What are we all listening to at the moment.

[Afghan Dave]

BRAND NEW albums by, Danger Danger, Lynch Mob, KISS and Europe - F**king heaven!!!! 

I didn't know all those were out!  What's the Lynch Mob one like? 

I used to be a big Geo. Lynch fan, but his playing and tone seemed to go off when he became a steroid jockey....

The Lynch Mob album "Smoke & Mirrors" is FINALLY a return to form. All the classic elements plus some growth...

He hasn't dropped another turd on us (like so much of his recent output). It's a very good album.

[AndyR]

re mastered Beatle albums and I am loving it.

Which ones?

I was debating this the other week. I have all the existing CDs, and, well, the new box sets are ££££ owch at the moment...

I reached the conclusion (without any personal experience, I have to say) that as the main reported improvement seems to be in volume (there is some clarity, apparently, but once the old CDs are turned up to the same volume, I understand the difference is not huge...) then I might be better off keeping my hands in my pockets right at the moment...

I am seriously tempted by the mono remasters (apparently hearing Revolver, etc, even Sgt Pepper, as the Beatles and George Martin actually mixed them is something of a "wow!"), but you can only get them as a box set, not individually :(

I'm still wondering whether they're "potential xmas pressies" - but of course, that is the market they've aimed at, so it makes me wonder...

I know what the answer is, "buy one and see what you think". But I can only get individuals from the "stereo" set, and I know what I'm like, if I get one, it'll be louder, and I'll end buying them all :lol:

STILL - it has made me listen to all of the albums a-fresh, and there's been some big smiles on my face on London Underground for a week or two :D

[gingataff]

re mastered Beatle albums and I am loving it.

Which ones?

I was debating this the other week. I have all the existing CDs, and, well, the new box sets are ££££ owch at the moment...

I reached the conclusion (without any personal experience, I have to say) that as the main reported improvement seems to be in volume (there is some clarity, apparently, but once the old CDs are turned up to the same volume, I understand the difference is not huge...) then I might be better off keeping my hands in my pockets right at the moment...

I am seriously tempted by the mono remasters (apparently hearing Revolver, etc, even Sgt Pepper, as the Beatles and George Martin actually mixed them is something of a "wow!"), but you can only get them as a box set, not individually :(

I'm still wondering whether they're "potential xmas pressies" - but of course, that is the market they've aimed at, so it makes me wonder...

I know what the answer is, "buy one and see what you think". But I can only get individuals from the "stereo" set, and I know what I'm like, if I get one, it'll be louder, and I'll end buying them all :lol:

STILL - it has made me listen to all of the albums a-fresh, and there's been some big smiles on my face on London Underground for a week or two :D

I'm curious to hear how these remasters compare to MoFi and similar high end versions.
For example, I've got hold of two copies of Sgt Peppers and the difference is startling, bearing in mind it's the mastering NOT the mixing that's different.

[gingataff]

Right now it's Bjorks first two solo albums.

Hrrgggg.

[badgermark]

Been listening to a lot of Brand New, decided their second album sums up my life pretty well right now, so the album cover shall be my next tattoo.

Oh and I want the Beatles mono box set, heard some tracks and they were amazing. I always thought mono=bad but the clarity is fantastic and little parts really stand out more.

[38thBeatle]

Andy/Gingataff-I have gone down the route of getting the Stereo versions and bought some with some birthday money from my Mum from last year and Mrs 38th has got me some-in fact I now have all but Past Masters.For sure the early albums are still weird (with instruments on one side and vocals on another)but I find that my brain adapts. The later albums sound far more clearer with plenty of presence and more balanced. I found the original CD releases to show too many flaws in terms of production-the tape his and edits whereas the re masters are more enjoyable. Abbey Road is superb in my opinion and the White Album also benefits.The acoustic tracks have a warmth and richness to them. I am probably in the rose tinted stage still.  I have liked the Beatles since I was a wee lad and so for me this was important but I realise that they are not to everyone's taste and that is fine with me.

