Has anyone bought The Who Ultimate Collection CD's?

I saw it at Wal Mart for $16.84 for the 2 discs plus the bonus disc. While the price was pretty good, I am waiting to see if it is any different than the individual remastered CD's. Can anyone tell me if it's worth getting?

 

Chris,

If you like an over compressed sound they're the ones for you, but if not I'd stick with my MCA SH recordings and the MFSL's (despite what some members think of them).

 

I'm a pathetic Who completist, so I went ahead and picked this up for $15.99 at Best Buy (including the bonus disc).

I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but the liners indicate that it was remastered (by Astley, of course) "from the original mixes."

Interesting, if true -- this would be the first new release of the original masters since the remixes were put out starting eight years ago.

Since it's Astley, it'll probably still sound crummy, but it may well be different from the "normal" (remixed) remasters.

Ryan

 

What on the Bonus disc? Are there unreleased tracks? Thanks

 

1. Substitute (Rare U.S. Single Version)
2. I'm A Boy (Early Version)
3. Happy Jack (Acoustic Version - Previously Unreleased)
4. Magic Bus (U.K. Single Version)

 

Is the bonus disc appearence only at certain outlets? ie: Wallyworld and Beast Buy?

 

The bonus disc is supposed to be included with the entire first pressing (probably around 100,000 units), so it should be very easy to get.

Ryan

 

I picked it up on my lunch hour so I won't have a chance to listen to it until around 6pm. However, I noticed a couple of curious track notes. The Kids Are Alright shows in the booklet as being 2:45. So, Astley is giving us the US edit which means no Pete solo?

Then Who Are You is described on a sticker on the jewel case as the version appearing in CSI on TV. I wonder how that differs from the album version. It appears to clock in around the same.

Does anyone have any info on this.

Thanks,

Brian

 

The Who - The Ultimate Collection: A Review

Ok, so I've had a chance to listen to this for a few hours in the car, and now I'm able to listen closely under headphones. First, some general comments/observations:

- this set uses the original mixes. This is stated in the notes, and listening confirms it. IMO this is a Good Thing, but YMMV.
- they finally found and used the stereo mixes of Boris The Spider and Magic Bus.
- in typical Jon Astley fashion, many of the tracks feature noise reduction, as well as an EQ that can easily give one a headache at medium to high volume levels.
- a few tracks are presented in FAKE stereo (more below).
- none of the Talmy tracks are the remixed stereo versions that will be out in a few months.
- once again, The Relay is not included.
- early reports suggested that Young Man Blues (the version from Odds & Sods) would be included here, but the tracklist was changed and it is not on the final package.

Here's a track by track review. All tracks are in true stereo unless otherwise noted.

Disc: 1 (67:22)
1. I Can't Explain (mono)
- It seems as if they used a decent source for this (similar to the one found on the Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy CD), but the bass seems to be very jacked up.

2. Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (mono)
- Not a bad source, but Astley's characteristic noise reduction is clearly present during the opening notes, which have a ringing/metallic quality to them. Not smooth/natural at all.

3. My Generation (mono)
- Similar to tracks 1 and 2.

4. The Kids Are Alright (mono)
- As above. This is the shorter edited version, NOT the complete version as found on the box set.

5. A Legal Matter (mono)
- As above. The noise reduction doesn't seem *quite* as bad here. The vocals seem a bit distorted.

6. Substitute (mono)
- The noise reduction isn't terrible here, but it's there. A bit shrill.

7. I'm A Boy
- The original stereo mix, previously found on the Who's Better Who's Best CD. Without doing an A/B comparison, this version *seems* to have more bottom end. The noise reduction doesn't seem to be quite so bad here. The vocals seem a bit clouded, but not terrible. I'll have to check on a few players, but it seems as if some of the vocals overload here, something not found on other versions.

8. Boris The Spider
- Again, the original stereo mix. The noise reduction seems a bit lighter here than on some of the other songs. Overall it seems a bit thin sounding, and the vocals are a bit clouded.

9. Happy Jack (fake stereo)
- A sonic mess. The overall sound is muddy, and there's some sort of VERY strange processing going on to make it sound like it's in stereo. The worst song so far.

10. Pictures Of Lily (mono)
- Not bad, but nothing great, either. The noise reduction is there again, especially evident on the end fade.

11. I Can See For Miles
- As mentioned above, the *original* stereo mix, which has the guitar moving across the stereo channels during the solo. A solid bottom end, but compared to other versions it's hard on the ears - it just doesn't "flow" like it should.

12. Call Me Lightning (fake stereo)
- Similar to Happy Jack. Some VERY strange fake stereo processing. It gives the illusion that the drums (the snare anyway) are coming out of the right channel, but it hurts a *lot* more than it helps.

