeling when I saw them all for a fiver in Fopp.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Friday, 22 September 2006 23:02 (nineteen years ago)

the version of Quicksand added to Hunky Dory is way better than the album version.

MUST FIND

very informative thread, thanks. I have a few remasters... Remain In Light and Hex Enduction Hour come to mind, but I usually don't rebuy a CD I already have unless it is from the 80's era as noted. For example, I sure as fuck am not rebuying those Wire remasters.

― sleeve version 2.0 (sleeve testing), Friday, 22 September 2006 23:12 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah me neither (Wire remasters). The CDs I've got sounds fine to me and they have the extra tracks.

Hex Enduction remaster is a definite C. I think some people don't like 1+ of the latest Fall remasters for some reason (can't remember which right now) but every one I've bought so far has sounded good.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Friday, 22 September 2006 23:17 (nineteen years ago)

That's exciting about Hex, I haven't given it a good listen yet and I have only ever had the Line white vinyl version.

― sleeve version 2.0 (sleeve testing), Friday, 22 September 2006 23:23 (nineteen years ago)

My workmate bought the Psychocandy remaster last week so I burnt a copy of it, had the original CD for years and don't want to buy it again. I very rarely buy remasters of things I already own. I did re-buy Singles Going Steady but only because I saw it for £4.99 and it had Parts 1-3 added to it, which I didn't have. I then sold my old copy on Ebay for £4, so smiles all round.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Friday, 22 September 2006 23:28 (nineteen years ago)

>> the version of Quicksand added to Hunky Dory is way better than the album version.

MUST FIND
>>

It's an acoustic demo so it's way stripped down, basically just David Bowie singing over rhythm guitar but I love it. If you've heard Dinosaur Jr's version it seems like J was going for that version rather than the album version. Not sure if that works out timewise since I think the Ryko CDs came out around the same time as Dinosaur Jr did that song. Unless the bonus tracks had been bootlegged previously or something.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Saturday, 23 September 2006 00:55 (nineteen years ago)

i can't even keep track of the fall remasters, the things have been reissued so many times.

― kyle (akmonday), Saturday, 23 September 2006 02:18 (nineteen years ago)

But these guys sure can.

― These Robust Cookies (Robust Cookies), Saturday, 23 September 2006 03:26 (nineteen years ago)

Paying slightly more (off the web) for a remastered CD and bonus tracks... and getting the original release.

FUCKING ANNOYING. Happened twice with the same artist now. wtf do they think ASIN: numbers are for?

― dance dance counter-revolution (fandango), Thursday, 28 September 2006 10:24 (nineteen years ago)

Argh yeah that happened to me a couple of times off Ebay, luckily sellers were decent about it and gave me a refund. One even let me keep the CD too, which I will eventually sell off when I do get the remastered one I wanted in the first place (Pure Mania by the Vibrators).

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Thursday, 28 September 2006 10:48 (nineteen years ago)

i ordered the pulp remasters, mainly for the bonus tracks, but im hoping the original albums dont sound too different from the original CDs.

― titchyschneider (titchyschneider), Thursday, 28 September 2006 10:51 (nineteen years ago)

yeah, I've emailed the seller (it's a shop) the last time I didn't and just left shitty feedback, which was hasty. Most sellers are decent enough to offer refunds in practice I've found.

― dance dance counter-revolution (fandango), Thursday, 28 September 2006 10:56 (nineteen years ago)

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