Bruce Springsteen - The Album Collection Vol.2 1987-1996

I would like to have the Tunnel Of Love CD remaster, but not sure if or when that might come out individually, so that's why I'm thinking of getting the Japan CD Box, but the price is roughly twice as much as the U.S. Vol.1 CD Box . Still, it could be a terrific CD Box, but sometimes Japan CDs do sound a little different than U.S. CDs.

 

The Bruce Springsteen Vol. 2 1987-1996 Japan CD Box is getting released today on 7/11.

I would be curious how the sound quality on the TUNNEL remaster compares with the remastered Tunnel Of Love tracks on the 2015 Essential 2CD set...disc 2 was newly remastered for that Essential comp, while disc 1 used the 2014 Plangent remasters.

The Tunnel Of Love tracks sound noticeably compressed and very modern on the 2015 Essential.

 

I have the box. I'll post something more in depth soon about all of the albums in the box, but I can confirm that the 2015 Tunnel of Love high res download on HDTracks was used for the 2018 CD (and I assume the LP).

So you can listen to it yourself today if you so choose...couple clicks away.

 

Just to clarify, you already bought the Vol.2 Japan CD boxed set...I guess it was released earlier than 7/11?

Have you listened to the Tunnel Of Love CD remaster yet, that is the one I am most curious about? I am wondering how much tone and bass is on the CD? I think CD Japan mentioned that Bob Ludwig remastered this, but Japan CDs can sometimes differ in sound compared to U.S. CDs, so I hope the CDs in the Vol. 2 Box aren't overly bright and have noticeable bass.

 

Okay -- here is a chart that I put together for the four main studio albums found in the Volume 2 CD box set.

The DR and peak values are all taken from the Japanese CD box set and were run in foobar.

In reviewing the DR, peak values, and in listening to the 2015 high res files and the 2018 CDs, it's my opinion that the masters used for the four studio albums in the CD box set are the same that have been for sale through various high res sites since 2015. However, it does appear that the files were tweaked to be slightly louder (in most cases) for the CD box (which would technically require a new physical master, but I digress).

When compared to the original masters, which are still my go-to options for these four albums, the new CDs are pretty comparable when played along side the originals. The 2018 CDs are lightly more compressed and slightly louder, but to my ears they don't sound that much different (I certainly don't hear the difference that I heard with Volume 1).

Here you go:

 

...and here are the charts for the three other discs in the set: Unplugged, Chimes of Freedom, and Blood Brothers.

There has been some question as to whether these three discs, as included in Volume 2, are straight reissues or if they have been remastered.

From a technical aspect, they don't match the original CD releases so all of the discs have been remastered, but I still prefer all of the original releases to the 2018 box.

When comparing the peak levels for Unplugged, I'm wondering if they simply took the original master and made it louder. All of the loudest tracks on the 1993 CD look to have been pushed to '1.00' on the new disc and the other 'quieter' tracks were pushed up as well. To me, it doesn't appear that they put much effort into this 'remastering' job.

The Blood Brothers EP is more compressed and the original is still the way to go. Chimes of Freedom is less troublesome -- I could probably go with any of the three versions in the chart.

Here you go.

 

Thank you very much for your work mikeja75. So glad I cancelled my pre-order with Amazon.

 

Thanks for posting all of this information! Regarding the Tunnel Of Love 2018 Japan CD, can you please let me know if this CD has more tone and bass than the original 1987 CD? I know you mentioned these Japan CDs are slightly more compressed and louder, but does TUNNEL sound more modern and bassy compared to the original CD?

You said that you still prefer your original CDs to these 2018 Japan CDs, so I guess non of the 2018's impressed you by the remastering?

From your description of the audio on these Japan CDs, it's possible that a U.S. Vol. 2 Box might differ in sound quality and sound better, but we won't know unless it gets released.

How is the overall quality of the individual album cardboard sleeves and does each disc come with an inner protective Japanese sleeve?

