New CD Thread Vol. 3: The Legally Purchased Anthology

AwallaceUNC · Post by **AwallaceUNC** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:33 pm

The Beatles - Rubber Soul (2009 Remaster)

The Beatles - Help! (2009 Remaster)

-Aaron

David S. · Post by **David S.** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 3:08 pm

Aaron, I was wondering if you had a chance to do any A/B comparisons between any of the original Beatle CDs and the remastered versions. Other than the inevitable increase in volume usually found on remasters, I am curious if the increase in sound quality is dramatic enough to justify double-dipping. I know a selling point for the first four albums is they make their CD debut in stereo, but I'm curious about the middle and later albums, like the ones you listed.

Edit - oops, I must have missed Dave's post initially, sorry about that, Dave! Still, I am curious if the difference in quality between the remastered CDs and the originals is extreme enough to shell out for the box since I already have most of the Beatles albums on CD (including my faves) from the original issues. So any additional feedback from anyone familiar with both CD versions of any of these albums would be appreciated!

AwallaceUNC wrote:
DisneyFreak5282 wrote: What do you think of this package? Isn't it great? I think it's his best greatest hits collection. Although there were 3 songs on the Number Ones CD that aren't on here, I think this CD is much better.
I think it's probably the best single compilation of Michael Jackson music on the market, though the absence of "Scream" is a major drawback.

I agree about that "Essential" compilation being arguably the best Jackson compilation. One thing in it's favor is it includes material from his childhood Jackson 5 days all the way up until his last album, even though the Jackson 5 stuff was on a different label than his adult solo material. And it pretty much has EVERY song that was released as a single from his trilogy of Quincy Jones-produced albums (Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad). And I like the chronological tracklist.

I agree with Aaron that it makes omissions with the more recent material, although for my taste, the songs I miss the most are "Earth Song" and "Childhood". (it is my understanding that "Earth Song" is on the European version but not the US version).

In hindsight, it's a shame the bonus 3rd disc was not a little longer to include these missing songs which were released as singles and/or had videos.

DaveWadding · Post by **DaveWadding** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 3:30 pm

David S. wrote:Aaron, I was wondering if you had a chance to do any A/B comparisons between any of the original Beatle CDs and the remastered versions. Other than the inevitable increase in volume usually found on remasters, I am curious if the increase in sound quality is dramatic enough to justify double-dipping. I know a selling point for the first four albums is they make their CD debut in stereo, but I'm curious about the middle and later albums, like the ones you listed.

Edit - oops, I must have missed Dave's post initially, sorry about that, Dave! Still, I am curious if the difference in quality between the remastered CDs and the originals is extreme enough to shell out for the box since I already have most of my fave Beatles albums on CD from the original issues.

I listened to Rubber Soul (which is my favorite Beatles album) and everything was so much clearer. The guitars have this jangle (The one that Roger McGuinn stole for the Byrds) that's incredible. On I'm Looking Through You the tambourine is so clear. The bells on In My Life are RIGHT there and so clear, it almost brought me to tears. Really. The 1987 remaster is so muddy in comparison. Paul's bass is perfectly mixed in there...you used to to have to really focus to hear it. I love it.

The other remasters sound great too, but I've listened to Rubber Soul so many times, I can hear the differences without having to do an A/B comparison.

DaveWadding · Post by **DaveWadding** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 3:35 pm

and I know that Aaron is just dying to pick up Magical Mystery Tour and Abbey Road....right Aaron?

DisneyFreak5282 · Post by **DisneyFreak5282** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 6:50 pm

P!nk: M!ssundaztood [Enhanced Reissue], $9.99 used at FYE. This would have been a great purchase if it wasn't my second time trying to see if I could get a disc that actually contained the Enhanced portion on it!

Both the back tray insert and the label on the disc say it's Enhanced, but when I insert it into my computer, no enhanced content shows up.

P!nk: Try This [Limited Edition w/ Bonus DVD], $3.99 used at FYE. I swear this is my favorite album of my generation. I have literally worn out 4 copies of this album (2 edited versions and 2 explicit versions). I've lived with the scratched version for about 5 years and tonight FYE had a buy two used, get the third half off promotion so I took advantage of it, and I'm glad I did.

Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape [Clean], $7.99 used at FYE. I have the explicit version, but it's scratched and only a few tracks are affected. There are only 3 tracks on the album that required editing and thankfully those on my explicit copy are not affected, so I didn't care either way which version I re-bought.

DaveWadding · Post by **DaveWadding** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 9:38 pm

Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3 - $3.99 [Amazon MP3]

DisneyFreak5282 · Post by **DisneyFreak5282** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 10:36 pm

DaveWadding wrote:

Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3 - $3.99 [Amazon MP3]

WANT WANT WANT.

Tomorrow I think I'll go to Target and get the version with the Bonus DVD, does anyone know what's on the Target Exclusive bonus DVD? If it's not good I'll just get the regular edition. I also want the box set with the first two Blueprint albums in it, I haven't picked those up yet.

AwallaceUNC · Post by **AwallaceUNC** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 10:43 pm

DaveWadding wrote:and I know that Aaron is just dying to pick up Magical Mystery Tour and Abbey Road....right Aaron?

Yes! I just bought Abbey Road on CD a couple months ago, right before I learned of the new remasters... so I can't help but feel hesitant to buy it all over again. However, I got Rubber Soul and Help from Starbucks. I have a lot of Starbucks gift cards... I used those to get those two remasters and I'll probably use them to get Abbey Road too. Has anyone seen any titles besides those three and Sgt. Peppers at a Starbucks?

