Prepare to be Floyded

[imcarthur]

"The band's entire studio catalog, including the Syd Barrett-led 1967 debut "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," the Roger Waters-dominated "The Wall" (1979) and the career-concluding "The Division Bell" (1994), has been remastered and is scheduled for release on Tuesday." CNN

In a phone interview, Mason says: ""Dark Side of the Moon" was the least psychedelic album you could hope to listen to. It's terribly specific and measured and not floaty-off anywhere."

Hahahahahahahahahaha . . . . I thought drugs were a prerequisite to enjoy the album.

Ian

[Joeaksa]

Cannot wait!

[Rusty Heap]

How many times can you remaster a remaster of a remaster though? I mean did they actually go back to the master tapes, and re-equalize them and clean them up through more active filtering, or just repackage and add a few new song varients? I'm thinking this is just more a marketing ploy to generate mo' money. I can see if you didn't have an early album on CD, that this make it more attractive to go and and buy a disk, and I DO love my 'Floyd so don't get me wrong, but these seem more like delux special edition box set re-mixes, not "re-masters."

Per the CNN link quoted above:

"The Dark Side of the Moon," the band's 1973 classic, which still holds the record for longest run on the Billboard album charts, will be be re-issued in three versions: a single CD, a two-disc "Experience Edition" that includes a live album, and a six-disc "Immersion Edition" boxed set.

All 14 of the band's studio albums are being remastered and will be available on CD from today.

New deluxe versions of some of their classics, including Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall are also set for release over the next few months.

[imcarthur]

They can remaster them until the original tape dies. Every guy that masters puts their own spin on it. I sat in on a session at TapeOp in New Orleans that had two very good mastering engineers attack the same song - with very different results. Both good, but different.

Ian

[LWJ]

This is a good thing! Not certain what the deal is but I really don't care that much about 99.9% of the music I hear on the radio. A snappy digital version of DSOTM is giving me a music jones.

Bring it on. Next perhaps Queen? Classic Stones?

It gives me something to put on my Christmas list.

Larry

[RWebb]

have you hear this release yet Ian?

we need to know whether to replace the old CDs (and I think I have at least one MFSL release)

[herr_oberst]

Just got the latest Rolling Stone in the mail - guess what's on the cover? DSOTM? Yes!

[legion]

Crap. There goes a small fortune. Again.

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by RWebb

have you hear this release yet Ian?

we need to know whether to replace the old CDs (and I think I have at least one MFSL release)

No. Although I have been running into Parsons everywhere I go lately (not that I know him - I must point out - but we even shared a flight to Detroit). I have a burned copy of the MF release. It sounds pretty good so I wouldn't rush to rebuy just yet.

The biggest issue with 60/70/80s remastering is the state of the masters. Are they just using an 80s/90s digitization? Was the bass high-passed originally because of vinyl limitations at the time or was it preserved? Are the tapes oxidizing or wearing (each play will degrade a tape ever so slightly). Etc etc. The truth will be in the listening but the Beatles have set the sights pretty high by showing what is possible with their remasters.

Ian

[RWebb]

Thanks Ian - keep us posted...

[dennis in se pa]

If anyone thinks there is something better out there other than "Dark Side of the Moon" you are in error. That was a Rock Opera presented to us mere humans by Jesus and GOD and all of the other Great Spirits.

[R K T]

Spring 1973.
Friends had a really cool house that other friends could come by and hang out for a few minutes or spend the whole weekend. No invitations were needed. Very comfortable pad.
Top of the line stereo system (for 1973) cushy furniture to just melt in. Backyard was over grown into a small jungle, couldn't see in, couldn't see out.
Saturday morning, heavy rain, so stopped by to see what everyone else was doing. Myra was there. Myra always had "things" for the group. This morning Myra had a baggy full of Peyote. The baggy was passed around, help yourself if you wanted. About an hour goes by.....oh my. Knock at the front door. Jim has a bag from Licorice Pizza (record store) with the new Pink Floyd album called Dark Side of the Moon.
I've never felt anything or heard anything that even comes close to that Saturday morning. Hearing that album for the very first time in a state of consciousness that is impossible to describe.
Epic. For me anyway.

[VaSteve]

I heard that acoustic demo of Money on the radio last week and have been running through the stuff on my ipod since then. I just put the Division Bell on....haven't listened to it in years. Picked it up in college and saw them in Raleigh in 1994. Brings back memories.


Downloaded Ummagumma from itunes, always liked that one in addition to the "good" ones from the 70s.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by dennis in se pa

If anyone thinks there is something better out there other than "Dark Side of the Moon" you are in error. That was a Rock Opera presented to us mere humans by Jesus and GOD and all of the other Great Spirits.

Lol! I still prefer my vinyl copy over the CD I also have...Every time the heartbeats start, it kind of (but not really) makes me wish I had a doobie...

[jyl]

We used to listen to "Dark Side" in a friend's little house/shack that had that slouchy furniture and a couple of big oscilloscopes connected to the stereo so you could watch the waveforms . . . and the greenhouse was next door . . . every time the bells jolted me awake I thought I was having a heart attack.

[daepp]

Umagumma? What about Meddle???/

[daepp]

Imacarthur - are we talking Allen Parsons?

[daepp]

Late 70's. Maybe some attitude adjustments. Put the needle down on DSOTM while your buddy hits play on the Betamax - off to see the Wizard...

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

How many times can you remaster a remaster of a remaster though? I mean did they actually go back to the master tapes, and re-equalize them and clean them up through more active filtering, or just repackage and add a few new song varients? I'm thinking this is just more a marketing ploy to generate mo' money.

+1000.

This is true of countless remasters. the "loudness wars" didn't help matters at all either. Dynamic range be damned!

Regarding DSOTM, the DSD layer of the current SACD is going to be hard to beat. The original Japanese/EMI ("black triangle") release is still the best Redbook version to date though, IMO.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by LWJ

A snappy digital version of DSOTM is giving me a music jones.

There has been one out since 2003 (Hybrid SACD):
Dark Side of the Moon: 30th Anniversary Edition