 

If you have the 2015 rerelease of The Essential Bruce Springsteen, the three Tunnel songs sound pretty much exactly like they do on the 2018 Japanese CD.

Everything is just a bit more "in your face" and aggressive. The drums on Tougher Than the Rest seem to really 'boom' on the new CD while on the original CD they're not quite as bombastic. I don't know what you mean by tone, but I don't think that there's necessarily *more* bass on the new master -- it's just louder. But that's relative to the rest of the instruments on most of the tracks since they're louder too (if that makes sense). The bass is certainly more pronounced and a good example where you can really hear it is on "All That Heaven Will Allow" -- this is a great track to hear the bass. I wouldn't say that it's overly bassy.

And I still do prefer the original masters for the four studio albums, but I'm not unimpressed by the new masters. They're just different -- more modern. They're not as different as the Volume 1 masters were compared to the originals, but different enough. If you play the new Born in the USA against the original, for example, you can really hear a difference in the sound of the drums and I feel the same in listening to the CD box set for Volume 2.

If these new masters were all anyone had for these albums, I'm sure they'd be pleased. They sound new, modern and perfectly acceptable.

I guess it's possible that a US box would sound different -- I don't know. I can't really picture someone outside of Bruce INC messing with the masters in Japan without approval, but who knows.

The box is sturdy and the mini-LPs are the normal excellent quality that everyone expects from Japan. The discs come in a protective sleeve and all of the inserts in each CD are there as well. The booklet is nice, but small and impossible to read, and there's another insert in the box that is completely in Japanese that appears to be an overview of the box or Bruce's career -- can't tell.

 

Thanks for the new information! Well, I had initially asked if the Tunnel tracks on the 2018 Japan CD sound like the same remastered tracks on the 2015 Essential 2CD, which sound very compressed and modern to me, but your previous post suggested they didn't sound like the 2015 Essential, as you said this..."The 2018 CDs are lightly more compressed and slightly louder, but to my ears they don't sound that much different". Well, the Tunnel tracks on the 2015 Essential 2CD do sound vastly different from the original 1987 Tunnel CD IMO.

Also, I think you suggested that the source used for this 2018 Japan CD Box might be the same or similar to the 2015 HD tracks, but reportedly, these are all-new remasters by Bob Ludwig and Toby Scott, although who really knows what source for this Japan CD box is? I think you posted that the TUNNEL Japan CD has an average DR 12, but I don't think the Tunnel tracks on the Essential 2CD have that high a DR, so the DR for the Japan CD suggests a more dynamic and less compressed remaster...different from Essential, although I don't know what the DR number is for disc 2 on the 2015 Essential set?

However, I like the modern sound of the Tunnel tracks on the 2015 Essential 2CD, even if they are 'hotter', so if you are saying that the 2018 TUNNEL Japan CD is just as modern and has noticeable bass, especially on "All That Heaven Will Allow", then I might very well like the Japan CD. By tone, I generally mean does a CD have a good balance of bass, midrange and treble (high end). Do the songs on the 2018 TUNNEL Japan CD sound fuller than on the original 1987 CD?

So, it seems the 2018's do sound modern, but in this case, you prefer to stick with the original Bruce CDs? Yes, I agree with you regarding the BITUSA remaster, that one sounds excellent and you can finally hear the drums and it's big difference over the original CD, so if you are saying that the Vol.2 CDs sound improved like the BITUSA CD, then these could be a noticeable step up from the original CDs.

The packaging sounds great and I'm glad there are inner protective sleeves on the discs.

 

As Ludwig stated in September 2014:

"Other albums already released digitally as part of the Mastered for iTunes series — including We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, Working on a Dream, and Wrecking Ball — are, of course, not part of this set. But the fact that they've already been remastered in 24-bit suggests (as does the Vol. 1 in the title of this new box set) that we can anticipate another wave further on up the road. Asked if that's the plan, Ludwig is direct: "Yes. I have already started on the remainder of the catalog. But those albums were mixed to digital, so it is more a matter of finessing the original to retain the intent while improving the fidelity and creating 24-bit final masters."

