CD masterings which exceeded all your expectations.

Following the in praise of remasters thread which are the CDs (originals or remasters) you were most impressed by? These are the ones which completely surpassed all expectations (or discs you didn't think would be extra special and they made your jaw drop).


Here are 10 in no particular order (all double dips):


Bob Dylan - Desire - 40DP Japan - This was an eye opener. I didn't expect much from this one. It is not the muddy, cruddy, original disc we are used to and not as bright and bottom light as the SACD (I was going to sell this one and didn't even plan on listening to it as I had the SACD. I was amazed).

Elvis Presley - Raised on Rock - U.S. first pressing - I only had the songs from this CD on box sets in remixed form. I was impressed by the space and bass. I should have bought this years ago. One of my top three Elvis albums.

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Couldn't Stand the Weather (SACD) - I had the remaster of this title and the "Texas Flood" SACD, but it didn't prepare me for this one.

Neil Young - Harvest (DVD-A) - Very nice.

The Who - Who's Next - P33P Japan - time to use my remaster as a coaster. I would also include "By Numbers" and "Tommy", but this one takes the cake.

Bob Dylan - Greates Hits Volume II - 48DP Japan pressing - I had goosebumps a couple times when I first played disc two. Disc one wasn't as thrilling as I knew what to expect when I played it the next day.

The Rolling Stones - Black and Blue - 23DP Japan - Wow. I thought the original U.S. disc sounded great. Wonderful.

Cal Tjader - Latin + Jazz = Cal Tjader - DCC - I hadn't heard this album before I bought this DCC silver - it was so cheap on eBay I decided to give it a try. Love the sound of the vibes and percussion. I have since picked up the SACD, but my first listen to the DCC knocked me out.

Elvis Presley - That's The Way It Is - MoFi - I am not the biggest fan of the MoFi sound, but this one is just great. I had three other versions before I got this one (thanks, Mike)

Queen - A Day at the Races - CP32 Japan - Freddie's vocal on "You Take My Breath Away" does just that. This has become my favorite Queen album.

I could think of more great sounding discs, but these are the ones which really took me by surprise.

What are some of yours?

 

One of my faves...

DCC's Elvis 24 Karat Hits!

A "reference" for every mastering engineer... how a excellent remaster should sound!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Yesterday I played for the first time the 1989 Ella Fitzgerald's Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie CD reissue (remastered by Dennis Drake). Very very impressive ! Even this CD is highly praised here, I didn't think it would sound so good !

 

Van Halen's 5150, OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and Balance on the Japanese Forever Young series. I won't discuss if they are remasters or not (they are to me and another member of the forum) but they sound very very fine.

 

I recently picked up a couple of used Ten Years After discs, the 2002 remasters of s/t & "Undead". I found them in a used store for $7 each, & figuring at the least that they had cool packaging & a boatload of bonus tracks, imagine my surprise when I compared them to my original Deram CD's & they were as good, if not better than the Deram discs. These were mastered by Paschal Byrne, by the way.

 

When was this CD issued ?

Thanks !

 

I should add Work of Art's "Lift" (see avatar). I did listen to samples before I bought it and had the "Simplicity" CD, also mastered by Barry, which gave me a very good idea of what I was about to receive. I was not disappointed. And I have the DVD-A which is the cat's meow.

Sometime in the eighties I think. "Desire" is not a bad recording. We've been fooled all these years.


edit: How could I forget the CP28 of "All Things Must Pass".

 

DCC Court and Spark (of course)

DCC Nat King Cole Love is the thing

DCC Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook

Im sure there are others. Butthese have to be the top three.

 

So that's the one to go after!! I always thought there was no such thing as a good sounding version of Desire. Both the LP and the original cd sound muddy and even the SACD, that I listened to at a friend's house, didn't sound like a big improvement.

 

You know I think I should have read the thread a little closer Darcy. I expected these to sound great and they did. Ill have to ponder this a litle longer.

'course they still sound great.

 

Paul McCartney - Ram DCC
It was the first DCC that i've bought... I knew this album so well, but I've never expected Ram can sound this way.

 

I definitely won't say that it was the best remaster ever made, but I remember being really surprised when I listened to the remaster of Bob Dylan's Street Legal a few years ago. Like Desire, it always had a rather cruddy sound to it and deservedly so. The story goes that, back in '78, Bob was preparing for a new world tour and had to finish the album in a hurry. I doubt if it was even mixed properly. The sound of the original vinyl was bad, as it was really hard to distinguish the instruments in the mix. Never had the original cd, but I suppose it wasn't much better. So I wasn't expecting much when I bought the remaster, mainly for just adding this album to my collection. But, muddy as this album still is, it sounded surprisingly good to my ears. I could pick out the instruments on their own and the overall sound was very well balanced, as opposite to the original version that I knew. Makes me wonder if this one was more like a remix than a remaster, but I'm not sure about that.
Never listened to the SACD version, but it would surprise me if it would sound much better.

