Jethro Tull original Chrysalis CD's

Roland said:

The WarChild remaster is loud - the sound is decent enough.
The UK is flat - I've never heard the US version.
The MoFi is to die for.

 

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=146525

 

Thanks (I meant releases of the War Child album, but I think I've got it now - I'm sure the US will have the shorter intro too).

The remaster has a healthy dose of bonus cuts so maybe I'll get it for this album (what I'm guessing are probably the two best bonus cuts - Glory Road and Rainbow Bridge - I have on that 3 CD 36 Greatest comp, but I wouldn't mind hearing the rest).

 

...any idea what year my nimbus CD came out?

 

So, Michael, you found that Uk Aqualung you were looking for and you like it?

 

I like the louder & brighter remastered version of WarChild, too.


Glory Row and Rainbow Blues are less bright and brash on the original CD versions of MU & Repeat.

 

Actually as I know no W.Germany cds was pressed as "Mastered by Nimbus" (may I'm not correct,but so far I'm not meet any).May be CCD1044 Mastered by Nimbus is UK cd? Or you see somewhere written "Made in Germany or W.Germany" ?

 

My Tull UK/European CD's either say 'mastered by Nimbus' or 'EMI Swindon'. The Nimbus CD manufacturing plant was in Wales, and was a company which was started by investors including Richard Branson of Virgin.

It then moved to the US. This article:

http://www.freewarehof.org/nimbus.html

makes this assertion:

'Nimbus turned out hundreds of thousands of CDs, perhaps millions, but turned nearly all of them out anonymously. Nowhere on the disk or packaging did the name Nimbus appear. The Directors, CEO Faulkner, and his team were either astoundingly unaware of the value of name recognition to enhance shareholder value, or had a reason not to want that.'

This is talking about the US operation in 1997.

Over the past year I have been collecting UK and West German original Chrysalis pressings of Tull albums. I have the complete set of remasters already. It was this site and my disatisfaction with the Aqualung anniversary edition that made me decide to re-purchase all teh original CD's for my (second) favourite band.

In fact, at the moment I have a temporary loan from my local secondhand CD shop of two pressings of the UK Chrysalis Stand Up. The owner tolerates my idiosyncracies, although he thinks I am quite frankly insane for seeking the original CD's when I have the 'obviously' superior remasters with bonus tracks.

I have to decide which version to return to the shop by the weekend so it can be sold on the busiest day. Any help or information about differences most welcome.

1) Stand Up UK Chrysalis CCD 1042 'Made In England', 'Mastered By Nimbus', inner ring has no futher information, 37:58

2) Stand Up UK Chrysalis CD3P2 1042-2, inner ring reads '2:2:10 EMI Swindon', 37:58

I can't hear any sonic differences between the two. Compared to the remaster, there is less treble, but I would say there is a warmer overall sound to the CD. I assume the remaster had treble bost, this is the reason I am re-buyng the catalogue.

My concern is that there is an alteration/upgrade I have not noticed between 1042 and 1042-2, say on one track, for example. I will probably go for the 1042 Nimbus edition as a keeper, simply because it is in slightly better condition, although it is more expensive. Both discs have superficial scratches but play fine.

Incidentally, if anyone reading is interested in one of these versions before I make my mind up, please pm me to discuss - I am not interested in making a profit, just passing on the surplus CD to a fellow Tull afficianado. Gorts may of course delete or ask me to if this last paragraph should be in the marketplace section.

 

Incidentally, I just looked in my collection of Record Collector, which annoyingly concentrates on vinyl editions in two comprehensive articles in 1986 and 1996, noting that CD and LP re-issues are not included in the discography.

But the 1996 article by Martin Webb does include this regarding Stand Up:

Collector's note: oddly, all copies on the first and second pink label pressings have a playng-time on Side Two of 19:50, whereas some, but not all, on the third (as well as all palm tree pressings) clock in at 19:35. Earlier/longer sides bear the matrix number ILPS+9103+B; later/shorter LP's are stamped ILPS+9103+B2. We'd be grateful to hear from anyone who knows where the missing 15 seconds have gone!

 

Nice info about Nimbus.

Early Polygram pressings can be distinguished by "sharp" cd edges,alu-center and specific matrix numbers. I saw some cds with no production country stated on cd , but with clear W.Germany Polygram plant genesis.I saw Jethro Tull,OMD,Spandau Ballet cds (may be more) without production country stated on cd,but clearly made in W.Germany

 

Stand Up USA was OK compared to the MoFi.

