"Secret" Remasterings

[Chris Desjardin]

Are there any CD's out there that were remastered without the record companies telling us? Maybe they found a better master or fixed errors on later pressings without telling us? There must be some out there...

[Sckott]

There are. Some of them are not remasters persay, however. Some of them are merely data corrections and some QC stuff, on the QT. Ice Magazine (CD Watchdog!) sometimes has the skinny on these things. The fact remains though, usually these things are taken care of within the 1st month of release. By the time most people pay for their CD, the problem is already corrected, IF the problem leaves the dupe plant.

Other than that, your ears are your best buddies.:p

[Michael]

They don't tell you about a "secret" remastering.They just put out the SAME product with BONUS tracks and make you HAVE to buy it all over again because you NEED it! They know it. You just have to have it.

[Holy Zoo]

Well, we know that Steve mastered an early "Who's Next" for MCA, which was subsequently remastered (which worse results!).

Steve also mastered Aja for it's first cd run on MCA, but it was apprarently remastered after that first pressing (5000?) sold.

And of course Steve's own Buddy Holly - FTOMT was remastered once or twice somewhere along the line, with all sorts of strange results (the phasing issue, the missing count off on It Doesn't Matter Any More)

Since we've learned these things because of Steve's presence here (and Luke!), I'd venture a guess that this has happened to hundreds, if not thousands, of titles.

[czeskleba]

Originally posted by Holy Zoo
And of course Steve's own Buddy Holly - FTOMT was remastered once or twice somewhere along the line, with all sorts of strange results (the phasing issue, the missing count off on It Doesn't Matter Any More)


Technically the Buddy stuff wasn't a "remaster" since they were still using the master tape originally prepared by Steve. Fixing or adding errors doesn't really qualify as a remaster, does it?

Fleetwood Mac's Rumours is another one that's been "secretly" remastered a few times, right? I don't own it on CD, but apparently the most recent version is the worst of the lot. Weren't the second set of Hendrix CDs "secret" remasters also, with the third set were trumpeted publicly as remastered?

It seems like "secret" remasters don't really happen anymore, since the record companies learned that "remastered" can be used as a marketing slogan, so there's no point keeping it secret.

[Grant]

Actually, the FIRST Fleetwood Mac "Rumors" CD was the worst of the lot, enough to make the original engineers remaster it. The later one is better.

Billy Joel's "52nd Street" was remastered after it was found that the original CD was made with an LP production master.

Some barbra Streisand CDs were remastered with the only notice being a small, white sticker on the front.

[lukpac]

Originally posted by czeskleba
Technically the Buddy stuff wasn't a "remaster" since they were still using the master tape originally prepared by Steve. Fixing or adding errors doesn't really qualify as a remaster, does it?

I don't know what the deal with that is. The missing count-off could be a simple production change, but the azimuth problem would be an issue with playing the tapes back incorrectly. I wonder if perhaps Steve made analog and digital masters, and the "good" CD used the digital master while the "bad" CD used the analog master, played back incorrectly. Steve?

[Vivaldinization]

Some other secret remasters:

a) The Who's "Tommy" and "Sings My Generation," which switched tapes somewhere down the line (Tommy, noticably, when it went single-disc, but before the remix)

b) Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde;" tons of stories about that one.

c) All Things Must Pass apparently got "upgraded" at some point.

etc.


What I've always loved more than "secret remasters" were CDs that *should* be released here, but weren't. For example, Sundazed just came out with remasters of the Cyrkle's two albums, yet those albums were availible for ages as Japanese imports on Sony. Similarly, Emitt Rhodes's "American Dream" was just released for the first time on CD in Japan...nothing doing here.

-D

[czeskleba]

Originally posted by lukpac
I wonder if perhaps Steve made analog and digital masters, and the "good" CD used the digital master while the "bad" CD used the analog master, played back incorrectly. Steve?

Now that I think about it, isn't that what Steve said on the old forum... that the later pressings of FTOMT were accidentally produced using the LP master rather than the CD master?

