Best sounding David Bowie albums on the RCA CDs (only)?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by pig whisperer, Nov 8, 2006.

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  1. pig whisperer

    pig whisperer CD Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    What are the best sounding RCA CDs of Bowies albums?

    I am not asking for a comparion of the Ryko's, Virgin's or SACDs, but rather which titles on the RCA CDs sound best (I read on another thread that Jamie Tate thought "Space Oddity" was nice sounding). This can be due to the mastering, generation of tapes used, even the original recordings.

    If you were going to play an RCA disc just for sound quality which one(s) would you choose? Is there a difference in sound, or mastering, between countries, eg. the Japan vs. Germany "Aladdin Sane"?

    Thanks :wave:
     
  2. Ed Bishop

    Ed Bishop Incredibly, I'm still here

    ZIGGY and STATION I always dug in their original form, FWIW...

    :ed:
     
  3. pig whisperer

    pig whisperer CD Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    Thank you. (And I know some members love the SACD layer for "Ziggy"...)
     
  4. Another Side

    Another Side Senior Member

    Location:
    San Francisco
    I haven't heard Station to Station, but the RCA Ziggy is one of the best sounding CD's I own. :thumbsup:
     
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  5. yesstiles

    yesstiles Senior Member

    Hasn't it been written on here that the best RCA's up through Diamond Dogs are the Japan, and after that the Germany?

    Is that correct?
     
  6. CardinalFang

    CardinalFang New Member

    Location:
    ....
    Aladdin Sane and Ziggy :thumbsup:
     
  7. jsayers

    jsayers Just Drifting....

    Location:
    Horse Shoe, NC
    My Ryko AU20 of "Low" and "Station To Station" are my favourite cds of those particular albums. My Ryko "Heroes" and "Lodger" aren't too shabby either. I do, however, want a copy of the RCA "Aladdin Sane". Just my 2 cents. I get slammed every time for this, but I hold fast....as for the others.... ? I DO need a good copy of "Scary Monsters"... the SACD?
     
  8. pig whisperer

    pig whisperer CD Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    Good question. Which version does everone have?
     
  9. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    Space Oddity PD84813 (W. Germany)
    The Man Who Sold The World PD84854 (W. Germany)
    Hunky Dory PCD1-4623 (Japan)
    The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust PCD1-4702 (Japan)
    Aladdin Sane PD83890 (Japan for Europe)
    Diamond Dogs PCD1-0576 (Japan)
    Young Americans PCD1-0998 (Japan)
    Station To Station PCD1-1327 (Japan)
    ChangesOneBowie PCD1-1732 (Japan)
    Low PD83856 (W. Germany)
    Prokoriev Peter & The Wolf RCD1-2743 (USA)
    Heroes PCD1-2522 (Japan)
    Lodger PD84234 (W. Germany)
    Scary Monsters PCD1-3647 (Japan)
    ChangesTwoBowie PCD1-4202 (Japan)
    Golden Years PCD1-4792 (Japan)
    Fame And Fashion (All Time G.H.) PCD1-4919 (Japan)

    I'm happy, but I seem to recall 1 or 2 of mine where I should look for the W. German masterings that are supposed to be better.
     
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  10. jsayers

    jsayers Just Drifting....

    Location:
    Horse Shoe, NC
    My bad - I didn't fully read your original question, hence my post is redundant here. I have absolutely no RCA Bowie cds so I posted in ignorance.:hide:
     
  11. KeithH

    KeithH Success With Honor...then and now

    Location:
    Beaver Stadium
    Here's what I have. I haven't done proper, in-depth comparisons between West German and Japanese pressings, but I recall it being said that West German pressings were better in general. Of course, Stage only exists as a West German pressing for Europe.

    * Space Oddity: West Germany, catalog number PD84813

    * Hunky Dory: West Germany, catalog number PD84623

    * The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars: Japan, catalog number RPCD-11, 1st issue in Japan

    * The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars: Japan, catalog number R32P-1037, 2nd issue in Japan

    * The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars: Japan, catalog number PCD1-4702

    * The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars: West Germany, catalog number PD84702

