Marillion "Fugazi" Deluxe Sets

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by The Hud, Jul 5, 2021.

  1. Norco74

    Norco74 For the good and the not so good…

    Just received the boxset this afternoon. I am starting right off with the Montreal tapes. Funny, perhaps the most untouched/fifdle with live show of the boxset series. Have the the feeling of listening to a King Biscuit Flower Hour episode. I just like it, goose bumps all over… The historical performance is so good that SQ, which is is OK, is secondary. YMMV
     
  2. Mirror Image

    Mirror Image 200 Years Of Anton Bruckner

    Location:
    United States
    Ah, you’re quite right. What I meant to write is that I thought that Rothery’s lead guitar lines in the faster section towards the end of Incubus were mixed a bit too low. But they might been this way in the original mix, which I should go listen to again at some point and make some comparisons. It seems the band, more or less, isn’t too happy with most of the songs on Fugazi, but I think the title track and Incubus are two of the best things they’ve ever done. I’ll throw in Jigsaw as well, because I think it’s one of Rothery’s finest guitar solos.
     
  3. puddleduck

    puddleduck Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lake District
    I genrerally don't rebuy stuff I already own. but as I only have Fugazi on cassette I've made an exception.

    I've always felt that Assasing and Punch and Judy are some of the most powerful opening songs on an album you'll ever hear. Probably my favourite Marillion album overall.
     
  4. Olias of Sunhill

    Olias of Sunhill Forum Resident

    Location:
    Jim Creek, CO, USA
    I finally had a chance to spin the 5.1 and found it to be a mixed bag. Side one, if you will, seems like kind of a mess. "Assassing" in particular seemed to have no plan for what they wanted to achieve, and as such instruments and effects have a kind of random feel to them. The distinctions and omissions from the original mix also seem more like mistakes than intentional changes (which they may or may not be). By the end of the album, things seem more intentional and the overall presentation is excellent. "Incubus" and (especially) "Fugazi" are devastatingly powerful in 5.1.
     
    Norco74, LivingForever and J_Surround like this.
  5. Norco74

    Norco74 For the good and the not so good…

    Perhaps some parts of the master tapes were damaged, lost or not available… Who knows?
     
  6. J_Surround

    J_Surround Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washingon, D.C.
    Possibly, but a lot of the missing parts on the remix are effects applied to the lead vocal (reverbs, delays, etc - like when Fish first shouts "punch!" at the beginning of "Punch and Judy", there was an echo effect that's now gone), which were probably added during the stereo mixing session via outboard gear - so they were never on the multitrack to begin with. It was up to the remixing team to closely replicate these hardware effects using DAW plugins and other studio trickery, but they seem to have decided otherwise.
     
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  7. Norco74

    Norco74 For the good and the not so good…

    Which gives you another version to choose from! Sometimes changes are good.
     
  8. puddleduck

    puddleduck Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lake District
    Blimey, I'm starting to think I should have stuck to my cassette - I knew there was a reason I tend not to rebuy stuff...inevitably as night turns to day, remixing or remastering usually seems to make things worse.
     
  9. moomoomoomoo

    moomoomoomoo WhoNeedsRealityWhenThere'sMoreSleepToLookForwardTo

    How about the UNCOMPRESSED version?!
     
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  10. J_Surround

    J_Surround Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washingon, D.C.
    Absolutely! I love how you can clearly pick out the bass guitar lines in the remix. It's also very cool how the 5.1 mix uncovers previously-obscured parts in the rear channels, like the xylophone(?) in "Punch and Judy" and low synths in "Incubus". Some of the other alterations just don't work for me though, and I wish it was more dynamic. My overall feeling toward the remix is 'close but no cigar', but YMMV.
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2021
  11. Norco74

    Norco74 For the good and the not so good…

    I am afraid it is not an option with this remaster series. :D

    I made peace with myself a long time ago about SQ disappointment in rock music. I have a very adaptative hearing. Marillion is just this type of band that has a core sound that’s here to stay whatever how hard you work on remixing/remastering the master tape. I think you already mentioned the first CD version pressing were horribly sounding. Compression aside, are the new remasters better or worse than the old pressings?
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2021
  12. moomoomoomoo

    moomoomoomoo WhoNeedsRealityWhenThere'sMoreSleepToLookForwardTo

    I'm afraid you are correct. Hopefully before I lose my hearing or die the new trend will be the opposite of the loudness wars & I'll get to spend my money on these sets again!
     
