What exactly is so horrible with the '99 remasters of Bowie's catalogue.

The 99s may not be as bad as their reputation but the Rhinos are also better than their reputation.

In my experience the RCAs have nothing going for them except for their resemblance to the sound of the old LPs (which is not something I demand in a CD - I want something to sound the best it can, not because it sounds like some other format) and their scarcity.

I didn't find the 99s' sound as engaging as the Rykos. My other complaints about the 99s are the generic artwork and the lack of bonus material.

I guess I can understand why some might find the Rykos "cold" (especially in comparison to the RCAs that preceded them) but I think they are more "cool" than "cold". But more detailed than the 99s & RCAs.

 

The '99 remasters are the only Bowie albums I've ever heard, so I've nothing to compare them too! TBH, I always thought they were OK until I came on here!

 

They are OK. They may not be perfect, but I have heard FAR FAR worse remasters than these. I had several of the Rykos from 1990 and they were horrible. I couldn't wait to get rid of them.

 

The one I think is a bit crappy is Station To Station. Can't seem to get that one to sound good...

 

There have been a lot of threads about Bowie's music and the best cd-version of an album. Most of the times the German RCA are the best and all Ryko's and EMI's should be forgotten (sort of...). After listening to a lot of versions on headphones, it's not that black and white. Like in the comparisons from Heroes and Rebel Rebel, it depends. Judging from those two samples, I like the german RCA for Diamond Dogs and the EMI for Heroes. Actually, my 1990 vinyl rip of Diamond Dogs sounds better than the german RCA... Ofcourse, others will disagree and prefer another.

In other words, Bowie's catalogue is that diverse and there are so many differences for each cd-version that you really should listen to every version available to find your own best version... or be happy with the choice from the store. It's a real search, but so much worth it

 

I've been searching Discogs, a good place to find specific pressings, for this Japan for US RCA that is so liked on this forum. if this post is right about the number, it's not there... Can someone more knowledgeable have a look at the Discogs main Diamond Dogs release lists, and confirm this? Perhaps if it's true someone with a copy of it could add it? It's a bit of a fiddly job adding releases to Discogs, though not as complicated as it used to be...

http://www.discogs.com/Bowie-Diamond-Dogs/master/20141

 

For me the noise reduction on the EMIs is the issue -- I don't really have an issue with the thinish Rykos ... I think the casual Bowie listener is fine with those.

 

It's a case-by-case decision for me. Up to this point I have 4 Rykos (or their 1991-92 European counterparts) to compare with the 1999 EMI remasters. In most cases, the Rykos work for me. It may help that the 1993 Singles Collection (which uses the Ryko masters) was my first contact to any Bowie stuff, so I got used to the Ryko sound.

1. Ziggy Stardust

Ryko sounds ok. The 1999 EMI is definitely worse - dull and lifeless. But the 2012 CD is my favourite here.

2. Heroes

This Ryko can be really grating sometimes. The 1999 EMI is somewhat lifeless, but a bit easier to the ears.

3. Lodger

Both versions are nothing to write home about, but the Ryko is slightly better to me.

4. Scary Monsters

I really like the Ryko version of this one. The 1999 is far worse to me - it's significantly lacking air and space.

Concerning the absurd prices for the old RCAs, it's often a question which is the lesser evil. The main flaw of the Rykos - questionable EQ - is to some extent reversable, but no one can undo the noise reduction on the 1999 EMIs.

 

I only have two of the 99 remasters.

Station To Station: No major gripes, though a bit muddy at times. "Stay" sounds fabulous, imo.

Heroes: I agree there's something slightly off about this, but frankly I've heard far worse 'remasters'.

 

the post of mine you quoted was in reference to Ziggy Stardust, NOT Diamond Dogs. the DD you want is PCD1-0576 and it's at the page you've linked to, where a sole copy is for sale at $68.

 

Oh, sorry, I missed that the subject had been changed!

 

That's what the majority of forum members thought about all their CDs before coming here.

 

Thought I would up this thread. Just been getting into Bowie in the last few weeks.

 

Better late than never

 

Now that the first batch of new remasters have come out, I have to say I do prefer those and can't wait for the rest to come out. I still think the '99s are unfairly bashed, though.

 

Nothing is horrible about them. The one's I've heard sound just fine (I've had most of them out of the library as I already bought the Ryko versions years before)
I've never understood all the hate they receive here. Like the Blue Note RVG's. Everyone seems to hate 'em except me.

 

They are OK. Be careful what you believe based on what you read here.
One man's horrible is another man's OK.
(Some perspective: the forum collectively seems to dislike Peter Mew's remasters of anything and they dislike all the RVG series of Blue Note titles as well)

 

To be honest, I've bought 3 of the 2015 remasters and they are better...

Having said that, the only 1999 CD I do think sounds bad is Station To Station..

 

What is with these 2015 remasters?
I never knew about them until two weeks ago when I saw a 2015 remaster of "Hunky Dory" at HMV on the Parlophone label?
Who remastered these and was the whole catalog done in 2015?

 

It was a "Five Years" box set. Space Oddity through Pin Ups. It also included the remix of Ziggy Stardust, live albums, and a rare/B-sides collection, but only if you bought the boxset.

 

"Station To Station" never sounded all that great on CD. Or lp for that matter.
It's just the way it was recorded, I guess...

 

I don't understand this, either. I have several of the '99 remasters and they all sound fine to me. Station To Station - one of the most frequently trashed of the remasters - was on my playlist the other day: once again, I had no cause for complaint.

 

I have all of the so called grail RCA discs and some are OK, while others I find underwhelming. It all depends on the listener, the 99's I have heard so far don't sound bad to me. if someone was starting a collection he/she can get the later discs for less than $10 or invest hundreds of dollars trying to find the RCA's. It depends on the patience and pocketbook I guess.

 

They are the discs from the recent box set, only a few were remastered in 2015. The rest use previous mastering.

 

HMV has most of the catalog at 2/$20. That's a good price for Bowie on CD and the best place for someone to start.
I think some people are into the RCA discs because they're rare and from the 80's (which seem like an automatic 'holy grail' to some)