i wonder if the original Dennis Davis bassline is still on the multitracks and Visconti would dare to reinstate it in place of his overdub? listening to the track now i think he'd be tempted to bring up the violin and generally separate things a bit more. and then crush it in mastering
What does your gut tell you went wrong? I ask out of friendly curiosity, as Lodger is tied with Outside as my favorite Bowie.
I don't get that comment about remixing Low at all. To me, the sound of Low is total perfection. It's beautiful, detailed, lush, and quite forward thinking, while the overall sound is clean, clear, and crisp. When I listen to Low, especially with headphones, I feel like I'm totally enveloped in its strange, alien world, and the sound is a big part of that. Lodger, on the other hand, has always sounded a bit dull and slightly murky to me. It's a great album with great arrangements (and excellent guitar from Adrian Belew), but I've always felt it suffered a bit from slightly lackluster sound. Unless someone is just interested in 5.1 (I'm not), I'm honestly puzzled by talk of remixing Low. Each to his own, I know, but still.
Well my comment earlier is because I have always found the first side of Low a bit thin sounding. The Mew 99 release addressed that somewhat, and probably by accident - big smiley - but I also thought the second side was perfect for some "before and after" type deconstructions. Hey, it, HD and DD are my favorites so maybe I should be careful what I wish for and thankful for what I have!!
Heathen has the crushed dynamics of all post-'99 Bowie. 'Tis a shame. Lodger is muddy and grungy and curiously muffled. Maybe that was intentional, but I suspect not. "Heroes" and Low are both much cleaner, more transparent affairs. That having been said, I'd be more interested in remixes of Low and "Heroes" because I think they're much better albums.
I am expecting something for Low for next year's RSD. If one swaps in cracked actor for one of the David Live's in WCIBN it makes for a much more sensible box set. It might be the same re: a Low special issue and one of the Stage albums?
It is just as well Cracked Actor was not the exclusive album in WCIBN as I would have had to buy it! Tim
I did buy it, and I still have the urge to sell one of the David Live's and put Cracked Actor in there instead. I wonder if there is a similar replacement option for one of the Station to Stations?
You know - I was really intrigued by this cd (enough to search it out), but the remasters are not even worth bothering with - you'd be doing well to notice anything different - but they are a tiny bit louder. Nothing special. It would have been nice to get the planned Collector's Editions of Hunky Dory and Low though. Someone must have info on whether they were going to be anything interesting. There's also the BOS "New Edition Package" credited on the back, though I suppose that just meant the standard reissue in 2007.
That's my assessment of the SACD sound as well. (I had them all but only kept Ziggy, Heathen and Reality for the lossless 5.1 mixes, only available on there). Although I hear some healthy amounts of -probably analog- compression on Ziggy, SM and LD, but no limiting or NR. That would be fine if not for the *brightness*!
Boys Keep Swinging is a track I rate in my top 3 (although that has more than 3 in it) but so long as they do the remix without adding anything modern to it I would rather it was quite different - so as to shine a new light on it. Otherwise what is the point of a remix? If it's so subtle you can't notice the difference it's a pointless waste of time IMO. I'd rather they did a significant remix using the original sessions only. We still have the original - no-one's going to make that go away!
I must feel the same as I have not even listened to either one yet and I've bought both sets. Can't say I'm interested in hearing a remix of Lodger either, nothing wrong with the original. I'm looking forward to hearing the two new Stage songs as Bowie's voice was amazing on that tour.
I heard someone say once, "is Low the album with all the sound effects?". And I thought 'sound effects'? what are you talking about, it's music from what I hear on my 1999 remaster CD. Then I got a late 70's RCA Colorized vinyl LP and yeah, there are sound effects here but it's the music. I'm hoping this 2017 remaster will bring it all out again. Maybe they can get Giles Martin to remix The Berlin Trilogy, have Yoko say that John always wanted The Berlin Trilogy remixed and Giles can do the job.
I dug Stage out, and listened to it this morning, in anticipation of this box set, and really enjoyed it. Granted David Live, and Cracked Actor are my go-to Bowie live albums.
Who Can I Be Now in my opinion is almost worth it for The Gouster. Even though I had all the songs and could have sequinced it myself to hear I've played the vinyl version of it about 8 times already. I was surprised how much I liked it. I heard about the original album years ago that was pulled back to insert the JL tracks. I always thought it was made better as a result but now I'm actually not sure. I think Fame made it more successful and Across the Universe was a bad bad choice (should have been a b-side) to include. Again have not listened to the remix of STS yet.
As long as they are better than The deluxe version of STS. I have no use for the sets that include reproduction of items, scarves, marbles etc.
Regarding Scary Monsters, here's a small extract from my personal PS3 rip of the SACD. I think there's still this Peter Mew EQ that tries to make it sound big and modern, but I did no A/B test for this yet.
In my opinion, none of these albums need remixing. They should leave them alone and focus on getting some archive material out there. But sadly, they'll continue reissuing the same albums again and again and again for as long as people buy them.
I advise you watch Roman Polanski's film "The Tenant", because it is undoubtedly an influence on the cover, as the Polanski character also falls from a tenement building. Of course, "tenant" is a variation on lodger, and the French title is Le Locataire, which also appears on the Lodger cover. A couple of other bits of trivia which connects the album with the film: a boy plays with a toy yacht on a pond which happens to have red sails, and also the Polanski character, who is dressed in drag, stares at himself in his wardrobe mirror, and wipes off the lipstick from his face and removes his wig. Bowie does the same in the Boys Keep Swinging video.
Agreed. Having lived with the Rykos for many years [I skipped the 1999 reissues completely], I was hoping these new box sets would include the definitive remasters. So far, overall, they're don't. One has to go the more expensive route of collecting the 'right' RCA CD's to get the 'best' digital versions. So what stuff is 'missing' from box 3, that has previously been released [officially and semi-officially] Some Are All Saints Abdulmajid Revolutionary Song [both 7" & LP version] I Pray, Olé The Myth Panic In Detroit [1979 Re-recording] Sound + Vision [1991 Remix] Joe The Lion [1991 Remix] Peter & The Wolf TVC 15 - Live [Alt. Mix 'Stage' 5.1 Audio] Sound + Vision - Live [Earls Court '78] Be My Wife - Live [Earls Court '78] Cat People [Extended Version] Any more? I think [Hope] the future box sets will be as follows and be my new go to versions : 83-87 Let's Dance Serious Moonlight Tonight Dance Labyrinth [EP] Never Let Me Down [LP Version] Never Let Me Down Glass Spider Re:Call 4 89-97 Tin Machine Tin Machine II Oy Vey, Baby Black Tie White Noise The Buddha Of Suburbia The Leon Suites 1. Outside Excertpts From Outside Earthling LiveAndWell.com Re: Call 5 99-? VH1 Storytellers 'hours...' Live BBC Theatre Toy Heathen Reality A Reality Tour The Next Day Blackstar Re: Call 6
If box 5 and 6 are like that I will be more than happy. The Leon Suite LiveAndWell.com VH1 Storytellers Live BBC Theatre I will be ecstatic if those are included. Not too fussed about Toy being on their but OK if it is. I would rather a Heathen live show.
