John S. Stuart wrote that original LP and remastered CD mixes of Strange Frontier are different. link
I've got a vinyl-rip of the album (vinyl printed in West Germany) and the original 1996 CD (printed in UK), but only difference I have noted is that on CD intro of Racing in the Streets can be heard after I Cry for You (which is obviously the remaster error).
Did anybody noticed any other differences?
I don't the original LP, so I can't comment on the differences between it and the CD re-issue. I do know that the CDs were remastered, so it's possible he's referring to that when he cites the "remix" of the tracks. No other source documents any other overt remixing of the album or it's tracks, either the Trainspotter's Guide or the Queen Vault, who are dedicated to such differences.
I do own the Fun In Space LP from 1981 and can tell you that aside from sounding clearer on the remastered CD, there are no mixing differences.
The only other difference you might encounter, apart for the mastering error at the end of "I Cry For You" (the snippet of "Racing In The Street") is that the US LP from 1984 had a different track listing compared to the UK release. The US favoured the heavier tracks going up front, on Side 1 and the synthier tracks make up Side 2. The CD has the UK track listing.
That's all I know.
Beyond the album, the demo "I Can't Get You Out Of My Head" was written by Clayton Moss as part of The Cross, likely between the Shove It album and the MB&DTK album, along with "Celebration" (written by Spike Edney). I'm guessing that was an old list, as we all thought they were Strange Frontier era recordings, but Moss clarified those details on his YouTube and Personal site. He also recorded ICGYOOMH for his solo album The Cross Section a few years ago.
Yeah...the only thing I know is that here in the U.S. the song order is different. The U.S. release had "Man On Fire" as the opening track.
Same thing with "Shove It"...U.S. had "Feel The Force" which seems to be left off of the European release.
Along with "Feel The Force," the US edition of Shove It had a different track order, a sort of different version of "Rough Justice" (with the album outro included) and the Roger Taylor version of "Heaven For Everyone" (instead of the version with Freddie's lead vocals).
Yup...Rhyeking...you are right, again!
I'd totally forgot about that stuff(especially where Roger does the vocal).
I only had the U.S. version on cassette, and that "bit the dust" many a moon ago. So i had to buy the European version on CD. My U.S. version is gone for good. : (
As far as I can see, nobody noticed any differences between LP and CD mixes.
Then, are there "studio master" mixes? Can anybody, besides John, confirm existence of them?
As the booklets for the 1996 cd's explicitly say 'digitally remastered' and not 'remixed' I doubt there'd be much difference. Probably the same thing as the new Queen cd's. If you want to hear something different, you will.
I just hope that Roger keeps up his word and put out new work next year, along with a compilation of his best work. Let's hope for a Fun In Space 2-cd set. Will never happen, but one can dream. Just imagine that Roger has the guts to put together a 2-cd package, along with a 2x180 grams vinyl pressing of the original album (on 45 rpm), a reproduction of the Future Management and My Country singles, all put together in a signed and numbered box. Would be awesome :D
'Remastering' itself doesn't mean 'remixing'. Listen to The Doors and King Crimson 40th Anniversary Editions — there you can hear very different to original LP mixes. Yes, you can hear differences after remastering, but just because sound becoming more clear, not because original recordings mixed in different way. So I don't see any differences in 1996 Strange Frontier mixing.