Interestingly the 1998 2-disc remaster, which was the version previously available, has been dropped from Spotify, at least in the UK. All the other albums have their non-super-deluxe, original mix versions still available, just not Fugazi. I agree that the compression has been overdone on the new version and that possibly undermines what seems to be a much-improved new mix. It’s a shame. “Incubus” suffers less for some reason, and sounds really good.
in the US they have taken off any and all of the old versions (don’t know what was on Spotify before) but not put up the deluxe yet. No Fugazi anywhere at the moment (including mine, which I think is still in Deutschland)
Yea it’s weird that they took all versions down and don’t have this new release up yet. Probably will be fixed next week.
Listened to the new mix on CD yesterday. Trivial annoyance first - the opening track is labelled Fugazi on the disc player display. Sloppy. Second - most of the mixees are slight variations of the original and as others have said, enhanced bass in places drives some tracks a long well. But Assassing and Fugazi have been badly served Vocals tampered with too much, as with Clutching at Straws some vocals seem to be different takes. The removal of the pause after the Fugazi intro is bad, but the remixed ending is worse, the music dropping out to leave prominent vocals just doesn't work. AS with Clutching at Straws, I'm unlikely to listen to this mix. Id rather play the 1999 master on CD. I still have my 80's LP as well. The live concert is the only reason to hold on to the set (if it turns out to be worth repeated listens).
Fugazi is currently Number 9 in the UK mid-week album charts! Official Albums Chart Update Top 100 | Official Charts Company
I don't seem to notice vocal tampering in Assassing. Fugazi's remixed ending (although really not necessary) doesn't bother me, I think I like it. What bothers me, a lot, is Fugazi's intro turning too damn fast into the rest of the song. That was a stupid thing to do, it totally ruins the atmosphere. Damn.
The vocals seem mixed low in at least the intro to Assassing, which strip them of their power. I kind of like the hard ending to Fugazi as well, and I agree about the opening section, that seems like an arbitrary change for change's sake, and I really wish they hadn't done that.
Finally received my shipping notice from Fish Music! Paid the extra $$ for the signed card from Fish himself
Had my first listen to the stereo remix and quite like it. Dynamic and enjoyable listening, much better sonically than previous digital versions (IMO). It'll take me some time to digest the changes (especially in "Assassing") but I'm keeping an open mind. Having devoured the booklet and noticed pretty much everyone's complaints about the original mix, I wonder how many of these changes were specifically directed by the band in response to their disappointments of nearly 40 years ago.
I like the remix too, a lot. With the one noticeable exception of the Fugazi intro, so far. That's no remix, that's altering the song. Actually, I was wondering: is it possible there's been a mistake? Have they really slashed the song like that deliberately?
Unfortunately yes. It is now in keeping with how Marillion played the song live. Perhaps in a live setting, that dramatic pause was a little too long. But not on the record IMO. It's a huge WTF change.
Just listened to original vs. remix a couple times and... I'm think I'm personally OK with the remix. I don't think the dramatic pause was absolutely necessary or contributes a lot to the tension and/or transition from intro to body of song. Now, the transition from intro to body of song on "Assassing" seems more like a botch to me. That echoing Fish shriek is crucial to the breaking of tension after the drums and keyboard intro, and it's basically absent from the remix. The levels of the vocals are generally a mess on this track. Edit: having said that, I went back and listened to the recordings from 1984 I have on hand (Sindelfingen, Pinkpop), and the remix version also matches how they appear to have performed "Assassing" live. So perhaps there's intent behind most of these changes...
Not only that, but the dynamics of the intro section have been completely flattened out - it starts out loud and doesn't really build up like it used to. I do like how the toms roll across the rear speakers on the 5.1 mix though.
I noticed that as well... though I think my initial reaction was more like "wow, the original mix actually seems too quiet in comparison." Heresy, I know. Need to listen to the 5.1 to see how my 2.0 impressions change.
The 5.1 is pretty cool, definitely more adventurous than what was done for Script and Clutching. Rothery's guitar and Fish's shouts/banter (the "ooh-wah's" in "Incubus", for instance) are frequently placed in the rear speakers to great effect. There's even some fun bits where Fish's voice moves around the room.
Mine arrived early today. Will play some of it tonight. I like that there is much more content on the blu ray then the others. The one thing I miss is a flat transfer of the the original mix & master in 96/24. But we haven't got that on any of the others either........... There is a note stating "remix of original album is 96/24". I hope the live is 96/24 also, though I do have a high res download of Montreal.
Playing the 96/24 of the remixed album from the blu-ray. My initial reaction: Nice mix (probably the best of the 2.0 remixes) & (sigh.......................) poor mastering. This really could have sounded excellent with less compression. Probably be an uncompressed reissue 25 years after I'm gone................
Here's a strange one: The "Extra Tracks" are 48/16. And while I don't have the equipment to run a dr on a blu-ray, the 48/16 tracks are obviously not compressed. As a result, in some ways they sound better than the remixed album in 96/24. Why would they compress the hell out of the 96/24 album, but not the 48/16 bonus tracks????? In fact I had to turn the volume up by a significant amount for the bonus trax.
The distinction between the mixing & mastering is spot on. I'm finding the 2021 version of Fugazi a really frustrating listen because of the lack of dynamic breathing space. Jigsaw, Incubus & Fugazi all have quieter sections but the dynamic compression leaves next to no room for the music to breathe. Great for listening in a car but not so great for dedicated listening with a home hifi system. The live gig, Montréal... Why oh why add in extra (louder) audience applause? It's unnecessary and not very well done. The music itself is decently mixed but yet again the dynamic compression is overdone, even taking into account this recording lends itself to a degree of compression. I'm really really hoping Marillion's approach to Seasons End & HiE falls somewhere between the approaches to Brave & AoS, without the audio artefacts of the latter. In any case, please, no more Bradfield & Mackintosh. As an antidote, I'm off to listen to some SW anti-loudness Porcupine Tree remasters....
As far as I can tell, the 2021 bonus/extra tracks are the versions as released on the bonus disc of the 1998 remaster, hence the difference in mastering.
