Remasters vs. original issue cd's

[Surly]

[quote][i]Originally posted by bruiser[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by mgmlion[/i]
<br>There were plans to issue a Deluxe 2 Disc version of The B-52s first record last year(?), or maybe 2005, but I'm guessing it was cancelled, because it's totally fallen off the radar. Why Rhino Handmade isn't doing something with these titles is beyond me, given that they've reissued NW staples like the Code Blue record.
[/quote]

yep, this was the series i was talking about above. the first b-52's, and the first devo album were up for the deluxe remastering. and then.....nothing. DRAT!
[/quote]

The story I was told when I was there was that those were planned under the "old regime," but when a new regime took over at the label, those went by the wayside. There was also supposed to be DVD-
Audio (hi-rez surround sound) reissues of [i]Cosmic Thing[/i] and the first album by The Cars.

"Words like conviction can turn into a sentence"

[MARV]

[quote][i]Originally posted by obs[/i]
<br>Something that bugs me about remasters booklets ...

- when the originals had lyrics, but the remasters don't (Eurythmics)

- Duran Duran (1st album) had the lyrics printed in the same style as the vinyl, but the remaster did it in just a regular, plain font/layout
[/quote]

I agree. A re-master should honor the original right down to the graphic design and not muck it up. I tend to keep the originals and I do the same with DVDs. I hear the Iron Curtain remaster is a complete travesty. I'm definitely keeping the digital transfer a friend of mine did.

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">Own. Rule. All.</a>

[bigwavedave]

I totally agree. Packaging changes were actually one of the reasons I started tracking down some of the first issue cds I had previously dumped.

[Sean]

I keep my original cd's after I buy the remasters. I've just learn that you should get rid of anything unless you really have to. Heheh, I still have my laserdiscs that I have bought dvd's for. All the work that I went through to get the stuff, parting with it is just not that easy.

[ApolloZero]

No i havent kept my originals.. no reason to only for the artwork because the sound is worthless.. also for space its nice to just keep it at the crazy level of cds as it is without adding more I have rebought almost every cd i have remastered.

[Blakeh]

Another important thing to look at when deciding whether or not to part with your original issue after purchasing a remastered version is the track listing. I can't tell you how many remasters I've purchased that, while they list the exact same songs as the original, actually include edits or alternate versions of the tracks.

It doesn't bother me all that much because I've never parted with a single CD in my life, and many times the remaster contains a version of a song that hasn't been released on CD before. However, if I were the kind of person who sold my originals as soon as I bought a remastered version, I would be furious that they did not stay true to the original pressing.

This happens more than you might think. Maybe it's not a big deal (an early fade or an abridged intro), but I have remasters that contain completely different mixes as compared to the original release -- sometimes being minutes shorter/longer.

Again, being a completist in my collecting means I'm happy to have every version of a song I can on CD so the varied track listings are sometimes a blessing. In some cases I have five or six different pressings of the same disc because the tracks vary slightly.

The way I figure it, it costs me nothing to keep the originals.

[schwenko]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Blakeh[/i]
<br>Another important thing to look at when deciding whether or not to part with your original issue after purchasing a remastered version is the track listing. I can't tell you how many remasters I've purchased that, while they list the exact same songs as the original, actually include edits or alternate versions of the tracks.

It doesn't bother me all that much because I've never parted with a single CD in my life, and many times the remaster contains a version of a song that hasn't been released on CD before. However, if I were the kind of person who sold my originals as soon as I bought a remastered version, I would be furious that they did not stay true to the original pressing.

This happens more than you might think. Maybe it's not a big deal (an early fade or an abridged intro), but I have remasters that contain completely different mixes as compared to the original release -- sometimes being minutes shorter/longer.

Again, being a completist in my collecting means I'm happy to have every version of a song I can on CD so the varied track listings are sometimes a blessing. In some cases I have five or six different pressings of the same disc because the tracks vary slightly.

The way I figure it, it costs me nothing to keep the originals.
[/quote]

5 or 6 variations??? Yowsah!!! What disks are those??

[Blakeh]

[i]5 or 6 variations??? Yowsah!!! What disks are those??[/i]

ZTT is pretty infamous for having multiple track listings for the same release. I have five copies of Propaganda's "A Secret Wish" that all differ in one way or another.

Five or six different versions is not the norm (only a few releases in my collection have that many variations), but having two or three occurs more than it should. Groups I can think of off the top of my head that have re-released "original" albums with different track listings include The The, Yello, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and ABC. I'm sure there are others that I am not thinking of at the moment.

And, of course, there is a difference between what I'm talking about here (five or six different releases for the same disc) and what the discussion originally started out about -- remasters that claim to have the same track listings as the original release, but don't.

For instance, I know that the UK pressing of Cabaret Voltaire's "Code" has two more tracks than the US pressing. I have both discs because they are different (and I know that based on the track listing). On the other hand, when ZTT released an "Anniversary Reissue" of Propaganda's "A Secret Wish", the songs that appeared on the reissue were different than the original pressing even though the track listing on the back of both CDs was identical.

