Pretenders & Pretenders II Albums get 40th Anniversary Box Treatment

Yes, AFAIK it was only included on the 1987 single releases of the song.

 

played the first album cd on headphones. Pretty good remaster , accented many things I've never heard before. I have to play it on speakers . If I dig it I might pick up the vinyl. My go to copy is the original UK which sounds better then the original USA.

 

this is by far the least anemic the first LP has ever sounded in any format, it finally has teeth!!!!!!!!

 

I'm confused.

The Qobuz Deluxe first album appears to show the original album as 2018 remaster with many of the following tracks noting 2021 remaster.

Am I reading this incorrectly or is the original album a 2018 rather than 2021 remaster.

BTW - IT SOUNDS SUPERB.

 

Yes the original UK LP is probably unsurpassed. The new CD is an extremely close digital version, seems to me they had very clearly the UK vinyl as a reference when mastering. It's obviously been done with great respect for the music and I appreciate that.

Yes, that appears to be the case, 2018 for the album, 2021 for the rest . No idea why that is

 

Has anyone actually bought the vinyl from the Rhino store and listened to it? I'm loving this so much I make take a flyer even though I absolutely don't need another copies.

 

My order from the Rhino store on day one is finally moving. It had been sitting in 'label created' state since Friday. Kind of irritating.

 

Anyone had a chance to make a comparison to the MFSL SACD(s)?

 

Missed this one!

Love the first record, and the second is pretty good. Definitely checking this out

 

Just ordered these, so please,someone, before I end up disappointed, tell me the Santa Monica show includes the bit before they start Higher and Higher where someone, I'm assuming Honeyman-Scott, is running around asking " How does the riff go, how does the riff go?"

 

Unless he's saying it quietly, I don't hear it - she mentions a group from England called The Bureau (?), "we're going to do an old Jackie Wilson song, Higher and Higher" and then the song starts.

 

Damn. I had a bootleg of this show way back in the 80's, on a cassette that has somehow disappeared over the years. It's very prominent, like you say, she says we're gonna bring The Bureau back out here, and then there's some fumbling around as everyone is finding a place on stage(if I remember correctly, The Bureau was like a five or six piece band) and its obvious to hear, like Chrissie's mic picked it up.

I found this show again as a torrent file maybe 20 years ago, but that bit was cut out. Which is a shame, cause that little bit adds that sort of you're really there atmosphere to the recording.

 

Who mastered this reissues? I know the band's website states it was Chris Thomas but AllMusic lists Tim Young (wasn't he retired?), Dan Hersch and Dave Schultz as the remastering engineers.
Could anybody share the remastering credits, please? I'm a little confused

 

Tim Young has been remastering the recent World Party releases, also. So, maybe not retired.

 

Spending more time with a proper comparison, level matched, 16/44 download vs the MFSL redbook, on the office system, through the first 4 tracks in full, spot checking others. For the s/t first:

• 2018/21 while it has some clear limiting, and Audacity notes clipping... I don't know maybe 10 or so on average for most tracks... it does not sound obnoxious
• In fact I'd say the big difference is in tone, the 18/21 is brighter, brasher, but not in a fatiguing way in and of itself. But by comparison it's pretty clear. Not sure what any one person would prefer. The 18/21 highlights the snares just upwards, and diminishes the toms/bass as the price; the MFSL highlights the snares and just below to the upper bass, and the price is a bright sparkly upper range. I'd venture you could consider the MFSL a little muddier in this regard.
• The MFSL feels more analog/natural to me.
• Small thing, and I'd have to spend more time with it, but it seems the 18/21 might favor things in the right channel a smidge more... maybe MFSL centered things... all conjecture.
• I know every note of this album, and while not having the vinyl of it since I don't know maybe 1987, the MFSL seems tough to beat to me and it isn't getting beat here. That said it's maybe my taste and while not having the earlier DE since basically after the first 6 months they were out disappointment to me they were (never really a huge fan of the original or target cd either frankly)... I could listen to this 18/21 for sure without headache I guess I'd say... not my choice, but may well be others; and actually may well stack up to the vinyl which again I can't really help with.

 

Mostly the same feelings about the similar II comparison

• 18/21 probably less brash sounding by comparison. In some ways more pinched though, meaning it doesn't clear up the muddiness of an already fairly muddy mix, and still feels light in the mids lower; it certainly does not cut through as much with upper range clarity as the 18/21 s/t seems to.
• MFSL really highlights kick and toms; feels more open here than it does in s/t.
• I don't sense a L/R channel difference as much.
• Funny when recreating my Extended Play I only really compared the two like tracks. Neither of those in the 18/21 had any clipping although there is some light limiting; most other tracks have clipping and limiting in the 18/22 II but maybe not as much as the s/t.
• Here I like the MFSL by comparison more; jumps out at me pretty much right away and to me not worth over thinking it much. The 18/22 is not bad but I am not seeing a lot of reason to stick with it I guess I'd say so far anyway.
• Pretenders, these 2.5 albums especially, is and always be for me Chambers' toms and kick, Honeyman-Scott's chords over the leads for me, all with a healthy side dollops of Farndon's deceptively simple bass lines... oh and Chrissie's voice. The MFSL simply serves that meal preparation better. The 18/21 maybe if you like a lot of snare and H-S's leads over chords I guess with some more pointed/direct vocals... again not bad in any way to me just different and to me not highlighting things that thrill me.

 

@bmoregnr - you’re the best; thanks for the detailed review

 

That's because it is a little confusing. Here are the credits:

"Original LP remastered by Tim Young,
overseen by Chris Thomas at Metropolis, London
Additional remastering by Dave Schultz
& Dan Hersch at d2 Mastering"

Oddly, all of the above is printed under the "Original LP Credits" heading.


Under "40th Anniversary Reissue Credits" you'll just find:

"Reissue produced for release by
Olivia Thomas, Bill Inglot & Jason Day
with Didz Hammond"

 

I guess Tim Young remastered the original albums along with Chris Thomas while the bonus tracks on CD 1, the second and third CDs were mastered by Dan Hersch and Dave Schultz. I highly doubt the DigiPrep team traveled from LA to London just to assist Tim Young with the mastering; I mean, Young was the original mastering engineer for most of the Pretenders albums (AFAIK) so he must know the tapes and mixes good enough to remaster them by himself.

 

got mine today....yahoo! Looks like no one has entered either colored vinyl into discogs yet. Also it looks like the Brass in Pocket Lith is delayed until 12/03. I was about to email them but took a close look at the order on their website.

 

That's my understanding as well. What's odd is that those credits are all listed in the "Original LP" credits paragraph, not the "40th ann." And given that Chris Thomas did produce those original albums, yes a bit confusing. Almost deliberately confusing

I think it's Bill Price who engineered the first two, not Tim Young.

 

Bill Price was their engineer. Tim Young is their long time mastering engineer.

 

as noted above Tim Young remastered the main albums, Schultz/Hersch the bonus material. would not be surprised to learn the latter "tweaked" the main album too, hence the ambiguous credits.
typical digiprep/d2 sound, pretty horrible to my ears. master of the main album is louder/more limited than the already loud rhino. another potentially definitive set screwed in the mastering. live and (never) learn.
(note i have II only. luckily for me the first was out of stock at amazon japan, won't be getting it now).

 

I love disc 2 and 3 - there's a lot of interesting changes or decisions in a lot of these recordings and performances, but more over, Fardon sounds so good on these masters. I haven't tried Pretenders 2 yet but I hope the live shows are as killer as the stuff on here.

Also neat that even before Ray was involved I Go to Sleep was considered for the first album. I always thought Stop your Sobbing got his attention for the second LP to do another Kinks cover!

 

Checking them out online at the usual places for sample to purchase.

Dunno why too many vocal effects or EQ and panning were used for The Adulteress vocal. Not a benefit imho. A strong track otherwise.