I have the Charisma disc for IV and it’s always sounded great. I’m not about the Geffen, but I know some of these masterings (Melt) are sonically different. In the case of Melt, I actually preferred the Geffen.
I think the consensus opinion so far has been that the best releases for most of his albums are the digital releases (except for So for which the favorite is an earlier digital release, I think from ?2015, no longer available)
Why shouldn't we talk about consensus? Yes, there are always personal preferences, but surely what sounds best to most ears on this forum has weight to it?
There are a ton of different blue-face pressings, and about half of them have the West German target mastering, while the other half have the Virgin mastering (which also exists in level-shifted form on the Japan black triangle CD). I prefer the Virgin mastering - slightly clearer and smoother to my ears. If you're looking for a majority view here on the forum, that will be the target mastering - but that's also because it's the only 1980s mastering a lot of people have heard. Also, the 2015 digital-only remaster is fantastic IMHO.
Yeah--I'm personally not a fan of the target mastering for IV (even though it was how I became familiar with the album all those years ago)--to me it sounds kind of smeared and/or grainy.
My comparison of an early blue face disc and the Japanese black triangle one: Peter Gabriel - Best Digital Masterings? I prefer the blue face one in general, but both mastering have their pros and cons. Neither is the best on every track.
Well you guys talked me into it. A domestic seller had a blue for a good price and since I'm a sucker for that design I bit
What do I have for Peter Gabriel? (Car) - Atco CD (Scratch) - Atlantic CD Everything else through US- original Geffen CD i/o - Real World CD
