40th Anniversary Supertramp - Crime of the Century!

I've just received my 3-LP box set from Amazon Canada. Here are two Flac files for you to compare the sound of the original UK pressing with the 40th anniversary one:

Crime Of The Century 1974 LP (sample)

Crime Of The Century 2014 LP (sample)

I ripped both LPs in their entirety. If any of you want to hear a particular excerpt from the album, just let me know and I'll upload it (both versions, of course).

 

Unfortunately, not all the UK's sound the same...some sound inferior.

what you mean with not all UK's which ones?
well yes exist some 1st UK variations, but the good one is the laminated cover:

Matrix / Runout (Runout, A-side, stamped): AMLS 68258.A5
Matrix / Runout (Runout, B-side, stamped): AMLS 68258.B6
Sleeve Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press Ltd., London SE1.

or I'm wrong?

 

Sure I read somewhere Ken Scott saying that the CBS(?) pressed copies were the best, not sure how to id them though.

 

Listened to the Live concert. It proves... Supertramp were a great studio band.

 

I agree completely. Amazing what post-production can do! Still, it's a fun listen!

 

I remember seeing them on the "Breakfast tour" and I was so disappointed, cause they just reproduced the studio recordings and Hodgson and Davies not saying any word...I could have stayed at home and listen to the albums...
Quite strange how Roger Hodgson has changed since going solo, he has turned into a very funny entertainer telling lots of stories on stage.

 

Well, I finally got around to listening to the 40th anniversary edition Blu-ray and CD of Supertramp – Crime of the Century (I have the 40th anniversary vinyl edition too, but it’s highly unlikely I’ll open it after hearing the digital editions.) What they’ve done to the 40th anniversary edition of Crime of the Century is absolutely disgraceful, and the high resolution on the Blu-ray makes this so apparent! They’ve severely brick walled it, and because of this compression, it sounds as if it is a high resolution, high clarity FM radio broadcast. It’s a crying shame that this is how Universal wants future generations to hear Supertramp – Crime of the Century. If you’re looking for THE definitive digital edition of this recording, THIS IS NOT IT. I do understand those reviewers whom have favorably reviewed this, because maybe they have no experience with this selection, or they do not know how astounding this recording can sound. If you are one of those whom have given a positive review of the 40th anniversary edition, then you do not realize how good this recording can sound. Please, please, puuuleeease, Mobile Fidelity, Audio Fidelity, Analogue Productions or Universal Japan (SHM SACD) get your hands on the master tapes and try this again uncompressed!

The brick-walling on this thing is so bad that when you’re listening to it it never really takes off and flies the way it’s supposed to. In other words, in jazz terms it never really cooks. It takes you nowhere. Crime of the Century is supposed to be an incredible musical journey, but this journey is more like a trip to the gas station rather than a weekend out to the coast.

The quiet passages have been brought up in level so much that when you’re expecting that big crescendo or that big drum hit on songs like “Rudy” or “Crime of the Century” that would have you jumping for joy, instead you just get a ‘pflunk’ and you’re thinking to yourself, “What… that was it? You gotta be kidding me!” It is like this throughout the whole album. You are saying, “you gotta be kidding me” all the way through. I have seen by reading through this website and others that the Mobile Fidelity CD has dynamic range numbers of 16 dB and this edition came in at 13 dB max (for the Blu-ray.) My ears tell me that that 13 dB number is very optimistic for this. My ears tell me it should be 8 or 9 dB. Though I do not have the Mobile Fidelity CD, I’m guessing that Mobile Fidelity probably got the dynamic contrasts right or close to right. To be clear, I’m used to listening to Crime of the Century on both the Mobile Fidelity LP and the Mobile Fidelity UHQR LP, and those are both glorious and dynamic and definitely take you on that musical journey that I’ve been talking about.

What’s interesting here (and it’s the first time I have really noticed it) is that the brick-walling has not only affected the quiet passages in relation to the loud passages. It also affects the way each individual instrument sounds. I noticed that the drums, the piano, the bass guitar, the clarinet, everything that is played by an instrument or voice is audibly squashed. Take for example the piano (a hugely dynamic instrument.) Each note played is supposed to begin with a fairly sharp attack which includes the strike of the felted hammer against the tensioned string and the resultant main sound from the piano’s soundboard. Then the sound is supposed to resonate, ring or decay gradually (at least until the piano’s damper stops the vibration of the struck string) and then all the sounds will reflect from areas around the room. Well what they’ve done here is to bring the softer sounds of the decay and reflected sounds closer in level to the sharp attack of each note of the piano and the result is a very unnatural sound. Same goes with each hit of the bass drum. You’ve got your decay and reflected sounds increased in level relative to the initial hit on the drum head… and the resultant sound is just stupid for lack of a better word to describe it. I just can not hear any excitement from each drum hit. Instead of a resounding high-energy thwack like we have on uncompressed versions, on the 40th anniversary edition, we get a mediocre thud. None of the other instruments or voices on the 40th anniversary Crime have any room to breathe or waft through the air in such a way as to create the audio euphoria of the original uncompressed master tape either. I’m really surprised Ray Staff would allow this kind of compression, though I do understand why record companies probably force him to do this sort of thing for broadcast on FM radio. Thank goodness that we have Mobile Fidelity, Audio Fidelity, Analogue Productions etc. whom will present a recording in all of it’s apparent spectacle and glory. And thank goodness I was lucky enough to have my UHQR record of Crime of the Century.

