Did I say anything about this album sounding bad? No clue on the UK lp Alex. I remember seeing the US lp in the cut-out bins years ago, I should of grabbed it
I only own the original CD -- excluding the new "remaster" that is coming out in 2018, is anything else worth owning? E.g., Wishful Thinking? or the stuff on the deluxe 2-CD version? History has not been kind to remasters, so I am not looking forward to the super deluxe edition remaster in 2018.
I was always under the impression he played on Duel. To my ears the drums on that track certainly have his distinctive sound, unlike the drumming on the rest of the album.
If you like the album and are a fan of remixes, there are several releases that are worth picking up since ZTT released loads of mixes and they were some of the more experimental and interesting ones of the 80s. They have respectable DR numbers (most tracks are over DR10) despite the fact that they are recent releases and I think all of them are under $10 at Deep Discount. The 1234 album had a personnel change and is less edgy and more poppy than the debut but it's still a decent album if you've already picked up the other releases.
I’m a big fan of dynamic, early masters and I kept the 2010 2CD remaster. It’s a bit more compressed than the original CD, but still good sounding. I like the analogue versions. I had never heard them before, as I only owned the original CD.
I just pulled Propaganda A Secret Wish from my vinyl boxes in the garage. I always remember it sounded good but not this good !!!!! With better gear now this is an AMAZING sounding record on vinyl. Someone mentioned classic Production from the 80s. Too true.
Love this photo from Claudia's Facebook page, along with the following: Presenting… xPropaganda — Claudia Brücken and Susanne Freytag perform A Secret Wish at The Garage, London on 24 March 2018. Tickets are now on sale: xPROPAGANDA Tickets For those who heed the call of the machine, we salute you…
Woooo! Booked! I thought it wasn't going to happen...thanks for the heads up. I bought this LP when it came out after seeing Dr Mabuse promo on OGWT. Loved P.Machinery and still do. Never seen Claudia before and this is fulfilling an ambition. So many great gigs this year and this is going to be right up there with the Cure, Morrissey and TheThe. Happy as a pig in unko.
Got my Cassette version of a Secret Wish today, waiting for AMZ UK to ship the new cd and lp. Like Ghost in the Machine by the Police, I must have every version!! Human Leagues coming to Vegas in a few months, another secret wish would be for Duel to join them here!
I got the new vinyl A Secret Wish through the post today. I don't really know why I bought it, because I've got a perfectly good NM original copy - I think I just wanted to see what the Art Of The Album hype was about, and it was pretty cheap. It's a very good facsimile, but as with most modern reissue records, the sleeve design is a tiny bit less distinct and noticeably darker. This means that you see a little less detail on the black and white photos of the band. Strangely, the 12" sleeve reproduction insert (or 'Art Print' as they call it) is less dark than the sleeve. It also looks a little bit bluer than my original...and less nicotine yellow (I used to smoke a lot). You get a 12" six sided insert with text by Ian Peel and a few mostly b&w photos. There are a couple of good ones of Suzanne and Claudia, but that's it really. The vinyl is heavy and very flat. It looks really nice, they have pretty much reproduced the label and the original inner bag with a couple of extra credits. The strange thing is, the record sounds noticeably quieter in volume that the original UK. A victim of the quietness war? I had this with the recent Iggy Pop Idiot/Lust For Life reissues, but this is a bit of a surprise. It sounds quietly good on first listen, but I've only given it a brief spin. It will be interesting if the cd is mastered quieter too. Surely not! This is most irregular.
Thanks for the review. My original thoughts of what it would sound like have been confirmed. It suffers from the generic reissue syndrome where the volume on the cut is so low that its not worth it. The Stone Roses debut LP reissue is one of the worst, but I have also been in contact with a Bob Marley Legend recent cut and its a joke. In the scope of how much vinyl is cut these days, so few of it go through a proper cutting engineer like Chris Bellman, Bernie Grundman etc. A lot of the old breed have moved on. What you are left with is a fairly flat computer mastered cut straight from digital with no dynamics. Out of interest, what's the matrix info. The MOV cut from a few years back sounded fine and fairly close to the original, so to me it would of made sense to use their lacquers. If they have gone their own way though....(which sounds like it from your review), to hear this album at its best, pick up an original pressing for reasonable money.
Claudia Brücken in Record Collector asked what her two favorite artists are she said "Neil Young" & Patti Smith" she would like to ask them how they go about writing their songs.
Dead wax says it was cut by Matt Colton @ Alchemy Mastering Have to agree about the artwork, it is a touch darker and less defined than the original. The vinyl however, pleasantly surprised me. Usually I expect the worst when it comes to vinyl re-issues (and CD ones to be fair), but this is a really nice pressing. Heavy, flat, looks good and most importantly sounds fairly good too. Yes it's a bit quieter and maybe not quite as dynamic as the original, but that seems to be the norm these days with modern remasters and conservative cuts that keep away from the label to try and avoid IGD. Not a choice I usually agree with but that's a debate for another day. Sadly I no longer have the original vinyl to compare having left it at an ex friends place back in the mid 90s. Anyway, only had the chance to give it one play so far and didn't notice any extraneous surface noise or imperfections. Bottom end sounded nice and full with no apparent harshnes or sibilance at the top. So far, listening through speakers, it gets my approval. Hopefully it'll pass the headphone listening test later. As it's one of the best albums of the 80s the art print will be getting framed and hung on the wall. That is after all one of the main reasons why I convinced myself to purchase this, my fourth copy of the album. Hey, it was fairly cheap and I'm happy with the vinyl for once.
Can’t compare to original vinyl but this sounds fine to me. Don’t think I’d have commented on quietness if it hadn’t been mentioned. Its certainly full sounding, thick low end and noise free.
She's a big Bowie fan too though. She covered Everyone Says Hi, This Is Not America and Drive-In Saturday. Her version of This Is Not America is pretty fantastic. Brücken & Poppy 'Drive In Saturday'
So has anyone worked out how many unique masterings they are of A Secret Wish? So far I think 1. Original vinyl 2. Original UK/Euro/Japan CD. Features different (untitled) mixes of tracks 1, 3, 4, 6 and 9, compared to the original LP and Cassette editions and includes the b side Frozen Faces. 3. Original US CD which follows the vinyl 4. 1994 Japanese reissue which follows the vinyl but with Frozen Faces inserted and includes bonus tracks 5. Several CD reissues, starting with the 1994 so called 10th anniversary, which follows the vinyl but with Frozen Faces inserted and extended version of Jewel instead of vinyl mix. 6. 1998 CD reissue which follows the vinyl but with frozen faces inserted. Supposedly has vinyl (short) version of Jewel. Might be the same as 5 as many pressings have Jewel listed with the wrong duration. 7. 1999 Wanagram music. Same as 5 but remastered? 8. 2003 20th anniversary released with bonus DVD. Same mastering a 2? 9. 2003 Hybrid SACD. Same as 5 but remastered? 10. 2010 deluxe 2 CD 11. 2011 double LP with Do Well as bonus tracks. Remastered? In additional to the above there are the compilations Wishful Thinking, Outside World & Noise & Girls Come Out to Play. I am not sure if the 2013 best of includes anything new?
