The Essential Electric Light Orchestra 2-CD (2011)

The other day I picked up The Essential Electric Light Orchestra 2-CD set, even though I have most of the 2001-2007 individual album reissues. Best Buy had it on sale for $9.99, so I said what the heck. Unfortunately, the mastering on the 2-CD comp is louder and a bit too heavy-sounding...the tracks aren't as warm and sharp as on the remastered individual CDs. The last two tracks, "Surrender" and "Latitude 88 North" are the worst IMO, as they sound so much clearer on the individual CDs.

Has anyone else noticed this also about the 2-CD comp?

 

Has anyone else compared the sound quality of the 2-CD "Essential" with the individual CD reissues? The tracks on ESSENTIAL really do have a heaviness to them...I'm not sure technically how to describe it, but the bass or something is bumped up too high, plus the comp is too loud.

 

Is this the comp that Jeff Lynne completely re-recorded everything? If so, that would explain the difference, even though I've been told this was a very good re-record.

 

No, that is MR. BLUE SKY: THE VERY BEST OF ELO...I am referring to the 2011 2-CD ESSENTIAL comp. I was hoping it would sound like the individual remastered CDs, but it is much louder and the tracks sound a bit heavy...I'm not sure if all of the tracks are brickwalled, but they are too deep, not as sharp as on the '01-'07 CDs.

 

Does it say if the tracks were remastered by a specific person for the compilation?

 

I just checked the booklet, yes....it says mastered by Mark Wilder at Battery Studios, NYC. Is he the guy who did the '01-'07 reissues as well? In any case, my whole point is that it never fails...most comps do not sound as good as individual album remasters, when in theory, the tracks should sound on par or similar. I guess most comps though are supposed to sound a bit off, if the tracks are going thru another set of mastering, but in this case, I can't recommend this comp for sound quality, only for the content.

 

I want to say this compilation is the only ELO music he has worked on, but I can't confirm that. I can confirm he did not do the recent ELO remasters. So you are correct in that they sound different.

Here is a post about this set: http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/essential-elo-2011-2cd-set-question.278585/

Some people actually liked the sound of this set it seems.

 

I believe the individual remasters were done by Joe Palmaccio, and the Strange Magic 2 CD best of from 1995 (my personal fave, despite the lack of "Fire On High") was done by Vic Anesini.

 

Yes, that STRANGE MAGIC double-disc greatest hits package (1995) is still a winner in my book...it more than made up for the audio debacle on AFTERGLOW (1990). Out of all the ELO comps ever released, that one really shines, although I must admit, I think the individual reissues might beat it, but STRANGE MAGIC is still the best sounding comp, IMO at least...it's got a nice ambiance to it and is sooo sharp, it's quite unique.

 

Thanks for the info...I have posted on that other thread as well.

 

Speaking of ELO comps, does anyone here own THE VERY BEST OF ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA VOLUME 2: TICKET TO THE MOON (2008)? Is it OOP already or could amazon just be out of stock?

http://www.amazon.com/Vol-2-Ticket-...c&ie=UTF8&qid=1371608629&sr=1-25&keywords=elo

I never realized that it had Surrender, Latitude 88 North and an unreleased track from ZOOM...In My Own Time, but the sound samples sound closer to the individual album reissues...they're not as heavy or loud as the ESSENTIAL 2-CD comp (2011). Plus, the track selection looks like a winner as well.

I still see Vol.1 around sometimes at Walmart, but haven't seen Vol.2 in a long time...is it still in print, or did the ESSENTIAL 2-CD set (2011) kind of replace it? For people who have Vol.2, Ticket To The Moon, does it sound nice, like the individual reissues? I suspect it sounds better than Essential.

 

I would imagine it is still in print. In My Own Time isn't unreleased though, it is on every pressing of Zoom.

I believe both Vol 1 & Vol 2 are sourced from the same remasters as the individual albums done by Joe Palmaccio. Probably just volume leveled. Zoom was not mastered by him though, so any tracks from that album appearing on either compilation sound much better than the regular CD.

 

Yes, I realized my mistake right after I posted it...In My Own Time is a regular album track on ZOOM, it is not an unreleased track...thanks.

Well, Vol.2: TICKET TO THE MOON is still available in the EU, but I haven't seen it on domestic amazon for a while now, so I was just curious if the 2011, 2-CD ESSENTIAL is going to replace it, but I hope not.

 

It is still available at Overstock, Tartet, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, etc. Very possible there just aren't a lot of copies floating around. I figure it will disapear in a few years or so.

 

I picked up a copy of the TICKET TO THE MOON comp (2007) and can report that it sounds stunning, IMO. As I suspected, the audio is much clearer and sharper than what's found on the ESSENTIAL 2-CD set (2011), which sounds very loud, contains a heaviness to the tracks and has the brightness turned down too low as well. What was shocking to discover though, was that some of the tracks on TICKET sound even better than their individual CD reissues. For example, Latitude 88 North and Surrender already sound terrific on their '06 and '07 album CDs, but on TICKET, they sound the best yet - the tracks are a drop louder (but not very loud) and are even more sharp and clear than the other CDs, plus the vocals are extremely clear as well. I believe these two songs sound the best on TICKET.

Also, as many people already know, the original Sony 2001 ZOOM CD sounded "off"...not clear, like there was some sort of mastering glitch somewhere, but that is completely corrected on TICKET, as Moment In Paradise sounds simply stunning IMO...razor sharp and clear - it's night and day from the '01 ZOOM version.

Does anyone else own the TICKET TO THE MOON comp? I'm curious if others might concur with my comments on this comp regarding the audio? The booklet (or 3 page insert) doesn't list any mastering credits, but I believe these are the best sounding ELO tracks I have heard on CD to date, at least some of the tracks were standouts. I can highly recommend this comp and probably Vol.1 as well, ALL OVER THE WORLD. I cannot recommend the ESSENTIAL 2-CD set, at least where the audio is concerned.

 

I bought this the other day and didn't like the mastering either. I decided to return it and I ordered the Strange Magic compilation from 1995. I don't mind mastering that is exceedingly bright. It beats muddy/lifeless or mastered poorly any day. I want it to sound like my dad's vinyl from the 1970s sounded of these albums.

 

Strange Magic should fit your bill. Not bright to me, leans toward warm, IMO.