Best Digital Versions of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer

Looking for opinions on the best CD versions of

S/T - Original Atlantic or remaster
Trilogy - Original Atlantic, MFSL, or remaster
Tarkus - Original Atlantic, MFSL, or remaster
Brain Salad Surgery - I have the DVD-Audio, but I am looking for the best original stereo mix
Welcome Back my Friends - Original Atlantic or remaster

Thanks,

 

I have Atlantics and like them...

 

there is no Atlantic of 'Welcome Back.' (well, except for the Japanese import). it didn't come out in the States until Rhino issued it.

Atlantic issued all the studio albums, with questionable (at best) sound quality. then Victory reissued them, with somewhat better mastering. still not as good as the UK vinyl, though. then MFSL issued 'Tarkus' and 'Trilogy.' at some point Victory issued a special package of 'Brain Salad Surgery' with both parts of 'Karn Evil 9 -1st Impression' edited together. it came in a fairly impressive digipak that split along the front cover, just like the original LP did. and had the best sound of that album that I've heard (though I haven't heard the Rhino reissue in the 3D cover or the DVD-A edition) than Rhino took over the catalog and reissued the series, finally including 'Welcome Back', as well as expanding 'In Concert' and, for some reason I've never clearly understood, changing the cover of 'Works Volume 1' from black to white.

there are also the UK Castle/Essential issues, but they contain the same mastering info. on the cover as the Victory discs. maybe that's just a typo, as at least 'Brain Salad' featured a different mix.

 

The Castle/Sanctuary remaster of Brain Salad Surgery is a remix!!! Not the same what Rhino used....

 

Isn't the Rhino with the 3D cover just a downmix of the DVD-A surround version.

 

Michael which Atlantics do you have???

 

So, what's the consensus on the Rhinos? Better/worse/equal to the others?

 

I have never heard the DVD-A... but the Rhino CD was released before the release of the DVD-A remaster.

 

I believe when the DVD-Audio was released, the reason why there was no hi-res stereo mix on it was due to the fact that the 2 track master was missing.

That is why I feel the Rhino is a downmix.

I do not know for sure though.

 

Rhino's BSS remaster has a warm full sound... the remix sounds too clean for me!

 

Didn't Rhino release these albums twice? I thought they later re-released them with Bill Inglot mastering. Maybe I'm just thinking of the Best Of CD.

 

I have an early Trilogy CD and it sounds amazing. Great Eddie Offord mixes.

 

Get the japanese K2s for the first 5 studio albums. Beautiful mini-vinyl packaging and amazing sound!

 

I agree, I always liked Eddie Offord's mixes of ELP and YES. The sound of the Bass and Drums on my original Atlantic "Close To the Edge" & "Fragile" vinyl has not been equaled on any CD version IMO.

 

You bet. I LOVE the sound of the drums on Fragile. Really clear and present. Did you know he used the same mic on the snare drum and the vocals back then. Weird.

 

So, for Brain Salad Surgery there is the Atlantic, the Victory, the Rhino, and the Castle?

Oh man, which is the best? I know there are also different bonus tracks and cool packaging to consider. I for one also like the idea of Karn Evil 9 First Impression being one track instead of two. I know that the ELP box set has all three impressions of KE9 as one big 29:37 track. Now that's cool.

 

Victory released Welcome back.... for a short time before Rhino took over the catalogue. I had one and "upgraded" to the Rhino. It was really a lateral move.

 

The Rhino CD is the original mix. The first issue Castle BSS is the downmix (I have one for sale on Ebay now). It also has some different takes. Apparently, Castle has now reverted to the original mix.

 

I got those myself, and they did seem the best of the issues I compared (Japan Atlantic vinyl, Atlantic 2-disc compilation, BMG/Victory box set)... but not by a great degree.

I have not heard the Rhino's.

The one other comparison I made was the MFSL Gold Trilogy... the bass was so over-bloated, I thought I had a defective copy... I ditched it and never tried another gold ELP disc (if there even were any).

So I guess the Japan K2s are the redbook champs in my house, but BSS sounds best in DVDA to these ears, and by a great degree... I know it's apples and oranges, and a different mix, but I feel the redbooks are lacking when compared to the clarity and presence of the hi-rez BSS.

Maybe the First Five are yet another candidate for the AF treatment...

 

John has it correct, I also have those Castle pressings..they did re-do it with the correct mix...I also have the Atlantic copies,and I love the way they sound,I heard a few of the Victory copies and I'll stick with the Atlantic's. With the Atlantic pressing of BSS you don't get the Karn Evil's joined together like the remasters...only drawback!!!
I have a copy of the Atlantic Works Vol.I...was Works Vol.II released by Atlantic also?

JF

 

Unreal! I didn't know that! I know we're getting off topic here but when u mentioned Eddie Offord, it sure brought back memories! The guy had some amazing recording techniques. You could pretty much tell it was an Offord mix when u heard it! Considering the equipment he had to work with back then...it still amazes me what he could do. He also mixed the 1st ELP album right??? How about that bass line that hits when he segues out of Palmer's solo in the track "Tank" back into the Emerson/Palmer jam of the song!!! I've come close to blowing many a woofer with this track!
Also, How about when Yes' CTTE kicks in after the quiet birds & water sound FX intro??? Pretty damn dynamic for vinyl!!!!

 

... and it lacks some reverb on the vocals... take the "Atlantic Years" 2CD for "Still... You Turn Me On".

 

there was a Victory 'Welcome Back'? wow. I never saw one. apart from the Japanese Atlantic, the first one I saw was the Rhino.

and I can guarantee that the first Victory edition of 'BSS' is different from the second, digipak edition, in addition to the re-connected Karns. the digipak being the (IMHO) superior of the two.

say, anybody else think that the 'Mass" segment from 'Tarkus' sounds just like the theme from 'NewsRadio'?

 

That was corrected long ago. The CD was originally issued by Castle (by mistake, I think) with a different mix. It might have been from the DVD-A mix, but anyway, this was corrected on later pressings.

 

If you are referring to the original Atalntic issue then I would differ on this, Jaime. I just picked this up over the weekend and while I agree with the general consensus around here that the Atlantic of the first (s/t) album is really nice, their issue of _Trilogy_ is terrible, IMO. Way, way too bright and yet the bottom end is too boomy also! If I didn't know better I'd think they got hold of a tape made with smiley-face EQ and then transferred it to digital! What their tape source was I have no idea but if my memory serves the Rhino and Castle (same mastering, iirc) blow this one completely out of the water. I'll A/B later tonight and confirm.