The Van Morrison cd thread

The tambourine mix of "Into the Mystic" appears on the current US remastered, expanded, and deluxe editions of Moondance.

 

OK, thanks -- I mentioned upthread I hadn't heard that one yet. So stands to reason that the new versions, the Japanese remaster, and the Rhino LP all used the same tapes then. Right?

 

What is the catalog series for the Japan remasters favored by some?

 

I can't shed light on that, but it seems clear that the motivation for all of these projects has been to present the music of Moondance as it was first released, rather than in the version that has become familiar over the last 25 or so years. (Curiously, last year's US remasters change the artwork, though.) The "Expanded" 2 CD edition, which is the one I have, does not even include the tambourine-less version of "Into the Mystic," and I'm not sure if it's on the super-deluxe box.

FWIW, my 2013 version of Moondance includes tape damage in the same place (at the beginning of "And It Stoned Me," during the words "half a mile") as my old, unremastered domestic CD ... some people have reported that their old CDs don't have that "tape crinkle" sound even though their new ones do, but my old CD does have it and I don't recall reading that there had ever been a "secret remaster." I bought it new in 2003.

 

OK - cool. Interesting. Also... I kinda like the fact that after creating this giant thread you have gone back to vinyl...

 

Interestingly, the failure of this thread to turn up any alternative cd masterings of Astral Weeks was a significant factor in my decision to return to vinyl. When the Rhino lp came out to near universal acclaim I had to hear it.

 

Fair enough. I found this thread largely 'cos I switched to all digital a while ago, and tracking down decent sound Van Cds was very important to me.

In fairness, I revisited the 2008 Astral Weeks this morning, and it's not too bad. The 2008 Moondance I can't get behind, however.

What are people's feelings about the new, expanded Moondance? The DR actually looks pretty good - it's a lot more dynamic than the 97 remasters.

 

Are the most recent remasters any good? I believe HDtracks released Moondance and Astral Weeks. How are they? Or the old CDs still beats everything else?

 

There are several current threads on the latest releases with plenty of opinions. This thread is ancient history. Personally I'd say Astral Weeks and Moondance are the worst sounding of the original Van cds, so I'd be inclined to take a shot on the new ones if I was still interested in digital versions.

 

Interesting that you heard the tape damage on the original Moondance CD, Maggie, because I recall hearing it too -- though I no longer have that disc. However, someone here who does have the original CD told me I'm wrong and the damage is only on the 2013 remaster.

 

So quiet in here as the master would say

Maybe some interesting findings. There must be at least two different masterings from "Hymns To The Silence".

Version one you can find here with pics:
https://www.discogs.com/Van-Morrison-Hymns-To-The-Silence/release/716655

Version two you can find here with pics:
https://www.discogs.com/Van-Morrison-Hymns-To-The-Silence/release/8321887

Version one, CD one:

foobar2000 1.3.8 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2016-06-12 17:16:22

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: ? / ?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR14 0.00 dB -15.53 dB 3:47 01-CD Track 01
DR13 -0.38 dB -15.71 dB 6:36 02-CD Track 02
DR14 0.00 dB -15.50 dB 3:34 03-CD Track 03
DR13 -0.52 dB -16.09 dB 6:28 04-CD Track 04
DR13 -1.86 dB -17.83 dB 3:22 05-CD Track 05
DR14 0.00 dB -16.20 dB 3:58 06-CD Track 06
DR13 0.00 dB -14.77 dB 3:53 07-CD Track 07
DR12 -1.57 dB -16.46 dB 3:17 08-CD Track 08
DR11 -1.06 dB -15.39 dB 3:13 09-CD Track 09
DR17 0.00 dB -19.44 dB 9:10 10-CD Track 10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 10
Official DR value: DR13

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 1411 kbps
Codec: CDDA

Version two, CD one:

foobar2000 1.3.8 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2016-06-12 17:10:45

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: ? / ?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR11 -0.11 dB -12.81 dB 3:47 01-CD Track 01
DR10 -0.33 dB -12.98 dB 6:36 02-CD Track 02
DR11 -0.11 dB -12.80 dB 3:34 03-CD Track 03
DR11 -0.41 dB -13.32 dB 6:28 04-CD Track 04
DR11 -1.22 dB -14.99 dB 3:22 05-CD Track 05
DR11 -0.11 dB -13.40 dB 3:57 06-CD Track 06
DR10 -0.11 dB -12.09 dB 3:54 07-CD Track 07
DR10 -1.04 dB -13.66 dB 3:17 08-CD Track 08
DR9 -0.73 dB -12.63 dB 3:13 09-CD Track 09
DR14 -0.11 dB -16.57 dB 9:12 10-CD Track 10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 10
Official DR value: DR11

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 1411 kbps
Codec: CDDA

Version one, CD two:

foobar2000 1.3.8 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2016-06-12 17:39:02

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: ? / ?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 -0.59 dB -15.48 dB 2:38 01-CD Track 01
DR13 -1.85 dB -16.90 dB 2:32 02-CD Track 02
DR14 -0.40 dB -19.34 dB 9:43 03-CD Track 03
DR13 -8.56 dB -23.54 dB 5:22 04-CD Track 04
DR12 -0.42 dB -15.55 dB 3:52 05-CD Track 05
DR13 -0.12 dB -17.30 dB 4:29 06-CD Track 06
DR12 -2.11 dB -16.04 dB 3:42 07-CD Track 07
DR12 -4.57 dB -18.85 dB 3:41 08-CD Track 08
DR14 -0.97 dB -17.07 dB 4:00 09-CD Track 09
DR13 0.00 dB -15.08 dB 4:11 10-CD Track 10
DR13 -0.78 dB -17.53 dB 4:31 11-CD Track 11
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 11
Official DR value: DR13

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 1411 kbps
Codec: CDDA

Version two, CD two:

foobar2000 1.3.8 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2016-06-12 17:29:23

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: ? / ?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR10 -0.45 dB -12.79 dB 2:38 01-CD Track 01
DR11 -1.22 dB -14.09 dB 2:32 02-CD Track 02
DR12 -0.11 dB -16.33 dB 9:43 03-CD Track 03
DR12 -6.28 dB -20.50 dB 5:22 04-CD Track 04
DR10 -0.35 dB -12.74 dB 3:51 05-CD Track 05
DR10 -0.18 dB -14.51 dB 4:29 06-CD Track 06
DR10 -1.39 dB -13.21 dB 3:42 07-CD Track 07
DR10 -3.10 dB -15.90 dB 3:41 08-CD Track 08
DR11 -0.67 dB -14.25 dB 4:00 09-CD Track 09
DR10 -0.11 dB -12.33 dB 4:11 10-CD Track 10
DR11 -0.56 dB -14.73 dB 4:33 11-CD Track 11
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 11
Official DR value: DR11

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 1411 kbps
Codec: CDDA

 

Maybe they don't have high enough resolution to hear it on the original CD. When I changed preamps I discovered lots of tape crinkle and dropouts that my old system had conveniently "glossed over."

 

You mean the SHM-CDs of the 2008 remasters with bonus tracks?

 

Nice. This thread died before getting to Hymns. I'll check to see if my original US cd set matches either of these when I can get to it.

 

I've got the remaster of TH , not sure
how well liked it is , think i may try to
find an original .

 

Any further info on which version of Hymns to the Silence is preferred...