New Wave Outpost Forum

Sad news that Scott Davis' label Rubellan Remasters is closing down: https://www.facebook.com/RubellanRemasters

I saw that! I am sad to see the label go. His CD reissues were always amazing.

Sadly it will also make a lot of people here happy.

I've known about Scott's production skills since the 90's. He has a knack for finding, assembling, producing and presenting compilations of music. I don't really understand the procedure and process it takes Scott to produce the CDs he has presented over the years, I just know the listening sensation of the end result. The presentation and performance are a cut above the rest. Several years ago, I evolved to enhance my music listening experience with quality headphones, amplifiers, equalizers, and sound processors. Scott's production is the bench mark and calibration for this aural experiences. When I begin my music listening journey, I always start with a Scott Davies production to set the levels and prepare for the session. I'm sadden to see all this come to a close. Over the years, I've read about the trials and tribulations Scott has endured when dealing with the record and publishing companies, this is above my scope of knowledge. Over the past years, I come to enjoy the latest offering and releases from Rubellan Remasters. Now like everything good in life, this will cease to exist. Thank you Scott Davies for all of your hard work in bringing us these collections.

eddie wrote:Sadly it will also make a lot of people here happy.

Why would it make anyone happy?
Could you explain?

He's had so much criticism on here from people who don't have a millionth of the research skills, business mind etc to carry out what he has done. I've neither bought nor downloaded anything he has done but I see someone very dedicated to what he is interested in and I appreciate that. The usual bunch on here with their superiority complex's won't. They will see it as he has ultimately failed.

I seem to have seen some criticism somewhere...maybe on Discogs...? Anyhoo...I don't know anything about the gentleman himself, but I have purchased several of his CD's. In particular, the Oingo Boingo discs sound superior in every way to the originals. You cannot often say that IMHO about most reissues/remasters. Rather than compressed and squashed, his remasters sound a tad cleaner, fuller, detailed, and organic. Not crazy loud or bright at all...but you certainly hear more in the mix. A rarity.

He has been the most gracious, honestly dedicated person that I have had the pleasure to correspond with and purchase from.
His love shows in every thing he produced.

I feel sorry for this news. Have about 7 CD's from Scott's RR and they all sound great. Happy with them. Hopefully RR will somehow someway restart.

It's a pity, of course, when good things end, but I feel, first of all, that he called all this suffering on himself, being an arrogant sort and clearly thinking he'll be able to beat the system. Well, that ended as usual. Then, for all the praise, there's not much in his catalogue that's very interesting, very popular or very rare. Oingo Boingo, Divinyls, Missing Persons, Altered Images, Split Enz, "Total Devo", Ultravox's "Three into one", "Pretty in pink" 7", Suzanne Vega (?!) - wow, just what the world needed (not). Some of others, like Eyeless in Gaza, were re-released so often there's no shortage of offer on the market. Wasn't it more productive to search for less represented performers? Especially there was no need to get bogged down with all this vinyl nonsense, coloured or not - a fad that's too overhyped for anyone's good. Finally, I wasn't always that enamoured with his remastering efforts - something rubbed me the wrong way on more than one occasion, it wasn't always clear his decisions were better than what was on offer all these years before.

Anyway, with all the drama that surrounded his effort and his conduct over the years, I'm surprised he was still at it until very recently. Probably shouldn't have started the project with stuff like "Black Mass" or "Electronic Musical Impressions Of The Occult" - that's not a good omen in the best of times.

I am really grateful to Rubellan Remasters for all the Visage reissues. Excellent sound and a lot of rare versions. I strongly doubt it would be possible to obtain these recordings without his efforts in the nearest future or even at all. I do not know what the world needs, but I needed a good digital copy of Special Dance Mix Album for many years, so thanks again, Scott!

What I like about music is the songs.
I don't care if the creator is a good person or not.
The end result speaks for its self and rises above humanity.
In modern music there are so many parasites.
People who glom onto the ones with talent.
These jaded talent-less people lurk around every corner.
Talent and achievement are paramount.
These are the people who will be celebrated and remembered.

The last few comments sound like goofy voodoo talk to me. I have no idea what you folks are on about. All I know is that Rubellan Remasters CD's sound damn good.

Passing_Stranger wrote:It's a pity, of course, when good things end, but I feel, first of all, that he called all this suffering on himself, being an arrogant sort and clearly thinking he'll be able to beat the system. Well, that ended as usual. Then, for all the praise, there's not much in his catalogue that's very interesting, very popular or very rare. Oingo Boingo, Divinyls, Missing Persons, Altered Images, Split Enz, "Total Devo", Ultravox's "Three into one", "Pretty in pink" 7", Suzanne Vega (?!) - wow, just what the world needed (not). Some of others, like Eyeless in Gaza, were re-released so often there's no shortage of offer on the market. Wasn't it more productive to search for less represented performers? Especially there was no need to get bogged down with all this vinyl nonsense, coloured or not - a fad that's too overhyped for anyone's good. Finally, I wasn't always that enamoured with his remastering efforts - something rubbed me the wrong way on more than one occasion, it wasn't always clear his decisions were better than what was on offer all these years before.

Anyway, with all the drama that surrounded his effort and his conduct over the years, I'm surprised he was still at it until very recently. Probably shouldn't have started the project with stuff like "Black Mass" or "Electronic Musical Impressions Of The Occult" - that's not a good omen in the best of times.

The Oingo Boingo CD's were freaking amazing and what New Wave fan wasn't excited for Oingo Boingo material...???

This discussion raises a natural question: what albums would we like to be reissued?
I can name a few bands, they are all rather obscure: Dial M, Endgames, Espionage, Quick, A Drop In the Gray, Positive Noise...
I doubt these reissues would be very profitable. But what exactly ''the world needs?''