Horribly mastered albums

mikey1987

Been sitting here listening to some RHCP this evening and then Californication came on.... holy cow!!!

I don't think I've reached for the remote as quickly to turn the volume down ever!

I'd put it right up there with some of the later Metallica albums like St. Anger and Death Magnetic.

Oasis's WTSMG was pretty awfully load as well.

Can playing these songs too loud actually damage speakers? I wouldn't think so since your amp and speakers are just reproducing badly created music, and you're likely to turn it down due to it sounding awful before you could bring your amp to the point of clipping.

Thoughts and other examples of badly mastered albums?

Nightfall

The Johnny Cash album that has "Hurt" on it. Damn you, Rick Rubin. You destroyed a legends final album...

The song "Hurt" has audible distortion, how did that get sent to the press?

George Grand

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Too hot.

deronb1

Found a Doobie Bros live CD for five bucks. Without a doubt, it is the worst sounding cd i have ever heard. Flat, lifeless, with a ton of audible distortion. I truly believe my phone would have recorded it better.

tonyb

I haven't found any CD's by the Doobies worth a spit. Horrible recordings from a decent group. Though I haven't ventured into any SACD titles by them.

There's soo many bad recordings out there, the more appropriate question would be to name the good ones.

mikey1987

George Grand wrote: »

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Too hot.

Oh yes! How could I forget. Shame, too since it's such a wonderful album otherwise.

I hope some day we can get cleaner versions of these albums....

steveinaz

I am fortunate that many of my CD's are early presses, pre-dating the loudness wars crap. Many fantastic albums have been destroyed by poor recording/mastering techniques unfortunately. I have bought a number of "remasters" that have ended up in the trash. High bit rates/sample rates don't always improve a recording either. I prefer my (pre loudness wars) Carpenters CD to the 24/44 download from HD tracks, after many listenings. While the CD does lack some bass, it's smoother both vocally and level-wise. the 24/44 download is mastered louder, unfortunately. I'll take the increased clarity dynamic range, over the over-done bass and "echo-chamber" vocals in the remaster any day. At first, I found the 24bit version to be very interesting---but the more I listened to it, the more I preferred the CD version (non-remaster).

Anytime I'm searching for classic rock, older pop stuff, I now look for the earliest version of the CD---as counter-intuitive as that sounds.

Hermitism

So far, the worst CD I've listened to is the original/first issue of The Cars Greatest Hits. It's horrific.

steveinaz

Nazareth "Hair of the Dog" is pretty horrific. Flat, bassless, tinny. It's a good beer coaster. Daughtry's first album is a wreck as well. Talk about "smeared" treble (cymbals barely recognizable as cymbals)---that recording is so maxed out; shame too, it's a solid album.

steveinaz

Hermitism wrote: »

So far, the worst CD I've listened to is the original/first issue of The Cars Greatest Hits. It's horrific.

Call me crazy, but I have never liked most "Greatest Hits" compilations, and no longer keep them in my music library as they always seem to suck, fidelity wise. I don't know why.

Thorton

mikey1987 wrote: »

Been sitting here listening to some RHCP this evening and then Californication came on.... holy cow!!!

I don't think I've reached for the remote as quickly to turn the volume down ever!

I'd put it right up there with some of the later Metallica albums like St. Anger and Death Magnetic.

Oasis's WTSMG was pretty awfully load as well.

Can playing these songs too loud actually damage speakers? I wouldn't think so since your amp and speakers are just reproducing badly created music, and you're likely to turn it down due to it sounding awful before you could bring your amp to the point of clipping.

Thoughts and other examples of badly mastered albums?

I agree. Californication and Death Magnetic are enough to make you jump out of your seat if you don't know what's coming....LOUD.

Thorton

steveinaz wrote: »

I am fortunate that many of my CD's are early presses, pre-dating the loudness wars crap. Many fantastic albums have been destroyed by poor recording/mastering techniques unfortunately. I have bought a number of "remasters" that have ended up in the trash. High bit rates/sample rates don't always improve a recording either. I prefer my (pre loudness wars) Carpenters CD to the 24/44 download from HD tracks, after many listenings. While the CD does lack some bass, it's smoother both vocally and level-wise. the 24/44 download is mastered louder, unfortunately. I'll take the increased clarity dynamic range, over the over-done bass and "echo-chamber" vocals in the remaster any day. At first, I found the 24bit version to be very interesting---but the more I listened to it, the more I preferred the CD version (non-remaster).

Anytime I'm searching for classic rock, older pop stuff, I now look for the earliest version of the CD---as counter-intuitive as that sounds.

I have many early presses too. When I'm purchasing new, I have now started looking at the versions and see what comments are written. There is quite a bit of trash out there.

Thorton

steveinaz wrote: »

Call me crazy, but I have never liked most "Greatest Hits" compilations, and no longer keep them in my music library as they always seem to suck, fidelity wise. I don't know why.

I agree. I've stopped buying them because of the quality which most of the times sucks.

mikey1987

Thorton wrote: »

I agree. I've stopped buying them because of the quality which most of the times sucks.

