Japanese Remasters

Anyone had a chance to pick one of these up yet? I just bought the Low Life album that was released on June 30th, '05. I can't find much, if any, on the web about them. The only two I could find on Amazon were Low Life and Brotherhood. Decided to hold off on Brotherhood until I got a chance to evaluate Low Life (better album IMO)

Well, they're all available to buy from HMV Japan, but I haven't bothered picking any up, TBH...

Any improvement in sound quality? :)

Welcome EDWARD.Do they sound any BETTER now they have been remastered? Rocket Mick

They are supposed to be re-issues, not remastered.

Blue Fun Day wrote: They are supposed to be re-issues, not remastered.

I don't want to take ISSUE with this then!

Blue Fun Day wrote: They are supposed to be re-issues, not remastered.

Some sites would disagree with you, primarily http://www.songsearch.com/catalog/n/new%20order.html. I can't say until I get my copy though. Also, reissues are usually remastered (I don't know of any reissues that aren't off the top of my head except maybe....And Also The Trees reissues from '88). But I'll find out soon! :p

Nick King wrote: Well, they're all available to buy from HMV Japan, but I haven't bothered picking any up, TBH...

Any improvement in sound quality? :)

Don't know yet (just ordered it on amazon like an hour ago) but I'll let you know when it arrives. :)

Blue Fun Day wrote: They are supposed to be re-issues, not remastered.

Well, not strictly true, since the tracklistings are different - i.e. the extra tracks that were on old Japanese CD's (Regret Sabres mixes for Republic, for instance) are no longer there! :)

Edward Schatz wrote:

Blue Fun Day wrote: They are supposed to be re-issues, not remastered.

Some sites would disagree with you, primarily http://www.songsearch.com/catalog/n/new%20order.html. I can't say until I get my copy though. Also, reissues are usually remastered (I don't know of any reissues that aren't off the top of my head except maybe....And Also The Trees reissues from '88). But I'll find out soon! :p

Please let us know if they indeed are re-mastered. I'll be the first to re-fresh my collection. But I'd think that the costs to remaster the songs would have had more marketing.

I don't know, some remasters are exclusively made for japanese consumers and we don't even know they exist.

I vote for Nick King buying the whole pile and telling us, the RMS values comparisions of each track, the fading curve, etc, etc ,etc

PeteZarustica wrote: I vote for Nick King buying the whole pile and telling us, the RMS values comparisions of each track, the fading curve, etc, etc ,etc

You can also take a digital extraction of a new track and an original track, invert the phase of one, and it should cancel the other one out when summed(mixed) together if nothing has changed. The output will be silent.

Isn't it possible that they are just reissued with the volume higher (as newer CD's have higher volume than older ones) and not really remastered? I know squat about audio production, but I've heard of this false labelled "remastering" happening before.

PeteZarustica wrote: I don't know, some remasters are exclusively made for japanese consumers and we don't even know they exist.

I vote for Nick King buying the whole pile and telling us, the RMS values comparisions of each track, the fading curve, etc, etc ,etc

Nah, I've got to save up for the 808 reissues (whenever they happen, Pete)! :p

The Japanese reissues were also rumoured to come in mini-LP sleeves, however this is not the case. Everything else in Japan is getting this treatment, why not these?

Fac 51 wrote: The Japanese reissues were also rumoured to come in mini-LP sleeves, however this is not the case. Everything else in Japan is getting this treatment, why not these?

Just to piss us off!

I got my Low-Life remaster disc today from Amazon. Allow me to say that this disc is infitely better thant the U.S. Qwest release (I can't speak to the UK disc but as far as I know, it is not remastered). I've never listened to the vinyl so just for informational purposes, it's my opinion on the old US Qwest disc versus the new Japanese reissue.

