Tull "Benefit" Remaster

[Mike V]

Hi Folks,

I just bought the new remaster of J. Tull Benefit, and I must say, I am less than impressed. It sounds a little squished (compressed?)to me, so much that I can't really enjoy it. Anyone else have this experience?

Mike

[Michael]

Didn't pick that one up yet. How does it compare to the original Benefit? I was soooo excited when DCC almost put that one out! One of my Favorites! I heard MFSL had the rights from Marshall they came close but MFSL beat 'em out and look what happened no Gold release at all. Too bad.

[John Buchanan]

Benefit and Aqualung always sounded compressed, even on early Island/Chrysalis UK pressings. I think the fact that the original Benefit 2 track master is missing may not have helped, but even with Aqualung DCC - the drums, the drums......
Compared with This Was, Stand Up or TAAB, the drum sound is unbelievably squashed and always was.
Aqualung on DCC is the closest to UK Island/Chrysalis vinyl from memory. Again, beware the 25th Anniversary Aqualung. It's unbelievably bad, making a mediocre recording even worse by using *LOTS* of NoNoise to remove what little hiss there was on the original master. Steve left the hiss well alone and it sounds much better.

[TommyTunes]

Benefit has suffered along with This Was from some of the worst CD transfers IMO. I have all the new Japanese reissued and I'm not impressed with any of them. The only good LP issued of Benefit were the original UK and Reprise in the US. But oddly they are both very different sounding. The US version has the vocals pushed up front and echo added to them. A friend of mine much perfers the US to the UK. I on the other hand feel the UK is much more natural sounding. Neither come close to the CD versions.

[Mike V]

Thanks all for your replies. This is just what I was looking for. Probably will try to pick up an original US vinyl copy for starters and go from there. I love the album enough, and this is the first copy I've owned, so I have nothing to compare it to.

Is there hope for the other remasters like Stand Up? I don't want to dismiss the others because of Benefit. I have a 2nd press Reprise which I think sounds really really good, but I'd also like it on CD. Obviously the MFSL would be great, but how is the remastered stock version?

John: I bought the 25th Anniversary Aqualung when it came out, and listened to it only a couple times. Most lousy, agreed!

Thanks again!

[freeflyt]

I've been waiting for a re-master of this album for quite some, as it is the first Tull album I ever bought. (on 8-track, which is how long ago THAT was) I too had been really excited byt the prospect of a DCC version, but...

So I jumped on this version as soon as it became available. On whole it's not bad. It definitely has a glassy sheen to it, and can get a bit shrill at times. But it certainly does a good job of "lifting the veil" in comparison to the standard issue, which has always sounded a very muddy to me. Much better definition and clarity, with good dynamic punch overall.

On balance, I like it better than the standard version, which was WAY overdue for a re-master. Just wish Ian et al would have transferred their allegiances from MFSL to DCC, when the former went belly up. (I own MFSL Stand Up, Living in the Past, and a clone of TAAB)

Stephen

[John Buchanan]

Stand Up remastered sounds better than the Originals set, and is NoNoised also. Unlike the Originals, the smile equalisation has been applied to compensate for the treble loss with NoNoise, and to add a bit of bottom end. The tapes used sound free of the faults in the Originals series (drop outs at the start of A New Day Yesterday, tape fault in Bouree) but the highish levels of hiss in the Island UK vinyl have nearly completely disappeared ( hiss was present in the MoFi Stand Up) The cover is a pretty crappy travesty.
If you see The Originals and the mini vinyl replica covers are in good condition, use these to house the best verions you can find. The covers are as per the original UK vinyl. I'm inviting a storm of abuse here, but I like these remasters ( I also liked the Bowie remasters more than the Ryko, which sounded like they had an inverse smile - grumpy - equalisation applied. I agree that they don't sound like the vinyl, but I kinda like the revision. So what would I know)
This Was restores the coda missing on the Capitol US CD at the very end of "Round" as well, and sounds less tinny than that CD.
Benefit I could never warm to. Tinny, mega-compressed and unlikeable songs that seemed to improve when played live (listen to the 1970 Carnegie Hall concert on the 4 CD 25th anniversary set to see what I mean)

[Sckott]

Just skimming over this post, Tommy was absolutely right about the Reprise vinyl. Sounds great on that issue. The CD issues don't do the work justice, and you can tell there's more sound trying to come thru.

[joelee]

I'm satisfied with the cd of Benefit from the "Originals" UK box set. I agree it's not a sonic recording to begin with as per say Stand Up.
If your a fan of "Stand Up" seek out the UK EMI 100 series on vinyl. Sounds perfect.

[Mike V]

Originally posted by joelee
I'm satisfied with the cd of Benefit from the "Originals" UK box set. I agree it's not a sonic recording to begin with as per say Stand Up.
If your a fan of "Stand Up" seek out the UK EMI 100 series on vinyl. Sounds perfect.

Thanks for the EMI 100 advice re: Stand Up. I have found that series to be a mixed bag. Take for instance The Specials s/t album. What a case of mastering-gone-horribly-wrong that one is (I think it's an EMI 100 anyway). For now I'll probably stick with my Reprise (it really is nice), but would love Stand Up on CD without having to record my vinyl through my most crappy sound card! How did that Back To Mono quote that Steve posted go - "Like mud through a corpse."!

Thanks also Sckott for seconding TommyTunes recommendation for the Reprise "Benefit" vinyl. Now off to finding a copy!