[czeskleba]

Originally posted by Grant
Actually, the FIRST Fleetwood Mac "Rumors" CD was the worst of the lot, enough to make the original engineers remaster it. The later one is better.


How many versions of Rumours have there been on CD? I seem to recall Sckott saying that the current CD is rampant with errors, and that there is a previous version which sounds better...

[Matt]

Both CD versions have their problems. The best place to get this on a digital medium is the current DVD-A. This is what Steve said about the CD's:

4/25/2001

David, lemme tell ya something. Don't want to start a flame war here, but the original "bad" sounding release of "Rumours" is actually the sound of the stupid master tape. It's the good one! The re-do just has way more top end and bottom end EQ, and it too much (listen to "Go Your Own Way"). The original CD is the one to keep.

-----------------

I should point out that other posts at the time also stated that the original CD was also NoNoised, so it definitely isn't perfect. Scott also pointed out that the current "Rumours" CD and the DVD-A seem to use a different master tape. On "Second Hand News" they loop a small section in the end, where Buckingham is wailing on the guitar. Also, according to Scott, "Gold Dust Woman" isn't supposed to start cold the way it does on the current CD and DVD-A.

[lukpac]

Originally posted by czeskleba


Now that I think about it, isn't that what Steve said on the old forum... that the later pressings of FTOMT were accidentally produced using the LP master rather than the CD master?

I actually don't think Steve knows/remembers...

[lukpac]

Originally posted by David Goodwin
Some other secret remasters:

a) The Who's "Tommy" and "Sings My Generation," which switched tapes somewhere down the line (Tommy, noticably, when it went single-disc, but before the remix)

Well, the Tommy upgrade was hardly "secret". New artwork (somewhat), new mastering credit, new date, new catalog number, etc... Plus on a single disc.

I think it even said "remastered" on some stickers.

[Steve Hoffman]

Luke,

You're talking about me like I've had some kind of mental breakdown or something. Sheesh, it's only been 16 years and hundreds of disc masterings later. Sigh.

First of all, yes, I think that SOME CD repressings of Buddy Holly "From The Original Master Tapes" were mastered using the analog LP master. Still should sound great though. Who knows what they did after I left?

Regarding the Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" question, the FIRST CD version of that title wasn't no-noised. That little device had not as yet been invented.... So.. I guess they redid it twice on CD.

[Dugan]

On my vinyl version of Rumours, Second Hand News does not have the loop at the end and Gold Dust Woman fades in.
The engineer who mastered the CD obviously used the wrong mixes (I think the same thing happened to the Tusk CD.) The correct mixes for both discs are avalible on "The Chain" boxset and marked as alternate mixes.

[lukpac]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman
You're talking about me like I've had some kind of mental breakdown or something. Sheesh, it's only been 16 years and hundreds of disc masterings later. Sigh.

Yeah, only 16 years...;)

[Matt]

Thanks for correcting me, Steve.

Does anyone have that first edition of "Rumours"? I'd love to make a CD-R trade for it...

[Steve Hoffman]

Heh! I traded my original one in on the "new" remastering, just like everyone else.

Sigh. :(

[Sckott]

I have the 1988 "Forever Young" Japanese WB CD issue that has the original mix and form of the record. If anyone needs/wants CDRs of it, let me know. I should scan it with the OBI for peeping on the board. It's a nice issue, and quite a nice listen. Best version I've owned so far....

True, the RE-2 of the US/WB Cd is what's around and I haven't seen any other issue around in years, even in used record stores.

[Matt]

Originally posted by Sckott
I have the 1988 "Forever Young" Japanese WB CD issue that has the original mix and form of the record. If anyone needs/wants CDRs of it, let me know. I should scan it with the OBI for peeping on the board. It's a nice issue, and quite a nice listen. Best version I've owned so far....



Are you referring to "Rumours"? Because if you are, I'd love to get a copy:D

[Chris Desjardin]

I would love a copy, too. That's a great album. I tried to do a remaster of it from the Nautilus vinyl pressing, but it was a worn copy. Too much surface noise!