Having bought The Game, 2011 remaster (principally for the bonus EP), I find it has a more fuller sound than the EMI 1994 remaster, but am not convinced it is better.
For anyone else who has bought it - your thoughts, please?
A huge improvement, according to my ears. The bass in Play The Game has never sounded better. In fact, John is more prominent in every song. Coming Soon is great. Save Me blows me away. In sum: simply the best.
Certainly the bass sound is more prominent; I don't feel with this release that is "too loud" (unlike the Japan mini vinyl of Innuendo).
However, having listened to the remaster a few times I prefer the 1994 release.
Like a few of the other 2011 releases, I found The Game quite frustrating. Again, like other 2011 releases, the EQ has been quite faithful to the first presses, only with a thicker, more pronounced, bottom end.
If that was it, I'd be all for it. But unfortunately it is just way too loud (for me). Not compressed necessarily, but very heavily limited. Snares & cymbals are noticably clipped and sit back in the mix. Backing vocals in tracks like Dragon Attack & Same Me are sunken and don't have the same punch that early releases do. Many tracks just sound uneven and wrong (for want of a better word).
It's just a real shame, because otherwise I like the sound. Aside from Q2 and Flash (which still suffer from it, but not nearly as much), this has been a running theme across these releases.
As an aside, I actually don't mind the 94 Remaster. (...This is where I lose audiophiles!). This is one of a couple of that series that doesn't sound clouded with heavy noise reduction. It lacks a little bottom end, but it has an even middle range and a top end that's detailed without being distracting. ...But like I said, this is an anomaly for the 93-4 Remasters, which otherwise sound terrible.
It is, of course, subjective. So whatever floats your boat.
The mini vinyl japanese CDs 2004-2008 (Digitally remastered in 2001) releases are the best sounding CDs and the best looking album covers.
Today I bought Queen II 2011 remaster, mainy for the bonus EP, and the sound quality misses some depth...at least for my ears.
fran1979 wrote: The mini vinyl japanese CDs 2004-2008 (Digitally remastered in 2001) releases are the best sounding CDs and the best looking album covers.
Today I bought Queen II 2011 remaster, mainy for the bonus EP, and the sound quality misses some depth...at least for my ears.
******
Might be the best looking album covers but they sound dreadful. No noised to death, smiley face EQ. HORRIBLE.
smilebrian wrote: fran1979 wrote: The mini vinyl japanese CDs 2004-2008 (Digitally remastered in 2001) releases are the best sounding CDs and the best looking album covers.
Today I bought Queen II 2011 remaster, mainy for the bonus EP, and the sound quality misses some depth...at least for my ears.
******
Might be the best looking album covers but they sound dreadful. No noised to death, smiley face EQ. HORRIBLE.
Innuendo sounds awful, I agree. A Kind Of Magic is ok though.
smilebrian wrote: fran1979 wrote: The mini vinyl japanese CDs 2004-2008 (Digitally remastered in 2001) releases are the best sounding CDs and the best looking album covers.
Today I bought Queen II 2011 remaster, mainy for the bonus EP, and the sound quality misses some depth...at least for my ears.
******
Might be the best looking album covers but they sound dreadful. No noised to death, smiley face EQ. HORRIBLE.
Innuendo sounds awful, I agree. A Kind Of Magic is ok though.
I listened to The Game 2011 Remaster and it sounds fuller, fatter and more detailed. It was always a sparse album though and with less clutter it has a clean sound. It is the most stripped down Queen album I reckon.
The vinyl LP always sounded great. One thing I do notice with the 2011 Remasters is they are louder than all before them and on some, Freddie's voice sounds compressed. The Game is entertaining and at well under 40 minutes
it gives me the Queen kick I need at times. Like I said before, Queen moved with the times and if they had kept the early 70s rock sound all their career, then there would be no Game album but hairy rockers singing about 'Goblins and Old Wise Men' and that would be out of place in 1980 wouldn't it. Queen evolved and made little gems of albums that will always keep fans happy and never cease to amaze! None of the X-Factor, Auto tune brigade will get to do that!