 

Jethro Tull
This Was - Remaster
Living In The Past - MoFi
A Passion Play - MoFi
WarChild - MoFi
Songs From The Wood - MoFi
Tull - 20 & 25th boxes

Ian Anderson Walk Into Light - BGO
Ian Anderson Divinities: Twelve Dances With God

Elvis Presley / That's The Way It Is - MoFi
John Lennon & Yoko Ono Double Fantasy - MoFi
Don McLean American Pie - remaster
Cat Stevens Tea For The Tillerman - remaster

Every CD that I own mastered by Steve Hoffman.
"Bad Company" is warm warm warm (say cool) in 5.1 modes. (HDCD)

 

The current remaster of In The Court Of The Crimson King - King Crimson. It sounds better than any vinyl or other version on CD to me. Crystal clear!!

Frank R

 

Joni Mitchell - For The Roses (old Atlantic CD)

Almost as warm as the DCC Gold CDs, but every bit as realistic, natural, full-bodied and present. Musically, it has become my favorite Joni Mitchell album.

 

Hi Darcy,

Thanks for all of your much appreciated support.

Just to clarify one thing:
The 24/96 version of "Lift" is in DVD-V format, not DVD-A.
It plays in most ordinary DVD players (and does not require a special DVD-A player).

The DVD-V standard, has always included 24/96 stereo PCM audio. It has just been very rarely used.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

There is a remix of "Street Legal" from the late ninties. I don't have the SACD, but I think this uses the remix. I do want to get another CD of this title and "New Morning". The song "If Not For You" on my copy of "GH Vol. II" sounds great. I stupidly sold an early Japan copy of "Nashville Skyline" without comparing it with my SACD.

This is exactly what I meant to say.

 

(Raised on Rock has never been remixed. Only the December 1973 songs were remixed for the 70s-box set and the 2000-upgrade of Promised Land.)

The Kevan Budd remasters of Elvis' Fifties-recordings have made me appreciate this material again.

 

DCC Sinatra Family Wish You A Merry Christmas gold CD

Pink Floyd The Wall japan 48DP standard CD

The Fixx Phantoms standard CD

Wow! never heard anything like them. Very impressed.

 

Are you saying this is different from the Germany Polydor? Because frankly, that one sucks. Way too much hiss, and fade-ups on many songs. Both Steve's disc and the Deluxe Edition are easily better.

To my knowledge, By Numbers only had one mastering of the original mix, which wasn't great. And I know at least in Europe there were two different masterings of Tommy (same catalog number).

Anyway, I think Sufjan Stevens' Illinois sounds really good.

 

For the songs from "Raised on Rock" I only had the songs on the seventies box set before I bought this. My double dip is that I had most of the songs on different comps, but bought the "ROR" CD anyway. Sorry for the confusion.

I also have the "Promised Land/Good Times" remix. Night and day when compared with the original "ROR" mixes. Too bad "GT" is two songs short, but I know they were going by recording dates..

 

The original Warner Bros. West Germany and or Japan for USA pressings of Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (both share the same mastering and include fade-up on Gold Dust Woman).

Smoother than Hugh Heffner's 1976 red felt smoking jacket.

 

I've never heard the CD from Germany. I wish I had easier access to W. German CDs for some fun shoot outs. My "By Numbers" sounds nicer than my original Canada (or is it U.S.) version. I was listening to the remaster of this title for years. On the back of the case of "By Numbers" it says mastered by Doug Sachs at the Mastering Lab. Any idea if this is for the CD mastering or is a reprint from the vinyl days?

 

That's a reprint from the vinyl.

Does your Who's Next have fade-ups on (for example) Baba and Behind Blue Eyes? Here is an example (the Polydor is the second in the clip).

 

Sounds like a fade up to me. My only problem with "Who's Next" is that I prefer the live version of "Baba O'Riley" and "My Wife" from the "Kids Are Alright" album and, in comparison, the studio tracks don't cut it for me. I have heard "Won't Get Fooled Again" too many times as well. Apart from the first three songs on side two I rarely play this one. "Who By Nubmers" is the one I listen to most these days.