About those Billy Joel CD remasters...

I have his records on original Columbia vinyl (always thought they were lesser quality because of the super thin 80s vinyl) but I would like to get something to use portably and on my computer.
Are the 2012 MFSL or the 2011 Complete Albums box no good? Would I be better off just digging around for original 80s CDs? And if so, from any particular place?

 

I’m looking to buy a greatest hits set from HD Tracks, does anyone know which is the best way to go here I’m terms of sound quality (both are 24/96).

Greatest Hits I & II and Greatest Hits III

or

Essential

Thanks

 

If you mean the original gold tinted 35DP, then they are expensive and hard to find. The 2nd (silver but hand etched matrix) and 3rd (silver and machine stamped matrix) are much easier to find and less expensive. I have a 35DP An Innocent Man. The matrix is 35DP-77 31A11 +++++, so not particularly early; however, it cost me just £2.99. I also have a 50DP Greatest Hits Vol. I and II. That one wasn't expensive either. Japan for Europe copies aren't that plentiful in the UK in my experience, but maybe I need to look harder. There are also early US DADC for Europe versions of some of his albums, but they aren't common. I have one, The Stranger, which has a different mastering to the earliest Japanese manufactured editions.

 

Yeah I have the 2011 Complete Albums boxset and it does sound very nice. All newly remastered by Ted Jensen who did the 1998 remasters but these 2011 ones don't sound anything like those.

 

I have been going through my CDs and choosing between my remasters or earlier masterings and keeping which ones I like more.

When I came to the few Billy Joel CDs, I just couldn’t decide. I had to keep both. I will continue to purchase both 98 remaster and earlier mastered CD when I find them used for a couple of bucks each.

I would really like the latest box set if what you all have said about the increased clarity but reduced level boost is true!

 

Ur player does play SACD according to ur profile? The MoFi SACDs are pretty affordable and consensus upgrade over original & TJ remasters.

 

They are on my radar as well!

 

How is 52nd Street [Sony Mastersound edition] and The mini Japan lp cds that came out a while back ?

 

Blech

 

I am not a fan of Japanese pressings. I find that most or all of them seem to sound thin with tipped-up treble.

 

For new ones ya, but the ones during the compact disc's first decade (82-92) were often gorgeous.

 

I don't agree.

 

Perhaps the problem is your obis are missing

 

This is what I've had on CD over the years:

Unremastered European CBS CDs: Lots of ups and downs, ranging from excellent (Streetlife Serenade) to so so (An Innocent Man) to absolutely awful (Turnstiles, The Stranger).
Unremastered US Columbia CDs: I've only heard The Nylon Curtain which sounds pretty dull to me. Wasn't there a story that Billy Joel himself was unhappy with it?
Ted Jensen remasters: Pretty loud, but they've obviously used either much better sources or much better equipment than whatever was used for the European Turnstiles or The Stranger or the US The Nylon Curtain. As far as remasters go they're certainly not the worst I've heard, but not great either.
Columbia SACD: The Stranger sounds absolutely fantastic, both in 5.1 and surround. As someone used to the unremastered European CD, the SACD was like hearing the album for the first time.
Audio Fidelity: 52nd Street sounds fantastic, Glass Houses is great too (but less well recorded and mixed in the first place), Streetlife Serenade is also a significant improvement over the original European CD.
MFSL: I've heard Turnstiles and Songs In The Attic, both beat every other version of the album I've heard. Highly recommended.