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So I figure I should probably pick up a few XTC albums. I already have three--Skylarking, Chips, and Oranges and Lemons--but those're hardly representative of their early, new-wave inspired sound.

Thing is, I've read some unpleasant things about the current crop of remasters, which seems to be largely borne out by the mini-LP of Skylarking I have. It's very top-heavy, and not terribly involving. Worse, the Virgin UK disc of "Chips" I have seems to have some noise-reduction as compared with my Geffen US CD.

So yeah. Are original pressings the ones I want here? Or is it more complicated?

The MoFi of Skylarking is pretty good -- there's been one here in a local used shop for years at $15. I'll pick it up for you if you want. (Of course, with my luck, they finally sold the damn thing.)

But yeah, the remasters aren't great at all -- at least for Skylarking and Oranges and Lemons, which are the two I have. They're very squashed on top of the weak bass you've already noticed. I don't know if the old US Geffen discs are substantially different from the old UK discs, but I'd probably try for either over the remasters.

Ryan

I have to say, I agree that the remasters have problems, but the old Geffen CDs I used to have sounded really dull to me. These included everything from Go 2 to Skylarking. I got rid of them all when the remasters came out, and despite the faults of the remasters, I don't miss any of them.

I don't know if the original UK CDs were any different or better.

For me, the MoFi discs are the way to go for Skylarking and Oranges and Lemons. For the earlier albums, I'd say you have to choose between the lesser of two evils (barring the possibility that the old UK CDs are better than the American ones) and go for either the dull, lifeless (IMO) sound of the Geffen discs (with bonus tracks stuck annoyingly in the middle), or the trebly, rather maximized character of the remasters.

And I know this isn't a vinyl-friendly site ... but I have to say I'm still waiting for CDs that can come within a stone's throw of the British Virgin vinyl of the early albums sonically. The 2-LP Virgin English Settlement in particular sounds tremendous.

nt

I believe Fossil Fuel predated the individual album remasters by about two or three years, and I don't know whether it shares the same mastering as the later individual-album remasters. I haven't listened to my copy in a long time, but I'm curious now to compare it to the remasters ...

J_Partyka wrote:And I know this isn't a vinyl-friendly site

It isn't?

lukpac wrote:It isn't?

Well, granted, that impression has come mostly from reading the Snakepit, but still ...

J_Partyka wrote:Well, granted, that impression has come mostly from reading the Snakepit, but still ...

I get the feeling nobody cares, but I've posted a number of vinyl dubs here...

nt

lukpac wrote:I get the feeling nobody cares, but I've posted a number of vinyl dubs here...

True enough. Sorry, didn't mean to lead the thread astray ...

Ess Ay Cee Dee wrote:I have no problem with vinyl--I do have a problem with the people who go on and on about "infinite resolution" and "the original HI-REZ format," statements which fly in the face of even the most basic science.

The silly hyperbole and irrational worship of vinyl (which so often goes hand-in-hand with snootily dismissive attitudes toward digital audio) got tiresome for me as well some time ago ... Though I continue to like and play LPs, I also enjoy music via digital formats immensely. And if a CD of a particular album sounds better than vinyl, I have no trouble saying so. I've never understood why some people seem to think enjoyment of one format or the other is mutually exclusive.

Ess Ay Cee Dee wrote:As a matter of fact, my Geffen pressing of English Settlement sounds absolutely gorgeous.

Yes, I have the Geffen pressing as well -- it was my first of that album -- and it is very good. The Virgin is even better, but honestly the only reason I picked it up was that I happened to come across an inexpensive copy in a store once ... I had never considered the Geffen LP deficient.

FWIW, I never thought the XTC catalog sounded particularly abysmal on CD. I have a mixture of the US & UK CDs and if I had to say one bad thing about them, it's the way they dumped the bonus tracks in the middle of the album's running order. Other than that, I think the sound on the discs is pretty good to these ears.

I've heard only one remaster and that was Black Sea and to be honest, I thought it smoked not only the original CD, but the original UK vinyl as well. It is loud, but not at fatiguing level. According to most, the Big Express is the one to really avoid in the remaster series.

rspaight wrote:The MoFi of Skylarking is pretty good

I've got to disagree with this. To me, the MoFi sounds futzed with even though I can't quite put my finger on it. My original Virgin, IMHO, is far better than the MoFi. Plus (and I know this is petty), I don't think it's technically from the "original master tapes" as if it were, it would have Mermaid Smiled in the track listing and not Dear God.

For that reason, I never went with the MoFi Oranges and Lemons. I've got a German vinyl of it which seems to best both the US and UK versions of it on CD. I've always found this album to be a little too bright but the German LP seems to balance it out properly.

I do it see the MoFi version quite frequently but have still be rather hesistant on picking it up. How does it compare to the regular or remastered discs?

Ess Ay Cee Dee wrote:That said, I've heard some XTC vinyl that sounds better to me than the CD's. As a matter of fact, my Geffen pressing of English Settlement sounds absolutely gorgeous. I have an Epic pressing of Drums & Wires that's surprisingly good as well (though the track listing makes no sense).

Agreed. Though I have mostly Virgin copies, the few Geffen LPs that I do have sound really good - The Big Express and Skylarking especially. I used to have the Epic Drums & Wires but dumped when I found a Virgin copy. However, the one Epic version that I think is a complete atrocity is the one disc English Settlement. The music's great, but it seems very truncated especially if you're familiar with the UK version.

Beatlesfan03 wrote:I've heard only one remaster and that was Black Sea and to be honest, I thought it smoked not only the original CD, but the original UK vinyl as well. It is loud, but not at fatiguing level.

Very interesting ... That's one of the remasters that I have yet to hear. I presume they used the correct (uncensored) version of "Respectable Street"? If so, that by itself would probably be reason enough for me to pick it up, as I no longer have that version on CD (Fossil Fuel contains the censored single version).

Vis a vis Skylarking, I almost wish I still had my old Geffen CD (assuming it's a clone of the Virgin), as I'd love to compare it to my MoFi to see whether I agree with you or not. All I know at the moment is that I prefer the MoFi to the remastered CD (despite the absence of "Mermaid Smiled," a beautiful track).

Plus (and I know this is petty), I don't think it's technically from the "original master tapes" as if it were, it would have Mermaid Smiled in the track listing and not Dear God.

Yeah, that bugged me, too. I'm glad the remaster restored "Mermaid Smiled," but I'd rather they restored the original running order and made "Dear God" the bonus rather than the other way around.

But like you say, that's nit-picking. The vast majority of people probably learned that album with "Dear God" in it.

Ryan

nt