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necromancing777 View Drop Down
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Points: 144 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Curved Air (in need of remaster!)
    Posted: June 15 2006 at 18:17
Greetings,
 
It's been a while since I last posted, but something's been on my mind regarding prog music and digital remastering.
 
Recently I've been listening to Curved Air's: Airconditioning, Second Album, Phantasmagoria.  I noticed while in the car, the sound quality is really crap, while all my other discs sound great with clear thumping lows and bright ringing highs. I also noticed some Gentle Giant discs and The Firm discs sound really lousy unless I crank the bass equalizer all the way up. (Jethro Tull's old cds were HORRIBLE too, until they started releasing the remasters a few years back. And now Genesis is getting the 5.1 mix, THANK GOD!)
 
So let me say now that the music of Genesis, Floyd, Yes, Rush, Tull all sounds great without any fine audio adjustments. I think Curved Air and Gentle Giant and some other lesser known prog bands need to have their back catalogs digital remastered too.
 
I can't believe that the record companies won't put out something with better sound quality, it's a crime in my book. I suppose it's all about the bottom line ($$$$$$$). It seems multi-million dollar record labels don't care about archiving recordings unless there is a built-in money making potenial (ex: Beatles, Stones, Floyd,Tull, all get remastered which is great, but lesser known bands like Curved Air, Gentle Giant and The Firm may as well rot on an old vinyl in the garage). Rant over.
 
Thanks,
Necro


Edited by necromancing777 - June 15 2006 at 20:48

"Your progressive hypocrites hand out their trash,
But it was mine in the first place, so I'll burn it to ash."
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tdreamer View Drop Down
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Points: 267 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 15 2006 at 18:38
I have to agree on the Curved Air ones. My old vinyl's sound better. I thibk when Cd's were first introduced way back in 83 I think some older albums sounded atrocious Pink Floyds DSOTM being one of the biggest culprits. My old Genesis CD's sound very hissy and muffled compared to the remastered ones. However this year alone I've already bought about 50 CD's I already have just because the old ones sound crap.
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cuncuna View Drop Down
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Points: 4318 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 15 2006 at 19:23
Indeed. I have the "Second album" and "Phantasmagoria" and I love them, but always leave with a headache because of the following thought: "This sounds so good and so bad simultaneously". A terrible oximoron for a melomaniac...
ĦBeware of the Bee!
   
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necromancing777 View Drop Down
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Points: 144 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 15 2006 at 20:43
Originally posted by cuncuna cuncuna wrote:

Indeed. I have the "Second album" and "Phantasmagoria" and I love them, but always leave with a headache because of the following thought: "This sounds so good and so bad simultaneously". A terrible oximoron for a melomaniac...
 
EXACTLY. I couldn't have said it better myself. The musical skill is a treat to listen to, but the quality of the sound is so flat...Dead


Edited by necromancing777 - June 15 2006 at 20:45

"Your progressive hypocrites hand out their trash,
But it was mine in the first place, so I'll burn it to ash."
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Intruder View Drop Down
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Points: 2086 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 15 2006 at 21:20

It's the ONLY reason I don't pull my Curved Air CDs off the shelf more often! 

I like to feel the suspense when you're certain you know I am there.....
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soundsweird View Drop Down
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Points: 408 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 15 2006 at 23:22
 
       get an equalizer........   I now use it on most of my CD's;  I'll lower the 60 hz on some, raise the 16 khz on others, etc.   It sounds like a big hassle, but only if you're not an audiophile.  I figured this was a thread about the awful CD version of "Air Cut", which has distortion and pops on some songs.....
 
 
 
 
                                                           Ying Yang
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Points: 82 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 16 2006 at 09:16
For Curved Air and Gentle Giant get the new releases of Repertoire Records. They are superb.
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salmacis View Drop Down
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Points: 3928 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 16 2006 at 09:54
Yeah the Curved Air CDs are the worst of any band I own, alongside Greenslade. They have atrocious 'dropout' (a strange, flat and very compressed sound) that to me sounds like they tried to crush the tape hiss but lost half the detail. I agree, the vinyls are far superior. I can't see Warner Brothers going out of their way to remaster them as they wouldn't be huge money spinners- best bet is prog specialist labels like Eclectic or Repertoire who did do Curved Air's superb 'Air Cut' that never received an official release before that I know of.
 
