Chicago II Steven Wilson Remix Announced ! 01/27/2017

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Ninecats, Apr 5, 2016.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    The entire Tanglewood performance is great.
     
    Edgard Varese likes this.
  2. fitzysbuna

    fitzysbuna Senior Member

    Location:
    Australia
    Any chance we can have the entire catalog remixed or at the first 4 albums by Steve Wilson ? just finished listening through the album and it fantastic . I would not mind hearing a Saturday in the Park remix.
     
    Rick H., Wingsfan2012 and Munros1969 like this.
  3. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    As noted, the second album was really the only one with significant problems.
     
    g.z. likes this.
  4. fitzysbuna

    fitzysbuna Senior Member

    Location:
    Australia
    well from a cd point of view many people here don't like the current cd mastering that is out there for most of Chicago's collection and from a buying perspective it gives them a chance to throw them out there again.
     
  5. walrus

    walrus Staring into nothing

    Location:
    Nashville
    I know this is different than what SW usually does, but I wouldn't mind someone having a go at the live album. Just to see what happens.
     
  6. AudiophilePhil

    AudiophilePhil Senior Member

    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Both "Chicago at Carnegie Hall" (1971) and "Chicago XI" (1977) were not mixed in quad and that's the reason why they were not included in the Quadio Box Blu-ray set.
     
  7. AudiophilePhil

    AudiophilePhil Senior Member

    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    I am impressed with what Steve Wilson did to improve the sound of this classic self-titled sophomore album "Chicago". Compared to the original stereo mix on CD, this new remix sound warmer and less veiled. The clarity is outstanding. Having said that, I'm not going to part with the MoFi Hybrid SACD which is a remastered version of the original mix in high resolution. Although the original stereo mix is generally muddier, it has its own charm. There are some specific instances where the original stereo mix on MoFi SACD layer sounds better than the remix. One example is the sound of the brass during the fanfare right after the piano intro on the track "Poem For The People". To my ears, the horns sound more majestic and more separated on the MoFi SACD layer. There are also a few instances where the stereo mix on MoFi SACD sounds like it has a wider soundstage. All in all, the Steve Wilson mix is now the go to disc for this album except for the few examples I have mentioned above. I'm keeping them both together with the box set "Group Portrait" and my vinyl pressings of the same album. I already discarded almost all of my awful sounding Rhino remastered Chicago CD's.
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2017
    g.z. likes this.
  8. tlake6659

    tlake6659 Senior Member

    Location:
    NJ
    Get the MFSL SACDs of I and II and the original Columbia/Chicago CDs for the other titles.
     
    fitzysbuna and AudiophilePhil like this.
  9. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Can you say what you prefer about the MFSL of I over the original CD? I compared the two recently and kept going back and forth over which one I preferred.
     
  10. AudiophilePhil

    AudiophilePhil Senior Member

    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Get the Doug Sax-remastered Sony Mastersound Super Bit Mapping Gold CD of Chicago Transit Authority.
     
    pool_of_tears and PineBark like this.
  11. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Thanks, but i am not a fan of his work.
     
  12. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    You're not a fan of Doug Sax?
     
  13. Wingsfan2012

    Wingsfan2012 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Junior's Farm, IL
    After weeks in my cart, I finally ordered from Amazon the "new" Chicago II CD and ready to get blown away with an amazing audio experience!
     
    fitzysbuna and George P like this.
  14. Wingsfan2012

    Wingsfan2012 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Junior's Farm, IL
    Also how does the clarity/quality stack up with the "Chicago Box"-not the old "Group Portrait" but the newer CD box set?
     
