I have the 25th anniv. of Get Lucky and the two-fer Loverboy/Get Lucky on 2-CD set. Both these are remasters. I also have Classics (a compilation Sony CD, 1994). The 25th and the 2-CD set are pretty compressed. The 1994 Classics CD sounds excellent on the tracks from various albums. I'm looking to complete my Loverboy collection. Thinking about the 2013 5-CD set, Original Album Classics: Loverboy . Anyone know whether 1983-1987 albums were remastered for the 2013 box?
Usually - the Original Album Classics series uses the unremastered originals. However - I have also seen instances where these 5 packs contain versions that are "hotter" than the orginal counterparts. But if you want the best - seek out the originals. The first 3 albums on the original Columbia CDS sound excellent. You can scope out some historical DR data on a bunch of different releases here: Album list - Dynamic Range Database VP
It's tough to find the originals (first four CD albums, non-remastered) -- at a reasonable price, that is.
On Discogs, I was looking at the non-remastered (i.e., orig. 80's) CD covers of: KIU and LEMOI. Digitally Mastered Analog Recording. For Wildside (1987), the notes state: "Digitally Mastered / Analog Recording ; Digitally mixed and mastered" I have nothing against digital-to-analog (ADA) for Lp releases. But I think these albums make good case to opt for the CD.
Just checked my Loverboy CDs. I got S/T and Get Lucky, both DADC. The latter was one of the first albums (LPs) I ever owned. Many years later I was happy to find the CD in the bins for cheap.
Nice! I managed finding a DADC Stamper of S/T a few years ago. Casual fan (radio/party burnout over the decades ) so if I see em in the used bin for cheap i'll grab em!
I hear you on the radio burnout, though if they came on the radio today I would crank it up! I am still after a copy of Keep It Up and maybe Notorious. I'd love if AF or MFSL did a great mastering of one of their comps, though.
For the S/T, the earliest CD in the U.S. was made by DADC and the matrix would end "21A_" where the "_" stands for a number. I am not sure whether this CD sounds the same as the earliest CSR Japan for Europe release with the matrix ending "11". For the second album, the early CSR Japan for US is a slightly different mastering from the slightly later DADC pressings. For Keep It Up, the early CSR Japan for US is the same as the early Japan for Japan CSR. I do not know about the later DADC pressings, as I have never heard them.
As far as compilations, I'll re-endorse the Classics --Their Greatest Hits (1994, Sony) CD. I do have the Japanese release from 1997 (Epic – ESCA 7643). The liner reports: Remastered By [Digitally Remastered] – George Marino; Sterling Sound, NYC. As far as dr-loudnesss, this compilation is almost as good as orig. (non-RM) tracks.
Okay ... I have the 2013 5-CD set in my possession (quick acquisition: one of the advantages of living in large city like LA!). I can confirms that the dynamic range of all albums in this set (except GL) matches those of the orig. (early 80s era) CD reported on: Album list - Dynamic Range Database I assume that Sony simply re-used the 2006 remaster of GL (25 anniv.). Not sure about various (purported) country-to-country mastering differences that were employed (if at all!), back in the day.
The first four original CDs sound really good; if you can find any of those I think you will be happy with them. The BGOs sound louder, and I want to say there is some slight distortion. I still can't decide which ones to hang on to and which to trade in, so I have kept them all.
What about the 1989 compilation "Big Ones"? 14 tracks, DR numbers look good. Has anyone compared this one to "Classics"? I am tempted by the 5-disc set if they're mostly original masterings, but I think 5 discs of Loverboy is too much Loverboy for me.