    Norco74 likes this.
  13. Norco74

    Norco74 For the good and the not so good…

    In an old interview, Steve Hackett was mentioning that he was very careful about not messing up with the fan’s musical DNA when making obvious changes on the Genesis Revisited project.
     
  14. AdrianSoundchaser

    AdrianSoundchaser Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sheffield, UK
    I find the only original CD release which sounds noticeably bad is Script. A really horrible, thin and brittle sound. I prefer the 90s Japanese Burrn version. Everything else sounds fine to me. It's also worth hunting down "The Singles 82-88" which gives you everything else you need from this era hidden amongst loads of unnecessary edited versions.
    Who needs a box set!?
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2021
  15. moomoomoomoo

    moomoomoomoo WhoNeedsRealityWhenThere'sMoreSleepToLookForwardTo

    For the live material & if the mastering engineers had a clue (they don't) the hi-res 24 bit masters.
     
    AdrianSoundchaser likes this.
  16. Scott6

    Scott6 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
  17. moomoomoomoo

    moomoomoomoo WhoNeedsRealityWhenThere'sMoreSleepToLookForwardTo

  18. Norco74

    Norco74 For the good and the not so good…

    Listening to the Fugazi studio remix CD. Is it me or this remix opens up when the volume is cranked up a bit louder than usual?
     
  19. moomoomoomoo

    moomoomoomoo WhoNeedsRealityWhenThere'sMoreSleepToLookForwardTo

    On my system the 2.0 is too screechy to turn it up.
     
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  20. puddleduck

    puddleduck Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lake District
  21. walrus

    walrus Staring into nothing

    Location:
    Nashville
    What's the difference? If you're talking about this one, it looks exactly the same as every other pre-1997 CD version: Album details - Dynamic Range Database (the link says 1996 but Discogs says 1994, so I'm going with that). I agree though, it does sound pretty lame.
     
  22. puddleduck

    puddleduck Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lake District
    Things always 'improve' if it's an obscure Japanese version, even if it's a bit-by-bit binary identical to other versions. I think it must be written into the forums rules somewhere ;)
     
  23. mrbiggs

    mrbiggs Empires and Pants

    I had a go at the surround mix today, and dynamics aside (I wasn’t listening loud enough to really appreciate them), I found myself enjoying it quite a bit. The rhythm section really stands out, and to hear Pete’s bass properly on Incubus and Fugazi really lifts the songs. I don’t mind different mixing choices here and there, it’s a remix after all, if it was identical to the original mix (which was very rushed, and the band were very unhappy with, as per the documentary) it’d be a lost opportunity.
     
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  24. walrus

    walrus Staring into nothing

    Location:
    Nashville
    ah, yes, of course. The OBI completely changes the Sonic aspects. :laugh:

    in all seriousness if there’s a good digital version of Script in existence, I’d love to know about it. But I think there’s only three: the original 80’s, 1997 remaster, and 2020 remix. I’d love to be wrong about this. (And I presume the same is true for the other EMI studio albums)
     
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  25. AdrianSoundchaser

    AdrianSoundchaser Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sheffield, UK
    All I know is that I had the original UK CD and thought it sounded bad. I picked up the 90s Burrn CD some years later and was quite happy with it. Maybe my ears changed. Maybe it was the obi. I don't recall.
    What I know now is that I prefer it to the remix. I've not been impressed with any of the remixes although the new remaster of Misplaced sounds very nice.
     
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