I checked and compared those releases:
Journeys to Glory (original CD from 1983 - most common source)
Musclebound (a Dutch compilation from 1996)
The Collection (an EMI Gold compilation from 1997, reissued in 2001)
Reformation (box set from 2002)
The Collection, Vol. 2 (EMI compilation from 2004)
The Ultra Selection (a Dutch compilation from 2005)
I only used my own ears, mind
) And from what I've heard, "Journeys" CD sounds the worst - at times like an mp3-sourced something! Dull sound, low and seemingly uneven levels. I know that CD transfer technology wasn't that great in the 80s but for it to produce such miserable results... Hmmm. What's worse is that "Musclebound" seems to use those same sources - which, though, is a common practice for the Disky label that'd put it out. And "The Ultra Selection" is simply a rehash of "Musclebound" with no sound improvement whatsoever. So those releases were out of competition."Reformation" was next and, it being a product supervised by Gary Kemp and done rather lavishly by a major label. The sound, I find, is great - very clean and crisp. "Mandolin" is a pure bliss, mixes and demos are a welcome addition.
Then I checked "The Collection" releases - and noticed an interesting thing. The first volume doesn't sound remastered, it's somewhat boxed, but still louder than "Journeys" CD. But the second one that includes album versions of "Musclebound", "Confused" and "Toys", is clear as a bell. And I wonder if it's from the same remastering session as "Reformation" tracks. Should I conclude that the first album was remastered in the early 2000s (surely it's only logical to do the whole album than just several selected tracks) but something happened and another (butcher) job was comissioned? Very interesting to know.
Anyway, "The Collection Vol. II", to me, can be seen as a companion piece to "Reformation" - a real representation of Spandau's early, New Romantic/Pop Soul sound.
Unfortunately, between them they include only half of the album (though lots of would-be bonus material). And if we take tracks from the first "Collection" as a palliative it's still not enough ("Age of Blows" would be missing).
What I haven't heard is that "Singles, Rarities And Remixes" 2-CD set released on Philipinnes in 2006 - anyone can shed a light on the sound quality?
So, the quest to obtain an alternative (good) remaster of "Journeys to Glory" proved only partially successful and it doesn't seem likely that anything more an be achieved. I find the whole situation surreal - one of the best-selling bands of the 80s wasn't and to some extent still isn't adequately represented in the digital media! That's baffling and very sad.
P.S. By the way, is it me or does the second CD of a "deluxe remaster" sound rather good?
P.P.S. Anyone heard a Dutch release of "Journeys" from the late 1990s where they put single mixes of "The Freeze" and "Musclebound" in place of original versions? If so, what about the sound quality - is there any improvement on the original CD?