Rush - Original CD release vs remasters

I had all the originals. Then sold 'em all off and got the remasters. But I'm trying to get off the "searching for the best disc, for every disc I own" trip. I was telling a friend, I draw the line at Rush: I'm happy enough with the remasters, I tell myself, I'm happy enough with the remasters ...

But just curious, for those of you who have compared A/B, what release do you think has the biggest difference between the original and remaster? And maybe I'll look at just that one. Yeah, just that one ...

But actually based on the comments here, there are fans of both, and even from owning the lps originally originally, w/o a back to back comparison, the remasters do sound OK to me.

I tell myself ...

 

I like the MFSL discs and also enjoy some of the originals. I haven't been a big fan of the remasters, though I can say that the Exit...Stage Left remaster is wonderful. For whatever reason, they didn't jack up the treble and it does not sound brittle or bright.

The MFSL Permanent Waves seems more aggressive than the MFSL Moving Pictures, Signals, and 2112. Not sure why...perhaps MFSL has changed their approach to EQ for their newer mastering.

I would love to hear MFSL do Hemispheres and Farewell to Kings. This is because the remasters don't quite cut it and the originals, while analog-sounding, sound like a second generation source and perhaps a bit veiled. If Steve ever got ahold of some early Rush titles I would be in heaven.

 

I can completely relate to this. I'm telling myself the same thing right now listening to the remaster of Power Windows....

 

Let me know if you get the original one, and then how it compares.

I really like Power Windows. Underrated IMO.

 

I agree, I'm definitely an 80's Rush fan... Permanent Waves through Power Windows is all I need.

 

Different Strings, man. My favorite Rush song.

You have the Grace Under Pressure Live CD? Packaged with one of the DVDs. Much better IMO than Exit ... Stage Left.

 

I was just comparing US and West German Atomic copies of Power Windows and think the US sounds better. Was there actually a different mastering or could it just be my discs?

I ask because my German disc was badly abused and I actually had to have it buffed in one of those resurfacing machines. So I was wondering if what I was hearing was more due to excess error correction. Pulling them both up in Sound Studio, there is a very slight variation in the duration of the spikes, but the levels seem to be the same.

 

More than likely your CD's. There are both really great sounding and mediocre sounding CD's of both countries pressings. Polishing, buffing, or scratching will generally not change what is on the polycarbonate itself unless the scratch passes through the aluminum to polycarbonate where the data is. I am not including older CDP's with error correction issues that more modern players do not have in the above statement.

 

I've owned both versions, but I have no problems with the remasters. I have the Signals MOFI (it's cheap because there's a missing verse in "Losing It"), and it sounds a little better than the remaster version. If I ever get the money, I'll buy the rest of the MOFIs.

 

I can honestly only think of one remaster that knocks it out of the park, and that's the redbook layer from the Roxy Music Avalon SACD.

Otherwise, I tend to think it's safe to stick with originals when possible. The early Roxy Music / Bryan Ferry CD's were mastered at very low volume... which is fine, but I know bothers some.

(edit) And somehow I started talking Roxy in a Rush thread. Sorry 'bout that.

So back to Rush.... my only experience with Rush remasters are the Retrospective releases, and I'm not a fan. Hints of digital processing and compression are everywhere. But regardless, for Rush I stick with vinyl. I keep Retrospective 3 around because that's a good way of making post Counterparts Rush listenable for me. They were at least able to cobble together a decent song per year over the last decade... but that's about it!

 

Which was not the original intent of the producer. Presto has a very unique sound which shouldn't be f'd with.

 

It's actually "The Weapon" that is missing a line just before the instrumental break. Other than that little glitch, I think the MoFi Signals sounds great.

 

I actually scored the West Germany Atomic pressings of Signals and Grace Under Pressure today at a used record shop here in NJ. At $9 a disc, I couldn't pass them up.

 

So I was a massive Rush fan in the 80s, and after a friend bought me "Beyond The Lighted Stage" I decided to buy some cds. Permanent Waves came through today... its simply The Rush Remaster... it doesn't have much info in the notes... the sleeve is as I remember it from the 80s.... I can't check the original vinyl as my old man threw out all my LPs when I went to Uni! Is this an early remaster or a new one? It sounds a little thin to me... although we all know how things change when reminiscing through "rose tinted ears"...

 

I much prefer the remaster of 'Fly By Night'.

 

Something that surprised me this summer when I picked up a remaster of Test for Echo cheap at a used store was how much I preferred it over my original 90's CD. I didn't expect there to be much of a difference, but the highs on the original sound wooly and brittle whereas on the 2004 remaster, they sound clearer and more focused. I guess it's down to equipment used in the mastering chain sinc eI think they were doing pretty well everything digitally by then and didn't do the dump to analog tape thing until Snakes and Arrows.

 

bumpette

 

I totally agree, I have the back catalogue in both versions and I much prefer the unremastered AAD recordings up to and including Grace Under Pressure.

 

Ditto, I have Signals, MP and Permanent Waves on Mofi, MP is great however I was a little dissapointed with Signals. For me the original has the edge. Yes you can crank the volume up and enjoy a tireless, listening session but I just have my doubts wether it is worth the extra cash?

I listened to PWaves Mofi when i bought it with a little dissapointment also.

 

You have Rush with the Atomic logo??? You're better off than most of us in the Rush dept.

 

Since I posted this I've been also trying to collect the Cdn ANC series. Those are nice as well.

 

I love the original cd of Signals! Cranked it up at work today.

 

The grails seem to shift here, it was the Japan first pressings or WG Atomics, now all of a sudden the ANC, WANC Canuck discs seem to be the ones people want. Is there a Yugoslavian pressing coming next down the line?

 

I mostly like Rush 7os and early 80s stuff , and have almost all of their studio CDs.

Rush was recorded and mixed so well to begin with that I honestly find their regular release CDs to have wonderful sound quality.
I have some that are remasters, and I can't say I see a significant difference.

I was fortunate to walk up on a yard sale a few years ago, and the dude had an entire Rush collection, some of it remasters. I bought most of it up, only leaving the stuff I already had copies of. If I remember right I got them for a couple bucks a CD.

 

Seems most of those early ones are good. I prefer the WG and ANC over the Japanese issues of the Rush titles.