Best Rush Cds

What do you think of the AMCY "Fly By Night"? It's AMCY-315?

 

Power Windows 25-8P-5078 definitely better!

After reading your 'preferences' message, I picked up a used copy of Rush 'Power Windows' Japan Epic/Sony 25.8P-5078 and I am in total agreement. This is best CD version that I've heard of this album. When 'Big Money' is compared to the Chronicles (Anthem 1990) CD, the 24.8P-5078 wins. And, the Power Windows remaster (Anthem 1997) CD just hurts the ears.

 

I have some original US pressings on the way right now. How do these compare to the WG Atomics and Canadians?

 

What's the difference in mastering (SQ) between the "swirl" Mercury's (W.G.) & the "silver faced" Mercury's (U.S.)?
BIG thanks.

 

Just reading this thread got me interested in finding "better" masterings of two of my favourite Rush albums "Signals", which would have been the first one I ever heard, and I bought on vinyl, and "Grace under Pressure". My original US vinyl pressing sounded superb, but I lost it, and replaced it with a Canadian Anthem which did sound as good as I remembered.

I found SHM-CD versions of these two albums at about US$27 each. So I've taken a punt. SHM-CD have had good reports on the Naim Audio forum, haven't looked on here yet.

 

Great source! Just FYI though, somebody needs to correct the entry for the "Big Money" cd single. It's from "Power Windows" and not "Hold Your Fire" Othewrwise, great info Dave!

 

Hi Peter, I am a HUGE Rush fan and I'm not trying to bleed your bank account or anything, but I honestly feel the very first issue of GUP by Epic with the 358P-44 catalog number is amazing! It sounds nearly identical to the vinyl and buries all other versions (WG atomic, US versions, remasteres, etc.). Only thing is, it's about 100 US bones! But I promise you it is worth it! As far as Signals is concerned, I like the original WG atomic as well as the Japan pressed 25DP series cd with catalog number 25DP-5169. The Japan version is better, but once again pricey, usually going for at least 40 US dollars up to 65 or so. Hope this helps pal!

 

Just won the Canadian Anthem Moving Pictures and am looking forward to comparing it to the 4 other versions I have! I swear this is becoming a sickness for me. For now, the Mofi is the best sounding master to my ears, with the US Atomic a very close second.

 

I just got a copy of the 25.8P master of 2112 in the mail yesterday and did a A/B comparison of it with my MFSL. Up until this point, the MFSL was my favorite version (at least compared to the 97 remaster, which I guess isnt much of a contest!). After a thorough listen to both of them at EXTREME volumes (which, in my opinion, is the only was to listen to this album) I finally understand what others have been saying about the Mofi being too harsh, because the 25.8P beat it in every way, though it seemed like there was slightly better detail on the Mofi. However, the overall warmer dynamics of the 25.8P beat out any more revealing detail found on the MFSL. To me, this is very sad. I feel like Mofi really could have hit the ball out of the park with this one but it comes up lacking to me. Oh well, I still enjoy having both. It's been nice to finally hear what all the fuss some have made about 25.8P CD's on here is all about. I definately see why people like it so much. I guess I'll try seeking out the 25.8P of Moving Pictures and Hemispheres as well, though if I get the 25.8P of MP, I'll have no less than 8 versions of the album after I buy the new DVD-A on Tuesday! It's a sickness I have....and I like it!

 

I just got the Canadian Anthem version of 2112 and did a shootout between that, the '97 remaster and the Mofi. Canadian Anthem wins hands down. I also have the original US silver faced 2112 which sounds good also.

 

Do you have the 25.8P as well? I wonder how that would compare to the Anthem?

 

No, unfortunately I don't have that one to compare.

 

Well, I see myself trying to get the Anthem 2112 as well. For now at least, the 25.8P 2112 is my favorite, though the MFSL has a special place in my heart since it was the first Mofi CD I ever purchased.

 

I have a question regarding which version of Moving Pictures was released first. I have an original US Atomic master and I just won a Canadian 1st pressing as well on ebay (ANC 11030). Can anyone tell me which mastering was released first? I assume these are different masterings as well?

 

Even though, for som reason, my Denon 2900 will not play the Canadian 1st pressing of Moving Pictures I just got, I can say after playing it on my PS3 that it is near the top of the list to be my favorite mastering. Actually its pretty much a three way tie with the MFSL and US Atomic but there's something about the warmth of the ANC that I really love. Now I just wish my 2900 would play the damn thing!

 

Man, the 25.8P of 2112 is one sweet sounding CD! Until I joined this forum, I never would have thought there was much difference between masterings of the same album but boy have I been proven wrong! This 25.8P is a wonder to behold.

 

Are there radical differences between the Atomic WG or USA pressings vs the Japan 25.8P pressings? And while we're on the subject, is there a radical difference between an Atomic and Non Atomic US pressing of the CDs?

 

I can't answer the first question since I only have the US silverface CD. For the second question, the Atomics and US non-Atomics are the same except for Moving Pictures and Signals. Nobody uses this thread anymore, so go to this thread instead if you wanna talk about Rush on CD:
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-rush-cd-mastering-thread-part-2.290440/

 

Gee thanks man! Forgot I asked this.

 

It's too bad, though, that so many engineers think that remastering *must* be topped off with a heavy dose of compression and even a hard limiting chopping off the top 6dB of transients, just to make a '76 or '81 Rush legend as loud as Nickelback or Jay-Z.

It is that mentality that has turned me off to most reissues/remasters because of what is being done to them.

My first Rush CDs ever:

800 048-2 RUSH MOVING PICTURES MERCURY

P2 38936/P21&22 38936 RUSH • CHRONICLES MERCURY

Both in Great cond for total of US$10!!

I need just one more track to make my collection complete(but all online service offer only the brickwall!!): "Roll The Bones".


PS: Fellow Rushens(!): Can you tell me if either of the above contain the "missing beat" edition of "Tom Sawyer"? They both start off the same way to me. I don't know what to listen for.

 

Before I begin, check if your CD is the Atomic (red lines with an atom in the middle) or a silver-face (plain with black text). If your MP is from West Germany, look on the back of the ring of your CD. You'll find a number. If it says 800 048-2 02 #, then you have the bad disc. If the last number is 03 or higher, you've got the best MP CD there is according to members here. Keep in mind that there are 2 US CD's: an earlier one with the same Atomic design as the West Germany, and the later plain silver-face CD. The US Atomic is identical in sound to the 03 Atomic, and the US silver-face CD is the same as the Canadian CD (which is good but the Atomic beats it by a hair or two).
The MP tracks on Chronicles sound identical to the original Canadian/US silver-face CD, so you are good to go for that.
Whew! Hope that helped! BTW, if you want to talk about Rush on CD, look at the link in my previous post (2 above your post). That's the currently running Rush CD thread.

 

06!!!! I'm okay then.


Still I'd like to know exactly *what* was missing from that MP's Tom Sawyer so I could replicate it in my DAW for a chuckle.

 

I go out of the way to try and find original cds for cheap. I love the sound of those early cds like Bob Seger-Stranger in Town and Golden Earring-Moontan.