Opinions on All Things Must Pass - CD Versions*

I have the orginal Capitol CD set of George Harrison's set "All Things Must Pass" Im curious if the newer remastered set is worth picking up. Does it sound better than the first Capitol CD?
Your opinion would be appreciated? Thanks

 

Both of the CD releases of "All Things Must Pass" suck, to be blunt. The original sounds really muddy like it was taken from a 5th generation copy, while the remaster has NR and tons of compression added. Vinyl is the best option for this album (US or UK--I have the US Apple issue with "Mastered by Capitol" in the dead wax and it is beautiful). ATMP is one of those albums that really should be experienced in vinyl anyway.

That said, if you don't have access to a turntable (shame on you ) the remaster CD does have more "detail" than the original. But I didn't realize how bad the remaster CD was until I got the album on vinyl.

There's been several threads on this; a search will reveal more.

 

The general consensus here is that it sounds bad and was poorly sequenced. The bonus tracks were put in the middle, noise reduction was heavily used and compression. Do a search for Jon Astley All Things Must Pass.

 

I did the aformentioned search and found the following:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=7659&highlight=Things+Pass

 

...in this case, nothing surpasses the original vinyl! Sure wish SH's mastering made it out...

 

Why? A great CD version would be most welcomed, especially done by SH (already accomplished) sans vinyl noise and the other anomalies associated with good ole vinyl...dang cold digital!

 

I guess I'm just a sucker for the giant three-LP box set, with the textured box, the lyrics printed on the color sleeves, and the huge poster of George looking like a guru

 

yea, but what's that got to do with the aural experience? Don't get me wrong I love the old grand LP artwork too!

 

The remaster is one of the louder CDs I own, and probably the loudest of music of that vintage. And the bonus track remakes are incongruent, to be charitable.

I didn't know that Steve and DCC had actually remastered ALL THINGS MUST PASS. So that title was aborted at a late stage?

 

I'm still wondering what George was thinking when he approved Atsley's work on the remaster. So many other engineers coulda' much better.

 

You summed it up best Michael...

 

IIRC, Steve said It was a done deal, finished, in the can, ready to go.

 

I think it hadn't got to the mastering stage, but I'm not sure:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showpost.php?p=104903&postcount=4

 

re-read and absorb...

 

I know, teasing ya. I know your opinions well (not that I always agree with them of course).

 

ditto, I'm just teasing back...that's why I cut and pasted your smilies...it's all in fun.

 

Steve said it was done. Finished.

He had to destory the dat in front of a rep.

 

I've always felt that listening to music on vinyl made it seem almost more important than listening on CD, since you have to go to the extra effort to flip the record over after each side (five times with ATMP!). Plus the side breaks alters how the music is heard--it's one thing to end Side 1 with the long fade of "Isn't It A Pity", it's another to have that immediately followed on the CD with "What Is Life".

The vinyl also adds a lot of warmth to the music, which I think helps the production of this album. It's like Phil Spector produced the album with a vinyl medium in mind, which influenced his mixing of instruments (the whole "Wall of Sound" where some instruments can be felt, not heard).

That's not to say I wouldn't welcome a SH-mastered CD as much as anyone else here, but if they released a SH-mastered CD and a SH-mastered LP, I would go with the LP (well, I'd probably end up buying both anyway, but you get what I mean).

 

I bought the original vinyl when it was released back in the 1970's. I also bought the CD set (not the newer remaster). Never had occasion to actually compare the two til recently when I was looking for the best source for a compilation I was working on. The vinyl wins - hands down. I'm not gonna bother with the newer CD remaster.

 

Sorry, there is no good CD version. It's like debating over which turd smells better.

The vinyl sounds very nice.

 

..even when vinyl was the basic popular format available, I use to tape my LP's and shelf the vinyl...I had over 10,000 LP's at one time...never enjoyed any of the drudge of a vinyl rig...when the CD came to pass, I was in heaven...never looked back...with the advent of the GOLD CD (DCC & MFSL), SACD, for me, digital came full circle...I still have a rack of vinyl relegated to the TT rig in our garage...I'm happy with the digital age, and I see better things down the road...

 

I thought I was the only forum member with bad memories of the vinyl experience. It seemed like I'd buy four or five LPs with my paycheck and have to return one every time. And it's not like I was some picky audiophile/collector as a teenager. I just got sick of buying defective, warped, and noisy records I started buying pre-recorded cassettes. The final straw was a new release with an off-center hole, returned for another with an uneven warp, exchanged for the cassette of the title. The cassette worked.

I'm not misty-eyed about the demise (or niche-ification) of vinyl.

 

Nope.

 

I think if I had been the person that did the finished product. I would have made a back up for myself. Just in case I ever wanted to have a copy of it to listen to for myself.

I'm not saying that's what did happen though!

Ya know??

 

I have a burn from Japanese vinyl. Fantastic.