It's my opinion that the 2015 high res albums, for the four studio records in Volume 2, are the Ludwig remasters discussed above. They've been available digitally for 3 years already and, again my opinion, they were used for the Volume 2 CD set with some minor tweaks. I think by calling them 'all new' for Volume 2, it's marketing speak for "we don't want to explain that these were largely released digitally three years ago since most of the buying public doesn't really care to know the history".

They could certainly package something digitally as being "VOLUME 2", but I think they've largely ignored having an all encompassing set for sale since the bulk of new masters were released years ago.

The DR levels for the Tunnel tracks on the 2015 Essential collection are DR12 (Tougher), DR11 (Brilliant Disguise), and DR12 (One Step Up). You'll find these same dynamic range results on the new 2018 CDs for these three tracks. If you A/B the Essential tracks against the same Tunnel tracks on the 2018 CD I think you'll find that they sound identical. Therefore, if you like the sound of the tracks on Essential, then you'll like the 2018 CD.

You'll have to seek it out and listen for yourself. When I compare the 1987 Tunnel with the 2018 Tunnel, I'm not really hearing anything new catch my ear with this remaster. I can't think of any parts where I said "hey, I've never heard that before" -- it's all there in the 1987 master if you compare the two. The drums hit harder in parts and are more prominent and everything is louder (which isn't necessarily bad) on the 2018 disc, but the original, to my ears, is just given a bit more room to breath. I can appreciate them both. A modern remaster describes the 2018 CD for me perfectly.

Oh, and I like the 2015 Born in the USA master, but when you compare it against the original you can hear how jacked up the bass and drums are on the album. It's kind of shocking to be honest. Listening to it in the car is fine, but if I'm listening on headphones I begin to feel like it's clobbering the hell out of my ears after a period of time. I don't think it's necessary bad or good, just different from the original and I can appreciate the mastering for the 1984 master and the 2015 master.

Unless you have to have it on CD, $17.95 will get you 2015 Tunnel in high res from HDTracks today.

 

Well, I guess it's possible this Japan CD Box is using the 2015 High Res audio, but that would be a shame if the four studio albums were not given new 2018 state-of-the-art remasters?

I'm curious where you found out that the DR numbers for the 2015 Essential Tunnel tracks are DR12, DR11 and DR 12...are these the actual DR numbers for the 2015 Essential CD Tunnel tracks? I could only find the 2015 Essential High Res Audio DR numbers online, which has an average DR 9, but I couldn't spot the DR for the 2015 Essential CD audio or disc 2 specifically? When I listen to the 2015 Essential Tunnel tracks on the actual CD, they sound quite compressed, modern and mastered 'hot' to me, at least "Tougher Than The Rest" and "One Step Up" do...they don't sound like DR 12 to me at all, so that's why I'm trying to see what the story is here?

And on the one hand you state that the 2018 Tunnel Japan CD sounds practically identical to the 2015 Essential Tunnel tracks, but then you also state that you really aren't hearing anything new on the 2018 CD compared to the 1987 CD? IMO, the 2015 Essential Tunnel tracks do sound vastly different from the original 1987 CD...completely night and day, so both statements kind of contradict one another, unless it is me who isn't understanding what you said?

Too bad there isn't an individual 2018 TUNNEL remaster CD out yet, but that will likely come out much later, depending on how well or poorly the Vol, 2 CD box sells?

 

Where did I find the DR numbers for the 2015 Essential Tracks? I ran them myself in foobar. I own the discs.

I would suggest you use my opinions as just that -- my opinion. You seem to have a differing opinion on the sound of the Essential Tunnel tracks and I think that you should buy the CD box set or the high res download and compare them for yourself.

