John Fogerty-Centerfield

[Dr. Winston]

To the board--anyone bought this remaster? Is it noticeably better? comments appreciated.

[Unknown]

It's better than the first LP pressing... and the CD of course! The Remastering did Bob Ludwig.

[luke j. chung]

The new Dreamworks reissues of both "Centerfield" and "Eye Of The Zombie" are not only major improvements over their original '80s pressings, they are HDCD-encoded and sound even better on the appropriately featured equipment. :cool:

[ September 20, 2001: Message edited by: luke j chung ]

[Grant]

I bought "Centerfield" I didn't do A/B it and the original but I did not detect any obvious differences.

I have yet to get "Eye Of The Zombie".

I also wish I could find the original with "Zantz Kant Dance".

[ September 20, 2001: Message edited by: Grant T. ]

[Chris Desjardin]

I bought the remaster, but a quick A/B comparison did not detect much of an improvement. I will have to take the time to give it a better test.

As for the Zantz Can't Dance, I remember being in a record store in the mid 80's and seeing both versions of the CD. I knew one of them was replaced with the other. Did I buy both versions? NO! I was a poor collece student. Now I am really kicking myself. As it was, I guessed which one was the rare one. Of course, I guessed wrong! If we knew then what we know now...

[Gary]

I know, Chris - I'm kicking myself over a few missed opportunities, too.

The HDCD version will only sound better if you have a HDCD player. The HDCD player can pick up the HDCD special encoding on the HDCD Cd. HDCD makes it 20 bits instead of 16 bits. Much better definition.

I wish that Steve and DCC would do some HDCD discs but I think they will focus on SACD and / or DVD-A (very wise, in my opinion). Which means my next CD type player will be dictated by what DCC releases. :D

[Unknown]

You've got to be careful with HDCD. Some of the HDCD's I own sound incredibly shrill on my HDCD-compatible DVD player.

As always, it depends on the mastering. Garbage in, garbage out.

[Sckott]

For people looking forward to Windows XP, the Windows Media Player v8 features a software HDCD detection and playback.

A download of Windows Media Player 8 will soon be available seperately soon. For now, from what I know, it's not available on Internet Explorer 6, the new version of the browser, just the new Windows XP.

This, of course would mean something if your speakers on your PC are up to snuff?

Just an idea. A very little one.

[BradOlson]

This is great news Sckott. I don't have an HDCD encoded CD player so I will be able to use my computer to find out if it is HDCD encoded.

[Steve Hoffman]

My original CD of "Centerfield" is so bright, it kills every flying insect within 20 miles of my house. I mean, this thing is BRIGHT! Impossible to listen to, actually. The new version can't still sound like this, can it? :eek:

[Unknown]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman:
My original CD of "Centerfield" is so bright, it kills every flying insect within 20 miles of my house. :eek:

Steve, is this effective on mosquitoes? If so, please send me a copy!

[Steve Hoffman]

Yes, any flying insect. Trouble is, you'll go deaf yourself, so I suggest using earmuffs over earplugs when listening to this CD. That way, the top end should sound about right. :mad:

[Grant]

Steve, could they have used pre-emphasis on the original CD?

Also, the only thing that would help would be the ability to encode your own CD-R's. But, Microsoft owns HDCD...

[Gary]

Oh oh.... my joy of finding out that Centerfield has been remastered on HDCD has been dashed on the rocks of dispair.... :(

Are not most remasters Brighter, Shiner and more Synthetic sounding than the previous generation? Oh - my -G :mad: GRRRRRR

Well if anyone can comment or confirm (as I have neither version) I'd appreciate a thumbs up or down!

Hope my vinyl lasts my lifetime! Too bad there are not too many bugs up here!

[joelee]

Am I the only person that's not a big fan of HDCD encoded discs? Granted when I first heard an HDCD encoded disc on my car stereo it sounded great. When playing these discs on my home unit(s) (Bryston, VAC tube amp) though they are too bright!! They are even harder to listen to through a HDCD encoded palyer.

[Gary]

Joe, as you know, I am a HDCD fan. However it's important to note that I have never heard SACD or DVD-A so in the future I may become disenchanted with the format. Especially when Steve's "goodies" are released!

