I've just listened to the gbybr and its a great listen, just dug out my shm platinum cd to compare, in the booklet it says that it was mastered from the uk master tapes yet this version is 15 seconds longer, this may be nothing more than 15 seconds of silence but strange that they both are not timed the same.
Please do it, it is very important, because we have diametrically different opinions about this album.
Could this be why the series was delayed multiple times last year and eventually cancelled? Knowing how obsessive the Japanese are and their normally fastidious attention to detail, maybe sourcing or not the mastertape, but finding the best available copy, delayed the whole bunch - just a thought.... Me, I would have cloned the DJM.
Swintonlion, I'm looking forward for your comments, especially on Honky, Madman and Don't Shoot Me. I see you added more albums...
The ones that i have listened to all sound very nice and on first listen are better, but not having heard them for quite a while they are fresh sounding, so the memory could be tricked by this, i will enjoy them for what they are then go back to the others, the platinum gbybr was at hand and i thought that would be hard to beat so i gave that a quick spin and you could live with it but the new shm sounds more smoother and seems to have more detail after a quick listen but i will give them all a extended listen before jumping to a quick conclusion, what I'm expecting is similar results but we will see.
Does anyone hear a high pitched artifact in the left channel of "Levon" on the Madman SHM? Starts pretty much right away with the piano and continues throughout the song. It was immediately apparent to me. Was listening in my car with a Bose system to an ALAC file ripped from the SHM to iTunes and synced to my iPhone. Didn't hear it on any other track, yet, as I've only made it through the title track - other than that, everything except "Levon" with the whiny artifact sounds fantastic. I suspect (could be wrong) is its an overtone enhanced by the reverb used on the piano that is somehow enhanced or otherwise made more apparent due to the superior transfer.
Listened through Empty Sky again and actually think it sound as good I think it coould. It was recorded on n a less than stellar way and I don t zhink possession of the original master tape would have changed much. Since I never had this on CD before I can not compare. To me this one sounds OK with it s wide stereo/separation and bass more frequent than on the others. It still sounds good but no sonic make up can hide this is a inferior recorded album than what came next for Elton Still worth having -it s s charming period-piece with a few great ones. The stoneseyPsych-rock of the title-track is stunning for example
On GH II I think some tracks sounds pretty darn good ecspecially the non-album singles, Listening to Lucy in the sky with Diamond right now and to my ears it s a rather grand sound
I have checked each and every SHM and have seen the following wording, chronologically: Empty Sky: 192kHz/24bit flat transfer from UK analogue master tapes at Abbey Road Studios, London Mastering at Universal Mastering, Tokyo Elton John (Self Titled) through Caribou: 192kHz/24bit flat transfer from 197X UK original analogue master tapes at Abbey Road Studios, London Mastering at Universal Mastering, Tokyo Greatest Hits through Greatest Hits II (includes ROTW and Blue Moves): 192kHz/24bit flat transfer from 197X UK analogue master tapes at Abbey Road Studios, London Mastering at Universal Mastering, Tokyo It's interesting that 3 different wordings were used.
Im happy to have putchased GHII -if not only for the non-album singles Philadelphia Freedom has a lot more punch in the drums/bass that Im used two The two covers Lucy and Pinball Wizzard have always been dear to me-and here I think the re-master add both puch and clarity. The album tracks on the GH-s collection sounds notable different than on the original albums-guess they used difference source. I would pick the proper albums if I had to choose but I truly enjoy to turn on the hit-vollections to. They might be a bit louder and lacking in details but they sound very much ad I remember hearing them on radio So/at least GH 1 might not be a neccesary buy but Im happy to have them.
Yeah, even though the GH versions don't sound as good as the album versions, it's pretty cool to have an authentic, audiophile mastering of these original GH packages, greatest hits dub master tape and all.
They still sound pretty darn good. I find them most enjoying to listet to. Actually this whole series might be one of my crown-jewels. I franskly love them-both the visual look and the sound. Absolutely gorgeous and one of a kind
Yes - that wording doesn't even imply they are "original master tapes." It says all "tapes" used are original mixes. Meaning, they used the same "mix" as the released albums and just processed the sound. It implies they weren't even remixed - just remastered. But potentially a copy. It even says "we passed the sound through..." like they took the audio through a digital car wash. Also - as I quoted earlier in the thread - the wording is different for the 2nd batch of releases in '98. It states original analogue master tapes were used (e.g. The One album, Single Man.) Only "Victim of Love" did not mention anything specific. It does make me curious as to what the mixing/mastering process was for the original CD releases under DJM and MCA labels.
Also interesting how the years are mentioned for some, but not all. Wonder if that was just an inconsistency in the copywriting. Or if they wanted to clarify that they had a tape for Blue Moves from say 1976, but it was a copy not the original. Vs. something like Empty Sky with no year - where maybe it's a UK master, but from a later year. But clearly they wanted to point out when they had the original vs. copies from whatever generation down the line.
My guess is that they were the best available, or current "official tapes". I would also guess they were the same tapes available to Mr. Ludwig for the recent vinyl reissues.
Oh yeah, the packaging is excellent. Once I opened my first one, I was hooked and knew I had to buy the rest.
Which begs the question - were these SHMs remixed in addition to being remastered? I know Ludwig remixed the albums, or at least, the mixes are not 100% identical to their original counterparts.
I could be wrong, but on the Diamonds set, Philadelphia Freedom sounds like certain instruments are louder in the mix. A few others noticed this too upon its release.
You are right, sounds like either a backing track was missed or swamped by higher volume of another track. Fortunately, the version on the SHM GHV2 is sublime and just the way it should be IMHO.
Listening to the SHM of Empty Sky. This is interesting as it sounds exactly how I remember the vinyl, particularly the grainy vocals. It has to be said though that the SHM brings out some striking details, Caleb Quaye's psychedelic guitar licks during Empty Sky, the whistling at the end of Hymn 2000, which I have never heard the random bit right at the end, nice rolling piano sound on other tracks. TBH, it sounds like early Procol Harum albums do. It is no louder on my system than the others I have listened to. This version is not as bad as I was expecting, it maintains the raucous and the primative sound of the original recording but adds something extra. At the moment I couldn't say whether this is best, but it's certainly worthy and if this was my only copy I would be happy. Edit, just backed to backed Gulliver's gone, with the DJM, and think I get what happened and why the DJM sounds smoother - its because the vocal is lower in the mix. The SHM allows the distortion to come through more. You could argue the SHM is maybe more faithful to the original recording.
I listened to the Polydor CD of Empty Sky today and I agree that it is a bit brighter than the SHM (I alluded to the 'boomy" aspect of the SHM quite a while back in this thread) and in some ways is preferable. Could be another instance where the combination of the two would be near-perfect. I suppose I could get off m' butt and turn the "bass level" down a bit on my amplifier when playing the SHM! I like them both, though. Overall, I'm VERY satisfied with all of these SHMs. Money well spent.
Thank you for your review. I would say that the volume is certainly louder on this SHM compared to the other Eltons, but the waveforms do not show brickwalling or limiting. It may be a result of the master they used. It's interesting, because, when you look at the waveforms (I know, trust your ears), the other SHMs I've seen have a lot of headroom. As I posted earlier, the highest track peak on Empty Sky is "Val-Hala" at 0.999969. None of the others come close. It's just... different. Again, this SHM mastering is the only time I have heard the album, so I have nothing to compare it to, except the sound and volume of the other Elton SHM CDs. I'm glad to know it sounds like the vinyl and is an authentic listening experience. They sure did put a lot of hard work into this series, and it had paid off in spades. I'm very glad I got the entire set.