    * Aladdin Sane: Japan, catalog number PCD1-4852

    * Pin-Ups: Japan, catalog number PD84653

    * Young Americans: Japan, catalog number PCD1-0998

    * Changes One Bowie: Japan, catalog number PCD1-1732

    * Changes One Bowie: West Germany, catalog number PD81732

    * Station to Station: West Germany, catalog number PD81327

    * Low: West Germany, catalog number PD83856

    * “Heroes”: Japan, catalog number PCD1-2522

    * “Heroes”: West Germany, catalog number PD83857

    * Peter and the Wolf: U.S., catalog number RCD1-2743

    * Lodger: West Germany, catalog number PD84234

    * Scary Monsters: Japan, catalog number PCD1-3647

    * Changes Two Bowie: Japan, catalog number PCD1-4202

    * Changes Two Bowie: Japan, catalog number PD84202

    * Diamond Dogs: West Germany, catalog number PD83889

    * Golden Years: Japan, RCA, catalog number PCD1-4792

    * Golden Years: Japan, catalog number PD84792

    * Fame and Fashion (All Time Greatest Hits): West Germany, catalog number PD84919

    * Stage: West Germany, catalog number PD89002
     
  12. tootull

    tootull Looking through a glass onion

    Location:
    Canada
    Best? :laugh: Yeah right!
     
  13. KeithH

    KeithH Success With Honor...then and now

    Location:
    Beaver Stadium
    What does this mean? It looks like a threadcrap. If you have something more meaningful to add, please do so.
     
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  14. poweragemk

    poweragemk Old Member

    Location:
    CH
    Man Who Sold The World is a great-sounding disc. I have the Japan/US one. Actually, I can't think of an RCA I was disappointed with, sound-wise. Young Americans, maybe?
     
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  15. pig whisperer

    pig whisperer CD Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    Nice collection! From the original albums, which title has the best sound/sonics, etc.?
     
  16. John Hatter

    John Hatter Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    Alladin Sane RCA is terrific. Huge full sound, Watch That Man opens with a real kick. Better than UK vinyl
     
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  17. KeithH

    KeithH Success With Honor...then and now

    Location:
    Beaver Stadium
    The RCA Aladdin Sane disc is one of the best-sounding in my opinion, as well. I also vote for Ziggy, but then again, it's one of the ones I listen to most.
     
  18. rnranimal

    rnranimal Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio

    Would love to hear a comparison of ChangesOneBowie

    I have the Japanese CD and am not too impressed with it. Really low volume (peaks on some tracks only hitting -6db) and even once volume adjusted, I prefer most of the tracks on ChangesBowie Au20.
     
  19. John Hatter

    John Hatter Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    I struggle with ZiggyRCA CD, it's very thin and toppy, compared with original UK vinyl. I've needle dropped Ziggy and no longer listem to the RCA.

    Of course if I listen first to CD then vinyl , vinyl sounds thick and lacking in treble!! Funny old game isn't it ?
     
  20. Andreas

    Andreas Senior Member

    Location:
    Frankfurt, Germany
    I think the RCA Hunky Dory CD sounds absolutely wonderful, and so does Ziggy (which has some major dropouts, though).

    Station To Station is a case where the German RCA is much better than the Japanese. In the case of Space Oddity, it is the other way round.
     
  21. Andreas

    Andreas Senior Member

    Location:
    Frankfurt, Germany
    I have listened to both, and I don't remember a huge difference...if anything, I thought the Japanese was better.
     
  22. pig whisperer

    pig whisperer CD Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    How does this version sound compared with the others you have? It was deleated in '88? (silver disc, white RCA, blue ring)
     
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  23. Veech

    Veech Space In Sounds

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Is the Toshiba EMI 30th anniversary expanded version of Aladdin Sane worth getting?
     
  24. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    Only for the bonus tracks and packaging. The mastering on the disc itself is the same as the standard EMI release.
     
  25. KeithH

    KeithH Success With Honor...then and now

    Location:
    Beaver Stadium
    As I said, I am lagging in doing in-depth comparisons. I got the Japanese pressing first (catalog number PCD1-4702) and have listened to it quite a bit more than the West German pressing. The Japanese pressing sounds very good to me.

    As a point of clarification, the Japanese pressing for the U.S. market with catalog number PCD1-4702 has the blue ring, blue text, and white RCA logo. The West German pressing for Europe with catalog number PD84702 has silver rays, a silver coating across the bottom half of the disc, and black text.

    Were the RCA discs deleted as late as 1988? I always wondered when they went out of print. It would seem to me that the RCA discs were pressed between in 1985 and '86 given the pressing plants and matrix codes. The Ryko discs were released in 1990. How long a gap was there between the deletion of the RCA discs and the release of the Ryko discs?
     
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