# Hideous CD Remasters of Great Sounding Albums



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I thought we could get a list going of wonderful albums that were trashed by horrible CD remastering. This way listeners can avoid being burned. I'll start off with one I bought today at a local store without doing any research.

Genesis-And Then There Were Three

I don't know how many times this album has been re-issued, or if there are any good sounding versions, but do avoid the 2007 remaster. I am now the dissatisfied owner of this awful disc. An extremely bright and obnoxious sounding hack job. Sounds like a wall of crud laced with razor blades. What is wrong with the people working at the record companies these days? Are they all clueless corporate schmucks with tin ears? They definitely know how to transform a warm analog recording into bright, hard, shrill sounding piece of crap.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

One would have thought any album that was so well-produced to begin with shouldn't offer too many difficulties when re-issuing it. Is it one of these 'loudness wars' victims?


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

elgars ghost said:


> One would have thought any album that was so well-produced to begin with shouldn't offer too many difficulties when re-issuing it. Is it one of these 'loudness wars' victims?


I just want the integrity of a warm analog recording preserved as best as possible. Now maybe the Genesis album never sounded that great to begin with? I can't remember that far back, because it's been over 35 years since I first heard it. But so many of these CD transfers sound very harsh and bright. They ruined the Supertramp albums too.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Thinking back to when I had it on vinyl, it sounded fresh rather than lush - as I recall, there seemed to be a bit more emphasis on Collins's top kit (but without the horrid 'gated' sound that came later) and the guitar seemed to cut through more than before. But then again that may be also due to some of the material itself being more streamlined than on previous albums. But you are right - with today's technology and, presumably, access to master tapes there's little excuse for making a pig's breakfast of anything - you mention Supertramp, and I remember Bebop Deluxe were badly served in this regard as well.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

I am still trying to figure out which re-master of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon to get.. .that album has been so re-released that I lost track.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

The low end on Trick Of The Tail, and And Then There Were Three sounds great, but the vocals and cymbals sound hideous.

Dark Side Of The Moon was a great sounding, warm analog recording. I can't imagine they could screw up that one. I can't listen to it anyway. I'm 53 years old, and I've heard it a million times.

One old classic that I bought which sounds phenomenal to my ears is Morrison Hotel by the Doors. I have the slightly remixed version with the bonus tracks. Sounds fantastic for a 1969 recording. On the contrary, the debut sounds kind of harsh.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

I am still astonished that Steely Dan albums never had to be remastered again and again... Their albums were recorded exceptionally by that fastidious duo that we didn't have to worry about lousy engineering.

So band by band, it all depends. I still put up Aja just to test my stereo once in awhile.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

After Aja they got so slick and sterile sounding, I couldn't listen to them. The only early one that sounds weird is Katy Lied. There's some kind of strange filtered sound on the vocals. I'd have to say that Royal Scam, and Count Down To Ecstasy are my favorites.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

starthrower said:


> After Aja they got so slick and sterile sounding, I couldn't listen to them. The only early one that sounds weird is Katy Lied. There's some kind of strange filtered sound on the vocals. I'd have to say that Royal Scam, and Count Down To Ecstasy are my favorites.


Actually I love Gaucho their last album before their breakup to be my favorite. Aja is a fun album but you're right it's pretty slick.

Oh... does anyone know how the mastering on Pink Floyd's Endless River is like?


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## MagneticGhost (Apr 7, 2013)

I bought all the recent Genesis remasters. Maybe my ears are rubbish but I thought ATTWT was the best of the bunch. That album was quite muddy back in the day but the new version brought a clarity and power that was sorely missing. My whole appreciation of that album went up on that re-evaluation.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

MagneticGhost said:


> I bought all the recent Genesis remasters. Maybe my ears are rubbish but I thought ATTWT was the best of the bunch. That album was quite muddy back in the day but the new version brought a clarity and power that was sorely missing. My whole appreciation of that album went up on that re-evaluation.


It must have really sounded bad. But the 2007 CD has that wall of sound on the upper range that doesn't sound clear to my ears. It sounds better if I walk into another room, so the wall will soften the harsh upper frequencies.


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## MagneticGhost (Apr 7, 2013)

like I said - it could be my ears - my upper frequency detector is probably all worn out.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

MagneticGhost said:


> I bought all the recent Genesis remasters. Maybe my ears are rubbish but I thought ATTWT was the best of the bunch. That album was quite muddy back in the day but the new version brought a clarity and power that was sorely missing. My whole appreciation of that album went up on that re-evaluation.


If my ears were mistaken back in the 70s with the vinyl release then I'll just blame it on the fact that I may have overdone the treble and also had crappy speakers. :lol:


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Deep In The Motherlode is a favorite tune, so I cranked it up loud at the start, but found it too painful.
I'm probably just suffering from old fartdom.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

I am curious how many pop albums which are classic have 24 bit remasters now being released.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

This is a pretty informative site.

They have a database of dynamic range of thousands of albums and their various reissues.

Here is their findings on "And Then There Were Three".

http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=genesis&album=and+then+there+were+three

Their findings coincide with your findings. The most compressed versions are the 2007 reissues.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

^^^
I knew my ears didn't lie. Too many business people making artistic decisions at the big labels. And the mastering engineers who know better are going along with it for the paycheck.

One exception is Bob Drake, who has too much integrity to make a nice living destroying great recordings.


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