Perhaps I didn't make the point clearly enough, as you misunderstood what I was referring to : with very few exceptions the original UK RCA issue covers are copied from the US covers, and in each of those cases the UK packaging shows signs of degradation when compared side by side with the US packaging. My point was, if it is crucial to retain the integrity of the 2-track masters, why not retain the integrity of the original packaging, be it US or occasional UK, rather than, with only one (correct) exception, copy UK covers?
Yeah we know. We've read this here three or four times already. They have a PR person who responded on various websites. Still doesn't change the fact that older version sound better.
Their answers on tape hiss, bottom-end, etc. are fine (subjective, but direct and not nonsensical), but the "Heroes" answer makes no sense. They are telling us the sky is green. "When this high frequency boost finishes (around the 2.50 mark) the effect creates the impression of a drop in volume but Parlophone insist that this simply isn’t the case. The level is consistent with the start." It's a deeply frustrating answer that raises more questions than it answers.
News is slowly beginning to reach more. Even caught the attention of this YouTube "reviewer". And as could be expected, he doesn't really hear it. But then again, he can't tell Low and Lodger apart and in one of his earlier episodes pronounced a classic as TVC fifteen. But then again, so did Michael Fremer before him - Bowie only sings it correctly some 42 times of course (not counting the spoken intro). Serious business reviewing music, especially the listening bit.
Please point me to where they address the two problems with Lodger original mix: tape flutter (African Night Flight) and altered or missing intro fragment (Red Sails). Thanks.
You can bet the next box will be sonically flawless, probably with an exclusive Nile Rodgers remix of Let's Dance and a moonlight coloured vinyl edition of the Serious Moonlight tour. This was always where my Bowie reissue purchases were going to end. Unless they release a deluxe Low box with flat transfers, 5.1, Man who fell to earth demos etc.. then i need no more Bowie product.
Sure, quote “Back in the 1970s, there was only so much bottom end you could deliver, due to the limitations of vinyl, but this was an opportunity to address that.” really made me laugh.
Probably, but then he'll have to write the liner notes, without mentioning Billy Idol, the Little Richard photograph and DB playing Let's Dance on his 12-string - and where he (NR) then took it - again. Shake it
Wow...ok, who has a show called CoffeeTime, and then shows themselves making a cup of instant coffee? His reasoning behind level difference is good humor though.
Ok, just played Heroes (the song). It's a sonic mess. Insert swear words here. It lacks consistancy throughout. Play 10 seconds from the first minute then jump to the four minute mark, do you you hear the difference??? I do. First 1/3 is flat vs last 2/3 boosted. Ok, don't care which ones correct but they should be the same. Right Steve?
It's O.K! all you have to do is read Parlophones response and all the problems with the new Bowie set magically disappear.
Was listening to some Bowie and Tom Petty today. Back and forth between artists. Compared to the sound recordings that Petty put out over 40 years , Bowie’s for the most part are not very good with some exceptions. Too bad. Great material though.
Funny, I was just reading the comments of this clip on YouTube and found this... Zach Johnson I thought by the complaints that the drop in volume would be drastic, but when I heard it I was quite humored, since I'm not sure I would have even noticed had no one pointed it out...But again maybe we're just not as picky as some of those audiophiles. Huh, now where have I heard that before? Name seems familiar too.
I lost another 7 min of my life watching Darren saying absolutely nothing about this box set. Camping coffee anyone? I am spending a good part of my salary on music, and I mean spending on real physicsl media. I have been quite disappointed by a few purchase in the past years so I have changed my consumer's habits in order to limit disappointment: 1-Get on Steve Hoffman forum in order to assess on quality issues. This forum is the one really. 2-Get a Tidal membership to ´listen prior to order'. That is implying to slow down considerably on pre-orders. Only good for digital media though. Lately, I passed on the Eno 45rpm reissues and I will probably do the same with this ANCIANT boxset. I listened to Low and Heroes and I had enough to asked myself: What have they tried to do here? I must however mentioned that Sense Of Doubt was probably the one shining out from these two albums in terms of best SQ.
Wait till you hear his rants about Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson... He is also hosting Prog Review where he is usually unboxing new stuff with his Swissy...
I never said I "love the remasters". I thought Low sounded great, I wish Heroes sounded better (then again I always have). There are definitely things I would change, but overall they're good and it's clear that a lot of care went into the making of this box. You may not like the choices made but it doesn't change that fact. I also never said that people complain just to complain. I don't even care if they complain, why should I? But that's not how it works here. It's never just complaining, it's "these are unlistenable", or "they're destroying Bowie's legacy"...and on and on, everyone trying to outdo each other in the outrage department. And any sort of praise is always attacked or dismissed -- if you defend it, you must enjoy compression or have a lousy stereo or you're just a shill. Almost no one here seems to have any idea how to simply enjoy music. The remasters are not perfect but they're not completely brickwalled and they haven't morphed into something beyond recognition.