I have a Repeat-The Best Of Jethro Tull-Vol. II-Repeat (inner ring) Nimbus England CD bought in the '80's.

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=132673&highlight=Tull

 

I once had these two pressings also. I couldn't detect a sonic difference, and I am 99% sure they are digitally identical.

I kept the CCD 1042. I think these are a little earlier than the CD32 pressings.

Edit: Never mind my comment above. I was referring to "Warchild", not "Stand Up". Still, I would keep the CCD pressing.

The US Chrysalis Stand Up is much better in my opinion.

 

These Chrysalis CDs will never be set free.

Aqualung CDP32 1044-2 UK
WarChild CCD 1067 UK
Minstrel In The Gallery CCD1082 Japan
“M. U.” MCA VK 41078 DIDX 403 Japan
Too Old To CCD 1111 UK? (No place of manufacture on disc)
Repeat CCD 1135 UK
Revisited…Stormwatch…and kept it…VK 41238 USA
Broadsword CCD 1380 West Germany
Under Wraps CCD 1461 West Germany
Crest Of A Knave CCD 1590 UK
Rock Island MCA VKW-41708 Canada
Catfish Rising CCD 1886 UK & MCA VKS-41863 Canada
Roots To Branches 7243 8 35418 2 9 Canada Chrysalis/EMI

 

Coincidentally, I happen to have what I think is an original Chrysalis "A Passion Play" on loan from my library at the moment. I once owned the US vinyl, and I think the CD sounds pretty good. Good clarity on the vocals, the bass is decent, and I don't hear offensive compression.

 

I like "A Passion Play" in this order:

MoFi
Remaster
Original USA Chrysalis (sold)

 

That original Aqualung sounds like a hissy and muddy crap job done wrong sideways!Talk about NOT being from the master tape!

 

Not too shabby Aqualungs.

 

Intersting how the J for WG and the WG for WG and the UK for UK pressing all have the same numbers... yet the WG for UK pressing has noticably ? different numbers... another case of the Germans messing with the Britons heads? And Steve's DCC, lots of 100%, is this why I dig that Cd the best?

 

Having missed the start of the thread because I've been away a bit I just chime in. I used to listen to Tull more during the late 80s and 90s, so I have all the unremastered catalogue as well as the remasters of the first four albums which I particularly like, and then all of the Tull MFLS's. Fortunately, I never sold older CDs even when I bought remasters...

Usually, I'm more into the older pressings most of the times. But in terms of Jethro Tull it's a bit of mixed bag. I don't think the remasters are excellent in any respect, but I think they offer an upgrade in some respect here and there. Reason being IMHO that I think some of the original Chrysalis masterings were really based on bad tapes.

Take Stand up for instance: The German CD I have really is very noisy. And although I usually tend to prefer the breath & liveliness of analogue tape sound especially on Bouree the background noise gets quite annoying. The best, most analogue sounding version of this IMHO is obviously the MFSL, which offers very nice sonics without any harming due to No-Noise-treatment. Haven't done proper A-/B-ing where there's no MFSL counterpart such as Benefit, though.

What I haven't started yet (by contrast to other artists) is a comparison of different masterings from different countries BEFORE the remasters were released (see Roland's very helpful thread on that). From what I grasp there seem to be considerable differences even in those early pressings as well. So it's all not too easy there, unfortunately. BTW: Is there an easy summary of those findings? Probably not, so one has to check every individual album & CDs from different origins? Oh dear

 

One thing I might add: I noticed the original CD of Living in the Past really gets some appraisal over here. Although I don't think it's too bad IMHO that album is the very example where the (admittedly very expensive) MFSL-2fer gives the most upgrade. I mean, I really LOVE the analogue and warm sound of that set. Is it probably due to the fact that I don't have the best sounding standard-issue (apart from bonus tracks on the MFSL)? I have the WG Sonopress pressing.

 

I am truely horrified and saddened that I can not find my open copy, NOR my sealed copy of MFSL's Living In The Past, my fave Tull collection, Desert Isle discs. I can only hope I hid it somewheres once for some reason...

 

You're surely joking, aren't you? I'd go absolutely NUTS if that'd happen to me... Whish you al the best for your search - don't stop

 

Yes, it's the US Chrysalis that gets high praise (not appraisal )