ABBA - The Albums on CD - The very best sounding versions :) FINALLY !!!

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by sathvyre, Oct 17, 2017.

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  1. digilog

    digilog Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I have the two "GOLD" compilation Greatest Hits CDs from 1992 and 1993.
    The dynamic range is almost as good as as the orig (non-remastered) CDs for similar tracks.
    I have no idea whether these GOLD compilations are sonically better, worse or same as the orig. CDs.
     
  2. sathvyre

    sathvyre formerly known as ABBAmaniac Thread Starter

    Location:
    Europe
    No need to talk about dynamic range and other stuff when the entire mastering has too much treble...
     
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  3. Nexlander

    Nexlander Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chile
    Hi everyone,

    like many here I'm a ABBA fan too and for a long time have been reading the recommendations made by several members of this forum for which I'm grateful.

    Recently I began to build my collection of recommended CDs, but to be sure whenever possible I try to locate sound samples of the pressings to check for myself the mastering quality, where this time I was listening the "ABBA" Polar CD (POLCD 262) from 1988 which is very indicated as the best sound, but I noticed that on the track "S.O.S" at 1:25 the volume level is reduced.

    So I ask to the experts if this "annomalie" is present on the CD as such or is a defect of the sample that I got (that includes the EAC log).

    Thanks in advance, regards.
     
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  4. BigJack23

    BigJack23 Well-Known Member

    The error is at my copy too.
    I think that this must be a tapetransfer error when the
    tape was transfered in 1988 to Digital.
    But for SOS there are some good alternatives i personaly like also
    the mastering of the 2012 Deluxe Edition from the Abba Album.
     
  5. Paspie

    Paspie Forum Resident

    Location:
    England, UK
    I don't care too much about JLT, but some fresh remasters based on Astley's '97 transfers instead of the set of transfers that first surfaced on the Blue Box, would be nice.

    I am an outlier regarding The Name Of The Game, I think the source of the second verse should be the 7" single and not Greatest Hits Vol. 2.
     
  6. qrarolu

    qrarolu Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stockholm, Sweden
    JLT? Joe Lynn Turner? Has he sung on any Abba song?
     
  7. Paspie

    Paspie Forum Resident

    Location:
    England, UK
    Just Like That, the (in)famous Gemini song unreleased in 'ABBA' form.
     
  8. Paspie

    Paspie Forum Resident

    Location:
    England, UK
    The best chance of a decent 'new' collection will probably be the band's 50th anniversary (2022).
     
  9. BigJack23

    BigJack23 Well-Known Member

    The best chance of a decent 'new' collection will probably be the band's 50th anniversary (2022).

    Yeah and than the only thing they have to do is tor use the flat tape transfers from Jon Astley.
    Maybee in a Box like the CSR or HDTracks would be nice.
    Plus Just like that in full and good quality.
     
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  10. Paspie

    Paspie Forum Resident

    Location:
    England, UK
    JLT is a losing battle. Also, 'flat tape transfers' are not necessarily a good thing for listening as there would be no compensation for varying tape frequency response curves, and the segues between certain tracks (eg. Lay All Your Love On Me->The Way Old Friends Do & Slipping Through My Fingers->LAAPTMR) still have to be remade as close to the LP production master as possible.
     
  11. qrarolu

    qrarolu Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stockholm, Sweden
    Ah, the Glennmark twins. Thank you for the explanation.
     
  12. BigJack23

    BigJack23 Well-Known Member

    The Flat Transfers for Jethro Tulls Aqualung done by Steve Willson in 2011 for HDTracks
    sounds fantastic to my ears.
     
  13. sathvyre

    sathvyre formerly known as ABBAmaniac Thread Starter

    Location:
    Europe
    That is VERY interesting and I never discovered that issue before !!! I checked my original POLAR CD and it is the same, so I suspect it is on every POLAR CD.
     
  14. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Peak levels on my WG #02 for S.O.S Polydor
    83.1, I don't notice any volume shifts or dropouts
     
  15. sathvyre

    sathvyre formerly known as ABBAmaniac Thread Starter

    Location:
    Europe
    Are you talking about the swedish POLAR CD from 1988 ???
     
  16. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Of course not, did they go back to the tapes for the re-issue?
    No clue on the year this was manufactured.
    ABBA - ABBA
     
  17. sathvyre

    sathvyre formerly known as ABBAmaniac Thread Starter

    Location:
    Europe
    At first, please read before you write some facts...;)

    The volume issue is on the swedish POLAR CD from 1988. The german Polydor CD has a completely different mastering and no issue.
     