13. Magic Bus
- Again, as previously mentioned, the stereo mix, for the first time on a reissued CD. And it doesn't sound too bad. The midrange still isn't as clear as it should be (the vocals seem clouded). The noise reduction can clearly be heard at the fade, where the sound totally falls apart into a mess. They did use the master, though, as the intro is somewhat extended (although not complete).

14. Pinball Wizard
- Lots of noise reduction on this one. The intro feels very "cramped" compared to other versions. The bass also seems to be boosted a bit. The overall EQ just doesn't seem to properly represent what the song is all about.

15. I'm Free
- Same as with Pinball. Not good.

16. See Me, Feel Me
- Same thing. You can hear that "underwater" sound from the noise reduction at the start of the track. Although, the noise reduction does seem to be toned down at the end, as the fade doesn't fall apart like on some of the other songs. Note that this is only the second half of We're Not Gonna Take It, even though there was room for the entire song on the CD.

17. The Seeker
- More of the same, really. A lot of bass and a kind of harsh high end.

18. Summertime Blues (Live)
- Not as bad as the previous few tracks, but the sound still isn't easy on the ears. While the original Polydor CD sound very natural, this sounds processed in comparison. The high end is jacked up a bit.

19. My Wife
- There actually seems to be little or no noise reduction on this track. However, the EQ seems to be in favor of the drums. On all of the Who's Next material, the drums in particular were somewhat "mushy" sounding - not as crisp as some would like. While the highly rated Canadian CD is EQ'd for the vocals (thus leaving the drums slightly mushy), this sounds like it was EQ'd for the drums. As such, everything is a bit on the shrill side. It sounds good for a brief listen, but causes fatigue after awhile.

20. Baba O'Riley
- As with My Wife, there's little or no noise reduction here. And, as with My Wife, the EQ is in favor of the drums, causing the song in general to have a somewhat shrill/harsh sound to it. It's as if the sound is attacking the listener, not flowing past him (or her).

21. Bargain
- Same deal, really. There's actually more noticeable tape hiss on these tracks compared to the Canadian CD, probably due to the EQ used, and possibly due to the source tapes (I have a feeling, but am unsure, that they didn't use the actual original tapes for this package - the Canadian CD did).

Disc: 2 (68:51)
1. Behind Blue Eyes
- It does seem as if noise reduction was used here. While there's audible tape hiss in the intro, something just feels missing. It's simply harder on the ears than the Canadian CD.

2. Won't Get Fooled Again
- Definitely more noise reduction here. There's less hiss, and the sound just "cuts through you". Listening to the synth in the intro, even at a normal level, makes my ears hurt. Once again, the EQ seems to be in favor of the drums.

When listening to this, even my girlfriend, who normally doesn't notice mastering differences, commented. It went something like "Ewwwww! That's not good! It seems like on your Steve (Hoffman) CDs, the vocals come through more. Here it seems like they kind of get lost."

To clear things up for anyone who doesn't know, Steve Hoffman mastered the Canadian CD.

3. Let's See Action
- A LOT of noise reduction here. The intro is devoid of ALL hiss. Everything sounds very unnatural. A real ear-strainer.

4. Pure & Easy
- Similar to Let's See Action. Very little hiss, and the drums have that "I've been treated to noise reduction" quality to them. Once you get past the intro things get a *little* better, but not much. Not good.

5. Join Together
- Same thing. Almost no hiss in the intro. Anyone who is familiar with this material knows that there IS hiss on these tapes. Trying to get rid of it only makes things sound worse, which this CD clearly proves.

6. Long Live Rock
- Again, a lot of noise reduction. At the moment I'm not sure which mix this is, the Odds & Sods mix of the Kids Are Alright mix. I *think* it's the TKAA mix, although the piano seems a bit louder than I remember it.

7. The Real Me
- At first listen this doesn't seem quite as bad as some of the above tracks, but it is still on the harsh/uneasy side.

8. 5:15
- As above.

9. Love Regin O'er Me
10. Squeeze Box
11. Who Are You
12. Sister Disco
13. You Better You Bet
14. Eminence Front

I won't say much in particular about the last few tracks. You Better You Bet seems to be on the heavy-handed side in terms of noise reduction. All are on the harsh side. Note that the original mix of Eminence Front has Pete's vocal off to one side.

Disc: 3 ("4-track collector's Bonus Disc) (12:33)
1. Substitute (Rare U.S. Single Version) (mono)
- The source isn't all that great, but on first listen it seems as if the mastering isn't too heavy-handed - if there's noise reduction, it's not as much as on some of the other tracks. This is the edited version with different vocals - "I try walking forward but my feet walk back" instead of "I look all white but my dad was black."

