Judas Priest Remasters Question (here we go again)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by evanft, Mar 7, 2007.

  1. evanft

    evanft Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Taylor, MI, USA
    Most of the Priest discs I have are the remasters, but I'm getting tired of most of them, especially Defenders and Painkiller. I definately plan on replacing these with the original CDs. I'll probably also replace Hell Bent for Leather and British Steel, but thos don't seem as offensive to me as DOTF or Painkiller. I also have the Stained Class remaster, and I think it sounds pretty good. Then again, that album isn't as dense as their other ones, so maybe the compression doesn't come through as much.

    So my question is this; are ANY of the Priest remasters better than the originals, or are they all inferior?

    And BTW, the non-remastered version of Screaming for Venegeance sounds REALLY good. \m/
     
    deredordica likes this.
  2. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    All Judas Priest remasters sound bad... get the originals!!!
     
  3. Maidenpriest

    Maidenpriest Setting the controls for the heart of the sun :)

    Location:
    Europe
    BAD! BAD! BAD!
    Only get the originals!
     
  4. Johnny Connor

    Johnny Connor New Member

    Location:
    Homdel,NJ
    With the exception of the nuked-to-high-heavens Painkiller CD,all the 2001 remasters sound great,better than the dull,thin-sounding 80's discs.Get them NOW!:evil:
     
  5. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialistâ„¢

    Location:
    B.C.
    :D
     
    Mark J likes this.
  6. wolf66

    wolf66 New Member

    Location:
    Austria
    By all means get the originals .... while you still can !!

    The Remasters are HORRIBLE :hurl:
     
    Dynamic Ranger likes this.
  7. johnny 99

    johnny 99 Down On Main Street

    Location:
    Toronto
    I've often thought of getting Stained Class, British Steel and Screaming For Vengeance. Are these remasters that bad? (As I recall they do offer some interesting bonus tracks)
     
  8. antonkk

    antonkk Senior Member

    Location:
    moscow
    The only one that is superior to the old one is Sin after Sin simply because the old CD blows big time.
     
  9. antonkk

    antonkk Senior Member

    Location:
    moscow
    YES they are. Most folks I know made themselves a CDR with the bonus tracks and kept the originals. Original japanese British Steel is one of the best sounding metal CDs that I ever heard!:righton:
     
  10. DavidF

    DavidF Forum Resident

    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    I got the 2 disc "box" set Stained Class/Point of Entry (Import) at Best Buy. I've only heard "Point of Entry" Wasn't bad at all. Loud and in your face, but isn't that what metal's all about?

    [​IMG][​IMG]
     
  11. johnny 99

    johnny 99 Down On Main Street

    Location:
    Toronto
    Finding some CD's now is as tough as finding those "particular" pressings of LP's was back in the day.
     
  12. Liquid Snake

    Liquid Snake Member

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    How does the "Metal Works '73 - '93" set compare to the older CDs? It's the only Priest I have at the moment. I never got around to getting the old CDs...then the remasters showed up :sigh:
     
  13. quentincollins

    quentincollins Forum Word Nerd

    Location:
    Liverpool
    The Screaming for Vengeance remaster has got to be the worst. If you listen to the beginnings of "Devil's Child", "(Take These) Chains", or "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", you can easily hear noise-reduction artifacts. It's rediculous. This album didn't need NR treatment, but it got it anyway. It totally ruins the album for me.

    On the original release of the remaster for Defenders, the channels were accidentally reversed. Where was quality control on that one?

    DEFINITELY get the original late 80s CDs for Vengeance and Defenders. They sound awesome. Warm and smooth without losing any of the power.

    I haven't heard the original British Steel CD, but I don't think the remaster is actually all that bad. I bet I'd feel the other way, though, if I HAD heard the original CD.

    The Point of Entry remaster is so compressed and jacked-up in the low frequencies that it distorts in places. Unacceptable.

    The only remaster I can give a firm nod to is Sin After Sin. The original CD was totally wimpy and lacking. Doesn't sound good at all. The remaster is LOUD and compressed, but at least it doesn't sound like it was taken from a fifth-gen tape with all the bass shaved off. Bottom line is, there's no good Sin After Sin CD. You might have to go vinyl.
     
