Something from Crowded House this year?

Are the CDs any more limited than the streaming files? I thought the first 3 albums were still relatively intact dynamically, just louder. The low end is boosted which may be a reason why some are hearing less clarity. Granted, I've only compared using my Shure SE535s, though they're pretty detailed as in-ears go.

 

Well, the first three CDs are actually the worst, in terms of being more compressed than the originals.

'Crowded House' goes from DR 12 to DR 7
'Temple Of Low Men' goes from DR 14 to DR 9
'Woodface' goes from DR 12 to DR 8

and finally, because it wasn't already compressed enough:

'Together Alone' goes from DR 9 to DR 7

While it's nice to think this wasn't Neil's fault, his latter day track record of releasing more and more compressed masterings doesn't make me want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Very disappointed.

 

He's expressed his fondness for a lot of Radiohead's work so I would suspect he likes that heavy-limited sound. It's a drag because the originals, especially Woodface, are a really nice balance. Having said that, I don't think these new reissues sound that bad and shouldn't discourage anyone from buying them.

@Jaffaman any chance you could mention to Neil that making unlimited HD downloads available could pay for his grandson's education? I wish more artists would have the option for those of us that care. I just picked up Tejas/ZZ Top from HD Tracks, it sounds phenomenal.

 

Well I'm goi g to retract the second paragraph about the "suits" deciding as I went back and read the info and it appears I conflated two different things.

 

The other option is to license these out for SACD to one of the audiophile labels. I'd be happy with that as well or a lossless blu-Ray.

 

Listening to "Together Alone" today, I'm reminded that I really only like three songs from the album: Pineapple Head, Private Universe, and Distant Sun. But oh my goodness, what great songs those are. (Walking On the Spot and Nails In My Feet are OK. Time On Earth is a far superior album).

 

To me the title track is a masterpiece, but I never hear fans talk about that one.

 

Really? "Catherine Wheels", "Fingers of Love"? Love those!

 

I guess you'll not be surprised from my avatar that I don't share your view of this album In my own humble opinion Together Alone is the best album made by anyone.

 

Well, with a screen name like that, I'd hope so.

 

It's beautiful and makes me weep.

 

Yes. Yes. Yes. Anyone!

 

I think these releases prove that DR numbers can't always be trusted. I think they sound great and have no issues at all with the sound.
Great albums, great sound, great packaging and great bonus material.

 

I listened to the vinyl version tonight. I really sat back and let it sink in. What a brilliant record! I happen to really like Temple of Low Man and rate it as my favorite CH record but they have changed tonight.

 

Well there is a fair amount of unnecessary compression on these. I wish they had stuck with their original plan of flat transfers or--my preferred choice would be a well mastered album. Still the EQ choices are pretty good.

 

Yes, I like the EQ. Very well balanced. I just wish they'd kept the dynamics of the first three. But these new masterings aren't unlistenable by any stretch. Which goes a long way to explaining why I've been listening to them so much.

One thing I would say to Neil is that he's often flat out wrong: many of these unreleased tracks are utterly worthy of release and it's a shame they were kept in the vault for so long

 

Has anyone compared the new LP versions to the originals? I would love to hear some opinions on how they sound.

 

All this listening has really made me appreciate Time On Earth. What an amazing album, and an incredibly deep and subtle reaction to a very dark time.

People Are Like Suns is in my top 5 songs ever. So musically haunting, the lyrics are amazing too: it's hard to explain how much his imagery grabs me. I wish they'd play it live more often.

I highly recommend that anyone who hasn't connected with this album should give it another shot.

 

Completely agree. I am surprised how the quality of Time On Earth tends to be underappreciated within Neil's catalogue. Even over on the Frenz Forum amongst dedicated fans, many people can be a bit dismissive of it because it was originally a Neil-solo album that morphed into a Crowded House one. I say - so what ? It's the quality of the songs that matter, not the origin and/or artist label.

 

Fair enough, but I honestly think that if people agreed with you that the songs and production on ToE were of the same quality as those of other CH releases, they wouldn't focus so much on its origin as a Neil solo project. I personally believe a couple of songs, like "Pour le Monde" and "Silent House," are fantastic, but I don't care for the overall more country-ish direction of the album, which really does strike me as more in the vein of the immediately previous Neil solo and Finn Bros. albums. I may be in the minority on this, but I especially dislike "She Called Up," whose screechy backing vocals and chirpy quality seem horrifying in light of the serious subject matter. Presumably that was the intent, so I'm not making an objective criticism, but just explaining that it is like nails on a chalkboard to me. Anyway, my point is that I think peoples' perceptions of the songs have more to do with their interpretation of the album's origins than vice-versa. If they loved the songs, they'd be saying that Neil's planned solo work was clearly inspired so much by the CH spirit that he had no choice but to make the switch.

 

Totally, Nick played on the whole album anyway. So the two founding members are all over it. That's good enough for me. Plus, it sounded at the time way more like CH than anything Neil had done in awhile. (With the exception of She Will Have Her Way and Can You Hear Us)

 

It must be our frozen ears, I agree with you.
I just got a new laptop without a DVD drive, there goes my ability to assess sound.

 

I've always loved most of the songs on Time on Earth but I have a hard time accepting it as a CH album. It isn't. It's a Neil solo album with four CH songs mixed in. When he left the band, he went to great lengths to acknowledge the special rapport between the fans and band, and also the chemistry they had on stage. He mentioned that his label had asked him to keep using the name for his solo career but he declined in deference to the input of the other members.

A decade later, and he was happy enough to use the name just because Nick played bass and "it sounded like a band album". Of course, it's his call, but it seemed like a real about-turn.
--
I also have a problem with She Called Up. Maybe playing it that way was the only way Neil could handle the intensity of the lyric but the jolly sing-along arrangement really grates against the lyric.

 

I can't fault your logic, Paul, and therefore can't argue that it should be 'categorised' as a CH album. But what about Woodface - is that a CH or a Finn Brothers album ? And what about Pajama Club - is that a Neil solo album or yet another category ?

My point is, does it really matter about the categorisation, should we care ? Is it not purely the music that counts, and if people don't care for the tracks on Time On Earth for their own sake (like NorthNY Mark doesn't) then fair enough, but surely Time On Earth should not lose points because of its origins.

P.S. I'm with you on She Called Up, it irritates me too...

 

Hey Canadian folks - I'm looking at you @Ryan Lux, @noname74, @Ken.e., @onebit, @eelkiller and any others who choose to reply...

Help me on this. One of my best friends just gave me his xmas wish list and he mentioned some of these deluxe cd remasters as things he'd like. If I throw two in my basket at amazon.ca, it works out to $62.76 US that I'll be billed. However, if I go to amazon.co.uk, I can throw in an additional one in and my total is $53.92 US. However, I know you guys get dinged on customs/fees whatever up there, and that's something that never happens to us in the States.

Which would be the better gift? Send two, without any potential fees, or send three and risk some fees? How significant might the fees be?