| Author | Message | ||
     Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 209 Registered: 04-2005 |
This is interesting "How CDs are remastering the art of noise" http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/ story/0,,1992325,00.html (take blank out between "weekly/" and "story" - can't get address to be displayed correctly) I still have misgivings about "Oceans Apart" even the "remastered" version. I just don't find it pleasant to listen to (and my hearing is not that great after playing in a band for a few years!) That thread on this board about OA got quite heated I seem to remember, with certain individuals claiming that if you said that you didn't like the distortion, then somehow you didn't like the band 'in the right way'...!!! | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 543 Registered: 08-2004 |
I have noticed with CD's, mp3 players & ipod's, the noise merchants of the indie world, (Sonic Youth, MBV, Ride, JAMC etc) sound toothless compared with vinyl recordings. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 1153 Registered: 04-2005 |
Do you have MBV's "Loveless" on vinyl, Jerry? And it hasn't been released on a remastered CD yet, has it? I would love to hear that album with the highest possible fidelity. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 467 Registered: 10-2004 |
In 2006, I purchased only two new albums that came out that year: the most recent Camera Obscura record, and the Pipettes debut. *Both* suffer from that heinously over-compressed sound that plagued OA, though maybe not quite as extreme. And what's truly frustrating is that the over-compressed/distorted sound really detracts from the listening experience. It's like the songs have no room to breathe. All the dynamics are squashed flat, and as a result, both albums just don't sound very natural. So, yes, I really, really hate the way new albums tend to sound. It makes it very difficult for me to take new music seriously, and I already have a hard enough time with that as it is. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 1338 Registered: 05-2005 |
Did David Fridmann produce these albums by any chance Jeff? | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 548 Registered: 08-2004 |
I've never owned loveless on vinyl & it's not cheap to pick up 2nd hand copies. Something has to be done! The revolution starts here. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 1155 Registered: 04-2005 |
No kidding, Jerry. If Kevin Shields can't get it together to produce an album of new material, at least he could get back in the studio and give us a lovingly remastered "Loveless" with all the songs from the two previous EPs also, the Wire cover, and any other unheard extras lying around. The album is a classic, for godsakes. And aren't all classics ultimately reissued in pricey new packages to make us buy them all over again? | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 400 Registered: 01-2005 |
Kurt, I would love to see all the MBV albums and ep's remastered. If Slowdive can do it, wny not MBV? Hey, my 400th post! | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 216 Registered: 04-2005 |
Quote from the late great John Peel: "I was talking to a guy the other day who was trying to convince me that CDs were better than vinyl because they had no surface noise. And I said 'listen mate, life has surface noise'" This quote is on a bag from a record shop called 'Unknown Pleasures', which recently opened a branch in Edinburgh. It also carries the legend 'Probably the best carrier bag in Scotland' A friend sent me a rather lovely Postcard Records T-shirt that she bought in that shop. Think that they sell vinyl as well as CDs. | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 86 Registered: 07-2006 |
did the slowdive stuff get remastered or just reissued at mid price without all the cool stuff that came with the american rereleases a few years ago (5 ep, etc). what about pygmalion? i work for an investment bank now and *still* don't have the cash to shell out for a copy of that thing. i've never heard loveless on vinyl but i have heard mogwai's "young team" and it's fucking unreal. J. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 408 Registered: 01-2005 |
Joe, Just for A Day and Souvlaki were remastered with double disc reissues in 2005. Pygmalion was remastered, but only as a single disc, but at lease it's avaialable again. These are all UK reissues, so you are going to pay $27-$30 each, which might be excessive for the single disc Pygmalion, but more than worth it for JFAD and Souvlaki with all the ep's and extra tracks loaded on them. | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 87 Registered: 07-2006 |
oh it's definitely reasonable considering what it was going for before! now all we need is a rerelease of chapterhouse's "rownderbowt" compilation and thousands of 'gazers the world over can breathe a sigh of relief! thanks for the heads up michael. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1128 Registered: 05-2005 |
Nicky Wire of Manic Street Preachers once said: "Slowdive are worse than Hitler". Ridiculous of course ... but I can see where he was coming from. | ||
| Lawrence Mikkelsen Member Username: Simplythrilledhoney Post Number: 61 Registered: 03-2006 |
Pádraig, I remember that quote. (It was Richey wasn't it? "I hate Slowdive more than Hitler.") I find it quite odd, because the Manics were _really_ into Sarah Records, and I think there's a hell of a lot of similarity between Slowdive and the latter Field Mice stuff. Anyway, I find myself listening to Slowdive a lot more than I listen to the Manics these days. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 1187 Registered: 04-2005 |
I wasn't really up on Slowdive back when they were happening...what was the source of a comparison with Hitler? I mean, that's a bit extreme. (Even Kevin didn't make that claim about CH.  ) Were they bad or exceptionally arrogant people, or was it just that he thought they were shoegazer-bandwagon jumpers that didn't deserve popularity? | ||
| Lawrence Mikkelsen Member Username: Simplythrilledhoney Post Number: 62 Registered: 03-2006 |
I think it was more about the facelessness of shoegaze music. A bunch of lank haired kids staring at their effects pedals and not really having any rock'n'roll showmanship, or ideology, etc. Much as the Manics have been, at various times, a fine band, both Nicky Wire and Richey James are/were mouthy twats. | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 557 Registered: 08-2004 |
It's the kind of comment that got you on Melody Maker/NME covers. Like the Manics needed anymore press coverage in that period. The shoegazing bands looked & behaved exactly like their audience. Sullen & badly dressed. Trying to rebel against something but not sure what, or how. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1196 Registered: 05-2005 |