    Dertriumphdestodes likes this.
  14. antonkk

    antonkk Senior Member

    Location:
    moscow
    Well, metal with great dynamic range works even better!:righton:
     
  15. quentincollins

    quentincollins Forum Word Nerd

    Location:
    Liverpool
    The original Metal Works set sounds great. I believe it was also remastered, but I've never seen it in stores. I've only seen the original set. From what I understand, the remaster also has a silver border around the cover art, just like the individual CDs. If yours doesn't have this, you've got the original. Hang onto that. It's a keeper.
     
  16. Liquid Snake

    Liquid Snake Member

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    Yep, it's the original. I got it years ago, before the remasters were released.
     
  17. oldschool

    oldschool I love tape hiss

    Location:
    Sofia, Bulgaria
    The Metal Works set is a bit tweaked, compared to the original releases. The volume has been increased, but in a good way, so it still sounds superb and dynamics are kept.
    Just remember to pick the one without the silver border, which all remasters have.
     
  18. LesPaul666

    LesPaul666 Mr Markie - The Rock And Roll Snarkie

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Some of the Re-masters are more lousy than others...I would stay away from them all. If you want a great sounding Sin After Sin, or Hell Bent For Leather(aka Killing Machine in the U.K. and elsewhere). Go for the original U.K. CBS or the CBS/Sony original Japanese CD's...there is a huge difference between them all. Screaming For Vengeance sounds so much more dynamic and slamming on ANY other copy, but the Re-Master. Shame on Jon Astley! Some of the UK LP's mastered by Ray Staff are incredible, compared to the US vinyl.:righton:
     
  19. evanft

    evanft Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Taylor, MI, USA
    Thanks everybody. I was able to borrow a friend's copy of Painkiller and it's MUCH better than the original, even on relatively cheap headphones.

    Oh, and what about Unleashed in the East? The remaster has 4 added tracks that were taken off the original release in the states. Does that sound like butt, too?
     
  20. Greg Black

    Greg Black New Member

    Location:
    California
    Yes, they are pretty bad. I bought most of the remasters, but then thanks to this forum :)realmad: ... :p ) I sought out the original releases. Actually, I had purchased some nice LPs of some of the albums after I bought the remasters and immediately noticed the huge difference in sound quality. The remasters are loud and compressed (clipping is not a problem though), but the worst offenses lie within the EQ adjustments. The treble end is so harsh and nasty, and some bass frequencies have been bumped leaving this kind of hollow sound to everything. After hearing the vinyl and then reading about how the original CDs compared favorably to them, I had to get them too.

    However, the Screaming For Vengeance remaster is absolutely worth the price for just one song: "Prisoner Of Your Eyes." I absolutely love it. It's a beautiful ballad that was recorded during the Turbo sessions, and I have no idea why they left it off. None of the bonus tracks on the remasters really did much for me, except for "Prisoner."
     
  21. ashlee5

    ashlee5 Senior Member

    Didn't you tell us you were tired of the Painkiller remaster at the start of the thread? Now you like it much better than the original ... what happened? And why did you have to borrow it from your friend when you already had it?
     
    Anonamemouse and deredordica like this.
  22. J. Warren

    J. Warren Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Since I grew up with the LP's of the Priest catalog, I know how good these albums can sound. I can be tolerant of some so-so mastering jobs, but I swear these JP remasters are the worst I've ever heard. The original albums of "Screaming" and "Defenders" sounded so big and three-dimensional when first released, I was amazed that these remasters were given approval, honestly. "Defenders" in particular sounds comically bad, never mind the reversed channels. The "Turbo" LP, while not my favorite, has amazing sound quality in its original incarnation (and it's a digital recording).

    As far as the original CD's go, all are obviously preferable, but the best of the lot are "Hell Bent For Leather", "Screaming For Vengeance" and "Defenders Of The Faith". The rest sound damn close to the original vinyl, IMO. The worst, as has been mentioned previously, is "Sin After Sin", too quiet and anemic (but my LP was somewhat disappointing in this regard).

    Here's the obvious question: how long will it take until this catalog gets done properly? This music means a lot to its audience; it's a shame that this is how it's being currently represented.
     
  23. yesstiles

    yesstiles Senior Member

    So which do you endorse, the original cd or the remaster?
     
  24. J. Warren

    J. Warren Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
     
  25. oldcuster

    oldcuster Forum Resident

    Location:
    St. Paul, MN
    The only remaster I kept (I had them all through Turbo) is Unleashed in the East. That was just because of the bonus tracks.

    It took a while to track down all the originals (Hell Bent For Leather was most elusive), but I'm glad I did. :)
     

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