Perk, as i no longer have the Cd, I cant tell you. I now have the 2 Cd set on Pye and it sounds amazing, the way her stuff should have all along.
I would have picked two candidates 1. The Lemon Recordings remaster of Ginger Baker's Air Force - a moderate quality vinyl rip, unbelievably maximized with the cover printed incorrectly (and even more disappointing when you consider that the original CD and Do What You Like are MUCH better sounding) 2. The HDCD Japanese version of Fragile - IMHO literally unlistenable. I kept waiting for the next distorted transient to assault my ears and sold it.
Twist A Rama Mikey would clearly get the Prize here no doubt I have clearly given him the entire SCOOP on that POOP... The actual name of this TV show was called Twist A Rama from where this original Talent of Local bands who were on the show that could be scene on my local NBC affiliate station WKTV. It was on "LIVE" every Sunday afternoon from 12 to 1pm EST. And yes I was on this show with my band at the time. Many of my friends who I have even spoke of here in some of my very early posts were in these groups also. Some even became famous with other bands on major labels such as Atlantic and Decca Records. One guy even went on to play with guys from The Rascals in a band called "BULLDOG" in the early 70's and then in the 80's became a producer for a new group on Atlantic Records well known as THE TALKING HEADS. This really is not from a bad bunch of musicians or bands. Actually very far from that, it's just the guy who had the contract to record these bands had a terrible recording studio which was in the basement of his home. It really sucked...but after recording my 2 original songs that came out sounding terrible. I can say this guy had his name on some very big singing stars LP's as well as from the likes of Capitol records. The one thing I can honestly say that I got to see made first hand and that was in this studio he had the machine to make you an ACETATE right from the recording anyone had just made. I still have that old ACETATE someplace well hidden in my home today. Gosh I have to do a search on the net to see if his name pops up pertaining to the LP's I actually had seen that he worked on and got credit for doing. I will tell you this, he really didn't know how to record a 60's style rock band at all. I'm sorry I just don't wish to mention his name at this time. I did however give Mikey the entire deal on this and why Mikey has got to be correct as far as it being the worst sounding CD ever.
A real bad one to my ears is the latest Best Of Bowie (the single and double cd's) (the one's with the various country flags on 'em). Real ear bleeders
The first cd releases of any Jethro Tull. The one I bought sounded nothing like the vinyl. An ear bleeder with absoutely no dynamics. I bought just one and took it back for a store credit on a different cd.
Try Creative Sounds/Passport Records -US/Canadian versions- of the 1st 3 Deep Purple albums- have fun listening to bad vinyl dubs onto CD's.
The worst CD I can remember hearing is the Ides of March Vehicle album. The disc was taken from a vinyl source and no-noised and compressed to painful levels.
This why I do not listen to CD's much any more. I am embarrassed to say this but I have a copy of Olivia Newton John's "Warm And Tender" (1989) that is do sibilant and there is so much digital rain that I cannot listen to it ever again (one time was enough). My wife thinks that the Trio CD by Parton, Ronstadt, Harris (1987) is terrible and she has much better ears than mine.
Well I do have a thread going about the new Final Cut - Pink Floyd remaster. :angry: Yeah, the Tull Aqualung is putrid. I don't care much for Thick as a Brick. The first couple minutes sound terrible. It gets better once you get into the album. I find myself playing less and less CDs lately and more and more vinyl, which of course makes it hard to listen to CDs again. Someone at worked loaned me Beyonce to check out. Yowza! Pure distortion! I couldn't listen past the first 3 tracks. Rush's Vapor Trail is the same way, which is sad as I like some of the music I heard, but I haven't been able to listen to the whole CD yet. Sean
Some of the worst CDs are many major label reissues of 50+ year old vintage recordings and in so many cases, the UK PD discs sound better.
I said it once and I'll say it again.... Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band- Live Bullet remaster... even sounds crappy in my car!
Now there's a steaming dung heap of digital drudgery! Peeyeeeewwww, that thing reeked. P.T. Barnum snickers every time a different label reissues that particular title...
I've said it before and I'll say it again- the 25-track Shangri-Las comp on Tring has to be the worst CD ever! Song starts off low and watery and eventually builds itself up to putrid level. What the hell tapes (vinyl?) did these jokers use?
It's a shame, isn't it? Great collections too. Just curious, could any of these titles wind up on any of your future projects, Steve?
Hi Everyone, 1. The first BYRDS "Greatest Hits" from the mid 80's was badd. I listened to it once and threw it away. I didn't hear the Byrds again until the 4-cd box set. Most of the Collectibles cd's from the 80's were wretched. Sincerely, Tom Kennedy
I know we're talking CDs here, but I just watched a DVD with my daughter that was unbelivably bad--and there's a music tie-in... It's the newly issued on DVD "The Last Unicorn". It looks more washed out than a mass produced VHS tape, and the audio has horrible pitch inconsistencies...Seems like the whole thing was dubbed from a bad video master on a bad video deck...That's a shame A) because it's a good movie for kids (especially little girls) and B) because the soundtrack is by Jimmy Webb (sung by America), and it's got some good moments. Er, at least it does if you can get past the pitch problem (I can't; but I do have the original CD soundtrack...) Kwad
Huey lewis- Sports as mastered(?) by Bob Norberg. Nothing even remotely similar to the way that record is supposed to sound like. One of the most incompetent mastering jobs I've ever heard. Horrid.
I have to go with the "Aqualung" remaster. I was never able to listen all the way through. The first "Aqualung" US cd version was pretty lame sounding, but nothing like the remaster! At least the first version only sounded like a dolby cassette tape played with the dolby turned off. The remaster proudly proclaims: Aqualung has been remastered using the Prism Sound Super-Noise-Shaping system. Recordings carrying the Prism Sound SNS logo have been converted to digital format using state-of-the-art analogue to digital converters and processed down to 16-bit format for CD using the Prism Sound Super-Noise-Shaping system. The process reduces the apparent level of background noise and equally important, subtly modifies the psycho-acoustic properties of the recording to enhance the sense of presence and realism. With the extra dynamic range and accuracy of the Prism Sound SNS system "digital distortion" is virtually eliminated. Thank you Steve, for the fantastic gold cd version that you created. Oh, happy day! Tony
Well, as I just popped in from glowing about Nilsson to a Harry neophyte on another thread, I must say that the "Skidoo" soundtrack from Camden sounds like... something I'd get kicked off the forum for saying. Obviously remastered from the original LP that has been sitting in a bathtub full of molasses for the past twenty five years... JEFF!
Wow, I had forgotten about that cd. I do own a copy for reasons that presently escape me! At least I was finally able to "hear" the album... Sort of. Tony