I have been on a Canadian rock kick for the past few days listening to some Loverboy, whose first two albums were the bomb and formed the backdrop for a lot of partying during early college. Get Lucky, in particular, had one fine set of tracks. I currently own two versions of it, The 25th Anniversary Edition and one appearing in a BGO two-fer, coupled with their first album. Soon, I will be receiving another version containing the much liked early Japanese mastering. My intent is to compare all three, and I will report back on that. In the mean time, I have been spinning the 25th Anniversary Edition issued by Columbia/Legacy in 2006, and it has been surprising to me just how good it sounds. My surprise stems not from the fact that it has been compressed because, though it has, it is really not too bad in that regard. Rather my surprise stems from the album having been remastered by Joseph Palmaccio, whose more recent efforts I have often found suboptimal (Gunfighter Ballads & Trail Songs, Essential Neil Diamond, Very Best of Dan Fogelberg, etc.). It is possible that Paul Dean's involvement in the reissue as a producer might have improved the outcome. Whatever the case, this is a serviceable release of Get Lucky on CD. However, I do need to regain this album on vinyl, not simply for audio reasons, but also for a more expansive view of those red leather pants .
In my last post, I offered the 25th Anniversary Edition of Get Lucky as a "serviceable" release, but I had not yet compared it to other versions. It surprised me how decent it sounded given its recency and mastering by Joseph Palmaccio. I now own three versions of this album on CD, an original European release, as well as the 25th Anniversary remaster and a remastered version on a 2006 BGO two-fer. In comparing these, I first show dynamic range data and in a subsequent post, will provide comments on how the versions sound. Loverboy, Get Lucky, CBS, 462522 2, bar code 5099746252229 (Early release mastered by DADC Austria) DR Peak RMS Filename ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR12 -1.51 dB -14.76 dB 01 Working For The Weekend DR12 -0.97 dB -16.99 dB 02 When It's Over DR11 -2.01 dB -14.60 dB 03 Jump DR12 -2.28 dB -15.61 dB 04 Gangs In The Street DR11 -2.04 dB -15.07 dB 05 Emotional DR12 -1.52 dB -14.98 dB 06 Lucky Ones DR12 -0.79 dB -15.25 dB 07 It's Your Life DR12 -1.39 dB -15.27 dB 08 Watch Out DR12 -1.46 dB -16.61 dB 09 Take Me To The Top ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Official DR value: DR12 Loverboy, Get Lucky, 2006, BGO Records, BGOCD719, bar code 5017261207197 (Coupled with Loverboy's first album, remastered by Andrew Thompson) DR Peak RMS Filename ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR11 over -12.17 dB Working For the Weekend DR11 over -14.50 dB When It's Over DR10 -0.00 dB -12.25 dB Jump DR11 over -13.07 dB Gangs In The Street DR11 -0.00 dB -12.62 dB Emotional DR11 over -12.63 dB Lucky Ones DR11 over -12.65 dB It's Your Life DR11 over -12.81 dB Watch Out DR11 over -12.77 dB Take Me To The Top ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Official DR value: DR11 Loverboy, Get Lucky, 2006, Columbia/Legacy, 07464 62082 2, bar code 074646208229 (25th Anniversary Edition remastered by Joseph Palmaccio DR Peak RMS Filename ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR9 -0.50 dB -10.64 dB 01 Working For The Weekend DR9 over -12.07 dB 02 When It's Over DR9 over -11.07 dB 03 Jump DR11 over -12.32 dB 04 Gangs In The Street DR10 over -11.49 dB 05 Emotional DR10 over -11.56 dB 06 Lucky Ones DR9 over -11.62 dB 07 It's Your Life DR10 over -12.08 dB 08 Watch Out DR11 over -13.72 dB 09 Take Me To The Top ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Official DR value: DR10 It is obvious that these release clearly differ with the early European disc exhibiting no clipping and having the most dynamic range. Just how such differences might have affected sound will be discussed later. Now it is time to listen.
I don't know anything about Loverboy but Turn Me Loose is totally great. Does any of their stuff come close to it / better?
Another reason I hate Loverboy. In 1982 I seen them at the Saginaw Civic Center with a couple of my friends. After the concert I saw a girl I had went to high school with and I stopped to talk to her. Admittedly it was a good 45 minutes. When I went to look for my friends, they had taken off. So I went back to look for the girl and the people she were with. They had taken off too. I ended up walking home through some not very nice parts of Saginaw. I had stopped at a store to use the phone and this old guy offered to give me a ride about half way. After that I had to walk another ten miles. I didn't get home until five in the morning. A great story now, but honestly they weren't very good in concert. I didn't see the girl again until our 30th high school reunion.
