Which old "non-remastered" CDs to hang on to?

A thread started in 2002! Kudos! is the OP still active?

 

Yep, last seen today.

 

To summarise the discussion of The Ultimate Rascals in this ancient thread: there are two main compilations with this title.

One compilation has a mainly yellow, black and red group photo on the cover:



The other compilation has a ghastly yellow (bottom of cover) and red (top of cover) image, done by someone unfamiliar with graphic design principles:



This one, with the ghastly cover, MIGHT be the one you want.

To determine if it is the version you actually want, check the first track. If "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" is in STEREO, buy the CD. If this first track is in MONO, sell the CD or, better yet, don't buy it in the first place.

This compilation has been rereleased a few times. The first and second releases in 1986 were good. Good or bad, barcodes are the same, catalogue numbers are the same (9-27605-2), except for the (bad) Canadian version (CD 27605). So have a listen, or get the seller to have a listen.

 

I still have the first CD player I ever bought back in 1985, a Technics SL-P1



It's built like a tank but has trouble playing JVC discs.

I hear old Sony PS1's make incredible CD players since they use the chips that are in the high end ES players.

Sony PlayStation 1 CD player

 

Hang onto this one. Mastered by Calbi. Still sounds amazing after all these years.

 

Amy Grant's Myrrh, A&M, Reunion and RCA CD issues of the late 1970s-mid 1980s albums and Myrrh or A&M issues of the albums from 1988 on forward up to 1994 and the Christmas To Remember album is excellent on the A&M and Myrrh CDs. Petra's non-remastered More Power To Ya and This Means War discs over the Anniversary remasters.