Rory Gallagher Albums Remastered For CD and LP (March 2018)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Vaughan, Feb 27, 2018.

  1. scotti

    scotti Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta GA
    Got to pick up my 2018 vinyl copy of Top Priority yesterday. I fell ill last week and could not get it. Had emergency surgery this past Tuesday and got out of the hospital a few days a go and doing better. My wife asked me if I wanted to get out of the house for a little yesterday and I smiled and said, please take me to my local music store, it will be very therapeutic for me to be in a Indie music shop and I can get our TP vinyl while there (they were holding it for me)...(did not mean to ramble)

    So got it home, cleaned it good, and perfectly flat 180G pressing...

    Sound - holy crap!!! Hand down the best version I have ever heard of this album and it makes my Japanese mini sleeve CD sound like lower end MP3 and the original vinyl is not even close. There is so much bottom end/bass to this master/pressing that it just adds so much punch and liveliness to the over sound it is borderline amazing good! The guitar work just screams out of the speakers with the slide work almost taking on an entire new life to it! If a fan of this album, this is beyond Highly Recommended!

    Performance - 11 Sound 9.5

    Ordering "Defender" next, and if that delivers like TP, I will start buying the majority of theses titles one by one...
     
  2. I decided to order a few titles of the new remasters. Went with vinyl, since the vinyl comes with CD quality download. Got "Tattoo" and downloaded the ZIP file, but it is missing one track, "Who's That Coming?". Bummer, no I have an incomplete remaster in digital format...

    For "Deuce", the download was complete.

    Will have to do some comparisons soon.
     
    scotti likes this.
  3. I just compared "Deuce", 2011 (released 2012) vs. 2017 (released 2018) remaster.

    Very clearly a differnt mastering. Overall dynamics are about the same.

    2017: nice midrange, emphasizes the guitar more
    2011: noticeably less midrange, thus bass and treble seem to be a bit more pronounced, but maybe a tad smiley-faced EQ? soundstage seems a bit larger, but could be related to the EQ difference

    Somehow I feel that the 2017 is more "correct" and yieds more listening pleasure for longer listening periods. The magic is in the midrange...

    Maybe I slightly prefer the newer mastering, but I can see if some people prefer the 2011 mastering.

    This is just for one album ("Deuce").

    I also ordered the vinyl for "Blueprint" and "Tattoo", but I don't have the 2011 remasters for these albums.
     
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  4. scotti

    scotti Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta GA
    Good feedback! I also have Deuce and Defender (vinyl) ordered at my local shop and they are coming in today. I agree about the guitar being more pronounced, but TP has way more bottom than the 2012 version. Can't wait to compare Deuce, not only to the 2012, but to the original vinyl. As for as Defender, only version I have is the Japanese mini sleeve to compare...but really looking forward to that one.

    And to your point about having nice mid range, well that sure helps with the over all clarity of the music no doubt!
     
  5. Does the new vinyl release of "Irish Tour" come with a gatefold cover?
     
  6. scotti

    scotti Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta GA
    Ebay lists the 2018 version as a gate fold...would expect no less from these. Just picked up Deuce and Defender yesterday, going to enjoy these classics later today. If they deliver as expected, will order his 1st album and Jinx on Monday, then all I would be missing is Fresh Evidence and Stage Struck on vinyl, but doubt that I would go after Fresh Evidence as I am not that fond of that release, not bad, just not up to par.

    Any member have any feedback in regards to FE?
     
  7. I just compared the download (2017 remaster) of "Tattoo" to the 2018 vinyl release. I am pretty sure these are not the same masterings. They sound more different than the small difference I usually hear when I compare a digital version to a vinyl pressing mastered from the same/similar source.

    Perhaps the new vinyl reissues are just repressings of the MOV releases from 2012. They use a very similar label design, and some of the new vinyl pressings also have a MOV reference in the matrix/runout area, although scratched out.
     
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  8. scotti

    scotti Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta GA
    You could very well be right here. All though a friend has the MOV "TP" version and the 2018 one I have seems to have more bottom end. Will give thoughts on the other two I got after I listen...nice feedback, "rjstauber".
     
  9. scotti

    scotti Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta GA
    Now that I have had a chance to listen closely to the three titles I got, I would now have to assume that if they were MOV versions, this is pretty much what these new vinyl 2018 versions are for the most part. Not that this is a bad thing...I have over 20 MOV titles and am really happy with the over all sound and packaging.

    Deuce - as we know, a masterpiece of an album! Very happy with this one, especially regarding the guitar and bottom end. On first listen, I found the vocals to be a tad bright/harsh, but on my second spin, seemed much better.

    Top Priority - already raved about this one and on second listen, I came back down to earth a bit (had just gotten out of the hospital, and senses not 100%) still very happy with this one and the guitar work screams big time!

    Defender - awesome! Nice bottom end and "Road To Hell" just sounds amazing! Again, the guitar work is a wonder!

    I am holding off getting any other titles (really just need the first one) as I already spent $80 on the three I got. I will say that all of these benefit from turning up the volume and letting them rip! Happy I got them.
     
  10. I have now received some more vinyl pressings in this series, "Top Priority" and "Fresh Evidence".

    I am now certain that these 2018 vinyl releases feature the 2011 mastering and not the 2017 mastering.

