Yes Fragile MFSL

It should probably also be noted that Dr. M reported a comparison between the original Atlantic CD and his original UK vinyl revealed a sound that was nearly identical.

Also, referring to the Atlantic "gold" is perhaps unnecessary, given that it shares the same mastering as the silver disc. Just a thought, as it might confuse those members who haven't sat through our ad nauseum discussions about this album.

 

Does anybody know if the first and second Japan cd pressings of Fragile (32XD and AMCY) are different masterings?

 

That may be true, but when I did blind sound comparisons between the two, I picked the Gold cd every time.

 

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=101474

 

Wow, Jeff! For once I'm a bigger purist than you are! Never thought that's gonna happen.

 

What's surprising about that?

 

Well, they're the greatest band in the history of recorded music.

 

Nah. That would be The Leningrad Cowboys.

 

Well, if you ask Tootull he would name a different band! Anyway, you're huge fan and I respect that but I have rather different view on Yes, which is basically a few great tracks from 69 to 72 like Time and a Word or Heart of the Sunrise and that's it. Plus I cannot stand Rick Wakeman and find them certainly guilty of all the sins they were accused of. But you may feel the same (or worse) about some of my favourite bands and artists and that's perfectly OK!

 

Tracking the elusive Gastwirt

 

Nicely done! Thanks!

 

The Atlantic Gold issue if this album is awesome (and I'm not a huge Yes fan).

 

Listen to this album with a good set of headphones, it's truly a masterpiece!

 

They should call themselves the Penn Jillettes.

 

I think the differences between the Joe Gastwirt (Atlantic) and Shawn Britton (Mofi) are subtle. It also depends on your musical preference and system... I do prefer the Mofi... better detailed sound on my system.

 

I wish I could make a third version of both the Gastwirt and the MFSL: I'd take the bottom end of the MoFi and the top end of the Gastwirt and add a little of the detail from the first that the second seems to lack. This said, each one excells in different areas and falls short in others. If you are looking for a smooth experience choose the Atlantic 'Gold'; if looking for details lost on other releases choose the MFSL.

 

I prefer the original Atlantic CD over the Gastwirt remaster, but they are very different.

 

How does the Gastwirt compare to the Diament mastering? I have the Gastwirt version of this one.

 

The Diament mastered has some distortion (fuzzy) in spots and highs sound very muffled-- however, IMO it does other important things right. As an experiment in sound, take the Barry Diament (EAC to extract) and use Foobar with a free Noise Sharpener plug-in (performs a kind of mathematical convolution on the signal to clear up highs) set at around 95-100 and convert to a new file... burn back to a CDr and have a listen... see how it holds up when cranking it.

IMO, Barry did a great job with the source he was given. The slight distortion in spots is unfortunate, but, IMO the sound is very warm and packs nice low punch. The plug-in helps with clearing up the highs. Also, I am hearing a level of spatial detail (air?) that I don't seem to hear with the Gastwirt.

 

They are, indeed.

And what I don't understand is why the old GP-cut US Atlantic vinyl sounds nothing like the original Atlantic CD? Given that Barry has stated that Piros only ever added a slight 2k boost to his masterings, the difference is stunning. However, even with the added bite, it doesn't sound as crispy as the Gastwirt CD.

It's interesting that several people are feeling that the Gastwirt has a better top end than the Mofi. I found the Mofi to be just a tad less cripsy in the top end, which I liked.

 

Yep. Oddly enough Jamie and myself hear the exact opposite - the MFSL being crispier than the Gastwirt to our ears...which we didn't like.

 

Is it just my copy or is the transition of Long Distance Runaround into The Fish not correctly synched on the Gastwirt remaster? On my disc, there's a slight click between the two tracks, but on other CD issues it transitions smoothly.

 

The MOFI CD of Fragile that I have is probably 10 years old? I noticed that they're still selling it. Does anyone know if it's the same mastering, or a new one?