2. I'm A Boy (Early Version) (mono)
- This is the version from Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy, BUT 1) it's in mono (MBBB has it in stereo), and 2) the (8 second) intro is cut off. It starts right at "One girl was called..." I don't know why this would be in mono, unless someone *thought* the MBBB was fake stereo (it's an odd mix, but it is true stereo). Also, the playing time is 3:20 vs. 3:42 - as of yet I don't know where the missing 14 seconds went (since 8 were cut off in the intro).

3. Happy Jack (Acoustic Version - Previously Unreleased) (mono)
- This pretty much sounds like the acoustic version on the A Quick One reissue, except it is missing the viola in places. The cymbal crashes are also a lot more "out there" than on the AQO version. So, it *is* a unique/different mix. To these ears it sounds like this was an original mono "working" mix, while the version on AQO was a remix from the multitracks. I could be wrong, however.

4. Magic Bus (U.K. Single Version) (mono)
- The same mono version we've seen at least 3 times on the "remastered" CDs. Why they included it again here is beyond me.

Conclusions:

While this seemed to be a noble effort, with nice packaging, decent sources, and some mixes fans have wanted, it was ruined by poor mastering. Some tracks are better/worse than others, but simply put, everything can be found in better sound elsewhere. A real shame, as this could have finally be a definitive collection (other than the omission of The Relay, that is). If you're looking for a sonic upgrade, look elsewhere..

Also, the booklet has pictures of all the various album covers, and the one used for My Generation is the British cover. Perhaps there is hope that that version will be used for the cover the My Generation reissue due out later this summer.

Luke

 

Wow, thanks lukpac. Great review.

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

 

Lukpac,

I appreciate your time and effort reviewing this double disc anthology for us.

Thanks,

Brian

 

Great Review!

Luke,

Excellent, detailed review, very helpful.

Bob

 

Luke,

Thanks for the review. What is the Canadian CD, mastered by Steve, to which you make reference? Also, for someone who wants the best sounding Who CD with their basic hits, which one do you recommend?

Chip

 

Good one Luke.
The Canadian Whos Next CD (MCABD 37217 available at HMV.com and currently US$6.57!!) is the only currently available version using Steve's mastering. The importance of this is:
1. the remastering was done from the real original stereo master (unlike other later copies)
2. It was not NoNoised (unlike the remix and other later unremixed copies) and
3. It just sounds better.

 

John gave you the info on the Canadian CD. An original Japanese-pressed CD is slightly better, but really hard to come by. Details are around here if you search.

Unfortunately, there's no 1 CD to get for the hits that sounds good. A while back I gave the Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy CD a review and compared it to some other hits CDs out there. If you do a search here you'll find it. Basically, some songs sound the best on MBBB, while others don't. Until Steve is able to do some type of Who GH package (which I doubt will ever happen), you'll have to buy a number of different CDs (and in some cases LPs) to get the best sound.

 

As Luke said, there isn't one CD that is consistently great. But track down the out-of-print "Who's Better Who's Best" set, mastered by Erick Labson, and supplement it with the still-in-print-in-Canada CD of "Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy", mastered by Steve Hoffman (available at absound.ca, hmv.com, etc). Between those two discs you will have decent-sounding versions of all the basic hits.

Must to avoid: "My Generation: The Very Best of the Who".

 

Let's see...WBWB wasn't done by Labson. I don't have the CD handy, and the person who did do it is escaping me at the moment, but I believe they did some other MCA discs around that time.

Of course, you'll want Steve's version of Who's Next for Won't Get Fooled Again...

 

Greg Fugaszi (something like that) did the WBWB mastering.

 

Greg Fulginiti, that's it... He did a few of the Chess boxes.

 

thanks Luke!!

Hey Luke Man..

thanks for the great review. I'm waiting for the Shel Talmy Cds!!

Mikey

 

Thanks for remembering the name.

 

Re: The Who - The Ultimate Collection: A Review

I picked up a copy today, and I wish like hell I'd waited until some reviews came in here; I share Luke's view that this was a great opportunity for a (relatively) definitive overview that they ruined by mastering half-Astley.

 

Thanks to everyone for all the Who info!

I went ahead and ordered the Canadian pressings of MBB&B and Who's Next.

I love this band and definitely want anything that's passed through Steve's hands.



On the downside, today on the way home from work, my tape player ate my own collection of Who tunes. I called it "Who You Should Know", and it *did* include "The Relay".


Oh well, I can always make another tape.

 

Curiously ascot, What did it cost you in total, S&H inc.?