Got my box, heard the volume issue, had a lovely chat with Amazon, who’ve partially refunded me. All told, I’ve paid under £80 in total on this box (the vinyl one), and apart from the glitch on ‘“Heroes”’, none of it offends my ears when I think about the previous versions I’ve had. I’ve spent far more on boxes where the original versions were reinstated to the detriment of the song (step forward the horrible original edit of ‘Rael’ on The Who Sell Out) to feel burned on one song that features four other times on this set. Besides, I can switch out the LP when they reissue it in the corrected version next year if I so desire.
It would be worth looking back over the previous few pages here. Parlophone say the heroes is not a fault and won't be replaced. Just FYI
There are two big controversies with this set, what some perceive as a "bass heavy" remastering, and the volume drop on "Heroes"+dropouts on Lodger. I can see a case for arguing over the mastering. The added bass is also going to affect the DR numbers and make it seem less dynamic than it really is. I like the sound, but then again my speakers don't reach down to 30hz so maybe I'm missing the annoying parts. As far as the volume drop and tape drop outs: they used the original master tapes, and made a decision to leave those issues in place rather than attempt to fix them by "phoning in" edits from other sources. Usually that kind of thing goes over well around here, but in this case not so much. Maybe if they had explained it all in the book, people wouldn't have lost their heads over it.
From what I have read: They have felt it OK to compress and dynamically reduce these albums and add base boost to Visconi's liking so, as they freely admit, these releases sound nothing like they did at the time or were intended. Who really cares if they used the original masters as they seem to have systematically and deliberately altered the sound beyond recognition and then to keep faults that were on these tapes seems unforgivable. IMO they should have just use "clean" back up tapes if they didn't want the records/CD's to sound as they were originally intended! Visconti seems hell bent on stamping his authority and sound preferences on Bowie's work whatever the cost. Will someone politely tell him to stop playing god and harming the legacy.... "Hey Tony, step away from studio and just be available for interviews!"
You know exactly what I mean so I wonder why you feel sarcasm helps? to quote Warner: "Tony Visconti has never been involved in remastering these albums before, and what you hear on these new remasters is how he always wanted them to sound." and "In other words, the object was never to make these sound as much like the original vinyl pressings as possible." It is interesting that the compression, limiting and lack of dynamics is not addressed in the Warner statement! (that I saw)
How is it sarcastic? You said they were now "beyond recognition", and that's exactly the kind of over-the-top hyperbole that derailed this discussion in the first place. Visconti didn't remix them, he just EQ'ed them in a way that you don't like. They're still the same albums and they still sound like the same albums. ...ok, he did remix Lodger but you know what I mean.
Yeah, and I recognized "Scary Monsters", which I've been listening to since 1980, but I also recognized the ways in which it has been altered. So I honestly can't tell you what someone unfamiliar with it will hear when they put on the 2017 version. Which makes recommendations tricky.
No they didn't, read it again, they tried to fix it and that was the result. Fixes are applied to tape issues all the time on reissues but they don't sound as bad as that. Surely this catalogue deserves better,what about the integrity of the music? Also the perception of more tape hiss and excessive bass on Low are a result of the compression.
Reminds me of when MoFi released their gold CD of REM's Murmur. Some people hate it, I think it's fantastic.
I think there's a lot of over-exaggeration going on here. Perhaps my ears aren't as picky, but I'm fine with my CD set. I would not have noticed any big issues if no one pointed them out to me. Perhaps I don't necessarily belong with the multitude of audiophiles here, but it's not worth the 1 star ratings it's getting on Amazon. Perhaps 3.5, but it's not the worst thing ever. For example, the audio glitch about 1:35 in "Cygnet Committee" (or thereabouts, I don't have my set with me now) from the Five Years set is worse than the tiny volume dip in "Heroes," in my opinion. Same with the Frankenstein-ed "Fashion" single edit from Nothing Has Changed (but those were different remasters if I recollect accurately). So far I played Low and "Heroes" both through headphones via my iPod Classic and out loud through my dad's Bose system with the volume at 65 or so, and it sounded absolutely fine to me. Sue me. Perhaps I have no place in this argument, but I'm not hearing much of what people are carrying on about.
I don’t think the added bass is a problem, except that combined with additional, unnecessary compression, it can cause problems. And while added bass can lower the DR numbers, also listening with our ears can tell us that the lower DR is not simply an oddity of the DR meter, but rather a function of adding in compression independent of any EQ choice made. Even if the masterings were completely perfect in regards to source issues, the compression makes these not suitable as go to versions for many of us. I would have been happy to hear the EQ that Visconti wanted, but not the unnecessary compression.
Well, no, if you read the statement, regarding "Heroes," it says they added a "+- 6dB" boost "in order to compensate" for a "loss of energy." They didn't just leave the problem alone; rather, they attempted to fix it in a way that sounds botched. Admittedly, this explanation doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense for several technical reasons, but they aren't saying they just left it alone.
So they wanted it to be respectful to the original master but wanted it to sound like how TV wanted it to always sound. Which is it?
Right but every master tape is different, they don't all have the same issues and not every issue can be fixed. I assume what they did yielded the best result and so they went with it. Obviously most people here disagree and/or flat out don't believe them.
I think all those one-star ratings were partly what made the company to gave a public explanation, and that's what many people were expecting to happen, so I think that most of the reviewers didn't really feel it is a one-star set, in spite of its flaws, they were just trying to cause a reaction.
It's not a case of not believing them, I do. They tried to fix it and made a hash of it. Just another in a catalogue of issues with these 3 boxes, unfortunately this time it's so damn obvious everyone, whether they have 40 years of experience listening to these albums or not can hear it.
I didn't mean that they didn't try to fix it, just that they didn't want to fix it using another source cut/pasted in. They decided to stick with the original master tape, "warts and all" (to borrow a phrase).
Wow, just wow! I haven't suggested they were remixed and I never wrote "beyond recognition" so please don't miss quote me! I said "sound nothing like they did at the time or were intended" It would seem that you are intent in playing Eric Morecambe in the Andre Previn sketch when he plays "all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order"! You understood what I meant but deliberately took a literal meaning, made a sarcastic comment, and I have no idea what this last message is as you are completely re-writing what I said!
Many guys here look as people laughing while sawing the branch they are seating on : the no buzz electronically processed sax (?) at the end of Neukohln used to be anemic and emasculated and the buzz in ANCIANT is clearly modulated by the playing of the instrument (vs would be constant if carelessly splice added ) : this tends to accredit the statement that ANCIANT is actually true to the master tapes for the first time ever. Add complaining people about heavy bass while their system/room simply can't handle it and you're likely to encourage low end tweaked limited to satisfy the new Tepaz equivalent owners remasterings
