Bee Gees' "Timeless: The All-Time Greatest Hits" to be released April 21

Yes I am curious about the mastering as well and more specifically who remastered it. Since Capitol took over they have reissued Ultimate and Number 1's so I wonder what source they used to master this new comp. I can't believe they went back to any flat masters and would guess they just cut and paste the songs from the various previous Rhino releases.

 

I haven't looked at Amazon yet, but noticed this album is on the front page of iTunes new releases. Likely is selling well after the special last Sunday night.

 

So far there are 6 reviews on Amazon and one gave the remastering a B but didn't give any specifics. It's not a top seller on Amazon that's for sure. I think with the flood of Bee Gee comps and Capitol keeping Ultimate and Number 1's in print this comp will sell decent numbers but nothing earth shattering.

 

Just picked this up at Barnes & Noble. It was the only copy of it I saw. All it says about the mastering is 'mastered at Capitol Studios'. I've only played it in the car, but it sounds really good to me. Not too bright (yay!). A nice fall sound.

 

Hmm so there is no credit for a specific mastering engineer. I wonder why they would leave that out. I would bet they used the Rhino remasters for this comp. Do you have the Rhino 2 CD Ultimate set? I would be very curious how this sounds compared to that one.

Thanks

Scott

 

That would be ballsy to use Rhino masters and claim remastered at Capitol.

 

Yes you do have a point. For the most part I have not been a fan of remasters that Captitol does in house. I just can't see Capitol pulling out the original flat copies of the master tapes. The practice of using older remasters for comps is not new by any means. Sony/Legacy does this all the time and I know this first hand. When they do certain comps they pull the tracks from older remasters and tweak those up if needed and do some level matching.

 

This one is good enough for me:

Their Greatest Hits: The Record - Wikipedia

 

"Ooh, yeah!"

 

That one is good but it's too loud. It has too much compression. Try turning it up and listening to it for 30+ minutes. It might be good for the car but at home I find it very fatiguing .

 

I have the ultimate two CD set, but I won't have access to it until tomorrow. I'll check then.

 

Love it Brilliabt album. Favourite tracks in order:

Spirits (Having Flown)
Living Together
Too Much Heaven
Love You Inside Out
Tragedy
Search, Find

 

I also have this one. Great selection of tracks, however, Spirits (Having Flown) should have been included. And the orginal version of Immortality with Celine Dion should have been on the album too, not the version the Bee Gees re-recorded which I think is pretty poor. Apart from that the album is also good enough for me.

 

It's not a re-recording, it's the actual demo albeit with a few overdubs.

 

I have no problem with this release - especially after reading Barry's comments and why he chose the tracks he did. If you are a hardcore Bee Gees fan, you're probably not going to buy this - unless you are a completest with this group (and there's nothing wrong with that!). It'll be on sale everywhere for less than $10. It keeps their big hits in the remaining retail racks for a while. And that's a good thing!

A word of caution about the 2-disc set called Their Greatest Hits - The Record -

• Yes, the track listing is one of the best you will find on an affordable Bee Gees comp....(although Ultimate is pretty good also).
• BUT - it is one of the loudest CDs I own & have ever heard. (I made the mistake of listening to it on headphones first time out. I literally ripped the cans off my head so fast that I dropped them.)
• If you look it up on the Dynamic Range Database, many of the values run from DR5-DR7.
• Why do I keep it? For the few songs I don't have elsewhere.

Your mileage may vary. If loud, compressed remastering doesn't bother you, then go for it.

From an audiophile perspective, the best compilation remains Tales From The Brothers Gibb. It's out-of-print. But copies can be found fairly easily. I always enjoy reading posts where someone finds one at an affordable price for them and how much they enjoy it. 4 discs of wonderful-sounding Bee Gees music!

 

Would have preferred the original version with Celine Dion. Don't see the point including a demo.

 

That's interesting. I've not played Their Greatest Hits: The Record since I bought my new system. I'll dig it out tonight.

 

I think the problem with the new comp is there is a very small market for it. Capitol is keeping Ultimate in print as well as Number 1's and Ultimate was priced at Target and Walmart for $10.00 for the last 7-8 years. So the big fans and casual fans probably already bought Ultimate for the same price as the new comp and Ultimate is a 2 disc set. I don't think this new comp will sell well at all. Also I'm curious why Capitol didn't print the name of the mastering engineer who remastered the CD in the liner notes.

Yes For The Record is brutal. Ludwig did that one right? I still have my copy as well but I remember when I first played it and I was all excited about it and it was so loud I couldn't get past 3 or 4 songs.

 

Just listened to 'Ultimate' and to me it sounds different then 'Timeless'. I like 'Timeless' better.

 

I have Ultimate as well. That sounds just OK. Loud and compressed but I have worse in my collection.

 

It is an HDCD. Is it still loud when HDCD-decoded?

 

Is there anything specific that you like the sound on Timeless better-volume, bass, treble etc?

Many Thanks

Scott

 

Yes it is loud and compressed and yes I too have heard a lot worse. I'm wondering what the DR numbers on Timeless are.

 

I preferred their 1st one, before Disco came along......

 

Good question - honestly, I never tried. I never listen to it, as it's on the shelf for a handful of tracks I don't have anywhere else - for now.