Q re: mastering on Warren Zevon CD's

I know Rhino's done a remastering for it's "Genius: Best of Warren Zevon" CD, and I was wondering how the sound compares with the older CD's? I'm thinking of buying the self-titled disc and "Excitable Boy," but Rhino is supposedly working on some remastered editions. Assuming the sound will be similar to that on "Genius," should I wait for the remasters?

 

I bought Rhino's 2 CD comp I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, which sounds slightly less maximized than the Genius set, and that's good for me for now. From that standpoint, I'm waiting for the inevitable remasters of the Asylum catalogue before I buy any of those.

Rumor has it that the live Stand In The Fire and The Envoy, neither of which have ever been on CD, are being worked on for early 2004. I'd imagine the rest will follow shortly thereafter, at least I hope so.

 

Really, "Genius" is maximized? I thought Inglot was always against that sort of thing, but lately, I've been getting the sense that he's hitting the limiter. Check out the Loud, Fast, Out of Control box set.

Are the current "old" CD's, taken on their own terms, okay? I may just spring for that.

 

The original (and as far as I know, current) issues of the Elektra/Asylum material (Warren Zevon, Excitable Boy, Bad Luck Streak) sound fine to me. The S/T album is especially good, happily.

I haven't heard the new remasters of the Virgin albums (Sentimental Hygiene, Transverse City). The originals are OK.

Ryan

 

It's not as bad as it could have been, but when making a car comp using souces from both I'll Sleep When I'm Dead and Genius, I had to bring the levels on the Genius cuts down a peg or two in volume to get them to match up.

Remember, Inglot was answering to a higher power (the suits upstairs at WEA) when he mastered Genius. When he did I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, Rhino was still an independent company who didn't necessarily have to please the corporate guys.

 

I have been listening to the 'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead' set for months now, I found one used around Christmas last year.

Not as musical as the vinyl, burning black cd's of the set helped considerably but the orig. Asylum vinyl is still more melifluous and more dynamic.

Have played it only about a zillion times though. Get one if you can.