Can anyone hear similarities between "Repetition" and "Did You Ever Have A Dream" from the Deram album?
Love the artwork that came with Ryko Bowie releases also, great fold-out images Essential bonus tracks These are great value on Discogs at the moment Talking purely Sound IMO: Vinyl I’m really pleased with the current Parlaphone releases. CD the Japanese WPCR 2014 Series Sound Sublime especially Aladdin Sane
I’m probably wrong but it sounds like a crossword puzzle clue. That’s why i thought of anagram i think. It just has that ring to it. He may have used some other device to come up with the phrase though.
Yes, it'll sound different alright (Mewtilated), but one will be so busy figuring out the Japanese text that isn't noticed.
Did anyone here read Jeff Rougvie's blog about the experience of mastering the Ryko discs of the Bowie catalog? He shuts down the myth of the RCA CDs being more authentic to the master tapes, and reveals that they had been EQ'd for cassette and weren't first generation transfers. I know a lot of people on here are raving about the West Germany RCAs, but it does seem a little silly to me that people on these forums insist that one must get the most expensive and hard to find, imported-from-another-country version of an album than the perfectly strong versions that are available right here at a still-affordable price. There are people selling a lung for an early RCA issue, only to find that it was actually rushed to market and that the 1991s improved on their sound after all. I'm just saying, I love the Rykos and do think there is such a thing as Hoffman Forum Hype.
It's complex. Rougvie is unreliable on the subject. The better source for information on the provenance of the Bowie RCA CDs is here: Pick 'n' Mixed: The First Ever David Bowie CDs (RCA 1984) I think all are agreed that the RCA CDs are not as good as they could have been. On the other hand, Ryko seriously messed up the EQ in my opinion and they don't sound right. Tim
I was surprised on coming here for the first time but also other db forums to read discussions of the RCA cds lauding their sound quality. Because when the ryko cds came out and for a time before the commonly held view was that the RCA discs suffered from all of the ills of those albums being hastily released on CD when it was the new format, not remastered, sources unclear etc. They were seen as an RCA cash in, after db had gone to EMI for Let’s Dance. They had a scarcity value for sure, because nobody fv****g bought them as they were reputed to sound so bad. Now, the fashion for all things analog emerged in the later 90s etc etc , and that’s what’s benefited the reputation of discs imho. but, as with all things sonic, ymmv E&OE etc
We have done quite a few blind listening tests on the forum. For example, Young Americans: Bowie's Young Americans blind listening test Generally the RCAs are much preferred to the Rykos, but in some cases more recent remasters have been well liked. Tim
From the above post: "Due to the huge success of CD in Europe we were constantly in a short supply situation. With PolyGram being the first (and for some time, only) manufacturing plant in Europe, each major was given a monthly manufacturing allocation often only three months in advance. When I arrived at RCA in June 1983 we could make between 20-30,000 per month (and remember this was for the whole of Europe)." I don't recall any complaints about the sound quality of the Bowie CDs at the time, other than that many enthusiasts still preferred the vinyl on a high quality system but that applied to CDs generally. The main reasons more were not sold were supply issues as mentioned above, plus they were very expensive. Tim
Some of these listening tests have resulted in some love for the Rykodisc versions, as I’ve combed these threads. They don’t ever win, but some albums get a portion of the vote and some compliments. Yes they’re low on bass but they’re high on little details and overall, they sound great.
It's partly familiarity with the first releases; the RCAs sound more like the records but preferring the sound of the Rykos is of course perfectly valid, it is a matter of taste in the end. Tim
I would like to add that if you think that the RCAs are plentiful in Germany, let me tell you that I have visited used CD-stores since the early 90s and I have never seen them. I have seen lots of Rykos, especially in the 90s and then also after 99, when people dumped them for the new remasters. But RCA Bowie CDs? If this forum did not exist, I would not be aware that there is such an animal.
I did lots of comparisons between Ryko/EMI CD's versus RCA and the RCA's sounded better, often by a distance. I did not tamper with the EQ as some have suggested quite plausibly you need to do. The treble emphasis was quite unpleasant in some instances.
I don't listen to my Ryko CDs much ... I do LOVE the Ryko vinyl. I am glad I own them all. I think they sound very authentic when compared to the early UK releases.
Rougvie’s comments have been brought up many times over the years (possibly earlier in this very thread). There is also some interesting commentary from an engineer with RCA Europe that has been posted here before. At the end of the day all you can do is listen and decide for yourself.
I am not too fond of the sound of the Rykos, but I would never search for these pricy, extremely rare RCA CDs. There is plenty of wonderful sounding RCA Vinyl out there.
