About those Billy Joel CD remasters...

Exactly what I've been doing the last couple of years, but still it's nice to pop one in a player on occasion
Most of my listening is via a SBTouch

 

For Billy Joel, the original 1st US Columbia and CBS pressings sound very nice. Some are actually pressed in Japan, but it's hard to determine. They are plentiful, cheap, and many use the same mastering as the original 35DP first Japan pressings, which are crazy expensive. As mentioned earlier Piano Man has pre-emphasis, I'm not sure if the US of Songs in The Attic does or not. The original 35DP Japan does have pre-emphasis.

The SACD's have all the high end sucked out of them, are way more expensive, and IMO are sonically inferior to the original pressings I mentioned. I've auditioned all of them.

The remasters aren't the worst I've ever heard, but there's no reason to buy them when the originals are still so cheap.

I'd also like to say that Steve's version of 52nd Street on AF bests the original US CBS. His Glass Houses is very good too.

You can't go wrong with the AF Streetlife Serenade, but if you are on a budget, the original Columbia is just fine. I personally think it's his weakest album from his "classic" period.
I've never heard Cold Spring Harbor, but I've heard from others it's actually worse.

 

The original Streetlife Serenade is one of the worst CDs I've ever heard.
Quiet murky sound and missing bars in the music.
I prefer the remaster vastly ofer the otiginal CD.
And of course the AF

 

There are supposed to be speed issues with the original "Cold Spring harbor" LP and CD, isn't there? Which one is correct?

 

It depends on how old of a US pressing you have. The ones with the family symbol printed on the CD are better than the later Columbia pressings.

 

If it's pressed in Japan, a Billy Joel cd will always say "Made In Japan" at the bottom of the discface.

The MFSL's right? Because the Sony SACD's of "The Stranger" and "52nd Street" sound fantastic.

 

None...
The vinyl is totally sped up and the cd is a remix with tons of new overdubs and left out stuff from the original vinyl.

 

Thanks!

 

The remixed CD sounds really good, it was mastered by Doug Sax. However, I do prefer a speed-corrected version of the original mixes (not available officially), especially the much longer "crazy" mix of You Can Make Me Free and the orchestral overdubs for Tomorrow Is Today.

 

Yes the MFSL's.

 

And that isn't always true about the CD saying made in Japan on it. I've read numerous threads on here that suggest otherwise.

 

I have a late 90s "Glass Houses" remaster. It's okay. I still prefer my original LP but it is little worn unfortunately.

 

Neither one. They are both off speed to varying degrees, depending on the song. It appears to have been done deliberately in the mixing stage on both occasions...it's really the only plausible explanation. I believe that there are two or three songs in the remixed version that appear at the correct pitch. The others are either too fast or two slow.

 

Any links to help? I've never come across any such discs. Thanks~

 

Here you go.
CBS/Sony Japan for U.S. pressing CDs not stating ‘Disc/Record manufactured in Japan’? »

 

No, that just references discs Made in Japan which contain inserts that do not say Made in Japan accordingly. I was asserting that there are no discs out there that are Made in Japan that do not also say Made in Japan on the disc.

AFAIK, if a disc does not say Made in Japan, then it isn't. Inserts are irrelevant. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Well, if it doesn't say Made In Japan on the disc then it isn't. I have some that do. It's a bummer if that holds true in every instance. But... if the disc is an early first US pressing with DIDP on it, it may be the same mastering used on the Japanese 35DP version anyway.

 

In my experience that's sometimes true, but more often not. Early US Warner-Atlantic discs though often share the same mastering as Japan 32XD discs.

 

Does Hoffa know anything about Billy Joel and Teamsters???

 

I think there may be some early CBS titles that lack the formal "Made in Japan" on the bottom of the CD but indicate that status in the hub. I could be wrong about that, but I could swear that's the case with a handful of those titles.

The vast majority do read "Made in Japan" or "Manufactured in Japan" on the bottom of the CD ring, though...

 

Go with the 2011 box set or the hi-rez downloads. All the detail you want without the ear-splitting loudness of the '98 remasters.

 

These remasters are far away from "ear-splitting loudness"

 

I don't know about someone else, but I never said that. In fact, they are mellower. But, I find that a lot of detail has been obscured.

Since I started this thread, I have extensively compared the older CDs with the remasters, and have decided to keep them all! They all have positive qualities and drawbacks.

What I did find is that the double greatest hits original and remastered versions have about the same sound quality, despite one having the 45 versions. Go figure!

 

If you look up one post to Tin Whisker..........I think he was responding to that post where he said "ear-splitting loudness".

 

Yeah, I see that.