Remasters vs Originals

  • Hi everyone, first time I've posted here in a long time, and I have a new email address so I've started from scratch again...


    I'm curious about something, so I thought I'd get people's opinion.


    I've been trying for some time to get along with the remasters, but I have finally given up. I appreciate that sonically they sound great, albeit too much compression for me, but I think it's the vocals that ruin them for me.


    I got into Genesis in 1980 and started with Duke and Foxtrot. Ive been listening to those versions for 40 years now, and I got every other album within in a year. And I have listened to them a LOT, to the point where I know every note and nuance.


    Was listening to ATOTT last night and the vocals are just too different for my liking - eg some harmonies too prominent, some parts too subdued. Some vocals are so different they sound like different versions, even though I know they're not.


    To be fair I prefer SO as you can actually hear Steve a bit..


    It's like when the Beatles mono box set was released - they were just a bit too different from the version I've listened to over the years.


    I think it's a shame as I would like new and improved versions of the masters, but the new ones are too different for me


    Anyone else in the same boat?

  • I guess you are talking abut the new mixes from 2007/8?d

    For me the vocals are a real improvement. I Do not listen to the old Definite Edition Remaster anymore and whenever I can I put on the 5.1 versions

  • And I think that's the dilemma for me. Everything "sounds" better, clearer, punchier. But they sound TOO different to my ears - to albums I've listened to for 30-40 years

  • I prefer the 1994 remasters, EXCEPT for Foxtrot, where the old mix sounded just badly produced. Despite the changes, I think the new one is an improvement.

    Ian


    Putting the old-fashioned Staffordshire plate in the dishwasher!

  • I think it makes sense for you to prefer the original mixes, because that is what you have been used to. They sound "right" to you. There are some other artists where I can't get into the remixes because, even though the results are better in some respects, they fundamentally change what sounded "right" to my ears after many years of listening.


    I am someone who loved the music of Genesis, but wasn't always a fan of the production and mixes of many of the albums. So it was easier for me to get behind some (but not all) of the remasters and new mixes. The Lamb is one example where I found it hard to perceive some of the instrumentation originally and I like how the new mix opens things up, particularly the drums and Steve's guitar. I found the original mix and production for ATTW3 a bit muddy and unclear, so I like the new mix, which feels clearer and more powerful. Shapes is another example which I feel improved.

  • I think the modern era of remasters has improved a lot.


    Modern technology has improved in the music industry..... Also with remasters, you have the added bonus of extra tracks.


    I only started getting remasters recently ;)

  • I think the surround sound mixes are really good. They don't seem to suffer from the overused compression that the stereo mixes received.


    Sadly, I really don't have the opportunity to listen to the 5.1 mixes nearly as much as I do stereo versions, so my go-tos are a variety of versions.


    The new mixes of the live albums are a significant improvement over the originals and the 1994 remasters.

    The green box albums are generally a marked improvement over previous versions too, though the odd mistake here and there are distracting.

    The red box albums are better than the originals, (especially Invisible Touch and Genesis) though once again the slight changes are distracting.

    Of the blue box albums the only one I prefer over the 1994 remasters is And Then There Were Three. Abacab seems to sound like Abacab no matter which version I hear but the 1994 remasters of Trick, Wind, and Duke are by far my favorite versions of those albums.


    I know a lot of folks were disappointed in the 2007 remixes, but I appreciate what they accomplished even though they aren't perfect. As far as I'm concerned it's nice to be able to choose from several different mixes and masterings in order to put together my own personal "definitive" series of Genesis albums.

  • There was an old thread which discussed this topic in broad brushstrokes here:


    Which CD remastering was the best for each album?



    However, it was started so long ago that it's a good thing you created a new thread.



    For what it's worth, my personal favorites are:


    The Boxset versions for virtually all the studio albums from "Trespass" to CAS, except for "The Lamb" where I prefer the DER version and "Duke" where I prefer the original CD version.


    For the live albums, boxset versions again for "Genesis Live", "Seconds Out", and "The Way We Walk". However, I hate how they edited out the Ethel Merman outro after "It/Watcher of the Skies" on the boxset version; thus, the DER is preferred for me.

    Stepping out the back way, hoping nobody sees...

  • It's like when the Beatles mono box set was released

    And yet that's how they're supposed to be heard.


    Seems like the issue you're having is that of attachment as opposed to one version of an album being sonically better than another. Personally, having lived with the original mixes for so long, and then hearing what Nick did with the albums, going back to the orginal tapes to create new mixes, delighted me no end.

  • And yet that's how they're supposed to be heard.



    Yeah, I get that. I know a lot of people are very passionate about the mono mixes, but I grew up with the dodgy stereo versions, and my brain can't cope with different versions.


    The Beatles and Genesis are the 2 artists I've listened to the most in my collection, so I'm more than familiar with them. Anything new sounds jarring. I know I'm missing out on the new mixes...

  • Yeah, I get that. I know a lot of people are very passionate about the mono mixes, but I grew up with the dodgy stereo versions, and my brain can't cope with different versions.


    The Beatles and Genesis are the 2 artists I've listened to the most in my collection, so I'm more than familiar with them. Anything new sounds jarring. I know I'm missing out on the new mixes...

    There's a great documentary on legendary bassist, singer-songwriter and Motorhead founder and front-man, Lemmy Kilmister, which features him in HMV looking for the Beatles mono box set. He is told that it's out of stock. A member of staff, overhearing the conversation, comes over to Lemmy and gives him her copy. "This is how they were meant to be heard," he says in that unmistakable growl of his.


    There's nothing wrong with re-evaulating something when presented with a different version, whether it be a film (like the redux of Apocalypse Now) or a book (Stephen King's The Stand). But there's also nothing wrong with saying "I prefer this one" for whatever reason.