The Smiths - CD comparison thread

I got the first album on mini-vinyl today and it sounds SUPERB! Rich, detailed, great bass. Much better than I remember the WEA CD sounding. I don't have the WEA at the moment to compare but it looks like these ARE remastered and remastered just right!

 

I'm embarrassed to say I have not even given them a listen yet - I just assumed they weren't, and just popped them in to get the levels. Now I'm excited to hear them!

 

Where's the best place to find the Japanese mini-sleeve versions? Amazon has them for $36.49.

 

I got them from eBay in two chunks. They were probably around the same price.

 

I've got the Hatful of Hollow Rough Trade CD (MPO Made in France) available over in the Classifieds if anyone is interested.

http://stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=100683

 

Well, great news to all Smiths fans here are confirmed- I made the A/B comparison between WEA and Japanese mini-vinyl and the difference is NIGHT AND DAY. The japanese mini-vinyl is 10 times better - the soundstage is huge and 3D compared to flat sounding WEA. All frequencies are so much better on mini-vinyl it's not even funny - the bass is deeper, the mids are natural and the highs are silky smooth compared to harsh and digital sounding WEA. And you can hear each and every small detail in the mix cryastal clear now. This is a great, superb sounding remaster which does The Smiths justice finally. Needless to say I'm getting all other Smiths mini-vinyls immediately!

 

Brilliant! I'll look into getting them (if I can afford them )

 

This one at least is worth every penny! The debut sounds like a ****ing SACD compared to WEA CD. I haven't heard the Rough Trade so I can't compare but I would be surprised if the Rough Trade would be any better. Unless the other titles in the series use the different mastering (which I hope they don't) this is the greatest Xmas present to any Smiths fan!

 

I am extremely happy that I sprung for all eight then just based on the packaging!

 

Anton,

Thanks for the report! Are you familiar with the original UK vinyl? I wonder how these new remasters compare.

 

No, I never heard this one on vinyl but this one has a 3D full rich sound that people usually assosiate with analogue!

 

Several people on the morrissey-solo.com forum reported that these were indeed NOT remastered, so this is just literally too good to be true.

Seems like I'll have to save up for these.

In the meantime, how about a very unconfirmed tracklisting for the upcoming remastered Smiths Box Set?

Here it is:

THE SMITHS BOX SET

DISC ONE: THE SMITHS + (1983/1984)
1 Reel Around The Fountain 5.54
2 You've Got Everything Now 3.59
3 Miserable Lie 4.27
4 Pretty Girls Make Graves 3.41
5 The Hand That Rocks The Cradle 4.39
6 This Charming Man (Manchester) 2.41
7 Still Ill 3.19
8 Hand In Glove (remixed by John Porter) 3.23
9 What Difference Does It Make? 3.50
10 I Don't Owe You Anything 4.04
11 Suffer Little Children 5.27
---
12 Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now 3.34
13 Jeane (from the Troy Tate sessions) 3.03
14 Accept Yourself 3.55
15 Wonderful Woman 3.07
16 Back To The Old House 3.04
17 These Things Take Time 2.20
18 Girl Afraid 2.46
19 Hand In Glove (single version) 3.12
20 This Charming Man (London) 2.45
21 What Difference Does It Make? (single edit) 3.10
22 Pretty Girls Make Graves (from the Troy Tate sessions) 3.35

DISC TWO: MEAT IS MURDER + (1984/1985)
1 The Headmaster Ritual 4.52
2 Rusholme Ruffians 4.19
3 I Want The One I Can't Have 3.13
4 What She Said 2.40
5 That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore (album version) 4.57
6 How Soon Is Now? (album version) 6.43
7 Nowhere Fast 2.35
8 Well I Wonder 4.00
9 Barbarism Begins At Home (album version) 6.55
10 Meat Is Murder 6.02
---
11 William, It Was Really Nothing 2.10
12 Shakespeare's Sister 2.09
13 Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want 1.50
14 Oscillate Wildly 3.26
15 Stretch Out And Wait 2.37
16 How Soon Is Now? (fade-out version) 3.41
17 Barbarism Begins At Home (edit) 3.48
18 Stretch Out And Wait (different take) 2.44
19 How Soon Is Now? (unique alternate studio outtake) 7.06

DISC THREE: THE QUEEN IS DEAD + (1985/1986)
1 The Queen Is Dead/Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty 6.23
2 Frankly, Mr. Shankly 2.17
3 I Know It's Over 5.48
4 Never Had No One Ever 3.36
5 Cemetry Gates 2.39
6 Bigmouth Strikes Again 3.12
7 The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (album version) 3.17
8 Vicar In A Tutu 2.21
9 There Is A Light That Never Goes Out 4.02
10 Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others (album version) 3.14
---
11 Panic 2.20
12 Rubber Ring 3.46
13 Asleep 4.09
14 Money Changes Everything 4.40
15 Unloveable 3.54
16 The Draize Train 5.08
17 The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (single version) 3.17
18 Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others (edited) 3.01
19 The Queen Is Dead (single version) 6.06
20 Rubber Ring/Asleep 7.56