My biggest gripe is the bands always continue to make albums after that, so the GHs aren't comprehensive.

Then you end up with Greatest Hits, Greatest Hits Vol. 2, Greatest Hits Three, Greatest Hits #4, etc.

Unless the band is literally dead, I don't bother.

Nevermind the other Greatest hits like "Best Of", "Definitive", "XXXX Gold", etc.

pglbook

I think the worst CD I've listened to is the latest remastered version of the Rolling Stones, Hot Rocks. That is such a great collection. I had the original version and ordered the remastered version last year from Amazon, thinking it would be an upgrade. How wrong I was. It was so horribly remastered and overly compressed that I literally could not listen to it. I sent it back to Amazon that same day and got a refund.

deronb1

steveinaz wrote: »

Call me crazy, but I have never liked most "Greatest Hits" compilations, and no longer keep them in my music library as they always seem to suck, fidelity wise. I don't know why.

It is true for the most part. I have found a few exceptions. James Taylor Greatest Hits, both vol 1 and vol 2, both sound very good. Steely Dan GH is ok. Not great but i can listen to it. Doors remastered GH sounds good. Elton Johns GH kinda suck tho

Msabot1

mikey1987 wrote: »

Oh yes! How could I forget. Shame, too since it's such a wonderful album otherwise.

I hope some day we can get cleaner versions of these albums....

Not so!! I got a first pressing of Layla back in 1970 when it was first released on ATCO...this remains one of the best tandem guitar albums ever recorded..sonically beautiful...you must have gotten one of the later subsequent pressings...also MFSL released a 24k gold cd that was done from the original master tapes that is pretty good also...

steveinaz

deronb1 wrote: »

It is true for the most part. I have found a few exceptions. James Taylor Greatest Hits, both vol 1 and vol 2, both sound very good. Steely Dan GH is ok. Not great but i can listen to it. Doors remastered GH sounds good. Elton Johns GH kinda suck tho

The "Eagles" greatest hits CD's seem well done as an exception, as well.

Farkenhostile

I love Led Zeppelin 2 but that album has always had a muddy sound to me, its better in the recent high quality reissue for most stuff but you can still hear it when songs like the lemon song start at the 15 second mark when the drums kick in.

Msabot1

Farkenhostile wrote: »

I love Led Zeppelin 2 but that album has always had a muddy sound to me, its better in the recent high quality reissue for most stuff but you can still hear it when songs like the lemon song start at the 15 second mark when the drums kick in.

Great album....done in the frenzy of a very hectic tour in 69.... Page wanted to convey this in the recordings...still one of the best Zep albums ever done...Moby Dick/ Bring it On Home...great end to this record...

cfrizz

steveinaz wrote: »

Call me crazy, but I have never liked most "Greatest Hits" compilations, and no longer keep them in my music library as they always seem to suck, fidelity wise. I don't know why.

I'm just the opposite, most of my cd collection are greatest hits albums, most of them sound pretty good to me. Are some of them mastered loud...yes, but I simply turn down the volume and enjoy. Whenever I come across a remasted cd of what I'm looking for, that is what I will get.

cfrizz

steveinaz wrote: »

The "Eagles" greatest hits CD's seem well done as an exception, as well.

I have yet to come across a bad Eagles cd, they have always done an outstanding job in the studio.

11tsteve

I would have to put Dire Straits "Alchemy" on this list. I had it on vinyl when I was younger and was so excited after I put my system together to get the cd... absolutely unbearble. Over the top highs... way too hot and hollow sounding.

Nightfall

cfrizz wrote: »

Are some of them mastered loud...yes, but I simply turn down the volume and enjoy.

To me it's not just about turning it down, it's about the complete loss of dynamics and sometimes even audible distortion.

mikey1987

Nightfall wrote: »

To me it's not just about turning it down, it's about the complete loss of dynamics and sometimes even audible distortion.

Yea. Sometimes you just can't get it as loud as you want without it sounding like garbage, making it impossible to enjoy.

steveinaz

The treble is smeared, drums are less dynamic, everything is loud in scale. It's almost a broadband static sound.

Timothy Smith

Iggy and the Stooges "Raw Power".

Awesome music but almost unlistenable. David Bowie is sometimes blamed as the producer.

D'prived

Head East "Live." Normally I'm not big on live albums but this is one of the better live albums I've heard. I have the original vinyl version which sounds really good. Recently bought the newly released CD version and it SUCKS! Sounds like the band was behind a thick velvet curtain... no dynamics to it at all.

deronb1

One of best live recordings ive heard is Little Feat, Waiting for Columbus.

bikezappa

I find the sound track to Frank Zappa's 200 Motels very distorted especially in the vocals. I think Zappa said that
Warner Bros. still owns the rights and refuses to clean up the master. The LP and all CDs are all sucky.

mikey1987

deronb1 wrote: »

One of best live recordings ive heard is Little Feat, Waiting for Columbus.

Hell yeah! That's what I'm groovin' to at the moment. You'd never know it was live...

I said Juanita!!!!!!