Which remasters do you think were a major or even minor improvement over the original CD/LP releases. For me personally I feel the Joshua Tree Remaster from 2007 is a big improvement over the original CD release which feels lacking. The Stone Roses 2009 remaster was also an improvement over the original I feel as the Bass can finally be properly heard and not drowned out like on the original mix. Radiohead's OK Computer 20th Anniversary is also an improvement over the original CD I feel but I assume the LP would destroy both as it would have less compression. I also feel the 2011 remaster of the Stranger by Billy Joel is a slight improvement over the original CD I have which sounds flat while the newer remaster has a better EQ and sounds more pumped it(which some may or may not like).
I've never heard the CD. But the original Parlophone LP is much better than the OKNOTOK LP release. I would guess we're not including audiophile labels. So here something off the top of my head. Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (Bicycle Remaster) Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Californication (Chris Bellman mastering. Tool - Lateralus (Chris Bellman mastering) still wish it weren't a picture disc.
Honestly, this thread won't get much love around here because of the continued practice of the use or overuse of compression/limiting and EQ.
- The recent remaster of 1999 by Prince, very well done and gives the album some much needed low end and overall fuller sound while still retaining its dynamic punch and impact - The recent SHM-CD releases of Elton John's early albums - Rush's catalogue was remastered by Sean Magee for hi-res and vinyl releases and overall are just very excellent and dynamic sounding remasters - The 2015 HDTracks releases (the more dynamic ones) of the DLR Van Halen albums - This one will be controversial but the recent Davis remasterings of the Zeppelin catalogue (Houses of the Holy is the only one I prefer the original Diament CD for)
R.E.M - Murmur 25th anniversary edition that came out in 2008 absolutely blew the original CD away,gave it way more depth to the sound.
I love the 2009 Fred Kevorkian remasters of the Gentle Giant catalogue. They are nicely balanced in terms of EQ, crystal clear and punchy without being too compressed. They really bring those old recordings back to life!
Amen on that Stone Roses remaster. I remember playing the 1989 CD in 2007, a long time since I’d last heard it and I was all “good lord... has this album always sounded so bad?”
For a non audiophile label remaster, I can only think of one I prefer. Curve-Doppelganger, 1992 (2017)
I really enjoy the remastered Chess 50th Anniversary CD releases that started being released in the late nineties. It was especially great to hear the Sonny Boy Williamson tracks without that top end distortion present since they went back to the master tape instead of using the lp master. Since all the Chess masters were destroyed in the 2008 Universal MG storage facility it is fortunate the project was done before that tragedy.
The Fall - Bend Sinister - blew the 1986 CD out of the water, into orbit and bounced it off Saturn's rings. Also an improvement on the 1986 vinyl but I don't know how the 2019 vinyl sounds. All of the Fall's original Beggars Banquet CDs were a wee bit underwhelming but all the upgrades have seen to that - the Omnibus edition of "The Wonderful And Frightening World..." is particularly impressive and probably the best that album has sounded.
The 10th anniversary deluxe cd edition of White Lies debut album To Lose My Life contains a very noticeably more dynamic mastering over the 2009 cd. I like it a lot better.
More of a remix + remaster, but I prefer The Who's "Sellout" from '95 to the original. I have some bias, as my first introduction to the album was through the '95 release. I obsessed over it, and must have listened to it 100 times or more. When I got into audiophile analog in the early '00s, I found a great 1st pressing UK stereo but didn't like it nearly as much as the '95 mix. Same goes for "Tommy" and "Quadrophenia".
I'm not an audiophile, nor do I have an expensive set up, but I found the Blue Oyster Cult remasters of the first three albums to sound much better than the vinyl. Same with All The Young Dudes.
Raspberries - 2016 All the previous CDs of the first album are from an EQed and compressed master. This new one has a completely different feel - less like it’s being broadcast over FM. Even the opener benefits from the less processed sound (like it needed any more!): I can’t remember (!) if the LP has the processing but I think this may be the first time the unprocessed tape has been used for the album? The other albums sound basically the same as the earlier editions in terms of processing but with better fidelity (sourced from masters instead of flat dubs perhaps). The only caveat is that the tapes used have some problems not evident on previous editions -particulary on the last album. The image is moving around on some tracks: ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT Sticky-shed issue? The image is solid on previous editions. Also, for the CD edition of Starting Over they have edited out the snippet of “Go All The Way” on the end of “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)” - especially frustrating since it’s intact on the YouTube upload! OVERNIGHT SENSATION (Hit Record)
I agree with the 2007 release of The Joshua Tree, along with the rest of the U2 remasters. They did a great job of cleaning everything up without adding in tons of compression. I also think the 2011 box set for The Smiths remasters blow the original CDs out of the water.
Donovan - Mellow Yellow (2005) An unprocessed presentation unlike all previous editions I've heard - a layer of EQ and compression is gone. Presumably they found the original unprocessed mono master mixes and used those, perhaps for the first time? I've not heard the original LPs but my guess is they have the extra processing too. "Museum" runs slightly slower on the 2005 remaster - it seems to be correct (C major) whereas on previous editions it's running slightly faster (no man's land somewhere between C and C♯). 2005 mastering:
