Best Sounding Goblin on CD

Il Fantastico Viaggio on LP

Since I have written here that I really like the CDs of Il Fantastico Viaggio del 'Bagarozzo' Mark, I wanted to give the LPs a listen to compare. As I need to revisit the Japanese copy I have (not being especially impressed with it when I listened to it recently), I will discuss the two Italian Cinevox pressings, catalog number SC33.37. This is actually the only Goblin album on Cinevox that was cut twice before the 1980s Ciak reissues, and after giving both a listen, it's easy to see why.

The first pressing has the date 1/3/78 listed in the deadwax, whereas the second pressing lists the date 5/4/78. Dating pressings was common at this time for whoever cut for Cinevox. This practice comes in handy as you can imagine! Anyway, I'm not sure if it was the band or record buyers who must have complained, but the 1/3/78 pressing is abysmal. It is cut quite low, which required me to turn my receiver up to maximum volume to get it at a comfortably loud volume. But far worse is the massive sibilence that permeates the entire album and makes the cymbals sizzle. All of 'em, all the time. A good setup can resolve the volume problem, but the sibilence is the worst I've heard on a record yet. The only interesting thing here is that the absolute endings of "Mark il Bagarozzo" and "La Danza" show the dynamics originally intended in the mix that suffer from compression on every other release I've heard. That is, the sound effect of the closing door at the end of "Mark il Bagarozzo" is perfectly clear here though it distorts on the other LP and CD pressings. It is also much louder here than the remainder of the track. Same with "La Danza" - the last few notes play much louder than the remainder of the song, which took me by surprise as I am not used to hearing it this way. Unfortunately these two very brief moments that play better on this pressing than on any other aren't even close to a reason to recommend this problematic pressing.

Obviously recut a month later, the 5/4/78 pressing is more appealing and sounds closer to what I'm used to hearing on the CD. However, on my system it sounds like the LP does not suffer from the slightly bright EQ that creates a bit of an issue on "La Cascate di Viridiana" on the CD. This version is warm and reveals the excellent production and mix. Apparently trying to avoid the problems from the first cut, this version is cut much louder, even a bit too hot for my meager system, as this results in some distortion in the loudest bits. But it is apparent that compression is used to lower the dynamics of the two previously mentioned tracks, "Mark il Bagarozzo" and "La Danza" considerably. Still, I suspect this pressing may be as good or better than the CD if one has a very good turntable and cart.

I am no expert on determining whether the pops and clicks I hear are a result of poor quality vinyl or lack of care from the previous owner, but I cleaned both on my Nitty Gritty and even though the vinyl looked pristine to me, both were fairly noisy. As the 5/4/78 pressing is cut loud, this is not distracting except between songs.

At least as far as these two pressings go, there's no question -- anyone interested in a vinyl version of this album as opposed to CD should find the 5/4/78 pressing. The first pressing is not enjoyable, and the Japanese (Nexus K25P360) may cost a pretty penny more and may not be worth it sonically.

 

Nice to see a Goblin
thread , they have
been a favourite of
mine for nearly 30
years , since i first
heard their music in
Dawn Of The Dead .

 

Nice to see someone other than me posting in the Goblin thread.

BTW, Goblin added a second show in the UK on July 27:

http://www.capsule.org.uk/event/supersonic-festival-presents-goblin

 

Just dug this thread up - thanks for all the information, izgoblin!

 

Just thought I'd give this thread a bump. I've been really enjoying the Tenebre soundtrack recently. An underrated album, although it has more of an early techno feel to it. Still there's some nice proggy synths too!

 

That's one I hadn't listened to in a long while and really enjoyed after coming back to it. It's certainly different, but still a very effective soundtrack. The original 30-minute or so LP is a fine listen, but the later release with all the additional tracks can get a bit fatiguing even if I am personally thrilled to have all of those alternate mixes.

 

I'd give this thread a bump. Any opinion about the new LPs made by AMs Italy

 

While I have them all, I have only played a few. The Perche si uccidono soundtrack (credited to Il Reale Impero Britannico) sounded pretty good to me. I highly suspect they're using digital sources for these, but on that one I really couldn't tell for sure just by listening. I no longer have the extremely rare original LP to compare it to; it just sounded much like the very good sounding CD. I think the other one I played was Cherry Five - I honestly can't remember - but my impression of that was also that it was a pretty good cut.

On the other hand, I just listened to Non Ho Sonno which obviously comes from a digital source and it is certainly inferior to the CD. Most noticeably on the first side, bass response is lowered considerably. With sides that are around 26 and 24 minutes respectively, that shouldn't have surprised me. That particular release has other flaws (including having the sides labeled incorrectly) so I'm not a fan of it overall.

Except for Non Ho Sonno, the collector in me likes the look of the LPs as they do closely match the originals. However, one reason I haven't listened to them all is that even for those that are decent cuts, perhaps only the ones where the original LPs are especially rare are worth owning if you want to listen to Goblin on vinyl only. Here in the US they're really no cheaper than some of the LPs (be they originals, Italian or Japanese reissues), and for titles like Profondo Rosso and Zombi, I can't see the old red cover "Ciak" reissues (vinyl for Zombi and CD for Profondo Rosso) being improved upon.

If there is a particular title you would like a more detailed comparison on though, I can probably do that later this week.

 

im glad this thread was bumped. ive been meaning to get a few Goblin CD's in my collection.

ill make sure to reference this thread when i go looking.

