New Wave Outpost Forum

Hello-

I'm new to this forum, so I hope that I'm not writing about something that's already been discussed. I wanted to know if the Talking Heads and Depeche Mode reissues are worth getting. Normally, the idea of buying a remastered copy of albums like "Black Celebration" would be something that I'd jump at, but the customer reviews I've read at Amazon.com have been pretty mixed. Are these albums falling victim to the Loudness War? I'd hate to spend money on the new CDs if it turns out that they sound worse than the originals. I'm only interested in the sound quality, not the bonus content. If someone could give me some insight, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

-NW

Oh yeah... I forgot to mention that I've thought about starting a webpage dedicated to sorting through and rating the various reissues that come out every year. It'd be great for people to have reference to go to so they can have an informed opinion about how a remastered album stacks up against the original release. Does anyone else think that'd be a good idea?

[quote][i]Originally posted by nwilhelmy[/i]
<br>Oh yeah... I forgot to mention that I've thought about starting a webpage dedicated to sorting through and rating the various reissues that come out every year. It'd be great for people to have reference to go to so they can have an informed opinion about how a remastered album stacks up against the original release. Does anyone else think that'd be a good idea?
[/quote]

Good idea!!

Who said Black Celebration suffered from the loudness war? That could not be further from the truth. It is an excellent remaster. Most of the whining on Amazon comes from people who expect the remaster to follow what their US issue disc had (But Not Tonight). Instead, all of the remasters follow the original LP except for Speak & Spell. I am a huge fan of Black Celebration (my favorite album of all time I think) and the remaster (especially the SACD from the UK) is amazing. Per the Talking Heads reissues, they are excellent as long as you DO NOT buy the US edition. They are DualDiscs which are a wretched half CD half DVD-Audio format. They do not conform to redbook (the CD) standards. They are not guaranteed to work in any players. If you want the Talk Heads reissues, buy them from the UK. Unlike the US, they are not DualDisc and are not digipaks. They come in jewel cases. I would also buy all the Depeche Mode remasters from the UK as well in case you ever listen to SACD. A note of caution, A Broke Frame, the Depeche Mode album, suffers from one lopped off chord on the track "Satellite." This only occurs on all the stereo mixes. The 5.1 mixes have the chord. If you want it in two channel, buy one of the Dutch pressings of the album as the US issues have extra tracks injected into the LP that were not originally there.

Edward

Agree with you totally Abacab, as ALL of the DM "remasters" are brilliantly done and the bonus material is worth it alone.

Great idea for the website too.

Come join my new music trading site, it's FREE:

http://djphoenix02.proboards50.com/index.cgi

How is the sound quality on the CDs, not the alternative formats? Realistically, those would be what I'd listen to the most.

Thanks.

Here's another vote for the reissue rating web site - great idea.