I just find it safer not to part with anything. And I would disagree slightly with ApolloZero -- in my experience "remasters" have about a 50/50 chance of sounding better than the original relases. I have discs from the mid-80s that sound 1000% better than most anything released post-2000.

[bigwavedave]

Yes Blakeh, ZTT were responsible for my first "should I keep the orginal version or not?" debate. Back in the 80's they released at least two different versions of "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" on cd, with wildly alternate mixes ("Two Tribes") and track listings.

To top it off, I broke down and bought the more recent reissue from a few years ago, mostly becuase of the alternate cover art that adorned the original lp. I guess ZTT has my number, becuase I don't think it's even remastered! That's ok, because there's an awesome remastered version from the Reportoire label out of Germany - with yet different cover art, naturally.

[obs]

[i]> On the other hand, when ZTT released an "Anniversary Reissue" of Propaganda's "A Secret Wish", the songs that appeared on the reissue were different than the original pressing even though the track listing on the back of both CDs was identical.[/i]

Hmm, I have CID126 UK and the 20th REP5003, and the track timings look the same. Is the ZTT 20th different? Or what versions are we talking about?

09:10, 05:12, 06:22, 04:42, 04:25, 03:51, 03:27, 04:04, 10:42
09:08, 05:12, 06:22, 04:42, 04:25, 03:51, 03:27, 04:04, 10:41

edit// Okay, checking discogs.com, the ZTT one IS different. Man, this is really fucked up to have two 20th Anniversary releases but using different masters. LOL. At least I bought the "better" one. Now I just need the SACD . That and those Repertoire digipaks [that I didn't buy when I saw them at MediaMarkt in 2001 ]

[bruiser]

[quote][i]Originally posted by bigwavedave[/i]
<br> I guess ZTT has my number...
[/quote]

oh, how i sympathize. it took me three cd's before i got the u.s. cassette mix of "dream within a dream" with the long intro (congas, then bass, then chords, then hi hat, then horn part again)- and i won't even go into the "pleasuredome" versions. sheesh! it's nice to have "happy hi"- but c'mon mr. horn.

[geoffolehane]

Sometimes I like the original CD release. I have a few leftover from the 1980's. They have A-A-D somewhere on the cover, which is how you can tell they're original. So in one sense, they are collectibles.

But sometimes I kind of like that tunnel sound you get when listening to the original CD in the headphones. I think I get bothered that when they remaster the CD's because they change the feel of the original mix. For example they might de-emphasize a particular quirk I liked about the original recording like a hidden guitar riff or something.

But other times the remastered version brings a whole new arena of sound to the recording. I have the 1980's OMD "Organisation" release as well as the 2003 remastered edition. I like the reissue because the sounds are extremely well balanced and it seems to have more "ooomph" for the lack of a better word. But my 1991 version of "A Flock of Seagulls Greatest Hits" is fabulous in the headphones because there's such an echo/reverb effect due to the analog recordings.

[obs]

[i]> it took me three cd's before i got the u.s. cassette mix of "dream within a dream" with the long intro (congas, then bass, then chords, then hi hat, then horn part again)[/i]

You mean the CSS release had the following tracklist?
<font size=1>9:08 Dream Within A Dream (extended remix)
05:13 The Murder Of Love
06:23 Jewel (cut rough - edited intro)
04:43 Duel (cd remix)
04:25 Frozen Faces
03:50 p:Machinery (single mix)
03:27 Sorry For Laughing
04:05 The Chase
10:42 Das Testament Des Mabuse/Strength To Dream ["Dr. Mabuse"]</font>


[i]> They have A-A-D somewhere on the cover, which is how you can tell they're original. So in one sense, they are collectibles.[/i]

That and how you should handle your CDs [:D].

[bruiser]

[quote][i]Originally posted by obs[/i]
<br>[i]> it took me three cd's before i got the u.s. cassette mix of "dream within a dream" with the long intro (congas, then bass, then chords, then hi hat, then horn part again)[/i]

You mean the CSS release had the following tracklist?
<font size=1>9:08 Dream Within A Dream (extended remix)
05:13 The Murder Of Love
06:23 Jewel (cut rough - edited intro)
04:43 Duel (cd remix)
04:25 Frozen Faces
03:50 p:Machinery (single mix)
03:27 Sorry For Laughing
04:05 The Chase
10:42 Das Testament Des Mabuse/Strength To Dream ["Dr. Mabuse"]</font>
[/quote]

i don't know that it was the extended remix, just that the intro was much longer, with more of a breakdown of the various intstruments before the main horn theme kicked in again. and my strength to dream was not part of dr. mabuse, i don't think. oh! and no frozen faces. i didn't even hear frozen faces until years later when i bought the cd, can you imagine?

[obs]

Hmm, I wonder what version it is, then.

http://www.hirschbergers.de/Propaganda/e_disco.htm
I only see two versions of Dream Within a Dream here, but that discog is not entirely accurate.

Which specific CD has "that mix"? Maybe I have it too, but never noticed the difference.