Best versions of Rush - Moving Pictures and 2112?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Holy Diver, Jan 29, 2010.

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  1. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    I know some on this forum like the MFSLs, and others like the earlier pressings. My question is could I get by with the original US versions of both, or should I go for something else?
     
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  2. therockman

    therockman Senior Member In Memoriam

    Mercury Atom for 2112.
     
  3. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    And then others say the 1st JP. I am so confused. Somebody needs to do a shootout of these two CDs once and for all. The one you said, the gold, original US.....
     
  4. Scroller

    Scroller Hair Metal, Smooth Jazz, New Age...it's all good

    I would like to see this as well. It does get confusing because I believe there are a few different early masterings of the Moving Pictures "atomics." One of them has a 1/2 second chop-off at the beginning of Tom Sawyer. This might be the very first W. German, but I could be wrong. I used to have it but I simply could not live without that 1/2 second so it is now long gone. :D I think I remember reading a post by agentalbert about MP masterings, and he seemed to have it all sorted out pretty well. Maybe he can chime in here.

    Also as I understand it, the 1st Japan press (25 8P) of MP has peak levels of 100% across the board which is a unique mastering compared to the atomics. The 25 8P of 2112 on the other hand has the exact same peak levels as the early US and WG atomics.

    This is all from info that I obtained from reading through various Rush masterings threads here and I just memorized it, so take it with a grain of salt. In the meantime, I will try and find some of the various threads and quotes.
     
  5. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Cool. I hear you, man. It rattles my brain, too. I would like to know if the US MP has the front cut off?
     
  6. The Rush Fan

    The Rush Fan Well-Known Member

    Location:
    San Lorenzo, CA
    No US version of MP has the front cut off.

    With these two titles, I don't think there is a bad sounding version. If the original US issues are the only ones you have, you can rest assured that you have very good sounding versions, and that other ones, *if* they sound better, are not going to be that much different. My opinion of course.
     
  7. That's the second pressing--the original atomic pressing. That 1/2 second is not chopped off. Rather, it is in the pre-gap before track 1, and you have to search backwards to play it. Not all CD players can do this, either.

    The first pressing of the disc is the exceedingly rare green arrow pressing. IIRC, it does not have the mastering error that plagued the first-pressing atomics. It was included in the very first round of CD releases by Polygram. It was one of the first CD's ever released.

    From KeithH's website (thanks for the awesome website, Keith!):

    http://www.keithhirsch.com/
     

    Attached Files:

  8. steeler1979

    steeler1979 Darren from Nashville

    Location:
    Nashville,Tn. USA
    Honestly, there isn't a bad version of Moving Pictures (other than the slight mishap of the intro on the WG) and I have them all. I think the atomic versions are just fine :)
     
  9. I am probably going against the grain here but I like the remastered version of Moving Pictures very much. It sounds very similar to the MFSL disc, and pretty similar to the WG atomic (I own the second pressing without the mastering error). All three discs are not drastically different. I would very much like to hear the green arrow version, but I don't know a single person that actually has it, or has even seen it in the flesh. I wonder how many were pressed?

    The 2112 remaster, on the other hand, sounds like doggy doo. The treble is jacked so high the the opening whooshing, swirling synth effects sound like nails scraping on a blackboard.
     
  10. Scroller

    Scroller Hair Metal, Smooth Jazz, New Age...it's all good

    According to this thread, http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=171992&highlight=rush+moving+pictures, the green arrow ending in matrix # "01" does have the chop-off (or pre-gap). I didn't know about the "pre-gap" though. That is interesting. So the atomic I got rid of ended in "02" which had the pre-gap. My West German atomic ending in "03" is the one I kept (no pre-gap on the "03").

    Could it be possible that mastering changes were made between the West German "02" and "03" ?
     
  11. Hmm, so it DOES have the pre-gap mastering error too. Even though the matrices are different, I wonder if it is the same mastering as the first atomic?
     
  12. LivingForever

    LivingForever Forum Arachibutyrophobic

    The one you sent me certainly sounds very nice!
     
  13. Scroller

    Scroller Hair Metal, Smooth Jazz, New Age...it's all good

    My guess is, since the MP green-arrow (01 matrix) design was such a limited pressing, once they changed the design to the atomic (02 matrix), everything as far as the mastering goes, stayed exactly the same. So I would bet the 01 and the 02 have the exact same "pre-gap" mastering. I am curious about the West German 03, since that it the one where the pre-gap was fixed. It makes me wonder if any other mastering changes were made. I'd be very curious to see EAC levels for the West German 02 vs. the 03.
     
  14. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    I just got back from my local CD shop, and I picked up the original 2112 and MP US versions. Am I good to go?
     
  15. The Rush Fan

    The Rush Fan Well-Known Member

    Location:
    San Lorenzo, CA
    Enjoy! You're all set.

    Of course there are other versions and masterings, but as I stated before, you can't go wrong with the original US.
     
  16. The Rush Fan

    The Rush Fan Well-Known Member

    Location:
    San Lorenzo, CA
    EAC peak levels from the first WG version (matrix 800 048-2 02 #):

    100.0
    100.0
    100.0
    100.0
    100.0
    100.0
    100.0

    EAC peak levels from the WG Atomic "Moving Pictures" (matrix 800 048-2 03#):

    95.0
    93.3
    100
    97.6
    99.6
    93.3
    91.2
     
  17. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    I just listened to the original MP, man that bass really does cook on this. I don't remember the RM sounding like that.
     
  18. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Now I want to see the EAC levels for 1st JP 2112 and the original US.
     
  19. rock76

    rock76 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northwest MEX
    What's your opinion of this Jap pressing?
    It sounds good to my ears though the MFSL is better.
     

    Attached Files:

  20. The Rush Fan

    The Rush Fan Well-Known Member

    Location:
    San Lorenzo, CA
    The original US (atomic) is exactly the same as this:

     
  21. Scroller

    Scroller Hair Metal, Smooth Jazz, New Age...it's all good

    OK then. Thanks for that Al! :thumbsup: I can't believe all the Rush masterings/Moving Pictures threads that I scoured through, and I never knew that the first WG atomic shares (presumably) the exact same mastering as the Japan 25 8P. :unhunh: Now I wish I held on to it. :laugh: Anyway, the pre-gap chop was reason enough for me to say goodbye to it (does the 25 8P also have the pre-gap??). Plus, I do remember comparing it back to back with my 03 copy before trading it in, and I remember preferring the slightly mellower sounding 03 which I of course, kept.

    Lastly, sorry to be such a nerd about all this but MP is my all time favorite recording ever. I need to know which digital copy I should be buried with when the time comes! ;)
     
  22. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Just get the original US. It sound great.
     
  23. curbach

    curbach Some guy on the internet

    Location:
    The ATX
    Surely, you should be buried with the RL cut vinyl ;)

    For Mercury artists, I have found it to be generally true that WG Atomics have the same mastering as U.S. Atomics which have the same mastering as U.S. silverfaces. This is true for Permanent Waves and Signals. Not sure about other Rush titles. I'm pretty sure there's a thread somewhere. . .
     
  24. Could you please use the words "Japan" or Japanese" or the abbreviation "Jpn"? A lot of people are going to find the use of "Jap" offensive and I am sure that is not your intent. I don't relish playing the part of the PC police, but I found that offensive.
     
  25. Scroller

    Scroller Hair Metal, Smooth Jazz, New Age...it's all good

    got one already. :D
     
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