[AndyR]

Thanks for that 38th :D

- I read so much stuff about them a few weeks ago, I ended up not sure what to think! It's useful having the opinion of someone who I vaguely "know" :lol:

The biggest problem I have is that I "want" both sets.

I'm with Badger over the stereo-mono thing. I'm used to hearing the "weird" 60s stereo mixes, I quite like it even. When I first got Pet Sounds,  I was thinking "what's this stereo album followed by mono album on the same disk all about?!". I couldn't imagine who'd want to listen to the mono. But after a bit, I found the mono mixes sort of more, well, "right".

I only found out the other week that Brian Wilson arranged and did all the tracking for mono - that's what he prefered, so it's what he created, not the stereo... and that the Beatles and George Martin "finished" a song (certainly up to Sgt P, possibly even the White Album), as far as they were concerned, when they'd mixed the mono master - that was what they created, then they went home and left it to "engineers" to create stereo mixes with the mono mixes as guidelines... Apparently John Lennon is well documented from the late 70s saying "What's with these stereo recordings, the voices are coming out one speaker and the drums out the other, what the f***? Who did that?!!"

And then, I remembered that "the Beatles" I heard when I was 5-7 years old, the stuff that got me, was on the radio... it was always mono!

Oh dear... this is gonna be expensive!! :lol:

[Simon D]

Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue. It's a fantastic piece of work.

[Philly Q]

Lynyrd Skynyrd - God & Guns

Not a patch on the old days, and the lyrics are really heavy on the bible-thumpin', blue-collar man, Second Amendment stuff.  But some good tunes, nonetheless.

[badgermark]

Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue. It's a fantastic piece of work.

funny, listened to that myself last night. I like AIC, only got Black... and the unplugged gig though. Good band.

[jibidy]

Bat for lashes. seeing them on thursday.

[Simon D]

Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue. It's a fantastic piece of work.

funny, listened to that myself last night. I like AIC, only got Black... and the unplugged gig though. Good band.

Grad yourself a copy of Dirt. It's dark as hell - not one to listen to if you're feeling down - but an absolute classic nonetheless.

Philly - I was thinking of getting God and Guns. Would you recommend it overall?

[Philly Q]

Philly - I was thinking of getting God and Guns. Would you recommend it overall?

I find it quite enjoyable to listen to, but it is pretty cheesy.  The rockier tracks are good, the ballad/country ones less so!

Lynyrd Skynyrd 2009 are much more in the .38 Special/Molly Hatchet league than the Lynyrd Skynyrd 1977 league, if you see what I mean. 

[blue]

the Beatles remasters.

i've been amazed by just how good some of the mono stuff sounds!  there's a girl at work who's reaction is "i hate the beatles, all just silly songs.  yellow submarine, help, a little help from my friends.  cr@p"  she'll have to be introduced to eleanor rigby and friends :)

the early stereo mixes are bizarre, how anyone thought that was a good idea i'll never know.

what's annoying about the whole thing is that a few years ago the talk was that the back catalogue was being prepared for release on DVD-Audio, with the original masters remastered in 24bit 192Khz, and possibly new surround mixes.  having heard how amazing the Love album sounded in Hi-Res, and the Doors DVD-A boxset, i was really looking forward to that.  so, great as these remasters are, it could have been better.

i reiterate my view that SACD and DVD-A were an enormous missed opportunity and peoples' mass migration downwards to mp3 instead is a virtual crime.

[gingataff]

Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue. It's a fantastic piece of work.

funny, listened to that myself last night. I like AIC, only got Black... and the unplugged gig though. Good band.

I haven't listened to any AIC since Dirt, and that was when the album just came out but I took the plunge and bought Black Gives Way To Blue based on you guys' approval (is it a coincidence that it was released over here today??) and so far I'm really enjoying it.

Thanks lads!