Every other aspect of good sound is covered with this issue such as high resolution, wide and deep soundstage, analog sounding, high clarity and great frequency response. But why the hell do they compress great recordings like this? Especially when this is supposed to be the ultimate Crime of the Century. What a waste of money. This is a high resolution dud folks! Future listeners deserve better. Sorry… nice try. It’s gotta be re-done!

 

I think you should check the vinyl version. I don't hear anything resembling what you are describing (I mean, on vinyl. Haven't heard the digital versions of this reissue). You can check the samples I posted above (post # 401) to compare the original UK pressing with the 40th anniversary edition on vinyl.

 

Brickwalled? No, not AT ALL.

 

I have no idea what you're talking about... the remaster is not "brickwalled", the EQ used can account for the differences in dynamic range.
Just out of curiosity, have you listened to the redbook version or just the Blu-ray?

 

I'm still partial to the MFSL LP...I have had the UK vinyl, the MFSL vinyl, the MFSL CD and the 2002 remaster. I never cared much for the MFSL-CD finding the vinyl to have much more presence and alacrity. Here is a sample needledrop from the MFSL LP....made using a Lyra Helikon SL cartridge.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4kdebtoxkbd516h/Bloody Well Right sample.flac?dl=0

 

Come on sir. Brickwalled? Did you actually listen the Blu-ray?

 

Oh! I see your avatar now. You are smocking. .

 

I listened to both the redbook version and the Blu-ray. Though the Blu-ray is considerably better in sonic merits, they are both brickwalled highly. 'Utterly ridiculous. I'm glad you like it, but I can't stand it. The lack of dynamic range has nothing to do with the EQ in this case. I tried to describe it to you before in my previous post the best I could.

 

As you can see from these waveforms, this remaster has plenty of dynamic range.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Supertramp / Crime Of The Century [ 40th Anniversary 1CD ]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 -0.28 dB -16.82 dB 5:35 01-School
DR15 -0.29 dB -17.10 dB 4:32 02-Bloody Well Right
DR12 -0.27 dB -15.60 dB 6:50 03-Hide In Your Shell
DR12 -0.28 dB -16.88 dB 6:50 04-Asylum
DR11 -0.28 dB -16.51 dB 3:33 05-Dreamer
DR13 -0.35 dB -18.73 dB 7:21 06-Rudy
DR14 -0.29 dB -19.27 dB 4:06 07-If Everyone Was Listening
DR13 -0.30 dB -17.45 dB 5:33 08-Crime Of The Century
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although the DR database is not the be-all and end-all, accusing an album of having a dynamic range of 8 or 9 when it's demonstrably closer to 13 won't improve your credibility. Lucidae's evidence shows no dynamic range compression at all. As I said, it sounds great. The Live CD has more limited dynamic range.

 

Ha, ha, nice try MFSL...

 

I respect your review, as I don't yet have it, but I'm afraid hoping they'll re-do it is a forlorn hope. In other words: this is it.
Also, stand your ground re your review. If you think it's brickwalled then fair enough. I thought they had made a mess with the latest Tears For Fears 'Songs From The Big Chair' sacd release, but had a few say the opposite so......

 

Have a look at the above waveform and then decide for yourself whether he should stick to trumpeting something that is patently false. There isn't any evidence of brick walling, or even mild limiting there.

 

My copy is flawless, but I like the MFSL vinyl a bit more.

 

Thank you for sharing this. Can you post the same sample from the original UK pressing or the 40th anniversary LP? Your MFSL sample has more high frequencies presence than mine, but it may be because of the cartridge. If you record either the UK 1974 or the 2014 versions with the same gear you recorded the MFSL sample, it makes possible to determine if it's actually a cartridge difference or if the MFSL LP is a brighter-sounding version of the album. Thank you again!

 

Kind of what I thought. Nothing wrong with it really, I'm just used to the MFSL vinyl. The new one sounds a bit cold to me. And a bit more closed.

 

Well, that explains what I'm hearing....I had posted the above comments before I read your long review. I agree with what you wrote, but didn't really realize it is brickwalled. Shame on them! I knew something was off about it.

 

IMO the quiet passages are too quiet, and you often have to adjust the volume, because of the very loud parts,
if this difference was even more in the original recording, then I think reducing dynamic range is a positive thing, this is not classical music..
but, of course for one who have listen all the time to the COTC with a 16DR, it's hard to like the new version,

 

IT'S NOT BRICKWALLED!!!!