I'll keep this as short as possible, but I just read on Brian's website that he was dissing the sound presentation and picture quality on some 3-D venture that Keane did:
Ummm...has he actually listened to The Cosmos Rocks? Granted, I know that TCR sucks more when you relate it to the quality of the music, but come on! I guess you could argue that TCR has horrible bass guitar tracks on it (there is bass on it, right?). Also, if you listen to Jazz and Live Killers, those aren't really mixed all that well either: with quiet guitars (If You Can't Beat Them) and lack of drum 'punch' (the whole Live Killers album).
It would be nice to see them re-release Live Killers for a 30th anniversary edition with a better sound mix and contain the left off songs: If You Can't Beat Them, Somebody To Love, Fat Bottomed Girls and It's Late, and include a DVD mix with it. Maybe I'm crazy in thinking this would sell or the fans would like it???
Brian wasn't commenting at all on the mix or the production of the Keane audio, purely that due to a technical error or oversight it was presented in mono rather than stereo - I'd say that's a major cock up by someone that warrants commenting on.
Although I'm not a huge fan of the material on TCR, the production and mix sits perfectly well with the style of music they have written - as much as I'd love a 'name' bass player on it, they din't go that route, and therefore I think it's right to understate the bass parts both in terms of what was played and how high up in the mix it is; why try to duplicate, for example, John Deacon's sound, when it's not him on it?
Live Killers re-release? I do agree that it would be nice to have the additional tracks that were originaly cut out, and a DVD to accompany it, but I don't think a live album made up of numerous shows, rather than say one historic gig, warrants an anniversary edition.
How about instead of a Live Killers re-release, we could have a release of the complete shows that came from the Live Killers tour completely remastered and on DVD and Blu-Ray. Maybe we could finally officially release the Hammersmith Odeon 75 also. We already have proof that it is in good enough quality to be released...
And the Cosmos Rocks is a great album. You might not like it but that doesn't give you any right to call it crap or anything like that. Lots of people love the album, which is why it reached number 5 in the U.K. which is pretty good considering the advertising for it...
Cosmos is probably the best sounding album mix wise and dynamic wise they have ever produced
Leaving aside the style of songs.... the album is very well produced and makes the most of Brian's guitar and Rogers drum tone.
If RTB had the technology we have today he would have done even more amazing things with ANATO which was a landmark album, but since then most of the Queen albums have failed to live up to the promise of pure digital purity.
Cosmos may not be everyone's cup of tea, but then no Queen album has ever been greated as such, however one thing everybody who knows anything about recording says is that it finally gives Queen the sound and power on album they have on stage, no other album has done that since ANOTO or ADATR
Sorry but your comment just makes it clear you don't have a clue what you are talking about.