Morrison.....Payin' Dues?

I just picked up the 2002 Fruit Tree release Van Morrison "Payin' Dues".
Great packaging! Sound.....awful. Terrible with headphones. I usually last one song, tops. What gives? Is there a version out there that doesn't sound like compressed ass? I mean.........

 

These are just throw away demos, that Van did, to get out of a recording contract.

The first, official release, came out a few years ago, and I don't think they get much better than this.

 

If you're after the well known Bang material as opposed to the demos and outtakes, I think the Mark Wilder remixes on Epic Legacy's "Bang Masters" could be the way to go. Incredible clarity although (as is typical with remixes) some may find it a bit bright.

 

Look for the "Blowin' My Mind" gold disc too! I think it came in gold.

 

Carl, Blowin' Your Mind was released by Columbia on the Epic / Legacy label as part of thier gold disc SMB reissue series. It's catalog number ZK 66220. Check at half.com. I've seen it there for reasonable prices. The sound on the disc is probably the best you can expect for these tracks.

 

Well, this version gives absolutely no credit or explanation for the mastering. It does have a whole bunch of outtakes that the "Blowin Your Mind" album doesn't have. Many are excellent tracks. I just can't believe this is how the master tapes sound? Maybe they are the remixes you are referring to Peter? Bright and completely disconcerting with a set of headphones. Will be looking for the gold disc for comparison.

 

Carl,
As Peter (and others) have stated, the best version of the Bang era songs is the Epic Bang Masters from 1991. It has the essential songs and does not include all the "throw-away" songs which you already have on Payin' Dues and aren't worth listening to more than once anyway.

The Bang material (with and without the extra songs) has been licensed and reissued over and over so many times it's unbelievable. There are some examples on the Van Morrison Website. Most of the time these are put out as one or two discs sets, but I've seen a three disc set released down in Peter's part of the world.

Avoid the crap and stick with the Bang Masters from Epic which is still in print. (I never got the gold disc, so I don't know if it sounded better or not)

Also if you want more suggestions on Van's releases, there are several people here on the list that would be glad to help.