For starters, I much more like the layout and style of the art work of the reissue than my old disc. There is a frosted plastic cover that says "New Order" that goes over the picture of Morris. The liner notes (none exist like the original) now have all four pictures unlike the Qwest disc which had three with Gillian on the back. The OBI strip has the nice "Forever Young" series label. I am only 21 what do I have to be 40 to buy this??? There is a Japanese specific foldout that is NOT part of the liner notes (THAT I like) that you can pull out and read the lyrics in English and Japanese (if you feel so inclined). Now, there are no extra tracks, just the original 8 (also something I like).

My equipment is as follows: Marantz SR8200 Receiver Adcom GCD-750 CD player Triangle Antal 202 mains

I can't say Low-Life was regarded for its tremendous amount of bass (which I don't believe it ever had). With my old disc, the start to Love Vigilantes was very flaccid and flat. The bass had no depth and the whole thing went along in a seemingly monotone style. The reissue has a vastly improved dynamic with more defined, tighter bass that is punchy. The song has more 'character' on this release. The same goes for another personal favorite of mine, Face Up and This Time of Night. The biggest change is the improved bass control that I believe is more faithful to the original vinyl with the punchier bass. It's not too deep and overwhelming so don't expect to be knocked out of your chair. Please understand I making my "best guess" as to what it SHOULD sound like given I've never had the vinyl. All of the songs are clearer, more defined and warmer than the original issue.

I have to say it was definitely worth my 26USD. To those who wish to hold out for a domestic release, I hope your rocking chair is comfortable. For me, off to picking up the rest of the remasters.

-Teddy

Are there any remastering credits on the liner notes? How does the volume compare with the US issue?

No remastering credits that I saw, volume is louder and on par with say the Joy Division box set or any of the Soft Cell remasters I have. It's not as loud as a new release. However, it is improved upon and more reasonable than the old one which you really had to crank up.

How does the volume/clarity compare with the remastered Low-life tracks from the Retro box set?

I don't have the Retro box set to compare to, unfortunately. I think the volume level is appropriate. I have had some remasters that blew my ears off (Into the Gap - Thompson Twins 2004 reissue). The idea that louder is better simply isn't true. The levels on the bass, trebble, dynamics, etc. are much more important. My best description, albeit short, is that this release no longer has that "flat" quality to it like the old disc did. As for clarity, it is perfectly clear and the detail is good. It's not as detailed as say my Hall and Oates K2 24-bit remasters which are super detailed. If I had to venture a guess, the retro set is most likely the best given it's high commercial nature. These releases are Japanese reissues without the K2 24bit remastering etc. It's not to suggest they are not good, but don't expect to be "blown away." For me, the fact it no longer sounds like ass is good enough to justify repurchases (despite the obscene cost of it). I doubt we'll be seeing any remasters here soon. If we do, I'll be pissed.

Well, I did some digging and some e-mailing on these reissues. To those who say they were not remastered, you are correct. For those of you I mislead, I apologize. Apparently, what I am hearing, is not remaster work but superior source material. Superior is a relative term, relative the source material of the Qwest issues in the 80s. Per Low-Life, it certainly sounds better, but is NOT remastered according to what I am hearing. I hope this helps everyone who was interested. Thanks to Chris Bonham at theidealcopy.com.

Edward, you didn't mislead anyone. You're just the first person I know of to take a chance on these pricy japanese reissues so I think everyone was curious. Personally, I thought that it was entirely possible that NO had these remastered the same time they put together Retro and decided to release them quietly in Japan a year or two ahead releasing them again worlwide in a more deluxe package, thus squeezing the die-hard fans twice. I think a fair few members of the forum may have thought the same thing. A million thanks for all the time you spent analyzing the hell out of this disc and doing all the research for the rest of us!!!

Argh I just got all of these CDs in the mail today (I couldn't cancel them in time). I sold my old copies and want to open these. argh :(

Well, you did say the sound quality of these Japanese issues was significantly better than the Qwest versions even though they're not remastered, so why not open them? The Japanese label probably made them with a better master and considering that today's CD duplicating tech is better, the new ones are surely an improvement.

I sent them back. I am going to wait for the remasters (which are rumoured to be coming in '06)