The Ultimate Rascals(Warner Special Products 27605, 1986) A/B comparison of original vs RE-1 reissue

I finally tracked down a copy of the original release of The Ultimate Rascals CD, and compared it to the RE-1 reissue that I've had for years.

I'll spoil the ending and give you the result right at the beginning: The RE-1 reissue sounds better.

Now the details...

Artwork

The original looks like this:

Copyright is 1986, matrix number does not have an "RE-1" in it. The artwork has one fold in it, so the little booklet includes the front cover and 3 pages of credits. Mastering is by Barry Diament, although uncredited in the artwork.

The RE-1 reissue looks like this:

Copyright is also 1986, matrix number has an "RE-1". The artwork has two folds in it, so the little booklet includes the front cover and 5 pages of credits. Three of the pages are identical to the original release, with the sole addition of the line "Digital Remastering by Bill Inglot and Ken Perry/K-DISC, Los Angeles". The extra two pages show "ALSO AVAILABLE..." discs, including The Ultimate Otis Redding (WSP 9-27608-2), Memphis Soul Classics (WSP 9-27609-2), The Ultimate Rascals (WSP 9-27605-2), Atlantic Soul Classics (WSP 9-27601-2), 20 Party Classics (WSP 9-27602-2), and Highs Of The Sixties (WSP 9-27607-2). The back cover artwork and the disc itself look identical to the first release.

Track Listing

Same for both:

1. I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore
2. Good Lovin'
3. Mustang Sally
4. You Better Run
5. Come On Up
6. Love Is A Beautiful Thing
7. What Is The Reason
8. Lonely Too Long
9. Groovin'
10. A Girl Like You
11. How Can I Be Sure
12. It's Wonderful
13. A Beautiful Morning
14. People Got To Be Free
15. Heaven
16. See
17. Carry Me Back
18. Find Somebody
19. Easy Rollin'
20. A Ray Of Hope

In my opinion, a really terrific overview of their work.

Sound quality

Two things to keep in mind here:

(1) In the mid-'80s, record companies thought that the buying public would only want to hear '60s-era material in stereo. Hence, stereo Beatles on CD, a dizzying array of stereo Motown collections on CD, and all these early Warner Special Products discs in stereo. The mostly-superior mono mixes of this material would sit in the can until Rhino started releasing mono collections in the early '90s. So, we get Rascals in stereo here.

The Rascals stereo mixes don't sound all that great to start with, and no amount of mastering polish will make these sound as good as the mono mixes that appear on the Rhino collections. I seem to remember one of the later Rhino Rascals collections mentioning that they used the mono mixes because "they rock". Indeed, they do, but don't expect these stereo versions to rock.

(2) The source tapes for these tracks are hissy. There are two general approaches for dealing with the hiss - mask it, or embrace it.

The original release of this disc attempts to mask the hiss with EQ. The result is a generally dull-sounding disc. EQ-ing out the hiss means also EQ-ing out much of the hi-hat and tamborine, not that the Atlantic tapes had much of that to begin with. On "How Can I Be Sure", even the vocals suffer due to the dull EQ. Plus, most of the tracks are faded one or two seconds early, probably to mask the hiss.

The RE-1 rerelease fully embraces the hiss. It's EQ'd significantly brighter than the original release. The brighter EQ brings out the hi-hat and tamborine, or what little of it exists on those tapes. The vocals on "How Can I Be Sure" sound far better on the rerelease, due to the brighter EQ. The fades start later and extend one or two seconds farther than on the original release, and they're plenty hissy. To my ears, the original release sounds quite muffled, and the rerelease sounds like a blanket has been lifted off the speakers.

Plus, for two songs, there are significant changes from the original release to the RE-1 rerelease:

(1) "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" is in stereo on the original release. This is one of the very worst-sounding stereo mixes of anything that has ever been released - probably worse than "My Girl". The rerelease replaces it with the far-better mono mix. The mono mix is still no masterpiece, but it's far preferable to the stereo mix. All the other tracks, on both discs, are stereo.

(2) On the original release, "It's Wonderful" has its 2-second fade-in cut off, and is faded very early. The rerelease restores the proper fade-in and runs to its proper length.

Generalizing:

(1) Except for "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore", both discs seem to use the same source tapes, but use different analog transfers of them.

(2) The rerelease has a brighter EQ on all tracks, and runs about a second or two longer for most tracks.

(3) Comparing volume levels, the rerelease is about the same as the original for 1/3rd of the tracks, the rerelease is about 1 dB louder for 1/3rd of the tracks, and the rerelease is about 2 dB for the last 1/3rd of the tracks. None are excessively soft, and none clip at all.

My opinion:

I prefer the RE-1 rerelease.

Remember, someone inside Warner Special Products also thought that the sound of the original release was lacking, or the RE-1 rerelease wouldn't exist!

Many of you hold the original release in very high regard, and that's just fine. I would encourage you to seek out the inexpensive rerelease, do your own A/B shootout, and decide for yourself. You'll never know until you compare them side-by-side on your own system.

I remember posting a comparison of the Rhino Rascals 2-CD and single-disc anthologies to each other, but that post seems to have been deleted. In my opinion, those collections sound WAY better than either of The Ultimate Rascals. (If a gort or member can find that post, please post a link in this thread.)

 

I do indeed like it better. I don't claim to know what the actual tapes sound like, but we're in agreement that the rerelease has more high end, and that's what I prefer for this material. I also prefer the mono "I Ain't ..." and the full-length of "It's Wonderful".

To quote myself from above, someone inside Warner Special Products also thought that the sound of the original release was lacking, or the RE-1 rerelease wouldn't exist.

 

That brings up an interesting question, that you may have answered elsewhere a million times but I'll never find it. If the vast majority of the music listeners in the world have an average stereo system do you master for the masses with an average system in mind , or do you master for optimum sound quality on a high end system, or do you think mastering with a high end system in mind will still sound better on an average system ?

 

I, too, tracked down a copy of the original disc after living with the reissue for many, many years and becoming very familiar with it. I'm happy I now can finally sit down and enjoy this compilation from start to finish. There is a profound difference between the two versions. The original is much more involving and is the one to get if you are a fan of the Rascals. Might be the best seven dollars spent on a title I previously had in my collection. Thanks to the knowledgeable members of this forum for steering me in the right direction.

 

Got it. Thanks for the reply.

 

Actually, some recordings/masterings that sound spectacular on revealing systems do sound muffled or dull on lesser resolving systems. A great example is the tube cut "Beatles For Sale"... for years I wondered what the big deal was about that pressing, as it sounded very dull and cloudy to me. It wasn't until I got some better-than-average gear and learned how to properly dial the gear in that I understood what the hub bub was all about regarding that LP.

Anyway, I have the original Made in Japan version of that Rascals disc and think the mastering sounds fine if a little rolled off on top, but that's what's on the tape. It doesn't sound at all futzed with.

 

1. I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore...I like it in Stereo, and the rest of the first pressing CD as well...a better choice by far IMO.

 

one can tell a SH mastering on any system...IMO. Style is style and it shines through all the bull$hit!

 

Yup, I bought the DCC of "Pet Sounds" and "Highway 61 Revisited" looooong before I had anything approaching an audiophile-quality system. In those days, I didn't really know what I was missing either.

I also made some 'dumb' purchases too, ie: the crummy Mastersound gold disc of "Blonde On Blonde."

 

I don't have the greatest system either, and I too prefer the reissue.

 

It don't particularly care what the tapes sound like, but the original CD sounds more natural to me, while the reissue sounds a bit peaky. It doesn't sound terrible, and I'm not about to go running out of the room, but the original disc just sounds right to me, especially in the vocals.

And sure, somebody must have thought the original CD was lacking, but...so? The same could be said of any CD that has been remastered, but that doesn't mean the remasters are automatically better. If you prefer the remaster (and obviously the people that produced it did), that's fine, but the circumstances don't equate to some sort of objective proof that it is better.

It may also be worth noting that the reissue has some of the larger clicks edited out. Unfortunately, some of the edits are so large that the tempo actually jumps slightly. The original CD has whatever clicks were on the tapes, and one can digitally remove them (without editing) fairly easily if one wants for a much better result. Of course, in fairness to those involved, DAWs didn't really exist when the remaster was made, so making a "fix" wasn't nearly as easy as it is today. And another minor point, the remaster has some azimuth problems that the original CD doesn't.

 

Also:

I'd have to compare again, but this is surprising. I had noticed that the end of Good Lovin' cut off abruptly on the original CD, but not on the remaster, but that was only because the remaster faded before the abrupt end. Odd that the situation would be reversed on other songs.

 

To clarify: the original fades before the remaster on almost all the tracks. The remaster has fades that start later, and/or extend longer than the original. It's most evident (obviously) on "It's Wonderful", which is faded at the start of the screwy end section on the original, and extends to its proper length on the remaster.

 

Yes, I know that's what you're saying, but it's exactly the opposite for Good Lovin', where the original CD is longer.

 

Scored it for a buck
yesterday , the reissue

 

Another vote in favor of the original. I find the original really warm and musical; the reissue quite strident and obnoxious.

 

Any comps that have the mono mixes ?

 

I'm pretty sure the Rhino comps (Very Best and the two-disc Anthology) use the mono mixes. I prefer the stereo.

 

Cool ! thanks

 

Just scored an original at
a yard sale , one dolla .