Faith No More - Angel Dust - MFSL Mofi Gold CD and vinyl LP *

This is most likely a very good point, I have to give it a more thorough listening but you are probably right. And they have likely thought of it that way, with the vocals being more of an instrument in the music.

Then again, Patton´s vocals are instruments in their own rights.

 

Not to nitpick, but his name is Andy Wallace.

There is a good interview with him in the recent Mix Magazine.

 

No, Matt Wallace produced and engineered Angel Dust. Andy Wallace produced and mixed King for a Day.

 

Well, looking at the date, it's not as recent as I thought. It's from 2005.

 

Ok. My mistake.

 

Give it a while. I have found that some of these seem disappointing at first, but if I make it my main "listening version" of an album for a while, then switch back to the old version, the distinction is very jarring. I have been listening to this since it came out, when I didn't think it was so great, and then gave the original a listen. I can't stand the original now - it's very grating, even moreso than I originally thought it was, which I have always felt since it originally came out, despite it being one of my favorite FNM albums.

 

this should clear some things up.
i have been told by a reliable source that the original issue is closer to what was intended. they wish to remain anonymous out of respect and appreciation for the goal of Mofi to present albums closer to original two track masters. but to sum up, the compression on the original issue was agreed upon to be left until the final mastering. with that, they did say the Mofi sounds nice as well.i like both myself and now knowing the intention originally makes listening to both even more interesting.
in addition, Rhino is supposed to be rereleasing it as well in the future. maybe some good bonus tracks. there was a song featured during an 'in the studio' spot on mtv back then before the album came out. one feature of it was it had crashing waves and seagull sound effects in it. was disappointed when it didn't make it to the final song list.

 

Things happen quickly around here!

Thanks a bunch for the info mate

 

's cool, man; I was a FNM freak. When King for a Day came out I thought "huh? Matt Wallace's twin, or something?" This was before I knew who Andy Wallace was. After the record came out I read an interview with Puffy, I think, who said they wanted Andy Wallace because they loved the sound of Reign in Blood.

 

I FINALLY picked this up (vinyl) at the record store today. I haven't given it a listen with my floorstanders but through the headphones it sounds pretty dang good. I'd agree with the previous posters cretiquing the vinyl...Mike's vocals are a bit subdued at times but for me it's in no way distracting. Great sounding record.

Now, when is The Real Thing coming out!?!?!?!

 

I strongly recommend the vinyl. Yes, it's a little less punchy than the original, but it really does open up the midrange. While it's got a little less of an attack than the original, I have to say that the added detail makes it feel like you're listening to a new mix of the album in some places. It's a rewarding listen for sure. I think to say whether or not it's better than the original will come to personal preference and playback system.

 

Best Faith No More title ever!!!

 

Thought this was interesting and confirms what your source told you. I highlighted the text in red.

"
The Matt Wallace Making of AD Story...

MATT WALLACE:
After the healthy success of "The Real Thing" (referred to as TRT for the remainder of this writing) the band felt confident to pursue their unique vision of music even further and were up for the challenge. Because Angel Dust (referred to as AD for the remainder of this writing) was vastly different from TRT the working title, for some time was "Commercial Suicide". The band was aware, and was reminded by Slash Records, that they could/should put TRT Part 2 to ensure success. However, the band, iconoclasts that they are, decided that they wanted to follow their own twisted vision of what music could be.
From my perspective, as co-producer, engineer, and mixer, I was, in my own way, really distancing myself from the sonics of TRT as I felt that it was thin, over compressed, and had too much high end (although this all worked in our favor on radio and MTV). So, I endeavored to try and create a much fuller, more natural sounding record. Most noticeable is the fact that AD was recorded and mixed with very, very little compression and had a much healthier bottom end/low frequency content. We did, during mastering, add back in a good amount of stereo buss compression which was my intention all along. [Mobile Fidelity Labs did release a special edition a couple of years ago wherein they used our source master 2 track, stereo tapes to create a version that had very little stereo buss compression. It sounds more 'hi fi' and/or 'professional' but, unfortunately, isn't the original intention of how we wanted that record to sound.] I had almost quit producing during the mastering of TRT because I thought it was sonically unacceptable so much that I'd spoken with my mother about how to become a real estate sales person. I believed that I didn't know what I was doing and that the results of my diligent efforts was sub par. So, after all of this, AD was approached differently." from http://www.faithnomoreblog.com/2014/06/angel-dust-22-yearsthe-stories.html

I personally enjoy the Angel Dust Mofi version.

 

This is how I wish most music was mixed. And why listening to country really makes my head hurt (aside from the inane lyrics). I like good lyrics eventually, after I get into a certain artist or song, but vocals should be in the mix, not on top of it. I do think FNM got this right, especially on this record.

 

Very interesting, yes. I suppose it's now safe for me to say it was him who I had contacted originally, given he states the same thing there that he had with me. Even more interesting is how much he was unhappy with The Real Thing mastering. I didn't know that. I would like to see that album remastered with the goal of improving the sound.

 

Well the good news is that the band is possibly recording new music and playing some shows this year. I think Rhino will likely capitalize on that and release some deluxe editions of TRT and AD. I can dream can't I?

 

Same here. The new Mofi company rarely use much, if any compression when mastering. And it's good to know that they were given the original 2-track source master instead of an EQ'd/compressed tape. In my opinion the Mofi vinyl sounds significantly better than the Music On Vinyl version. I'd always hoped Mofi would do Introduce Yourself and The Real Thing.

 

I love the MOFI Angel Dust. I wish they would also do King For A Day and Album of The Year. The MOV versions are good stopgaps if you can find copies that aren't noisy or warped. I think MOFI would do a much better job, and it would be nice to buy these albums domestically without the absurd import charges. I wish MOFI would start tackling more 90s and 2000s stuff in general. MOV does take requests, which is cool. I requested Mr. Bungle's California a couple of years ago and they are releasing it this month. I wonder how many requests the labels need before they will attempt to license something?

 

Mr Bungle California? I didn't even know. I might have to pick that one up. Any word on a CD release?

 

Happened to pick this at random today and play it. It's easily the best rock album of the 90s.

I bought the original issue on release day and thought it was unlistenable; nothing but noise and screaming. How my tastes have changed..