Here's the dynamic range readings for the 2015 Essential set in full:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Bruce Springsteen / The Essential Bruce Springsteen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR10 -0.41 dB -12.91 dB 3:08 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 101 _ Growin' Up
DR9 0.00 dB -10.44 dB 7:03 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 102 _ Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
DR10 0.00 dB -12.58 dB 5:37 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 103 _ 4th of July, Asbury Park NJ (Sandy)
DR7 -0.05 dB -9.88 dB 4:49 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 104 _ Thunder Road
DR7 0.00 dB -8.44 dB 4:31 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 105 _ Born To Run
DR8 0.00 dB -9.40 dB 3:12 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 106 _ Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
DR9 -0.11 dB -11.41 dB 4:03 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 107 _ Badlands
DR9 0.00 dB -10.35 dB 4:30 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 108 _ The Promised Land
DR8 0.00 dB -9.96 dB 4:00 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 109 _ Prove It All Night
DR12 -0.10 dB -14.69 dB 5:01 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 110 _ The River
DR11 -0.09 dB -12.28 dB 3:21 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 111 _ Hungry Heart
DR10 -0.23 dB -11.89 dB 3:34 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 112 _ The Ties That Bind
DR10 -0.10 dB -12.06 dB 4:21 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 113 _ Out in the Street
DR11 -0.72 dB -14.80 dB 4:00 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 114 _ Atlantic City
DR11 -0.10 dB -13.73 dB 3:41 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 115 _ Johnny 99
DR8 0.00 dB -9.58 dB 4:16 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 116 _ Glory Days
DR9 0.00 dB -10.16 dB 4:40 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 117 _ Born in the USA
DR8 0.00 dB -8.96 dB 4:03 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 118 _ Dancing in the Dark
DR12 -0.02 dB -13.22 dB 4:38 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 201 _ Tougher Than The Rest
DR11 -0.08 dB -12.91 dB 4:17 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 202 _ Brilliant Disguise
DR12 -0.10 dB -13.72 dB 4:23 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 203 _ One Step Up
DR12 -0.05 dB -13.93 dB 5:12 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 204 _ Human Touch (single edit)
DR9 0.00 dB -10.10 dB 3:47 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 205 _ Better Days
DR10 -0.10 dB -13.14 dB 2:58 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 206 _ If I Should Fall Behind
DR10 -0.43 dB -12.54 dB 3:17 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 207 _ Streets of Philadelphia
DR9 0.00 dB -10.38 dB 4:00 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 208 _ Murder Incorporated
DR12 0.00 dB -15.79 dB 4:23 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 209 _ The Ghost of Tom Joad
DR7 0.00 dB -9.95 dB 4:48 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 210 _ The Rising
DR8 -0.05 dB -9.12 dB 4:08 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 211 _ Lonesome Day
DR9 0.00 dB -11.56 dB 5:03 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 212 _ Devils & Dust
DR7 -0.13 dB -8.43 dB 4:17 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 213 _ Long Time Comin'
DR8 -0.03 dB -8.93 dB 3:21 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 214 _ Radio Nowhere
DR8 0.00 dB -9.41 dB 3:30 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 215 _ Working On A Dream
DR8 0.00 dB -8.78 dB 4:02 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 216 _ My Lucky Day
DR8 -2.91 dB -14.50 dB 3:51 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 217 _ The Wrestler
DR7 0.00 dB -8.68 dB 3:57 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 218 _ We Take Care Of Our Own
DR9 0.00 dB -10.78 dB 4:42 Bruce Springsteen -The Essential (2015) _ 219 _ Hunter Of Invisible Game
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 37
Official DR value: DR9

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 893 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

 

Thanks for posting the complete DR numbers for the 2015 Essential 2CD! Well, apparently the 3 TUNNEL tracks do have pretty high DR, but yeah, I never would have suspected this...they do sound noticeably compressed and modern to me and not really very dynamic.

I will likely pick up the Japan CD box at some point soon, I think it might be a limited edition as well.

By the way, how do the 2018 Human Touch and Lucky Town Japan CDs sound to you, regarding the bass, midrange and treble?