 

Roller and Profondo Rosso. I have the original italian lps but they do not sound good to me (very thin and weak stereo) . also i am curious about the sound quallty of the Canadian lps (check this link in youtube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOvZKxhdvAQ

 

I have Roller and Susperia
on Attic , as i recall they sound rather good

 

Just thought I'd bump this thread to mention that "New Goblin" has just released a live CD and a live DVD set.

https://www.backtothefudda.com/shop.php

The LIVE IN ROMA CD is also available on Amazon with different packaging.

I'm no expert on geography, but I don't think either the LIVE IN ROMA disc was recorded in Rome nor was the TWO CONCERTS IN TOKYO DVD recorded in Tokyo. But hey, it's close enough, right?

I still wish we had gotten a live CD or DVD from the 2009 tour with Pignatelli, Morante, Marangolo and Guarini, but many fans may prefer this "New Goblin" line-up which includes Claudio Simonetti.

 

I am listening to goblin volume 3 1978-1984. The Zombi tracks sound very different to the Zombi cd I have which is very very quiet and muddy. How does the Zombi cd sound in the awakenings box set

 

In fact has any one heard the awakenings box , because I am interested in buying , but it is expensive if the mastering is as bad as the Zombi soundtrack I have. Does any one have it how is the mastering.

I have Zombi
Volume III 1978 - 1984
And the fantastic journey of Goblin

Dawn of the dead is one of my favourite films of all time. But it wasn't until I started to seek out Dario argento's films that I became familiar with goblin . Deep red was my first argento and the music was the first thing that hit me . It was then that I realised that goblin did some of the music to dawn of the dead. Been a fan ever since

 

Just got the Japanese 1995 edition of "Roller" (KICP 2750). It's my second Goblin album, after the "Suspiria" disc that came bundled in the limited edition of the Anchor Bay DVD of the movie (DV11610).

I haven't listened to the Anchor Bay edition of Suspiria enough to give you my opinion, but the 1995 version of Roller is excellent. My only qualm is that I don't know if it's the same mastering as the 1987 release (K32Y 2053), or something altogether different.

 

Yes, the 1995 Japanese version of Roller is the same as the 1987 release. Off the top of my head, I believe Roller, Il Fantastico Viaggio del 'Bagarozzo' Mark and Zombie: Dawn of the Dead all had three Japanese CD releases that use the exact same mastering. It wasn't until the Arcangelo releases came out that they started mucking with them.

The Japanese Roller is indeed good, although I've always hated the drum sound. It's not really a great sounding album, but it's good enough. Il Fantastico Viaggio del 'Bagarozzo' Mark offered a much better recording.

 

Thank you very much, sir!

I should sit down soon with that 2001 edition of "Suspiria," give it a good listen, and look at the peak levels.

 

Did anyone ever sit down with the new boxset from Cherry Red? Would be interested to hear if this is a new remaster/if it's any good.

 

The Awakening box set is all newly mastered from digital elements from Cinevox. When I say "newly mastered", I mean some NR is added and level matching is done, but no EQ changes appear to have been made. I'd say it's the most convenient way to get all of your Goblin in one place, but it most certainly does not offer the best sounding versions. If you don't mind a little NR, I suppose it could sound worse. But if I had to create a box set like that personally and I didn't have the budget to re-transfer analog tape and fix the various problems, I'd at least have copied the best sounding versions on CD and fixed some issues in mastering, which not surprisingly Cherry Red did not do.

Really it's fine if you just want the music and don't already have it. It's a lot cheaper than getting many of the albums in their best sounding versions. But if you already have the material, it serves no real purpose.

 

Perfect. I've had the movies on DVD for 10+ years and this sounds like the best way to get all the music in one place. Funnily enough, I think my DVD copy of "Suspiria" from Anchor Bay comes with a bonus soundtrack CD, though I probably haven't listened to it in a decade.

 

Finally decided to sit down and compare the 1993 reissue of the Japanese King Records CD [KICP 2721] against the 2001 bonus disc from the Anchor Bay box set [DV11610].

These are, of course, two different editions of Suspiria on CD.

KICP 2721
-15.0
-16.3
-20.1
-15.6
-16.8
-15.9
-17.1
-19.0

DV11610
-11.4
-11.3
-13.1
-9.7
-12.3
-11.5
-12.5
-10.5


In addition to those vastly improved RMS numbers, I MUCH prefer the sound of the King Records edition. It has a much richer sound, far more forgiving breathing room, and it actually sounds *better* on my best stereo system, as opposed to worse.

So yeah, I'm grateful for the folks who recommended I pick up the early Japanese pressing. It seriously makes me wish more people still did CD and/or lossless file releases like this today.

 

Yeah-this is an outstanding question! I'd love to have a Goblin collection with the best possible sound. It's a little goal of mine.

I'll keep an eye on this thread, too.

 

Yeah. In my experience thus far, there are four great Goblin albums: Profondo Rosso, Roller, Suspiria, and Zombi.

And yeah, the Japanese "King Records" editions are the ones to get. They sound utterly gorgeous. Someone should seriously either start selling these as FLAC files or just do a reissue campaign using these masterings.

Profondo Rosso: K32Y 2112 or KICP 2751

Roller: K32Y 2053 or KICP 2750

Suspiria: K32Y 2111 or KICP 2721

Zombi: K32Y 2113 or KICP 438

 

Time for a bump... Anyone gotten the remastered Suspiria and can report on the sound?

 

I have a Best Of in my collection. I was obsessed with grindhouse films and the soundtracks of the films for a while. I love the Buio Omega soundtrack.