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

Ultimate at least has some "orange" values in there - and one yellow. The Record is 99% res, with one orange. So at least as far as DR is concerned, The Record appears to be more compressed.

 

I listened to TIMELESS today and here are a few observations: Spicks and Specks sounds ok and I don't have it on another CD to compare it with, but it sounds like they didn't do too much to make it sound even better?

This comp definitely sounds newly remastered to me and different from the Rhino comps for sure! The 60s songs are nice and clear but need more bass though. The Fever stuff sounds the best actually and THIS is how their SNF reissue should have sounded instead of just reusing the old '95 remaster. However, Staying Alive is once again very bright, just like on the Capitol SNF reissue CD. Rhino successfully toned down the brightness for this song though.

Now, I don't know why Barry keeps pushing You Win Again, but IMO, it should not be on this comp...it's on the Rhino NUMBER ONES and the new Polydor reissue also, so it's overkill putting it on TIMELESS...they could have included an even better song from One or Still Waters perhaps?

Also, unlike the Rhino comps which do have firm tone, you need to turn up the bass and midrange on TIMELESS a little bit, the tone is more laid back, which is a running trend sometimes with Universal related CDs, but TIMELESS does sound more dynamic to me compared to the Rhino comps. Does anyone know the DR numbers for Timeless? Overall, this is definitely worth the low price and the SQ is a nice change of pace from the Rhino editions but the track-list needs a little more variety.

 

It's out of print but still for sale on iTunes. I just downloaded it a couple weeks ago for $30. The mastering is indeed superb. I love these 4-disc box sets that were originally issued in the early 90's. I love Elton John's "To be continued..." and Rod Stewart's "Storyteller" as well.

 

"You Win Again" bombed in the US but was one of their biggest hits pretty much everywhere else, including #1 in the UK, so it's not surprising that he included it, especially since the international versions of Timeless feature the same track lineup as the US version. For all the ridiculous hype that Barry picked the tracks that meant the most to the brothers, it's really just a predictable set of their biggest hits.

 

I would agree with you there - the tracklist covers most bases and the mastering by Dennis Drake is tasteful.

PS: Greatest Hits: The Record contains the best sounding "Spicks and Specks" I could find.

 

I love the back cover photo on 'Timeless' showing the brothers on a beach and particularly Barry's hand on Robin's shoulder which was nice to see bearing in mind the history of sibling rivalry between Barry and Robin.

 

I saw a picture of the liner insert on Amazon with a fold out display of all 24 official studio albums.

I like album art anyway, but in this case I also hope it signals that Capitol does have plans for the entire catalog!

 

All 22 studio albums augmented by the Number Ones comp and the One Night Only live album, probably just in an effort to balance it out. Personally I'd choose Here At Last... Live over Number Ones to make it an even 12 albums per page, either that or the SNF and Staying Alive soundtracks over either comps or live albums since they at least have songs not available on the other studio albums. Heck, they could have added one more page and thrown in all the comps and box sets as well!

 

I obviously wasn't looking closely - weird to have Number Ones and ONO at the end!

 

I find Timeless to be pointless. There have been a long list of Polydor comps that have rehashed more or less the same songs and in the same chronological order that Barry waxes about in the booklet. They could have reissued "The Very Best of the Bee Gees" with just some minor adjustments to the tracklist (that comp already has three differing tracklists to begin with and one more wouldn't make much of a difference) and preferably with the same mastering as well.

 

Did you buy Timeless? If so how is the remastering on it as I have read it isn't that great.

 

Picked it up from WM. First thing I noticed was no 'Run To Me' & does every BGs comp have to include all 4 SNF songs?

Darryl

 

Is this not being released in Japan?

 

Didn't that only get to no. 15 in the charts? Barry is very biased toward chart hits it seems.

 

Yes could not agree more. Dylan got the complete albums treatment. Hopefully Gees and Elton get the same.

 

Tales has all the hits (and flop singles) plus key deep cuts, orphan singles, live recordings, and other rarities, and is essential for Bee Gees completists and hard core fans. For those who just want a comprehensive, career-spanning comp of their hits, the 2-CD The Record has them all.

 

That's the one that I have and I think it's great...

 

Pointless would be a more apropos title, but IMO wouldn't sell as well.

 

Yet
Another
Wasteful
Nuisance

 

Yes. No difference with HDCD decoded. I only have a few HDCD's that picked up any dynamic range when decoded, Neil Young / Greatest Hits and Dire Straits / Sultans of Swing - The Very Best of Dire Straits.

 

I know the endless repetition of compilations is annoying when you'd rather have other things, but consider:

90 percent of people who would ever buy a Bee Gees cd or download are doing so for the hits, specifically the hits from Jive Talkin to Love You Inside Out. In North America, it's probably more like 95 percent.

No one sells physical product in regular retail stores anymore, a small smattering of hip hop, bro country and a hits cd by whoever died recently notwithstanding.

A city has to be a pretty good size to even have a *single* record store. The corporate chains of the Peaches and later Tower era are gone, and young indie store customers are primarily interested in new bands of their time, not The Bee Gees album back catalog or similar. The only exceptions I can think of for those independent stores might be individual (vinyl) album titles for Zeppelin, Hendrix and, to a far lesser extent, The Beatles. (I know...I can feel heat just writing that.) The seem to have a cache with younger people as being something cool to like.

The only way to get a cd in front of an average US customer, the single aisle rack at Target and Best Buy as the small exception, is something nostalgic- ideally someone who just died - or something that has made the rounds on social media because it was featured on a TV talent show of some sort. Perhaps the viral cover of the song along with the original in some form. There are no record stores in malls anymore and no one sells music within department stores, discount, grocery stores, etc., assuming they even still exist (Sears, Kmart, etc.) Walmarts seem to carry about five best of classic rock titles at any time now, perhaps eight bestselling country titles and some Spanish-language compilations. That's it.

So, even if you have the stature to get your nostalgia title in front of people in line at Walgreens, those stores will turn all those titles over in 6-8 weeks (or less) and replace them with another. Things go out of print very quickly because there's no money to be made in pressing more. The only product that stays longer is Adele, Taylor Swift or possibly Beyoncé. The Bee Gees or The Who or whomever have a constant churning of the same songs on different compilation titles year after year to try to keep something profitable in print and in front of people.

 

I will probably regret asking, but what on earth is "bro country"?

 

I'm guessing Brad Paisley?

 

The only point is, much to my surprise, I saw a small stack of these at Best Buy. I supposed it gets them some new positioning in retail. And, I think we will now see a chance of this stuff getting a vinyl release, though I'm more than set with their hits on vinyl. But other than that, what's the point indeed?

 

Isn't that interesting. Two bands that we know care about sound. Good for them and for their fans! Makes you wonder about other groups. I would raise hell if I spent all that time in a studio and then the label compromised my material in mastering.