Stevie Wonder remasters explained by HW

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Grant, Dec 9, 2002.

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  1. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Southwestern United States
    This is an excerpt from a very recent post by Harry Weinger on the Motown board:
     
    Grant, Dec 9, 2002
    #1
  2. Gardo

    Gardo Audio Epistemologist

    Location:
    Virginia
    Time to get that SITKOL remaster! Thanks for a great post, Grant.
     
    Gardo, Dec 9, 2002
    #2
  3. Rich Malloy

    Rich Malloy Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco, CA USA
    Is the remaster of recent vintage? Or just the post?

    While I've always been happy with the sound of my SitKoL CD-set, purchased around 1995-6, how would I know if it's the remastered version?
     
    Rich Malloy, Dec 9, 2002
    #3
  4. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    The packaging on the remaster will be one of those "two CDs in a case the size of one" sized things. It also usually has a sticker saying "24-bit digitally remastered". The previous release was packaged in one of those thick 2-disc packs and it had the album cover artwork set in a beige-ish matte. On the new release, the artwork takes up the whole front cover.

    The remaster was released in the Spring of 2000. There may have been variants in the packaging for the new one, but I'm not sure. I believe the "At the Close of a Century" box set also reflects the latest masterings.

    Regards,
     
    Ken_McAlinden, Dec 9, 2002
    #4
  5. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Southwestern United States
    Yes, as Ken says, these are the ones that were done a year or two ago. Many audiophiles have complained that they were very hissy or bright. Hey, if the original engineer likes them and says they are correct for once, that settles it with me! And, Harry Weinger is more willing than many producers to leave the sound basicaly untouched for CD release.

    Apparently, what we have been hearing all these years is non-Dolby tapes being transferred with the Dolby in the circuit!
     
    Grant, Dec 9, 2002
    #5
  6. GoldenBoy

    GoldenBoy Purple People Eater

    Location:
    US
    I have always liked the sound of the SITKOL remaster as well as the remasters of Talking Book, Music of My Mind and Fullfillingness' Last Finale, but as far as the remaster of Innervisions is concerned, the MoFi UD1 gold disc beats it hands down IMO.
     
    GoldenBoy, Dec 9, 2002
    #6
  7. Jeff H.

    Jeff H. Senior Member

    Location:
    Northern, OR
    Grant, thanks for posting that response from Harry. I guess that finally debunks the myth that Universal only had production masters of Stevie's 70's through 90's master tapes. Now if we can only hear the unreleased stuff that Stevie has locked in the vault! Which coyly alluded to in the Classic Albums documentary of "Songs In The Key Of Life. :D
     
    Jeff H., Dec 9, 2002
    #7
  8. Stax Fan

    Stax Fan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
    "Fulfillingness' First Finale" ;)

    I think so, too. :)

    Thanks for the post, Grant. Here's hopin' for those Stevie mono single mixes sometime soon!
     
    Stax Fan, Dec 9, 2002
    #8
  9. Ed Bishop

    Ed Bishop Incredibly, I'm still here

    That is a major gap in the Motown CD catalog, isn't it? Be nice if they got around to it; some great music and mixes that have been OOP for too long.

    ED:cool:
     
    Ed Bishop, Dec 9, 2002
    #9
  10. GoldenBoy

    GoldenBoy Purple People Eater

    Location:
    US
    Uh, that's what I meant.
    :agree:
     
    GoldenBoy, Dec 9, 2002
    #10
  11. Rich Malloy

    Rich Malloy Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco, CA USA
    Ack - there's another one to upgrade! And I see that "Original Musiquarium I" has also been remastered (also recommended?). And I've been meaning to pick up "Innervisions"...

    Any chance of these ever coming out on SACD? I'll buy 'em again, but I'd rather only do it once! :)
     
    Rich Malloy, Dec 10, 2002
    #11
  12. GoldenBoy

    GoldenBoy Purple People Eater

    Location:
    US
    I would think that there is a big chance of these coming out on SACD as Motown is a Universal label and they have been promoting SACD recently. They already have a scheduled release of Marvin Gaye's Let's Get it On, so who knows? Personally, I would love to hear Songs in the Key of Life, Innervisions and Talking Book on SACD - in that particular order.
     
    GoldenBoy, Dec 10, 2002
    #12
  13. Rich Malloy

    Rich Malloy Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco, CA USA
    I've also heard rumblings about "What's Going On", so perhaps I should sit tight for the moment. After all, I'd imagine these are among Motown's bigger titles and I'm certainly not deeply unsatisfied with the "un-remastered" discs I currently have.
     
    Rich Malloy, Dec 10, 2002
    #13
  14. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    The version of What's Going On mastered by Gavin Lurrsen (which is the current budget-priced "20 bit remastered" version) is very good, but the extra stuff on the Deluxe Edition, featurting the alternate Detroit mix of the album, is just too choice to pass up. I have a feeling if they do a WGO SACD, they would probably just do the album with a couple of bonus tracks and a 5.1 mix, but you never know.

    Oh, and the "At the Close of a Century" box set I mentioned has every song from Original Musiquarium except "Frontline" and every song from Innervisions except "Jesus Children of America". I'm not crazy about the mastering of some of the 60s stuff on the first disc, but most of the other three discs sound pretty good to me and reflect the latest album masterings.

    Regards,
     
    Ken_McAlinden, Dec 10, 2002
    #14
  15. Dan C

    Dan C Forum Fotographer

    Location:
    The West
    Yes indeed! I've read that claim before. I have the "Talking Book" remaster and I'm very happy with it.
     
    Dan C, Dec 10, 2002
    #15
  16. Dan C

    Dan C Forum Fotographer

    Location:
    The West
    Dumb question time. Was the LP cut incorrectly as well or just the first CD master?
    Thanks,
    Dan C
     
    Dan C, Dec 10, 2002
    #16
  17. Stax Fan

    Stax Fan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
    Nah...I'm wondering now, too! (Don'tcha know I'm wonderin'...) :)
     
    Stax Fan, Dec 10, 2002
    #17
  18. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Southwestern United States
    That's the impression I get too. I recall the SITKOL LP sounding kind of dull and lifeless. It especially shows up on tracks like "Sir Duke", "Contusion", "Have A Talk With God", "Black Man", and "Another Star". The first CDs may have been flat transfers but they were probably played back with Dolby.
     
    Grant, Dec 10, 2002
    #18
  19. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Southwestern United States
    ...except that the new EQ still hurts my ears...
     
    Grant, Dec 10, 2002
    #19
  20. Dan C

    Dan C Forum Fotographer

    Location:
    The West
    It's a bit tizzy on top, agreed. But it's still nice overall. I have an early LP I found recently but haven't cleaned it up to take a listen yet. :eek: Shame on me.
    Dan C
     
    Dan C, Dec 10, 2002
    #20
  21. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Southwestern United States
    I have more of a problem with the upper mids, not the top end.
     
    Grant, Dec 10, 2002
    #21
  22. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Umm, playing back a Dolby A tape without the Dolby on sounds like crap, totally compressed and brutally bright.

    Playing back a Non-Dolby tape with Dolby A on sounds like smothering the speaker in a blanket.

    I'm having trouble believing all of this.
     
    Steve Hoffman, Dec 10, 2002
    #22
  23. Bob Lovely

    Bob Lovely Super Gort In Memoriam

    Location:
    Overland Park, Kansas
    Steve,

    Sounds the same way with DBX I...

    Bob
     
    Bob Lovely, Dec 10, 2002
    #23
  24. Gardo

    Gardo Audio Epistemologist

    Location:
    Virginia
    Maybe I read the initial post wrong, but I thought the master was not Dolby encoded ... but was mastered with Dolby on. Perhaps the mastering engineer boosted the highs to compensate.

    Actually, upon further reflection, I find myself pretty confused too. (I hope I'm not confused about THAT:D ).
     
    Gardo, Dec 10, 2002
    #24
  25. Dan C

    Dan C Forum Fotographer

    Location:
    The West
    Hmm. I haven't listened to it in a while, but I'll listen again tonight. I remember really enjoying it at decent levels. But other than the LP (which as I said I haven't heard yet) I don't have anything else to compare it to. Do you prefer the original CD?
    Thanks,
    Dan C
     
    Dan C, Dec 10, 2002
    #25
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