-Aaron

blackcauldron85 · Post by **blackcauldron85** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 7:34 am

OMG Aaron! A lightbulb just went off in my head thanks to you! I have a Starbucks gift card, and I never really go there, and I could use it towards a Beatles CD!!! AHHHHH!!!!

zackisthewalrus · Post by **zackisthewalrus** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 12:06 pm

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (2009 Remaster) - The Beatles
$12.95 - Starbucks
Paid for with Starbucks gift cards.

dvdjunkie · Post by **dvdjunkie** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:49 am

Why not get your new Beatles re-masters from Best Buy? They have every Beatles album at Better Prices than some stupid "coffeehouse". I hate Starbucks, and why anyone thinks they are getting a better price there, is beyond me. Even Target had better prices on the Beatles Collection all this week.

At Best Buy I picked: Past Master (2-Disc Set), Help, A Hard Day's Night, Rubber Soul, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band, and The White Album. The only one that was over $11.99 was The White Album which was $16.99.

blackcauldron85 · Post by **blackcauldron85** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 9:00 am

dvdjunkie wrote: Why not get your new Beatles re-masters from Best Buy?

For me, I never would have thought to buy CDs at Starbucks, but with my $10 gift card, I can get one for $4 + tax or so.

DisneyFreak5282 · Post by **DisneyFreak5282** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 9:32 am

P!nk: M!ssundaztood [Enhanced Reissue], Swapped out for a copy that actually works. And this one actually has an Enhanced portion on the disc!

No Doubt: Tragic Kingdom, $3.99 used at FYE. I used to own this album years ago but then for whatever reason I traded it in, and ever since I'd been kicking myself for doing so. Finally I decided it was time to re-buy it.

Joe: My Name Is Joe, $7.99 used at FYE. This would probably win most random purchase of the year by me.

blackcauldron85 · Post by **blackcauldron85** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 2:31 pm

Too lazy to post pictures, but:

The Beatles, Yellow Submarine (1999 Songbook), $13.99, Best Buy

The Beatles, Help (Remastered), $7.94 after gift card, Starbucks.com

I was looking for "A Hard Day's Night" when I drove to 3 Starbucks earlier today, but then, long story short, thought to buy "Help" (both are my favorite Beatles albums), but didn't feel like driving to my local Starbucks- I didn't remember if they had "Help" in stock, and they didn't answer the phone. But YS is a replacement for the CD I used to have, and "Help" is a replacement for my cassette.

my chicken is infected · Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:34 am

DisneyFreak5282 wrote:
P!nk: M!ssundaztood [Enhanced Reissue], Swapped out for a copy that actually works. And this one actually has an Enhanced portion on the disc!

Damn, I had no idea they'd ever fixed that. The copy I have is missing the enhanced portion.

DisneyFreak5282 · Post by **DisneyFreak5282** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 11:54 am

my chicken is infected wrote:
DisneyFreak5282 wrote:
P!nk: M!ssundaztood [Enhanced Reissue], Swapped out for a copy that actually works. And this one actually has an Enhanced portion on the disc!
Damn, I had no idea they'd ever fixed that. The copy I have is missing the enhanced portion.

Don't even get me started on what a pain it was for me. I've owned 5 copies of this album so far. The first copy I owned broke, copy #2 was a replacement for #1, copy #3 was the Limited Edition w/ the Bonus DVD, so I couldn't pass that up, and copies 4 and 5 were me trying to track down a copy that actually has an Enhanced session on the disc. After a while I was convinced that no copies were actually enhanced.

1) An edition purchased in 2002 that has no enhanced portion on it, and nowhere on the package does it mention it being enhanced.

2) An edition I purchased in 2003 after the first copy I had busted. On the back insert and in the booklet it was marked as enhanced, but the disc was not enhanced, nor was it marked as such. It was simply a copy of the edition I got in 2002, but repackaged into the new packaging with the inserts labeled as Enhanced. I just assumed it was a simple mistake on Arista's part.

3) The bonus DVD edition that included the standard disc, and was not marked as Enhanced and was not supposed to be.

4) The supposedly "enhanced" edition that has the back insert, the booklet AND the disc marked as Enhanced. However, there is no Enhanced session on the disc.

5) The legitimately Enhanced edition. Back insert, booklet and disc all marked as Enhanced, Enhanced session is there.

Apparently the first pressings of the album from 2001 were Enhanced, and after some period of time all current pressings were not, but I could have sworn it was the other way around.

Also apparently on the first pressings of the album during the song "Misery", P!nk sings the verse that begins "Since you been gone", but Steven Tyler sings that verse on all current pressings. This is why I doubt the first pressings of the album were Enhanced, because the Enhanced version I have does not include P!nk singing that verse. But then again, no copies of the album I own do. I'm probably going to trade in copy #4.

PeterPanfan · Post by **PeterPanfan** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:10 pm

Free @ SwapaCD

blackcauldron85 · Post by **blackcauldron85** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 10:49 am

The Beatles- A Hard Day's Night [Remastered], $13.99, Best Buy

my chicken is infected · Fri Sep 25, 2009 12:13 pm

The Pagemaster Soundtrack (Shipped today from Amazon Marketplace - $0, thanks to gift cards)

I bought the DVD in the $5 bin at Wal Mart on Wednesday, so I figured I should pick up the soundtrack CD too.

AwallaceUNC · Post by **AwallaceUNC** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 12:56 pm

DisneyFreak5282 wrote:Also apparently on the first pressings of the album during the song "Misery", P!nk sings the verse that begins "Since you been gone", but Steven Tyler sings that verse on all current pressings.

I don't have the CD but I do have "Misery" from iTunes (the version with Tyler singing that verse) -- amazing!

-Aaron

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New CD Thread Vol. 3: The Legally Purchased Anthology