  15. AudiophilePhil

    AudiophilePhil Senior Member

    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    I don't like the sound of "The Box" CD set. Like the previous 2002 Rhino remasters (with bonus tracks), it suffered from bad EQ choices. I'm referring to the ones remastered by Donelly under Lee Loughnane's supervision that were released in 2002-2003 with bonus tracks. The "Group Portrait" remastered by Sony Music/ Legacy's Mark Wilder is much better in terms of sound (as it sounds warmer and more analog), the accompanying booklet and packaging. "The Box" is a poor man's "Group Portrait". The only advantage of having "The Box" is it covers the '80's and '90's Chicago music which I have very little interest and also a bonus DVD.
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2017
  16. PineBark

    PineBark formerly known as BackScratcher

    Location:
    Boston area
    Although I consider this Steve Wilson mix to be the best sounding version of the album, I don't think it's an amazing audio experience. You will likely be disappointed if you expect it to blow you away.
     
  17. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    :agree:
     
  18. Mike Campbell

    Mike Campbell Forum Resident

    Location:
    Minnesota, USA
    Money talks...
     
    Wingsfan2012 likes this.
  19. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    He likes the album.
     
    Dr. Mudd, g.z. and AudiophilePhil like this.
  20. AudiophilePhil

    AudiophilePhil Senior Member

    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    He actually loves the album.

    Steve Wilson quoted by Rhino in the press release: “Working with high-resolution 96K/24 bit digitally transferred files, I had every element from the recording sessions isolated, which meant I was able to rebuild the mix from the drums upwards, recreating as closely as I could the equalization, stereo placement, reverbs, other effects, and volume changes of each individual instrument or vocal – but at the same time looking to gain definition and clarity in the overall sound.”

    He continues, “So rich was their creative seam at the time that, like their debut, and the album that followed this one, it was a two record set. In fact, with unprecedented boldness the run of double albums was only broken by their fourth which was a quadruple (live) set! I consider all of these albums to be classics, but perhaps Chicago II is the pre-eminent masterpiece. It’s got everything: moments of tender beauty to power riffs and scorched-earth jazz-rock, catchy melodies and gorgeous vocal harmonies. When I first heard it as a teenager I was captivated by the mixture of jazz, blues, pop, classical, progressive and heavy rock styles, including both improvisational elements and intricate arrangements, and by songs written and sung by several different members, all with their own unique personality. How could that possibly hang together?! But it does, and brilliantly so.”
     
    Jeffczar, Planbee and JamesD1957 like this.
  21. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    Amen to that!!!
     
    AudiophilePhil likes this.
  22. Sidewinder43

    Sidewinder43 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lavaca County, TX
    I've listened to this 5 times so far and only have one very small quibble - the drum solo on To Be Free just doesn't to have as much "snap" as the original mix. Otherwise, WOW!
     
    g.z. and AudiophilePhil like this.
  23. AudiophilePhil

    AudiophilePhil Senior Member

    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    I have a similar comment I wrote on #832. Overall, the new Wilson remix is better than the original 1970 stereo mix but there are still some instances where the latter have an edge and that's why I'm keeping the MoFi-remastered hybrid SACD of "Chicago II" although I am enjoying listening to the Wilson stereo remix.
     
    g.z., Sidewinder43 and Gardo like this.
  24. SteelyNJ

    SteelyNJ Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    [​IMG]
    I've said it before but maybe worth repeating, the Chris Bellman cut/remastered 2009 Rhino LP is, IMO, an excellent (and perhaps the finest) version of the original 1970 Chicago II mix.
     
  25. Gardo

    Gardo Audio Epistemologist

    Location:
    Virginia
    I'm preparing a big shootout as part of my review of the Wilson remix, and just a couple of days ago I listened to Bellman's vinyl cut. It had all the feel of the original mix (I'm not sure that's the best goal when it comes to this record, myself) but was much livelier and more musical than I'd remembered. Listening to the Wilson remix (CD version) just after, I found I preferred the Bellman-mastered LP.

    That's a first impression after a first comparison, but I was surprised, as Wilson's work usually leaves me pretty much slackjawed at its beauty. This time, I wasn't blown away, and the comparison with Bellman's mastering (not remixing, just remastering) was very interesting.
     
    SteelyNJ, g.z. and AudiophilePhil like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine