The best versions for each David Bowie album?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Haristar, Jul 10, 2017.

  1. bobcat

    bobcat Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    By the way, how do you rate those masterings?

    (I presume the 1999 is one of the near-universally disliked ones.)
     
  2. karmaman

    karmaman Forum Resident

    from memory the 2002 and 2003 masterings are a step up from the '99s but i'd have to revisit them before i could say how and why.
     
    bobcat likes this.
  3. karmaman

    karmaman Forum Resident

    yes.
     
  4. David del Toro

    David del Toro Forum Resident

    Damn. No wonder the WG RCA blew the 2009 Hunky Dory shm out of the water
     
  5. David del Toro

    David del Toro Forum Resident

    I've only recently have been listening to Bowie, the SQ of the 99 remaster reminds me of the 2014 Zeppelin remasters
     
  6. Tim Bexter

    Tim Bexter Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Korea
    Yes, right 1999 Hunky Dory is disaster.
     
  7. David del Toro

    David del Toro Forum Resident

    I read in another thread that Steve Hoffman had applied his own EQ to the 1990 EMI Hunky Dory with stunning results. Has anybody else tried this?
     
    johnnystrings likes this.
  8. bobcat

    bobcat Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    2009?...or do you mean 1999?
     
  9. David del Toro

    David del Toro Forum Resident

    I was referring to the 2009 Hunky Dory SHM CD which uses the 1999 master
     
    bobcat likes this.
  10. bobcat

    bobcat Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Oh, I understand now.
     
  11. Mikewest

    Mikewest Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    I alway find that the original 1st pressing is tops for my the etched in the groove version Bobil/Rasputin, sounds like Wakemans piano is in the room,
    I had a counterfeit version of the 1999 , it was dreadful.
     
    GyroSE likes this.
  12. Chris Schoen

    Chris Schoen Rock 'n Roll !!!

    Location:
    Maryland, U.S.A.
    I can agree on the Station To Station and Let's Dance originals, as I own them, and they are very good. Particularly the Let's Dance, which
    really highlights the difference in sound between digital and vinyl.
     
  13. Audioresearch

    Audioresearch Forum Resident

    I think all albums from 70 until 80 On cd.
    The Man Whó Sold The Word/Scary Monsters are The best soundwise On The rca cd's
    Which rca cd tho choose is tricky I think The albums station to Station till Scary Monsters The German RCA's are The best.
    Before that It Changes from album to album. Japan/Japan tu USA or European/ German rca.
    There are many treads Here that give You options. Have fun And succes!
     
  14. Music is a strange and wonderful thing. I have an original Hunky Dory, a 1990 remaster and the much loathed 1999 remaster. I like them all. I have no dislike of the 1999 remaster. Very happy its in my collection. Playing it now. Its great to my ears.
     
  15. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    Never, ever, trust your own ears. Only trust the ears of others. ;)
     
    snowman872, hurple and Fishoutofwater like this.
  16. i often forget the forum rules; thanks for reminding me:righton:
     
  17. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Best versions?
    Easy.
    UK Original pressings.
     
    Gavinyl and GyroSE like this.
  18. NightGoatToCairo

    NightGoatToCairo Forum Resident

    Location:
    .
    Strange indeed.
    There were plenty who rigorously defended the blip on last years "Heroes". The same individuals then suddenly needed the replacement disc that was offered FOC.
    Does the 1990 HD sound better to your ears than the 1999? Did you bother with the more recent remaster?
     
  19. hurple

    hurple Forum Resident

    Location:
    Clinton, IL, USA
    Eh, get the boxes and be done.

    https://www.amazon.com/Five-Years-1...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1534269212&sr=8-2
    https://www.amazon.com/Who-Can-1974...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1534269212&sr=8-1
    https://www.amazon.com/New-Career-T...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1534269212&sr=8-3
    https://www.amazon.com/Loving-Alien...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1534269290&sr=8-1

    And a nice hits package:

    https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Has-...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1534269417&sr=8-2

    These sound as good as anything they've released for Bowie, they're nicely packaged and notated, and have all the essential bonus cuts. The only drawback is, with the remixes and multiple versions of live albums, etc, there might be too much in each box.

    But as another rock scribe once said, too much ain't enough.
     
    johnnystrings likes this.
  20. TonyCzar

    TonyCzar Forum Resident

    Location:
    PhIladelphia, PA
    When I finally listened to the defective one, it was not the loss of energy which was the problem for me, but the boost immediately preceding it.

    (+-6db!!!)

    I literally put my hands to my ears like some comic book explosion had just gone off.
     
    CBackley and OldSoul like this.
  21. hurple

    hurple Forum Resident

    Location:
    Clinton, IL, USA
    So, all the SHM-CDs are a special remaster just for the SHM's? Interesting. How do they compare to the 1999 Virgins? I imagine they're the same masters, but tweaked by the Japanese mastering engineer...

    Until the boxsets started coming out, these were my only Bowie CD's... I got them all from a "returned items" sale at a local CD warehouse facility. They had a big crate full of Japanese mini-LP discs, and I got Bowie's full studio catalog (up to Tin Machine), plus a bunch of Tom Petty, Jethro Tull and Simple Minds (among others) for $3 apiece. With the way prices have gone on those, I should have bought the entire crate.

    Anyway, I thought those sounded fine, still do. I mainly started getting the box sets for their completeness.
     
  22. NightGoatToCairo

    NightGoatToCairo Forum Resident

    Location:
    .

    [​IMG]
     
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  23. hurple

    hurple Forum Resident

    Location:
    Clinton, IL, USA
    But only if they have all their audio gear listed in their profile, along with uploaded copies of their last three hearing test transcripts, and full documentation of the acoustic properties of their last 4 living spaces.
     
  24. TonyCzar

    TonyCzar Forum Resident

    Location:
    PhIladelphia, PA
    Digital remastering now enjoys its own copyright, so if anybody tweaked anything after 1999, it'll say so somewhere - sometimes on the label, and sometimes only the booklet.

    Shortly before the "Five Years" box was announced, and as EMI was going belly-up (2013-2014), the full 1969-1989 lineup came out in Japan (again), with a single-themed black-and-silver label for all titles, and mastering copyright indicated on top surface of disc. "Lodger", at least, was a 1999 trotted out again.

    [​IMG]
     
  25. David del Toro

    David del Toro Forum Resident

    Still praying one day MFSL will do the Bowie catalog on SACD
     

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