And so the debate rages on... The remasters sound fine to my ears...granted, some sound better than others. And they certainly aren't perfect. But it's the best Genesis has ever sounded to me. Unless the earlier CD releases are NIGHT AND DAY better than the remasters (which I have to doubt, as I had the original UK Nursery Cryme CD which sounded abysmal), I don't really have the time (or cash) to spend looking for them...the remasters will do just fine.
I would have to agree with those who prefer the remasters, although they don't sound particularly spectacular and could probably be improved. IMHO, the original CDs sound even worse, with the UK pressings of Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, and Wind & Wuthering sounding so muffled that they are virtually unlistenable (I don't recall whether or not these were by Nimbus). The US originals were better in regard to detail, but lacked bass. The remasters could use more bass and overall "presence" as well, but are still preferable (to me) than the earlier versions.
Could be the case with Nursery Cryme. I don't remember either this one or Foxtrot sounding any good. However original Trespass, SEBTP, Trick of the Tail, Duke and Abacab all blow away the remasters. I did comparisons for each. Lamb and Seconds Out sound pretty good on remasters but Lamb is coming on SACD anyway. Then there were 3 and W&W I think sound pretty horrible on all CDs as does Genesis Live (anyone wants that japanese mini-vinyl? I really don't wanna keep it).
I've got Nimbus copies of all the above. They are anything but muffled - Wind And Wuthering even has odd spots that sound a little on the thin side.
I don't want to stray off-topic, but I'd like to order the mini-LP style "Duke". Japan version VJCP-68103. Is this any better than the norm? My fave Genesis album is "Trick of the Tail". What is the best version of this on CD? The Famous Charisma collection is my favorite CD box set. Also, I was pleased with the sound on the Platinum Collection.
I haven't compared it to any other versions, but my UK original is yet another Nimbus disc. It's one of the nicest sounding CDs I own.
>>>I don't want to stray off-topic, but I'd like to order the mini-LP style "Duke". Japan version VJCP-68103. Is this any better than the norm?<<< It is *slighty* different. I compared them recently in my car and found that if I took the regular '94 DE issue and increased the treble by +1, it sounded about the same as the mini lp. Some have speculated that the Japan mini lp CDs sound different because of better conversion equipment. It has also been suggested that they may have added a tad of eq to the mini lp CDs. I don't know what happened, but they are the same remastering, and I tend to lean towards the possibility that Virgin Japan just upped the treble a very small touch.
I like the sound of my original US Atco CD, which was manufactured in Japan, but I've not heard the original Virgin/Charisma CD, which I would think sounds excellent also, judging from the sound of the titles that I have on Virgin/Charisma. Ed Hurdle HeavyDistortion
One album I can surely recommend to get remastered is Seconds Out. Great sound. I also checked my "From Genesis to Reveletion" CD (Music Club) and it sounds awesome. So at least the first 2 Genesis records (this one and Trespass) have absolute sonic winners. But didn't Steve master FGTR at some point? And what was the label? Asking because my FGTR sounds very hoffmanish. Open, dynamic and warm.
Hmm aside from the mastering, how is the album? I was most interested in Foxtrot, Selling England and Lamb Lies Down, as I have been told they're the three best.
I would say Trick of the Tail has to be included in a list of their best albums. Lamb may be a little much for a first exposure to their Gabriel era. It's two CD's and may be overwhelming at first. Their stuff is challanging enough already and that's quite a lot to absorb. Brilliant music though!
IMO the remasters of all the Genesis cd's sound far better than the original cd's. The original cd's sounded thin, timmy, and lifeless. The remasters all sound much closer to my lp's. Selling England, Lamb, Foxtrot, Nursery Cryme, and Trespass are all highly recommended.
The first one is a nice pshycodelic pop LP but I would get it after all the classics. Start with Trick of the Tail (which I rate as prog's finest album of all time) and then Selling England by the Pound. Lamb is great but not for starters. Seconds Out Live set is brilliant as well.
I guess there must be huge difference between different original CD pressings since at least my Trespass and Selling England sound simply marvelous - anything but thin,timmy and lifeless. Rich,warm,dynamic etc. My Trespass is UK Swindon. Not sure about England (my girfriend went to Italy for some shopping and took it for her Walkman )
Here's how I would rank them: Selling England Lamb Foxtrot Nursery Cryme Trespass Trick of the Tail Wind and Wuthering And Then There Were Three
IMO, the original cd's sound horrible when compared to the lp's. The remasters sound better, more like the lp's. The lp's sound the best.
What original CDs are you refering to? Virgin/Charisma? Atco? Who manufactured the disc? Please explain!
Honestly, I don't remember the label. I'm referring to the original US cd's. I think they were on Atlantic, but I'm not sure. I sold them after I got the remasters.
Now wasn't somebody on this forum in the past threads speaking that US and UK original Genesis CD are very different?
I don't want to offend anyone, but just saying "the older CDs are horrible", without clarifying which older CDs you are referring to, is not very helpful. (Just a friendly suggestion. ) (Example: "The older CD of Who's Next is horrible." Which is actually true, if you refer to the original Polydor CD. Or the MCA Gold CD.)
Wow, I post a single message and all this discussion flares up again! Perhaps I ought to post something random in the Pink Floyd & The Who threads as well