I was just checking the Wikipedia entry for Greatest Hits, and I noticed that it doesn't mention when and where the live version of "Homeward Bound" was recorded. Anyone know?
Yes, some of it might be due to longer gaps between songs on the new discs. The original Columbia CDs have the shortest times of all - I just found my original Sounds and Parsley and added them to the timing chart.
I will add that if you own the remix CDs and enjoy them then these new masterings probably aren't different or improved enough to warrant the purchase. I think this new set sounds great and is much better than the original Columbia CDs for sure. They also sound a tad better to me than the AF versions of Sounds and Parsley. Again not night and day but an improvement I'd say. It all depends on how much Simon and Garfunkel you own or how much of a collector you are. This set sounds just great and if you don't have a lot of their catalog then it's a must buy. If you have the others I'd say there's an improvement but it not a night and day improvement.
I would say yes. It has two great live albums - one from 1967 and one from 1969 - plus the 1981 Central Park concert and the sound on The Graduate soundtrack is a major improvement, to me anyway. I think you'd really enjoy this new set. And for $80 for 12 discs it's not a bad price.
On the fence with this. I own all the 2001 reissues, the 'collection' box from a few years back and most of the live albums, plus the 2011 BOTW reissue. If this box was cheaper, maybe I'd probably bite....
Can anyone say for certain that this set does or does not use the original stereo mixes for the first 3 albums?
Yeah, I think most people here feel that way. I can relate. I thought I'd at least post that this new set sounds good for those who might be interested. Truth be told I needed this set like a hole in the head but I couldn't resist - lol. Not 100% positive it uses the original mixes but I think it does. The mixes of both Sounds and Parsely sound very much like the AF CDs which also use the original mixes. I think the remixes sound pretty close to the original mixes so are there any tell tale signs I should look for in proofing they're the original mixes? Homeward Bound has the non faded up intro but then again so does the remix. Any other mix variations I should listen for?
Here's one: On the track "Cloudy" on Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme, the remix runs a little bit longer (I think around 5 seconds) revealing two more harmonies (they must have set the fade a little earlier on the original.) If it doesn't have that 5 extra seconds then it does use the original. It's 2:26 on the remix disc. The remixes sound so close to the originals that it's otherwise difficult to tell.
Ugh. That's frustrating. Why wouldn't they at least put them all on a separate disc if they wanted to maintain the original track lists? This may be a deal breaker for me.
Great, thanks! I've compared them and the new 2014 is definitely the original mix of "Cloudy". I played it first then the remix and yes you can hear the extra harmonies for sure on the remix. The timings are different as well. "Cloudy": Remix CD- 2:25 2014 CD - 2:17 How about any mix differences on Wednesday CD? Are there any like the "Cloudy" mix I can check?
I thought I had this one as well, but mine only has 5 CDs and no DVD... Yours must be an earlier/ later issue than mine.
It seems safe to say PSR&T is the original mix, but another spot to check is the "AM radio" effect on Patterns. It's actually less pronounced on the original mix. Unfortunately I'm not sure of anything obvious to check for on the first 2 albums.
Argh that's both good and bad! Good that the original mixes finally see the light of day for the first time in 24 years and in good sound, bad that I would need to get this set for them! Bad timing on my part as just I finished my collection by buying the Legacy remixes/remasters only two months ago.
Wasn't the Central Park disc supposed to include the two tracks omitted the first time it was released on CD?
I must say the more I play these discs, the more I'm enjoying them. Very smooth sound. I wonder if the thanking of Sony Music Japan in the credits in the booklet means that they had some tapes they used for this box. Curious. At any rate this set may end up my go to set for these albums. The one thing I'm amazed at is the sound of the Bookends album. It really sounds good here. I have the MFSL disc as well and it's nearly a dead heat sound wise between the two discs. I'm guessing Steve Berkowitz involvement with the mastering of the first 7 CDs was the reason that the original mixes were used and sound so vinyl-like. Nice job all the way around on this set. It would have been perfect if they had done mono and stereo on the same discs but I guess the mono mixes will never see the light of day again unfortunately.