Jerry, EXACTLY, it was the audiences/critics/people not in groups that started the trend 'shoegazing'. There were some great acts, I supported some of them, Pale Saints, Chapter House, these kinda groups fell into that category, but it was a mixed time for music, no REAL direction. Re Lawrences comment about Nicky and Richy, I happen to like Nicky Wire, i think he talks a lot of common sense and is usually quite intelligent, in a Jarvis way. i met James Dean too a few years back, I jest you not, i was scared of him, but, we chatted away and he was the typical 'nicest guy in the world'. Again, I feel we have to respect that what we read in the music mags or papers is not always as low key as it really is. The Manics early outbursts were all part of their strategic marketing campaign. I remember when Motorcycle Emptiness was released, it was a bit of a revelation, no one thought they had that kinda songwriting skill in them. They certainly transcended any bandwagons, The Holy Bibile is one of the most disturbing yet exhilerating works I have ever heard from a band. Back to Mr Kerr's point, I think things are slowly catching up quality of sound wise with CD's, downloads seem to be ok, I can't really measure downloads in comparison just yet as I don't download that much. I must admit, you can still really tell the way the music distorts, it is quite offputting sometimes, although I love it, that stands as my current view on things. I ain't gonna lose sleep over it though. | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 89 Registered: 07-2006 |
i will always love the manics to varying degrees. they also indirectly called for michael stipe's death "the same way as freddie mercury", but they seemed to get these sentiments out of their system very early on. their physical aesthetic was impossible to ignore and it didn't help that they wrote brash, super-smart and (at times) moving songs. they also genuinely appeared to care solely about their band/eachother, which only won them more moody youthful hearts. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 427 Registered: 01-2005 |
Jerry, they all didn't dress badly though! Miki and Emma from Lush might have been the exceptions. I jumped on the shoegazing trend with MBV's Isn't Anything in 1989. | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 90 Registered: 07-2006 |
toni from curve was hella sexy too! | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1208 Registered: 05-2005 |
No Joe, she was too pedestrian man, she reminded me of the kinda woman the Sun would parade on its pages!! PJ Harvey was the queen!! Re gothic queens, my old group supported The Cranes once, they all looked ridiculous in the Battlestar Galactica outifts, but I think it was Alison the singer was very very pretty and a nice person. What I wanted to say was although there seems to be an agreement that Oceans Apart is Oceans Apart from having a perfect mastered sound on its CD formats, its funny how its sold the most and therefore is their most commercial album ever, I wonder who, other than the people on this board think of the sound quality like we all seem to do????? Do they care, does it matter, I think, is my question. | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 91 Registered: 07-2006 |
re: the sun - hence the hot! i also dug wendy james for much the same reason...but i'm also a flamer so what do i know. i love the cranes first couple of cds/releases...sadly a long forgotten talent. the other day i was listening to blue bell knoll and my ultra cool flatmate asked mockingly if it was enya. i wanted to crawl into my gin and cry. i'm not really fussed by the sound quality for the most part. though i've never got into OA much (i'm only just tackling rachel worth now...and it loses me each and every time circa surfing magazines) other records which got a drubbing on account of "terrible" mastering ala a northern soul and aforementioned curve eps i'm rather besotted with. good tunes win out. the smiths debut should serve as testament alone. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 1368 Registered: 05-2005 |
Spence - are you CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!! Dont you remember the madness of a couple of years ago regarding "the sound quality of Oceans Apart" We dont talk about it now, its over!! | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 302 Registered: 08-2006 |
I wasn't a poster to nor a reader of this board circa "Oceans Apart," and I confess I never noticed anything amiss about its sound. I've read oblique references to a dodgy mastering job, or something similar, but I swear I can't hear it even when I listen for it. As much as I listen to music, I'm really not much of an audiophile, maybe because I grew up listening to record albums and AM radio, so anything that isn't rendered unlistenable by static or skips is acceptable to me. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 1369 Registered: 05-2005 |
Rob, if you think Oceans Apart sounds OK maybe you bought the "tarted up" version that came out at the end of 2005/start of 2006. If your version has sleevenotes by Andrew Male of Mojo in the CD booklet you have the "tarted up" version, if not you have the aural abomination of the initial CD release. | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 303 Registered: 08-2006 |
Reluctantly, Kevin, I admit to having the non-"tarted" version of OA. I swear it always sounded fine to me. So I could either spend money to get the better version and hope I could tell the difference, or, more to the point, I could invest in the services of an audiologist. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 953 Registered: 03-2005 |
It's all that loud rock 'n roll Rob. The master is just really really "hot" sounding on OA. The THD must be 5% at the peaks on some of the songs. I predict someday it will be re-done, hopefully with a bonus disc. Bear in mind that Kevin listens to things on a set of headphones that cost half a thousand pounds. I wonder what they can do for "Raw Power?" | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1209 Registered: 05-2005 |
Kev I know! Asking for it I was! | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 954 Registered: 03-2005 |
Oh yeah, did anybody else see Sean O'Hagen's piece in the Guardian about the lost art of mix tapes? Here's the link: 2000185%2C00.html,http://music.guardian. co.uk/pop/story/0,,2000185,00.html | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 304 Registered: 08-2006 |
Randy, I blame whatever hearing loss I've suffered squarely on one Mr. Robert Mould. A dozen-plus Husker Du shows, to be precise. Not surprisingly, I have no regrets. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1160 Registered: 05-2005 |
I saw that piece on Sunday Randy. I meant to post a link here, but forgot. I want that tape of his! I'd be very curious to see the track listing. Wonder if he put any Microdisney on there? |