That's a neat set. I have an almost complete set of blues, sadly no spare TMWSTW. Am holding onto a spare Stage 2cd in case someone has an extra "Heroes" and some others to acquire the ChangesOne. Who knows, maybe the next box set will make some part with the old RCA's...
I finally managed to get at least one physical copy of every RCA title a few months back. I've got all the Japan for US pressings, the West German Stage, and West German pressings of a couple titles. I "found" a a few "digital" copies of some of the other West German pressings. By far the most elusive (and expensive) one seems to be the West German The Man Who Sold The World.
The releases are European, but not necessarily WG. There are Japan for Europe releases of Peter and the Wolf, Aladdin Sane, Changestwobowie, Pin Ups, and Golden Years. Pick 'n' Mixed: David Bowie RCA CDs (1984) The Japan for Europe releases will still have the grey paint and sunburst design, but won't be silver to center like the WG Polygram discs. They were made by Nippon Columbia (Denon) in Tokyo.
Correct - my Pin-Ups, Changestwobowie and Aladdin Sane are all Denons. The silkscreen has a different, more textured feel, too. There are JP for Europe Changesonebowie CDs too, but mine's a WG.
Yes - specifically, to my ears, "Andy Warhol". I was happy with it for quite some time because I had felt that "Queen Bitch" was too harsh on the WG (an issue that I seem to share with nobody), but it sounded fine to me on the JPN for US. But then, eventually "Andy Warhol" started to bother my ears on the JPN, so I tried the 2015 Parlophone, and I love it straight through. Because I don't use headphones, the dropouts aren't an issue for me; they're not bad enough for me to detect them on speakers. I think that almost anyone can probably live with one of these 3 CD issues, but naturally one needs to know the drawbacks of each to be able to make an informed decision on which to go after.
I have mostly all JPN for US except for Pin Ups & Scary Monsters that are the JPN for EUR ..I really need to pull the trigger on the MWSTW ..I don't really mind if its JPN for US or EUR because they all rather good to my ears ...I'm saving Stage for last because of the cost and they fact I already have the Ryko and T.V remix. The comps are pretty nice and fairly inexpensive and I got RCA CD Peter and The Wolf for a buck. I agree that they look nice on the shelves when the spines are lined up and that cheap looking RCA spectrograph cd icon on the front of the booklet is actually pretty fab... in fact I started collecting some Lou Reed , Nilsson, & Elvis RCA CDS just so I that got goofy logo on the cover
Queen Bitch also stands out for me on the 2015. Much better for me than on my WG RCA CD. Shame the 2015 Hunky is so flawed in other ways as I like the sound and EQ very much, on Bitch and Warhol most of all.
I find the second half of Hunky Dory seems to sound better than the first. Unless it's just my imagination.. What's the hands down best CD version of Aladdin Sane, by the way?
Maybe the side 2 tape used is in better condition than side 1. For Aladdin it's a tossup between the two very different RCAs: Japan for Europe and Japan for US. They both have awesome sound but the US is brighter and fiercer, a huge sounding thing. The Europe is slightly darker and chunkier. Our friend Karmaman prefers the Europe. I'm happy to have both and can never decide but probably the Europe if forced to choose. When you turn it on, wow.. Watch That Man just slays you, it sounds SO great. The 2013 master, as reissued in 2015 and in print, is piercing and not good. The 1999 bloated, noise reduced, heavily processed as per all of them, the 1990-91 feeble and tinny. There was a 2003 master but I forget it now, sold it. It wasn't a winner anyway!
RCA Japan for US CSR. David Bowie - Aladdin Sane Though the other RCA Japan for US is pretty good, as is the RCA WG for EUR (Discogs says they're the same mastering but I'm not sure) David Bowie - Aladdin Sane For the other masterings, I agree with what BlueSpeedway has said above. The 2003 was just a re-released version of the 1999 with extra tracks, if memory serves.
Typically, I only have the last 3 you mention! There are a few Aladdin's on eBay. So hard to tell of you're getting the right one!
I think the 2003 did have a different mastering credit to the 1999... The 30th anniversary edition of Diamond Dogs was certainly the same one as the 1999. Thanks for the inf0, by the way, AS is my favourite Bowie album and it annoys me that I don't have a 'good' CD version of it!
There is no WG version of Aladdin Sane - the blue-spine one is JP for EUR, a Denon disc. Same mastering as the Denon JP for US, apparently, although I haven't compared personally. The CSR has a big reputation here - I haven't heard it, but the Denon is sufficiently excellent that I see no need to seek improvement (particularly given the prices it fetches!) - one of the best sounding of the lot, for my money. It's a weird album to demo though, because the mix of Watch That Man is (by Bowie's design) so utterly cockeyed that it throws you for six and makes comparison listening tricky. The bass on that track is absolutely HUGE on the Denon, sounds fantastic. I seem to recall reading on a thread here that Ray Staff wrote in his autobiography that persuading the record company to accept Bowie's desired mix of Watch That Man was his greatest triumph, then later in the same book describing it as his greatest mistake. I agree with both!
The treble is definitely tamed on the 2015 which improves the sibilance too. On the other hand you might find it too recessed. Possibly system dependent; if you have any brightness in your system the WG is a tad harsh but if not it is OK. Don't have JPN for US. Tim
The harshness is a big part of the pull of Queen Bitch for me - Ronno's guitar on the main riff sounds like using a rusty hacksaw blade as q-tip. It's incredible, a feels about five years ahead of its time, all the more for its comparison with the otherwise lighter stuff on Hunky Dory. Going from that to the gentle, floor-creaking-rocking-chair vibe of The Bewlay Brothers is such a contrast. Damn, I have to listen to Hunky Dory now.
I would not say the bass is huge on the JPN for EUR, but in the intro it is cleverly mixed with guitar and gets some more room towards the end. Playing right now
Whoops, you're right. Ken Scott Ray Scott Ken Staff Ray Staff Completely different names that kind of look similar, and clearly decided to change places in my sleep-deprived brain.
For now, the "best" listen IMO from what you have, is the 1990-91 with the bass turned up, which is a far better job than the 1999 or 2013(15)
I really like the weird vocal recessed Watch That Man mix FWIW I know it's not necessarily "right", I just like it, and have sometimes mixed vocals myself like that. It kind of subverts the usual voice on top scenario. Not all the time, but for a change I love it!
Thanks for correction on Japan for EUR rather than WG for EUR. But the CSR is worthy of its stellar reputation in my opinion (I have all 3: RCA Japan for EUR Denon, RCA Japan for US Denon and RCA Japan for US CSR).