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  18. ClausH

    ClausH Senior Member

    Location:
    Denmark
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  19. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Thanks, I wasn't sure if it carried through-out Sath :cheers:
     
  20. isidroco

    isidroco Forum Resident

    Location:
    Argentina
    Just A/B compared of some songs of these 3 ARRIVAL, couldn't find any difference:

    ABBA - Arrival
    1984 Jap - Discomate - CDP-104
    DUR 33:30
    RG -1.61
    DR 12.3; 12.7 (12.5)
    Pk -0.19; -0.49
    RMS -17.9; -17.5

    ABBA - Arrival
    1986 W.Ger - Polydor - 821 319-2
    DUR 33:32
    RG -1.08
    DR 12.3; 12.5 (12.4)
    Pk -1.48; -0.69
    RMS -18.4; -18

    ABBA - Arrival
    1992 Jap - Polydor - POCP-2204
    DUR 33:37
    RG -1.7
    DR 12.2; 12.7 (12.45)
    Pk -0.5; -0.91
    RMS -17.5; -17.5

    They sound essentially the same, didn't look for dropouts. DR is marginally better on Discomate (but 0.1dB is impossible to notice).
     
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  21. Stereolove

    Stereolove Forum Resident

    Location:
    Melbourne
    Having spent a lot of time reading everyone's advice, and comparing ABBA CDs across the decades, I can only conclude that Sathyre is spot on with the following -

    ABBA on CD

    RING RING (Polydor Germany 1990 / POCP Japan / Polydor USA 1995)
    WATERLOO (Polar Sweden 1988)
    ABBA (Polar Sweden 1988)
    ARRIVAL (POCP Japan 1992 / P33P Japan 1986)
    THE ALBUM (POCP Japan 1992 / P33P Japan 1986 - unfortunately, all versions have distortion on Side A tracks)
    VOULEZ-VOUS (POCP Japan 1992 / P33P Japan 1986)
    SUPER TROUPER (Polydor USA 1995 - no dropout on titel track / ATLANTIC USA 1986
    THE VISITORS (Polydor Germany 1982 / USA POLYDOR 1995)

    Having said that, the above are fairly flat compared to the Japan SHM remasters & ABBA Definitive 2CD. These have more detail, but they are pretty harsh at the top end. It would be the Japan SHM / ABBA Definitive & CSR are all the same masters.

    ABBA Vinyl

    The BIG revelation is the ABBA Readers Digest vinyl box set. All I can say is WOW. You have NEVER heard ABBA until you have heard these pressings. There is so much more detail - way more separation of instruments and vocals. Note - the occasional song has some pre-track ghosting. It puts everything else to shame, and is a very poor reflection on both ABBA & Universal. Clearly, neither of them give a damn about their catalogue. As someone else said on one the ABBA threads, do yourself a favour and buy a copy on Discogs before everyone gets onto it - ABBA - The Best Of ABBA
     
  22. Linnaeus Nightingale

    Linnaeus Nightingale Forum Resident

    [​IMG][​IMG]

    These two issues of the eponymous ABBA album have the same barcode. The first image is from the rear insert of the 1988 Swedish Polar set, whereas the second image is from a 1995 issue, apparently made in the USA. Someone out there probably knows whether these have the same mastering. Alternately, is the mastering on the shown 1995 version the same as on the earlier German Polydor? Thanks. I tried looking through other threads,which are great, but there is (thankfully) a daunting amount of information out there.
     
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  23. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Good question.
    Polydor in 95 for the US liked to use their Euro mastering counterparts. But because this is on 'Polar' anything's possible.
    I just have the 16 tracker for this one. Which does 'not' match the Polar for the 11 tracks.
    The West German Silver
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2019
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  24. sathvyre

    sathvyre formerly known as ABBAmaniac Thread Starter

    Location:
    Europe
    Polydor 16 track CD = same mastering as USA 1995 (but minus bonustracks).

    Polar 1988 = unique mastering for the first three albums.
     
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  25. ferdinandhudson

    ferdinandhudson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Skåne
    Hmm, my original 1988 Polar has no barcode and no catalogue number associated with Polydor. None of the three early ABBA Polar CDs I own do. Simply POLCD-242, POLCD-252 and POLCD-262.

    Yours might be later than 1988, the discs aren't looking alike either (note of the center hub):
    POLCD-262
    [​IMG]

    835 832-2
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2019
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