 
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Sean Trane View Drop Down
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Points: 19612 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 16 2006 at 09:56
Yes, the cds of CA are not good, but neither was the bandWink, so no need for remasters
let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
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necromancing777 View Drop Down
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Points: 144 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 16 2006 at 11:33
Originally posted by salmacis salmacis wrote:

Yeah the Curved Air CDs are the worst of any band I own, alongside Greenslade. They have atrocious 'dropout' (a strange, flat and very compressed sound) that to me sounds like they tried to crush the tape hiss but lost half the detail. I agree, the vinyls are far superior. I can't see Warner Brothers going out of their way to remaster them as they wouldn't be huge money spinners- best bet is prog specialist labels like Eclectic or Repertoire who did do Curved Air's superb 'Air Cut' that never received an official release before that I know of.
 
 
 
I'd like to hear the Eclectic or Repertoire versions.
 
I was so frustrated with these Curved Air cds, that one day when I had some time on my hands, I went into an audio software program I have (Blaze Audio) and "attempted" to get rid of the pops and hiss and see if I could generally improve the mix in any way. I won't say I succeeded...(LOL), but it makes for an interesting new listen in the car. Anything is an improvement over the Collector's Choice version of the discs I have.

"Your progressive hypocrites hand out their trash,
But it was mine in the first place, so I'll burn it to ash."
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ANDREW View Drop Down
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Points: 3064 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 16 2006 at 19:31
All my CURVED AIR CDs sound great!!!
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necromancing777 View Drop Down
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Points: 144 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 16 2006 at 23:25
Originally posted by ANDREW ANDREW wrote:

All my CURVED AIR CDs sound great!!!
 
Hmmm....which label issued them?

"Your progressive hypocrites hand out their trash,
But it was mine in the first place, so I'll burn it to ash."
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mrgd View Drop Down
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Points: 822 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 18 2006 at 22:16
   SO, Mr. Trane . Couldn't resist a mildly controversial little dig about CURVED AIR not being a good band, eh? Many of us , of couse, take issue with such a view so we'll have to agree to disagree on that one.
 
   I'm an unabashed AIR CUT fan and in view of the posts about sound quality, can anyone clarify this quality issue concerning the re-issue of AIR CUT as there are some conflicting posts on this.
 
   Also, what do people feel abuot the quality of GGs 35th Anniversary remasters? Are they any good? I, for one, don't want to rush into ordering these if the quality is dubious. Thanks.
Looking still the same after all these years...
mrgd
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salmacis View Drop Down
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Points: 3928 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 19 2006 at 10:00
The Repertoire version of 'Air Cut' is great- excellent sound and packaging. I dare say that it's the bootleg versions that did the rounds that are poor. I have the album on vinyl anyhow so I never bothered buying it on CD until an official one came about.
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Flip_Stone View Drop Down
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Points: 388 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 19 2006 at 18:37
Curved Air's "Second Album" sounds fantastic on CD (on the Collector's Choice label?), with lots of bright high end and strong powerful dynamics.  "Air Conditioning" does sound bad though.  "Phantasmagoria" has sort of a mixture of fair to good quality.
 
I agree with the comment above that a 10-band equalizer makes a huge difference.  I'm surprised that every listener doesn't have one in their stereo system.  I can't imagine listening to music without it.
 
Yep, Sean Trane is up to his usual bashing of any groups he doesn't like (which are often the best bands!)  Lot's of noise coming from his computer keyboard...
 
 
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Vompatti View Drop Down
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Points: 67381 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 20 2006 at 03:19
I've got Second Album on CD and I don't think it sounds bad at all. I've also listened to Phantasmagoria, nothing to complain about in that one either. I haven't heard the vinyls though, maybe they sound even better.
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