I have been embedded with Loverboy's Get Lucky over the past 24 hours, that is, with the 3 CD versions I own--an original Austrian master, the BGO remaster from 2006, and the 25th Anniversary Columbia/Legacy remaster from the same year. It has turned out a fairly difficult task to clarify differences among these releases. For one thing, Mike Reno's vocal style is somewhat resistant to the depredations of compression. What is more, Loverboy's music is not necessarily meant to be all that dynamic in the first place, and is obviously best when played loud. Nevertheless, I finally landed a viewpoint, with my favorite Loverboy song, Take Me to the Top, being the key. Take Me to the Top presents very nicely on the Austrian disc (CBS 462522 2), with the opening keyboard synthesizer sounding nicely fuzzy and guitar work patent and funky throughout. A concern with many early CDs is the top end being distorted or mushy, but no such thing happens on this disc. Upper frequencies are pleasing and engaging. As on many early CDs, however, bass is somewhat lacking, but not disconcertingly so. Mike Reno's vocals are quite expressive, and appropriately for this song, take on a "desperate" tone. Take Me to the Top from the 2006 BGO two-fer is quite a different beast. Low end has been more heavily emphasized, which does compensate for some of the deficiencies of the earlier release, but the overall presentation goes slightly awry. Though the synthesizer is a bit less fuzzy and guitar less funky, these differences are not the overarching problem. Mike Reno no longer sounds desperate, but instead, somewhat sinister. The entire presentation is, in fact, darker and more somber, and definitely less anthemic. This leaves Take Me to the Top from the 25th Anniversary Edition. Bass is also more pronounced on this release, but issues of tone arise again. This time, however, the tone is not off, it is simply not on at all. Reno's vocals are neither desperate nor dark, but weirdly neutered. As a consequence, the song is far less entrancing or engaging. To some extent, the differences I found on Take Me to the Top carry through to other tracks on the discs. Reno's voice generally remains the most restrained on the 25th Anniversary set and the most emotive on the earliest release, with the BGO falling somewhere in between. I, nonetheless, find none of these releases entirely unacceptable, although I most favor the early Austrian disc, followed by the BGO, with the 25th Anniversary Edition coming in last. Loverboy, Get Lucky, CBS, 462522 2, bar code 5099746252229 (mastered by DADC Austria)
Recently I purchased the Austrian-made version of the late 80s Loverboy compilation Big Ones, being curious whether its mastering might differ from the American counterpart. Some preliminary data from Dynamic Range Database would suggest it does. Anyhow, I ran some numbers on it and have obtained the following: Loverboy, Big Ones, 1989, CBS, 466006 2 (Made in Austria) Peak level (EAC): 99.9/100/100/100/99.9/100/100/100/100/100/99.8/99.9/99.9/99.8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR Peak RMS Filename ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR11 -0.00 dB -12.43 dB 01 Working For The Weekend DR12 -0.00 dB -13.17 dB 02 For You DR12 -0.00 dB -13.52 dB 03 The Kid Is Hot Tonight DR12 over -14.03 dB 04 Lovin' Every Minute Of It DR10 -0.00 dB -11.88 dB 05 Lucky Ones DR10 over -11.76 dB 06 Hot Girls In Love DR12 over -14.33 dB 07 This Could Be The Night DR13 -0.00 dB -14.10 dB 08 Ain't Looking For Love DR11 -0.00 dB -13.45 dB 09 Turn Me Loose DR11 -0.00 dB -12.61 dB 10 Notorious DR13 -0.01 dB -15.55 dB 11 When It's Over DR12 -0.00 dB -12.96 dB 12 Too Hot DR12 -0.00 dB -14.04 dB 13 Take Me To The Top DR13 -0.01 dB -16.02 dB 14 Heaven In Your Eyes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Official DR value: DR12 If anyone could post similar information for the American version of this release, that would be most helpful. It would be nice to determine which sounds best.
