Rush - Hold Your Fire

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by thatguy1976, Jul 25, 2017.

  1. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Think that's how I remember it and probably why I never listened to it again.
    I found no benefit from the US Masterdisk cut. The oldie CD is fine for me as well :cheers:
    Edit:Funny, I think one of the first albums I inquired about years ago when I joined was the SQ (or lack of) for Hold Your Fire :laugh:
     
    Last edited: Jan 1, 2018
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  2. Matt S

    Matt S Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire, UK
    Another vote here for the original CD. The '97 Hold Your Fire remaster isn't awful (it's better than Power Windows, which is the worst of the '97 remasters imo), however it is more compressed and slightly thinner sounding. The '97 remaster was my only copy of Hold Your Fire for a long time, until I happened across a used copy of the original CD a couple of years ago. I was hoping it would be a significant improvement, sadly it wasn't - merely less compressed and with slightly more bass. While I love the music on Hold Your Fire (it's one of my favourite Rush albums), I dislike the mix which I find lacks top and bottom end definition.
     
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  3. Futurecity

    Futurecity Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nevada
    So, is the Sector 3 CD too ‘hot’ or compressed? At this point, I probably wouldn’t want to track down the original 80s CD or buy the SHM, so might want to take a chance with the modern Sector 3?
     
  4. Futurecity

    Futurecity Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nevada
    Sometimes I will go with a more compressed CD over a primitive and thin sounding earlier CD, unless the compression is hideous or it’s brickwalked.

    Looking forward to your thoughts on the Sector 3 CD.
     
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  5. yarbles

    yarbles Too sick to pray

    The last Rush studio album I bought. 4th in a row to totally underwhelm me, obvious by then that they had nothing left to say. Can't remember anything about it, which is probably a good thing.
     
  6. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Gave it a good listen. More fleshed out body wise, a tad 'warmer' which I prefer. I still need to check out the 2015 24/48 that Sean did.
    Kinda nice re-visiting the Sector, I don't think I've listened to it in five or more years :laugh:
     
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  7. Futurecity

    Futurecity Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nevada
    Thanks c-eling for the update, maybe I’d prefer it also because I also like a fuller sound sometimes. Is the volume ok...I can take a little loud but not brickwalked/ear bleeding?

    Also, is the compression acceptable to you or is the audio too hot/unclear?
     
  8. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Not ear bleeding- but not crankable without fatigue for me. Some dynamics are left, there are some peaks and valleys left.
     
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  9. MrBitey

    MrBitey Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kindom
    This is my favourite Rush release bar none. It’s funny how certain albums were just there in your life at ‘the right time’. This was one of those. The melancholic mood still gets me now and the lush, reverby 80s production still feels like the gold standard to me (even though I know it has dated loads). It was one of the first CDs I bought (along with some Marillion (Clutching at Straws I think) and Kiss Double Platinum. I had been a big fan of Power Windows and Grace Under Pressure beforehand but Hold Your Fire is definitely my fave. I love all the tracks but standouts for me are:
    Open Secrets, Prime Mover, Mission, and Time Stand Still.
     
  10. DiabloG

    DiabloG City Pop, Rock, and anything 80s til I die

    Location:
    United States
    The only track that truly suffers from the compression is High Water. It's the most brickwalled song on the Sector remaster.
     
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  11. Melodically, Hold Your Fire stands toe-to-toe with the best they've ever done. I like the style of the album, but I've always imagined that if you take the song melodies out of their time, and rock the music out a bit more, with better production, this record would be the ultimate statement for '80s Rush. It's pure catchy.
     
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  12. Futurecity

    Futurecity Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nevada
    I forgot, which CD version of HYF is your favorite to listen to?
     
  13. GroovyGuy

    GroovyGuy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Halifax, NS Canada
    IMHO, the "hidden treasure" of their catalog that I own across formats and enjoy listening to. It's amazing how many people don't know of this album or discount is as "pop". I knew someone at the time (and still do) who was on tour with Rush during this period and that brought me to this album when it was released or I myself may have discounted it. THAT would have been a big loss on my part.
     
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  14. George Co-Stanza

    George Co-Stanza Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    Agreed. I really like the album for what it is, but the "crash-bangy" sound, as Neil Peart once called it, does date the record a bit, but I don't care; the songwriting is so good that I can overlook its surface flaws.
     
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  15. Bananas&blow

    Bananas&blow It's just that demon life has got me in its sway

    Location:
    Pacific Beach, CA
    I did the same thing with this album. I avoided it assuming it was 80's crap. Then I listened to it and I like it, just like all their 80's albums. I'm working on having a more open mind about things and unheard music.
     
  16. DiabloG

    DiabloG City Pop, Rock, and anything 80s til I die

    Location:
    United States
    The original is fine enough for me, though the '97 remaster is admittedly not that different. It just has a very slight bass boost and some (not too overblown) compression. In this regard, it's actually one of the more tolerable '97 discs, and this is coming from someone who hates that series for the most part. The Sector CD has better bass and midrange than the other masterings, though the clarity is not as good.
     
  17. Futurecity

    Futurecity Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nevada
    Interesting, so the HYF '97 CD is probably better than the '97 Power Windows, but if I could only own 1 version, I'd probably get the Sector 3 CD just for the modern sound and more bass, even though I'll be sacrificing dynamics and some clarity.
     
  18. Hey, thanks! Interesting. After reading your post I looked it up in the DR Database, and though DR numbers aren't the be-all-end-all of how a recording sounds, that DR10 range usually works wonders for that tinny '80s sound. I think I'll pick that up!
     
  19. Sevoflurane

    Sevoflurane Forum Resident

    Are the latest versions available via e.g. HDTracks newer masters than the Sector ones then? Do the downloaded versions feature any audible watermarking? I must have 2-3 versions of every Rush album, but if the latest Hi Res downloads are felt to be an improvement I could be persuaded. Some of the arrangements on the Sector remastered differ slightly from my original CD of HYF.
     
  20. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    I think the issues with watermarking were with the Atlantic years. You want Sean's 2015's. Hold Your Fire will be 24/48. If Qobuz or HDTracks has a really good sale i'll bite.
     
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  21. Veovis

    Veovis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    No. The exact opposite. All the 40th anniversary stuff up to and including A Show of Hands supposedly have watermarking. The rest of the Magee remasters (Presto - Snakes & Arrows) don't have it but have on the other hand so far only been available as downloads bundled with the vinyl releases.

    To my knowledge it is reported that the watermarking is most audible on the HYF and PoW albums. I haven't really tried to spot it, and I think the 2015 rematers in 24/192 (or 24/48 in some cases) sound fine, though watermarking on principle should be a criminal offense and not supported by buying the albums imo. Unfortunately I didn't hear about it until after I had bought every album in the series.
     
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  22. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    No kidding, thanks for the warning!
     
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  23. Sevoflurane

    Sevoflurane Forum Resident

    Is the watermarking only on the downloads or the CDs?
     
  24. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Sean's remasters were only done for DD and the vinyl I believe.
     
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  25. Veovis

    Veovis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    I think only two of Magee's remasters have been used for CD: the recent 2112 and A Farewell to Kings anniversary editions. I would think they are watermark free but who knows. I haven't compared. Don't think any other Rush material apart from the 2015 Magee remasters that are available at the download stores suffer from watermarking.

    It's a Universal Music Group thing by the way. They are reportedly watermarking most material when supplying Tidal and Spotify etc. and for some reason even the "audiophile" hi-res Music stores. Stupid if true.
     
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