    I am quite sure that these 2018 vinyl releases are identical to the MOV vinyl releases from a few years back, which were also based on the 2011 mastering.

    The mastering credits on the vinyl releases date back to 2011 which is correct, and the cover artwork, label design, etc. are pretty much the same as for the MOV releases.

    So, with the new 2018 vinyl releases, you get the 2011 mastering on vinyl and the 2017 mastering as a download in WAV-format. Not bad. All in all, I would have preferred if the new vinyl pressings were based on the 2017 mastering, but it is what it is.

    In general, the 2011 mastering has a bit more bottom end, perhaps a bit exaggerated via EQ. The 2017 mastering has better midrange and overall sounds more correct to me, but that doesn't make the 2011 masterings a bad choice in my opinion.

    The vinyl pressings seem to be of good quality. I had some very slight warping on some of them, which was easy to fix with my VinylFlat device.
     
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  11. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    I bought eight titles.... and compared the records with the Sony remasters and original LPs. I prefer the new one's, they sound more natural and balanced in the important midrange. Very close and some even better as the original LPs.
     
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  12. Did you buy the 2018 CD's or the 2018 vinyl releases?

    Different masterings. The 2018 vinyl releases feature the 2011/2012 mastering (and are probably identical to the MOV releases from 2012), but the included downloads (WAV format) with the 2018 vinyl releases feature the new mastering from 2017 (which were also released on CD's in 2018).

    I think the new mastering from 2017 is very good with nice midrange and a balanced sound.

    The "Sony remasters", are these the ones from 2011/2012 or from the 90's?
     
  13. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    I bought the CDs (2017 remaster) and replaced my Sony 2011 reissues. I haven't heard the LP reissues, I only listened to my LP rips from original LPs. I think the Universal are the definitive pressings and I doubt they will ever remaster the catalog again.
     
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  14. Received the 2018 vinyl release of "Wheels Within Wheels", and it says "remastered in 2018" on the back cover. The download is in WAV format and in 24/44.1. Also, the song sequence has changed a bit on the vinyl release and also on the download, compared to the 2003 CD. Dynamic range is very similar, but overall peak levels are lower on the download.

    I have not done any listening comparisons between the 2003 CD and the 2018 download. Will have to do that soon.
     
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  15. stonedhenge

    stonedhenge Forum Resident

    I have the MOV LP of Deuce that says on the back cover "Re-mastered from the original tapes by Pete Norman at Finyl Tweek Studio, November 2011". Looking at the photo of the back cover of the new reissue on Amazon, it says "Re-mastered from the original tapes by Andy Pearce and Matt Wortham, November 2011". Now, that doesn't make sense, does it? Surely both are the Pearce/Wortham re-masters and there is a mistake on the MOV cover? Can anyone shed some light on this please?
     
  16. stonedhenge

    stonedhenge Forum Resident

    BTW, where are the new LP reissues pressed? Are they quiet? My MOV Rory Gallagher albums have lots of annoying surface noise (pressed at GZ perhaps?) and I will replace them with the new reissues if they are pressed by Pallas or similar.
     
  17. The pressing quality on the albums I got was very good, very quiet vinyl.

    A few of them were very slightly warped, but only minimal. I fixed them in the Vinyl Flat anyhow, which worked really well.
     
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  18. stonedhenge

    stonedhenge Forum Resident

    Thanks for the reply. Slight warping I can handle, as I too have a Vinyl Flat, but noisy vinyl is an abomination.
     
  19. Crawlin From The Wreckage

    Crawlin From The Wreckage Custom Titled

    Location:
    Canada
    This. Is. A. Very. Confusing. Thread. My head hurts after reading this.
    Some are saying the 2018 CDs are the same as the 2011s. Others are saying they are different. Is it possible to use a common denominator, such as EAC, to examine a couple of these CDs? Anyone have both reissues of a title (Deuce, perhaps?) and can shed some scientific light on what's what? I'd like to upgrade my Gallagher but this thread is really no help. :help:
     
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  20. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    I can confirm that at least concerning Deuce on CD, the 2011 and 2018 are absolutely NOT the same.
     
  21. Actually, it is very straightforward:

    All 2018 CD's are different masterings than the 2011 CD's. 100% guaranteed. I have them all (2011 & 2018).

    The differences are not small.

    The 2018 vinyl pressings are based on the 2011 mastering and not the new 2018 mastering. And the 2018 vinyl pressings include the download code for the 2018 CD masterings (in CD quality). That part is a bit confusing.
     
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  22. Crawlin From The Wreckage

    Crawlin From The Wreckage Custom Titled

    Location:
    Canada
    Thanks to you both for clearing that up. :agree:
    So I understand the re-worked 2018 titles are the preferred versions. I'll keep a lookout for Deuce, as that's the title I'm most interested in.
     
  23. Yes, I think the 2018 CD releases are the nicest digital versions available, at least generally speaking. The 2011 remasterings were quite good also, with dynamic range, but they were EQ'd to make the sound more bass-heavy, but in comparison to the 2018 masterings, it doesn't sound so natural anymore. I really like the midrange much better on the 2018 CD's, but the 2011 CD's are not bad by any means.
     
  24. ragepil

    ragepil Forum Resident

    Location:
    Barcelona
    BBC, WWW and Notes as well? Those are the only ones that I don't have the 2018 versions...
     
  25. No. Just the regular live and studio albums, released during his lifetime.
     
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