I'd guess we're unlikely to see a lot of nice remastering jobs until CDs are superseded by the next standard, be that DVD-A or SACD or whatever. Here's hoping whatever direction it takes, they don't waste the bandwidth on gimmicks like surround sound (see http://www.furious.com/perfect/vinyl28.html ) "Entertainment" was reissued by Infinite Zero in the mid-90s & shouldn't be too hard to grab used - you might even be able to get it through 21361.com I've never thought of "Loveless" as a poorly-mastered CD, though the vinyl mix does sound quite different. I'd imagine the choices of SY reissues are based on past sales figures - aren't they doing "Daydream Nation" as well? And, uh, SST put out the self-titled EP on CD, though of course it's long gone now. What I wish SY would do is cobble their zillions of comp tracks on a CD or two, 'cause I really don't need to own the "Sgt Pepper Knew My Father" LP. 'Course what I really want is 180-gram half-speed remastered LPs of everything. Andrew <ahorton@vt.edu> said:
My list:
First and foremost, there are more CD's that are in desperate need of REMASTERING than anything- and many of these are currently in print. The Ramones' recent reissue/remaster thing was excellent....i never realized just how INCREDIBLY HORRIBLE the CD's sounded until I heard them remastered. In the world of jazz this is especially true; many life changing, essential records have been essentially dumped from their master tapes to CD with no essential mixing, compression, mastering, etc. Didn't someone on this list once drop an anecdote about the drums being ENTIRELY erased from one Miles disc, because the brushes were incorrectly identified as "tape hiss"? Terrible!
Now, on to the actual albums:
Gang of Four- "Entertainment" - Probably the most important post-punk record in both all-out freaking GREATNESS and influence, this hasn't been available in America forever, and the imported UK copies sound effin' horrible.
Most of the catalogues of the following bands/artists: the Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, A.R. Kane, Unrest, the Fall, Serge Gainsbourg, and Odetta. And more.
My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" is another one that could use a good remastering. For one of the most tumultuous walls of noise ever, it's mastered pretty quietly and muddily. And the influence; everyone from Phish to the Smashing Pumpkins and everyone in between have been influenced by the record.
Geffen has the right idea with re-releasing Sonic Youth's albums with bonus tracks and new mixing/mastering; however, they've chosen to do so with the two least essential records in Sonic Youth's history, "Goo" and "Dirty." What about re-releasing their never-on-CD self-titled debut EP, or some of the tape-based outtakes from the Master-Dik sessions? Blaargh.
andrew
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