Oh no! I've given into the dark side (David Bowie Ryko's)

Doing another trip to the used disc stores, I happened to stumble upon David Bowie's "ChangesBowie" on Rykodisc. Seeing how lots of people have different opinions about which issue of his catalog sounds the best and how I already had an RCA Bowie, I decided to snag it (and it was only $7.99 anyway). Well, I must admit that when compared to the RCA disc I have, which is "Fame and Fashion", I like the sound of the Ryko better! Yes!

Well, to tell the truth, there were some exceptions. I thought that the 3rd Generation tape hiss on "Space Oddity" from the F&F disc made the song much better than the "dry" version on "ChangesBowie". "Golden Years" had more punch on the F&F disc also. However, particulary on the "Scary Monsters" tracks, the Ryko remastering made the certain songs I compared sound more alive and fresh without being too harsh or bright, IMO. Plus there was much more detail; for example, "Heroes" is mud on the RCA version, while on the Ryko version, I can hear things not heard before. However, the Ryko seems to be the single version, so it could have been remixed. Most importantly, "Changes" wasn't filled with dropouts on the Ryko, unlike the RCA.

Sound quality issues aside, I thought it was a great find. There was overlap with the RCA disc, but the songs I hadn't heard prior to purchasing the disc overwhelmed the songs I already heard. My copy also came with the original Bowie catalog and a groovy green jewel case, which I'm not sure if it is normal or not for it to be like that. I love that pic of Bowie holding the guitar in the inner tray, too. I hated hated hated hated hated hated hated hated HATED that "Fame" remix! It just reeks of a marketing ploy for completists and casual buyers to buy the same old stuff again! Plus, the edited version of "Heroes" is extremly inferior to the original version. I couldn't tell if anything else was edited, but I'm kind of mad they edited that one particular song. I'm pretty sure there was plenty of time to include the full length song, though I haven't checked completly. And where's TVC 15 and Starman? Those are two of my favorite Bowie songs!

All in all, I've decided that if I stumble upon an RCA or a Ryko, I'll buy both copies just to see what I like, and if I really despise either, I'll sell them. I'm saying no to the Virgin's cause I've heard their NR'd, which means that I will not buy it at all, though I have not heard a good example of NR.

 

get all the ryko's.

they are worth it just for the bonus tracks.

 

I have about 5 or 6 Ryko disc's, and don't understand why so many forum members here don't like them. If you liked the cd version of "ChangesBowie" you'll love the vinyl. I have it on clear vinyl, it's killer. You are right, the downer about "ChangesBowie" is that funky "Fame" re-mix. What were they thinking.

 

In my opinion the Rykos are OK but they have a treble boost that makes them harsh. The bonus tracks are great though.

 

I think their reasoning was that the Fame remix was on the Pretty Woman soundtrack at the time (1990) so they figured they would throw it on the Greatest Hits album since it was not on any Bowie disc at that point. I actually like the remix. Usually I hate when something is remixed years after the song comes out (i.e. Puff Daddy's Jackson 5 remix on the Motown 40 comp) but I like this one just as much as the Elvis Little Less Conversation remix. You can always get the gold disc version of Changesbowie since it has the original version of Fame.

I'm another fan of the Ryko's.

 

I've always found the Rykos unlistenably harsh, but the bonus tracks are great. I can't stand the RCAs either though (thin and lifeless to my ears). I'm in the solid minority (on this forum anyway) who prefer the Virgin remasters.

 

Oh man, I *love* the look and feel of those classic Ryko jewel cases. It was a brilliant way for the company to differenciate their products from all the other me-too releases on the racks. It's too bad they were notorious for having the "teeth" (the little spindles that hold the CD in place) break off, often prior to purchase. I recall it was advised for fans to shake a new Ryko CD to make sure everything was intact before buying.

To this day, the green jewel case is also handy when you're searching for Ryko titles at a used CD shop that hasn't alphabetized their stock!