DISC FOUR: STRANGEWAYS, HERE WE COME + (1986/1987)
1 A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours 3.00
2 I Started Something I Couldn't Finish 3.46
3 Death Of A Disco Dancer 5.25
4 Girlfriend In A Coma 2.02
5 Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before 3.32
6 Last Night I Dreamt Tht Somebody Loved Me (album version) 5.04
7 Unhappy Birthday 2.45
8 Paint A Vulgar Picture 5.35
9 Death At One's Elbow 1.58
10 I Won't Share You 2.49
---
11 Ask (album version) 3.15
12 Shoplifters Of The World Unite 2.56
13 You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby 3.32
14 Sheila Take A Bow 2.40
15 Golden Lights 2.38
16 London 2.06
17 Half A Person 3.35
18 Work Is A Four Letter Word 2.45
19 I Keep Mine Hidden 1.57
20 Ask (single version) 2.59
21 You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby (version) 3.23
22 Work Is A Four Letter Word (edited) 2.09
23 Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me (edited) 3.09

DISC FIVE: RANK + (live 1983/1986)
SIX
----live at National Ballroom in Kilburn, 23rd October 1986----
1. The Queen Is Dead 4.13
2. Panic 3.06
3. Vicar In A Tutu 2.33
4. Ask 3.21
5. Rusholme Ruffians/(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame 3.55
6. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side 3.48
7. What She Said/Rubber Ring 3.43
8. Is It Really So Strange? 3.44
9. Cemetry Gates 3.09
10. London 2.19
11. I Know It's Over 7.47
12. The Draize Train 5.08
13. Still Ill 4.10
14. Bigmouth Strikes Again 5.51
----live Manchester 4/2/83----
15. Handsome Devil 2.53
----live Oxford 18/03/85----
16. Nowhere Fast 2.31
17. Stretch Out And Wait 2.49
18. Shakespeare's Sister 2.12
19. Meat Is Murder 5.34
----live Glasgow 25/9/85----
20. What's The World? 2.05
----live London 12/12/86----
21. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others 5.03

DISC SIX: RADIO SESSIONS + (1983/1986)
----31 May 1983 - John Peel Show----
1. Handsome Devil 2.46
2. Reel Around The Fountain 5.50
3. Miserable Lie 4.33
4. What Difference Does It Make? 3.10
----4 July 1983 - David Jensen Show----
5. These Things Take Time 2.23
6. You've Got Everything Now 3.59
----5 September 1983 - David Jensen Show----
7. Accept Yourself 4.02
----21 September 1983 - John Peel Show----
8. This Charming Man 2.42
9. Back To The Old House 3.03
10. This Night Has Opened My Eyes 3.40
11. Still Ill 3.36
----9 August 1984 - John Peel Show----
12. William It Was Really Nothing 2.04
13. Nowhere Fast 2.39
14. Rusholme Ruffians 4.04
----17 December 1986 - John Peel Show----
15. Is It Really So Strange? 3.04
16. Sweet And Tender Hooligan 3.34
----This Charming Man Remixes----
17. This Charming Man (New York) 5.33
18. This Charming Man (New York Instrumental) 4.17
19. This Charming Man (single remix) 2.44
----live London 29/6/83----
20. Hand In Glove 2.48

The source is MAYBE from someone near Alonza Beavan (ex-Kula Shaker/former bassist for Johnny Marr's The Healers).

 

Whoa! Let's hope that gets confirmed ASAP!*



* with proper mastering of course!

 

I don't believe this tracklist - it seems too close to something I put together for myself, and I could NEVER see Rubber Ring / Asleep being included twice. The "medley" version only has a segue which was faded on all album releases. If they were going to include that, the faded versions would be redundant.

Aside from that, I don't see there being single edits included either. Or the alternate take of "How Soon Is Now" - this thing is just TOO complete, and hardly anything these days is TOO complete.

Having said all of that, I would hope that this is true only to get everything remastered in one shot. Hell, some people have probably paid triple the price of whatever this box will be just to get "The Draize Train" on CD.

 

What a great box set that tracklisting would make.

 

Well, I never had any (highly praised) Rough Trade CDs so maybe the new japanese-mini vinyls are clones of these ones. But one thing I know for sure is that the mini-vinyl eats WEA CD for breakfast, chews it and spits it out.

 

If they are, the compression has been applied generously - these are way louder than those original RTs.

I only have Strangeways, so I'll pick a track and rip samples at some point for comparison here.

 

I am very intersted in this. I'm surprised at the difference between the WEA and the japanese re-issue. This was for the debut album, correct? Can you post samples Anton? I'd like to hear this for myself.

 

I'm sorry - I simply don't know how to do it...

 

I could post comparisons between the US Sire/RTs and the Japanese re-issues if that helps any.

 

And what is your verdict?

 

I can post samples from the UK Rough Trades of Hatful, Meat, and Queen. Just give me a track from each and I'll put them up.

 

Well, I'm not the best person to ask, as I've only listened to them through the computer speakers here at work. They do sound a bit cleaner to me, if that makes sense - but that could be my imagination.

I'll get some samples up by tomorrow, I'll try to do it tonight.

 

Well, I'm not sure if anyone can hear the difference on computer speakers but on a good system the s/t mini-vinyl ****s the WEA up the butt with a big baseball bat. Period.

 

Okay, finally - a few sound samples for you guys.

First up is "Stop Me", 30 second samples from the UK Rough Trade, US Sire/Rough Trade, and the Japanese mini-album remaster. If anyone out there has the WEA pressing, feel free to donate a 30 second clip.

Check 'em out at http://www.semidetached.net/smithsremasters/

More soon.