DCC Archive A/B'ing Bowie gold CDs

I have Station to Station on gold CD which sounds good, but wondered if anyone had A/B'd the gold Rykos vs. the standard Rykos. I have a feeling they're not that different, since my other Ryko Bowie CDs sound pretty similar to STS.

 

Jackie,

I A/B'd the standard 1990 EMI ...Ziggy Stardust... (UK equivalent of the 1990 aluminium Rykodisc) with the AU20 version about 4 years ago! But I clearly remember the difference. I always felt that the 16-bit version was thin, lacking any bass/lower mid-range warmth. This had a particularly adverse affect the vocals. On top of this the 1990 version had a grainy/papery sound which particularly affected the snare drum and cymbals. In comparison, the AU20 did not suffer from the grainy/papery problem at all. as for the tonal balance - I thought that the AU20 version had a fuller, richer sound but still was no match for the original RCA vinyl and CD releases. It's a real shame that Dr. Toby decided to use the same EQ profile on the AU20 as he had used for the 16-bit release.

[ November 27, 2001: Message edited by: Malc S ]

 

I was happy that Ryko used the original version of "Fame" instead of that lame 1990 remix.

 

Have Rykodisc's AU20 release of “Changesbowie” in which “Major Tom” has a buzz box guitar riff that's absolutely devastating. It'll give you the warm & fuzzies once you check out your equipment. The 1st time I played it, I thought the CD drove my system into had clipping. It was that real.

 

I have Low, Ziggy, Heroes, Young Americans all on AU 20 and am very happy with them compared to the normal CD's. the drum sound in particular stands out on the gold Cd's. unfortunately the only vinyl i have is hunky dory so can't compare these to the LP's. i have to say that i love the sound of hunky dory on LP. will try to get some more. its a pity that steve can't get hold of bowie's catalogue as his work is up there with the beatles and stones. i have heard that the simply vinyl stuff is not very good.

 

anyone know of a AU20 of “Cat People” & “Under Pressure”?

 

I can't speak on behalf of the Bowie Ryko Au20's, but I can definitively say that the Ryko Au20 version of Elvis Costello's King of America is sonically *identical* to the aluminum version. Too bad, because the aluminum had a bonus 5 song live CD.

 

Be aware that, as far as the Frank Zappa gold AU20 CDs are concerned, in about 1998 I think, Ryko started using the same 20-bit master for their standard silver CDs of "Apostrophe" and "One Size Fits All". In other words, they phased out the old remaster and started using the gold version for the standard CD - in all other respects, the CDs look the same with same packaging as was introduced in 1995. The way to tell the difference is that the earlier version has a different manufacturing matrix number on the bottom, commencing with "DISQUE AMERIC...." whereas the newer ones using the AU20 remaster have "DADR 0SC81<910>RCD80521" (for "One Size") or DADR 0RR32<910>RCD80519 (for "Apostrophe").

It is also the case that the original CD was a remix which differed from the original LP mix, whereas the gold AU20 (and the latest pressing of the silver) are identical to the original LP mix.

I don't know whether similar differences apply to the Bowie and other CDs released in the AU20 series, but it is certainly conceivable that Ryko decided to use the AU20 remasters in all more recent pressings of the standard silver version of the same CDs, given that the 20-bit remasters are probably better. If that is the case, then you would not expect to hear any difference at all if you were comparing the gold and silver versions - unless you had an older silver version of the CD for the comparison. It might be worth checking the silver Ryko disc that you are comparing to see if the matrix number starts with "DADR" - that might indicate that it is the same as the gold remaster....

 

Interesting theory, but I'm pretty sure Ryko had stopped pressing CDs for Bowie around the time the Zappa masters were swapped.

-D

 

I bought the silver Richard and Linda Thompson "Shoot Out The Lights" and the disc itself has Au20 as part of its artwork.

 

This is correct and, even apart from the identical sound, easily verifiable, since the same mastering error appears on both versions. On most Ryko Costello CDs, a 15-second gap separates the main album from the bonus tracks, but on "King of America" this gap is missing and the lovely fade of "Sleep of the Just" rams right into the jarring opening of "The People's Limousine."

This was a HUGE rip-off on Ryko's part, and they ought to be ashamed of themselves. I've never bought another Ryko product since.

 

It was pretty cheap for Ryko to use the SAME booklet from the first "Changesbowie" for the gold one, with the credits for Fame '90 intact.

[ November 29, 2001: Message edited by: Andrew ]

 

When I picked up King of America about a year ago, I was surprised that the CD had 24 karat gold disc (or something to that effect) printed on it when it was clearly not.