It's been awhile since I bought a Ryko release, but it's been my impression that they've transitioned away from their previous design.

 

I like the remix because I have Young Americans anyway, but I could see how you would be disappointed if you were just looking for his hits and the original wasn't on there. The original "Fame" is on the CB gold disc I believe. Changesbowie is kind of cool in how they expanded it and also put the big 80's hits on there. The new Best Of Bowie 2 CD set is very comprehensive (it even includes the great "Slow Burn" from HEATHEN) and is at a reasonable price, but it is on Virgin, so if you don't like the lastest remasters you may not like the sound.

 

Well, I guess I did go overboard a bit on my thoughts of the Fame remix. Listening to it a couple of times, I noticed that it's pretty faithful to the original and it's pretty groovy, but I still am not a huge fan of it and would have liked to have the original version.

I also have to agree upon that the Ryko's are a bit harsh. For example, when Bowie screams out the lyrics on Heroes, it's kind of painful to the ears. But nothing too excessive, and I have heard worse.

I guess I'll check out Best of Bowie just too see if I like the sound of the current remasters. Then, I'll finally start buying Bowie albums (because I really like them) on whatever label, unless I run into another out-of-print compilation from RCA or Ryko!

 

With the Ryko's, I'd take off 1-3 dB around 16k and 8k at a slope 6, add 1-2 dB around 500 and 100 cycles (slope 6), and add 2-3 dB at 50 cycles (shelf). It kind of varies, depending on your tastes, but I think you have to take off some of that top end so it isn't as grainy or bright, and you really need to restore that bass cloud, especially on the glam-rock era material.

 

Have always liked the Rykos!!!

 

Agreed. There's just too much detail and separation - the glam period n particular needed a dirtier sound.

 

Hey, does that eq curve work for Rhino stuff, too??? My fave Bowie tune is Suffragette City - what's the best place to get that?

 

I TOTALLY agree. Try the UK EMI 1990 equivalents. MUCH better.

 

I stocked up on the complete Ryko catalog right when they went out of print - bought them on clearance straight from Ryko!

I agree that they sound pretty harsh and the packaging is butt ugly.

But I definitely prefer the OK-sounding Rykos with bonus tracks to the Mew-tilated Virgins with no bonus tracks.

 

I like the Virgins. I have all the Rykos, but I've burned all the bonus tracks onto 2 cd's to have them handy. Doubt I'll ever listen to the Rykos again.

 

I know this isn't a video forum byt how's the sound on the DVD version of "Best of Bowie"? I've almost picked it up several times. Same with the Abba video collection.

With the price of the CDs, you might as well get video and surround sound.

Tim

 

You know, with all this negative discussion, I might as well just buy the RCA's for the album, Ryko's for the bonus tracks, and Virgin's for even more bonus tracks (like the recent Aladdin Sane disc), and then sell the Ryko's and the Virgin's. That sounds about OK dosen't it?

 

I bought the Ryko Gold and the RCA at the same time recently. A/B'd both and like the RCA better. Don't really care about the bonus tracks FWIW.

 

The Best of Bowie DVD has the Mewtilated sound on it, the most recent Virgin remasters. It's worth it though for the great videos, don't hesitate. I love it!

 

If I'm not mistaken the Best Of Bowie DVD is just stereo, no surround on it.

 

I may be wrong but I read somewhere that the UK EMI 1990 cd's used the Ryko masterings.

 

If you can ever find one, get the Ryko "Au20" gold disc version of ChangesBowie, which restores the original version of "Fame" and has better sound quality overall than the aluminum counterpart. It's not a dramatic difference, but a noticeable one. I found mine a few years ago as a cutout for $8.99. That was very sweet, indeed.

I have all the Rykos (the exception being Aladdin Sane ) and they sound fine by me. I have never heard the RCAs or the current Virgin remasters, so I have no point of comparison. But my rule has always been that if it sounds good, then it is good. No argument here on the Rykos.

 

Kevin