 

If you're not a fan of the Tunnel tracks on Essential, I'd venture to say that you won't like the remaster either.

And I definitely agree that, although it's not stated, the Japanese box is probably limited in some sense -- perhaps purely by demand for the product. I can't imagine that the Japanese box set will sell all that well (after the initial rush) and I doubt the demand will be there to keep it in print. Although it might stay in some demand if it is not pressed in the US at a cheaper price point and perhaps we'll see the individual studio albums released as mini-LPs on CD at some point.

I'd like to help you with HT and LT, but I'm not sure I can describe it in a way that you find helpful. In my opinion, like the Tunnel tracks, the new masters (or some variation of it) for the songs on the 2015 Essential release (Human Touch, Better Days, If I Should Fall Behind) sound almost identical to the 2018 CDs. So maybe that's a place for you to start -- remember that the song Human Touch on Essential is the faded single edit.

 

I wasn't even going to pick up the Vol 1 CD box until PopMarket put it up for $35. Probably had slow sales on it and decided they didn't need to do it for farless popular albums in Vol 2.

 

Well, just to clarify, I do like how the Tunnel tracks sound and I do like the remastering on the 2015 Essential disc 2...I like how the songs sound for the most part! The audio isn't perfect though, "One Step Up" sounds a little funny...the bass guitar seems to be jacked up too much and gives off what sounds like a heavy reverb effect, which gives the song less clarity and "Radio Nowhere" is still marred by the bombastic original production and is a too loud, but it does sound remastered though.

So, if the 2018 individual Japan CDs sound the same or similar to how they sound on the U.S. 2015 Essential set, then I will probably like how they sound!

It's just very odd that we still don't know if a U.S. Vol.2 CD Box is coming out in the near future, if I knew that I would wait for it, but now I'm faced with spending a lot more for the Japan CD Box, which might use questionable source material, as we can still only guess what masters or remasters are being used for this Box for the four studio albums?

 

Has anyone else bought the Vol. 2 Japan CD boxed set yet, would like to hear from others as well who have listened to the 2018 Japan CDs?

By the way, I think CD Japan had stocked 12 copies of the Vol.2 CD Box, but as of tonight, they are completely SOLD OUT...

The Album Collection [Cardboard Sleeve (mini LP)] Vol.2 1987-1996 [Limited Release] Bruce Springsteen CD Album

 

The LP Box set gradually dropped in price on Amazon throughout the day yesterday. I need this thing to get to $150 before I even flinch.

 

It does state that it's a limited release and I can't imagine that they pressed too many of these given that fact that they didn't even bother to press it for the US market.

Maybe getting this sooner than later would be prudent before the well runs dry across the various online retailers...

 

I just ordered the vinyl from the Amazon Warehouse Deals--an extra 20% off today, so it came down to $133. It was described as "Used--Very Good" but that's what Vol. 1 said 2 years ago and it arrived unplayed with a little damage to the box. I wasn't planning to get this set--just the individual records of a few if they came out separately--but I am listening to the audiobook of "Born to Run" and Bruce's description of The Ghost of Tom Joad made me intrigued, so I re-listened on CD and remembered how much I liked the album, and then one thing led to another. And it's hard to beat the price. (There were a couple more left a few minutes ago after I ordered if anyone is interested.) I'm sure it won;t be anywhere near as frequently on my turntable as volume 1, but I'm looking forward to hearing all of these in vinyl--in which format I only ever bought only Tunnel of Love from this box.

And now I will of course have to buy Vol. 3 when it comes out.

 

Like last time with "Vol. 1" these remasters will probably be released individually on CD and LP within the next year.

I'll wait until then as I cherry pick the albums I like the best.

 

How long after the Vol.1 set did the LPs get released individually?

 

The Volume 1 Box set was released in November 2014 and the seven individual albums were released as a tie-in to Record Store Day in April 2015.

 

I broke down and bought a Japanese Vol 2