The first HDCD I've heard was Tubular Bells - very impressive. But the Atlantic "50 years" 2 CD compiliation sounded like the HDCD encoding was barely there. So it's fairly sporatic.

Since (I think) HDCD means you must remaster the music using / with HDCD, all HDCD CDs are remastered. I'm sure that the normal "90's and 00's" standard is applied to HDCDs: too bright, etc., etc. I've never heard of a car stereo that decodes HDCD in it (could be wrong, of course) so I think you were listening to the CD as a normal "extra bright" CD.

I've never noticed that they were even brighter on a HDCD player. Sounds fine in my listening room. Do you have a HDCD player? What HDCDs sounded shrill to you?

[Grant]

Joe, could it be that your components are bright? Mine aren't. My undecoded HDCD discs are smooth, in fact, a bit mellow!

[luke j. chung]

As a further explanation of my earlier post regarding the Fogerty HDCD remasters, a direct a/b comparison of both titles to their original mid-80's pressings shows a great deal less treble overload, especially with the percussive sounds and synthesizer loops used in the title track of "Centerfield". It no longer, as Steve Hoffman so eloquently described the earlier pressings, can be used as an extermination tool for flying insects(heh-heh!)and the like. The midrange and bass are also much fuller sounding, with good definition. For the curious, I listen to these discs using the Audio Alchemy DDE 3.0, which decodes HDCD in 20-bit resolution, feeding it from the Audio Alchemy DTI PRO32 jitter reduction
interface's I2S connection. My CD transport is an old Sony CD222ES, although I also use
the Pioneer Elite DVL-91 DVD/Laser/CD player as an alternate. Hope this is useful to you. :D

[Drew]

Hey Gary, I have the same 50 Years of Atlantic Records 2 CD set and I noticed the same thing about some songs sticking out more than others. My system is mid-fi at best, but when Foreigner's "I want to Know What Love Is" came thru my speakers I dropped what I was doing cause I never heard that song sound so smooth before. Blows away the version on Rhino Foreigner Anthology. I also have to admit that I don't have a CD player that does HDCD decoding.

On the other hand, the version of Yes - Roundabout on that Atlantic HDCD compilation sounds totally different from the Japanese HDCD Fragile imported CD.

I've thought about buying Van Halen I on HDCD to compare it with the DCC gold CD. But that would make the 3rd version of Van Halen I (on CD alone) and I have to draw the line somewhere.

I have Emmylou Harris "Deeper Well" on HDCD and it has a great sound. But there isn't a non HDCD version to compare it to.

I think HDCD is just another tool in the box and it depends who's welding that tool that makes all the difference in the world.

[Grant]

But Drew, HDCD is only an encoding process that involves noise shaping and dither. You STILL have to have superior mastering to get good results from HDCD. That Atlantic Cd set was done haphazardly. Notice the tape slowdown after the breakdown on "Respect" by Aretha Franklin.

That package does have the best version of Chic's "Le Freak" I've ever heard!

[Gary]

You are right, Drew - it's the mastering that makes the difference. The HDCD gives it an extra "enhancement" but can be disappointing if not done right. Just imagine if the wrong engineer did a Shrill copy of somehting.... "shudder"

I'll bet the mastering of SACDs and DVDs done by different engineers will have the same effect. And I'll bet Steve's upcoming releases will be the best! ;)

[Grant]

That's what I just said too, Gary!

[Gary]

Sorry, Grant T! Yes, you did say that.... my apologies - I did not mean to ignore your comment. I was just tired, that's all....

Guess that's why I should never respond late at night.... :o

Sorry again!

[Evan]

Well, I finally pulled out my old copy of Centerfield with Zantz Kant Dance. I have not played it in over a decade. Damn brightest vinyl I have ever heard. I don’t remember not being able to turn it up without incurring a hearing loss. :eek: Must have been that cheap system I had in college covering up the highs. Steve is right. If I turn it up I can kill ever bug for miles AND peel paint off of the walls. I tried. Couldn’t get past a quarter turn on the pre-amp. I never realized that vinyl could go that high. Maybe I need new tubes. :confused: I know need an equalizer. Good thing I ordered one. Should be here by Christmas......2002 :rolleyes: