Just bought the original issue of "Fair Warning" - dear sweet baby Jesus it sounds like GOD -- reminded me of the pleasure of listening to Van Halen again, after the "remasters" took icepicks to my ears.
The Bon Scott era albums actually sound good in the 2003 remasters, except for Highway to Hell. But what I found the other day was an old interview in Guitar World with AC/DC and, to my surprise, the band actully likes this loud, in your face approach and was personnaly involved with it, as you can see pasted below: "GW As part of your new deal with Epic, the label is remastering most of your back catalog. Atlantic Records did the same thing back in the early Nineties. What’s different about these new reissues MALCOLM For one thing, the levels are up a hell of a lot louder than they were the last time. I was just comparing them the other day and the volume is twice is loud. Plus, the bottom end sounds great, and they put in a bit more mids as well. Everything sounds tight and ballsy. ANGUS And with these new ones we involved a lot of the people who worked on the original records, as well as newer guys who have a good grasp of the recent technology. So it’s the best of both worlds. Plus, we’ve included a few little surprises and things, like some rare audio and video."
That makes sense. It reminds me of the Stooges Raw Power remaster. I think everyone hates the sound, but Iggy has said it's what he wanted it to sound like, volatile and redlined.
I can listen to and enjoy these 2003 remasters and have them as my hard copies of the albums since around where I live they are the only ones I can find to buy as new. Plus, to my surprise, they are not pushed too loud as the Van Halen's remasters for example, which I own two. I also bought the downloads for some of the Albert 1995 remasters which sound much more audophile so, depending on the environment, I'll opt for one or the other.
Heart - Fanatic. I bought the LP, and wondered what was wrong. I love the songs on Heart - Red Velvet Car..closest thing Heart has done to their 1970's classics..but the brick-walling ruined the cd.
The loudest remasters I've ever heard were the Yes HDCD remasters by Isao Kikuchi. Just ghastly. Another terribly loud remaster is Boston's "Don't Look Back" remaster. It was sent to me accidentally by a webshop. Fortunately I got my money back.
Iggy's remix was not really too bad. It's what they did in master after that ruined the project. The vinyl of that remix has much less compression and is a better listen.
It'll sound as bad. That album is notoriously ear shredding due to the circumstances of its recording. Primarily cocaine based circumstance. If you've not read David Cavanagh's (excellent and epic) history of Creation Records 'My Magpie Eyes Are Hungry For The Prize', I urge you to do so. It covers Oasis' imperial phase in extremely gory detail!
HDTracks thankfully seem to be using a different master: http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/view/65394 http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/view/76466 CD DR5 HI Res Download DR11
The Culture Factory remasters of Kim Carnes are awful - It's disgraceful that they have the rights to such good albums and treat them so poorly; worse, they think they are treating them lovingly!
I've got the CD of the Iggy mix of the album. I have a few tracks of the Bowie mix on an Iggy compilation (1996's Nude & Rude) and I'm very glad it is that way around - so I have an idea of how it sounded at first; what I hear on there is awful IMO. Ok, it's a big shame that Iggy's version has all the distortion on it (in fact to me, it sounds very like an LP with a good dose of IGD on it - which is something you never want...and actually, as I'm playing it right now - prompted by this thread coming up again - it does seem to me to be mostly on the vocals) if only it sounded as good as Fun House. But it does 'kick backside', in its own way.
I've got the 1995 with Run, Run, Run in stereo and the rest - except some of the bonus tracks in mono. Whisky Man sounds like it was played on a stereo tape machine, misaligned as one channel (the right, I think) is a lot lower in volume and sounds a bit muffled as well. So the 2002's even worse? Some of the bonus tracks - like I've Been Away and In The City sound a lot clearer than the rest of the disc, too.
E. Costello, When I was cruel. I didn't know at the time why I hated it but then I realized it had no dynamics whatsoever, just one brick of noise. Listened to it 2 times.
I think I'll go for the book, I wasn't aware of it - thanks for that. I'll make a note and have a look online, at the usual place. Funny, walking back home a couple of hours ago I was just thinking about BHN. I know it'd be far too much to wish for a remix, as that would be the only thing that could 'fix' it. But then, I think people would object and it wouldn't get the blessing of Noel and/or Liam anyway. It'd get more plays by me and others though, as I tend to play later albums a lot more.
