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The Rolling Stones: In The Digital Era

post #1 of 13
10/4/09 at 11:40pm
Thread Starter 
The waves of remasters passing through store shelves these days is either a revelation or a cynical attempt to ply the pockets of dedicated music fans. I'm a Stones fan. What Stones fan wouldn't want to wring the last bit of information out of the ages old masters which have always sounded delightfully creaky and therefore dangerous?

The reissues are ridiculously confusing: SACD, DSD, remastered, reissued, or a combination of two of the four, three of the four, one out of the four, etc. Here are links to three of the cd's I am interested in. My main question is, do any of these versions sound noticeably better than their predecessors?:

1. Beggars Banquet (remastered/reissued):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/pro...n=5174&s=music

This album has always sounded wonderfully dreary and languid, dangerously depressing Great for any angst ridden teenager. But apparently the masters were run too slowly and the "new" version supposedly is played back at the correct speed.

2. Hot Rocks DSD remastered:

http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Rocks-1964...t_mus_ep_dpi_2

This is DSD, so I suppose it does have superior sound quality. Anyone own a copy?

3. Let It Bleed Hybrid SACD/CD:

http://www.amazon.com/Let-Bleed-Roll...t_mus_ep_dpi_3

Magnum Opus. Amazing.

All of the inconsistent and multiple labels are really, really confusing. All I want to know is if the linked versions sound better than prior releases...
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post #2 of 13
10/4/09 at 11:42pm
Thought this was going to be about The Criterion Collection Bluray of Gimme Shelter...
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post #3 of 13
10/5/09 at 12:03am
Thread Starter 
I've got the criterion dvd and the content is simply too sinister to watch on a regular basis. Their playing is as tight as I've ever heard it, but a few things just bother me. Namely, Mick Jagger's completely over the top "funky chicken" dance which he indulges in an almost stupid, frenetic fashion.

Most importantly, there's an awesome sense of dread since you know what's lurking just around the corner if you get too caught up in the music. This is simply one of the most sinister days of rock n roll ever captured on film.

Please, let's discuss their music instead.
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post #4 of 13
10/5/09 at 12:15am
I cannot really get behind any of the remasters of the last 10 years when it comes to rock music, unless the original mix was incompetently done.

Can someone explain to me why we want audiophile-quality Stones releases? This is crotch-rock, and what matters is you need a recording that brings the fucking SLEAZE, not the recording where you can identify the model of Charlie Watts' cymbal and the diameter of his drum stick.
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post #5 of 13
10/5/09 at 12:18am
Because people with $20,000 phono cartridges want the 180 gram reissues.
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post #6 of 13
10/5/09 at 12:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pennglock View Post
not the recording where you can identify the model of Charlie Watts' cymbal and the diameter of his drum stick.

It doesn't matter. Charlies drums are all sampled anyway. At least since the '89 Steel Wheels tour.
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post #7 of 13
10/5/09 at 12:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LabelKing View Post
Because people with $20,000 phono cartridges want the 180 gram reissues.

this
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post #8 of 13
10/5/09 at 1:13am
ABKCO's The Rolling Stones Remastered Series For the past several months, Bob Ludwig and ABKCO Records senior VP Jody Klein have been working together on The Rolling Stones Remastered Series, comprising of 22 titles that range from the band's initial recordings in 1963 through the 1970 live Get Yer Ya Ya's Out!, as well as several compliations. The titles will be released on dual-layer hybrid Super Audio CDs (SACD), which are backwards compatible with existing CD players. In an SACD player, the consumer hears the high-resolution audio made possible by Direct Stream Digital (DSD) technology. This system uses a one-bit recording process that has a sampling rate of 2.8224 megahertz to achieve a frequency response of 100 kilohertz and a dynamic range of more than 120 decibels. http://www.gatewaymastering.com/gateway_newscolumn.asp?ID={882FFEF1-A7F0-4EF5-B8A5-2F87E00A1FB0} Do they sound better? Oh yes. Beggars, Bleed, and Sticky (done by Virgin, IIRC) are noticeably better, although all of them still retain that mid-rangey dirt that I guess makes them Mick Taylor era Stones albums. the real question is...do they lookbetter?
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post #9 of 13
10/5/09 at 1:32am
Quote:
Can someone explain to me why we want audiophile-quality Stones releases? This is crotch-rock, and what matters is you need a recording that brings the fucking SLEAZE, not the recording where you can identify the model of Charlie Watts' cymbal and the diameter of his drum stick.

I'll jump on any bandwagon making fun of audiophiles, but at least through Goats' Head Soup, the Stones were not crotch-rock. Or sleazy, really.
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post #10 of 13
10/5/09 at 8:16am
I will confess I paid retail for the remastered 180 gram triple lp album of The Fall's Rough Trade years. If lo-fi didn't exist before, The Fall probably invented it.
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post #11 of 13
10/5/09 at 11:53am
this. this. this this. this. this. http://www.amazon.com/Ya-Yas-Rolling...4754120&sr=8-1 GIMME!!!!!!!!!!!
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post #12 of 13
10/5/09 at 4:54pm
Thread Starter 
That's a nice boxset, and I'm glad the Stones' catalogue is receiving the attention it deserves, finally. These boys are just flat-out nasty, and they're not really amenable to "restoration" or "reformation" or whatever term you want to use.

All I want is a little bit more nastiness, and if DSD can help me to achieve that, then so be it.
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post #13 of 13
11/10/09 at 3:03am
Thread Starter 
Update: picked up a copy of Tattoo You. The difference with the remaster 09 is startling. The older copy is unlistenable.

Beggars and Let It sound delicious too. The improvement in sound quality is a bit more subtle: it's noticeable primarily in percussions, which sound a lot sharper. Voices sound about the same.

Overall, these are worthwhile remasters. No way I go for Get Yer Ya Ya's at $50 though. I'll wait a month or two atleast.
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