Who's Next: Deluxe Edition

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lukpac
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Who's Next: Deluxe Edition

Postby lukpac » Thu Apr 03, 2003 2:11 am

As most people know, one of the main selling points of Who's Next: Deluxe Edition is that the original album comes from the original stereo master tapes "for the first time on CD". The story is that only copy tapes have been used all of these years. On the other hand, Steve Hoffman, former MCA engineer [www.stevehoffman.tv], has claimed for a long time that he found the master tapes in a file cabinet at the Mastering Lab in LA in the mid-80s and used them for his CD version, one variation of which is still available in Canada today.

Well, between listening to the two side by side and running the tape box pictures past Steve, it would indeed seem the Deluxe Edition is the *second* time (at the very least) the true masters have been used for CD. There's little doubt in my mind that Hoffman's version also used the tapes. Both forms of the album sound quite good, although there are some differences between the two.

The Hoffman CD has an EQ that favors the vocals, with the side effect of causing the cymbals to sound a bit "midrangy". The Deluxe Edition, on the other hand, goes for a slightly more "smooth" cymbal sound, at the expense of the vocals, causing them to be submerged slightly, if you will. The DE is a bit less "open", IMO.

There are also some minor differences beyond EQ. For his CD, Hoffman essentially played the tapes back "straight", without fading the hiss out between tracks. [side note: the Canadian version has the hiss "blacked" between some tracks. The original US and Japanese pressings don't.] The Deluxe Edition takes a different approach. As the songs come to a close, the entire track is faded out, causing the hiss to fade as well. The side effect of this is that in some cases the very last moments of some songs are lost.

Interesting note: the between song gaps for most of the album seem to be just about identical between the Hoffman CD and the DE. However, while some previous versions of the original mix (including the Hoffman) have essentially no pause between Behind Blue Eyes and Won't Get Fooled Again, the Deluxe Edition has a few seconds of silence between the two. Very strange. On the other hand, the old US MCA CD (a version not mastered by Hoffman) does have a small gap as well.

A big question on many peoples minds has been noise reduction (NR). Jon Astley (who mastered the Deluxe Edition) is notorious for using NR on just about everything. This has the effect of sucking the life out of the music and causing nasty digital artifacts. Kind of a "swirling" sound if you will. Just listen to some of Live At Leeds: Deluxe Edition for a good (or bad, I guess) example of this. Well, I've got good and bad news. The good news is that *most* of the album is NR-free. Hiss levels are usually about the same as the Hoffman CD, and in a few cases they actually seem to be every so slightly higher. That said, several intros, quiet sections, and fade-outs do have noise reduction. One key place is Won't Get Fooled Again - the intro, synth break, and fade-out all have NR. There's very little hiss during the break, and then as soon as the drums come in, the hiss level goes *way* up. Fortunately the NR isn't quite as intrusive as it was on some other Astley-mastered CDs, but it is still annoying, and there's simply no reason for it.

Bonus tracks (disc 1): Baby Don't You Do It is longer than on the 1995 CD, it is still edited in a few places. What's the point? On the other hand, some (but not all) of the backing vocals mixed out of Pure & Easy on the 1995 CD are present here. The song also comes to a formal close, rather than a fade-out. Behind Blue Eyes still only has a single guitar solo, unlike the dual solos on the bootleg mix.

Love Ain't For Keeping sounds far better than it did on Odds & Sods. When comparing the two, I thought "what happened to the O&S version?" That said, I found the mastering of the Record Plant tracks on the 1995 CD a bit more enjoyable than on the DE. It seems as if they sucked out too much of the midrange on the DE. Of course, Pure & Easy and Baby Don't You Do It are more complete on the DE, so it's kind of a wash.

Disc 2: Rich "White Fang" Weiner has said he thought the mastering was significantly worse on this disc, but honestly, I don't hear (m)any negative effects of noise reduction. It's certainly better than I was expecting. That said, I haven't heard the mixes prior to mastering, and I believe he has. Whatever the case, the sound is *far* better than some of Jon Astley's prior work.

After having a week to sit down and listen, I must say the "big deal" about the set isn't the remastering of the original album (it's good, but I think overall I still prefer the Hoffman/Canadian CD), but rather disc 2. Wow. I'll admit I'm not very familiar with the bootlegs of this show (I've only heard them a couple of times), but I'm quite mystified that people would call it weak. Sure, a few songs don't quite have their "voice" yet, but nevertheless, the band seems very tight for material that's mostly brand new.

Well worth the price of admission alone, although it's really too bad they didn't include more of the show. There are over 5 free minutes left on the CD. A few less edits (Love Ain't For Keeping comes to mind) and Bony Moronie would have been nice. Oh well.

Side note: "Roadrunner" is incorrectly listed/mentioned. The song is titled "(I'm A) Road Runner", yet the original Bo Diddley song is simply titled "Roadrunner". "(I'm A) Roadrunner" is a different song altogether, made famous by Jr. Walker. The liner notes add to the confusion, stating that the Bo Diddley version (the one the Who played) was covered by Jr. Walker, and it was an instrumental - neither of which is true!

How would I rate this set? Well, it was certainly better than expected. A key selling point is use of the "original tape" for the original album. While I'd say it does sound *very* good, bits of noise reduction aside, I'm hesitant to say it sounds "better" than the Hoffman CD. Both versions have their own strengths and weaknesses. Casual fans will probably do fine with the DE, although I'd still suggest the Hoffman CD to those who really care about sound quality. You might still prefer the DE, but then again, you might not.

Even ignoring the original album, I'd say the set is well worth picking up. The mixes of the Record Plant material are interesting, and the Young Vic show should set aside any doubts in peoples' minds about picking up the set.

Despite its flaws, in my opinion this is the best Who reissue to come out in a long time.

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Ed Bishop
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Postby Ed Bishop » Sat Apr 05, 2003 10:36 am

As noted elsewhere, Luke, excellent review and overview. You didn't miss much, obviously.

In another forum, a member who works as a recording engineer claimed this new version pretty much lacks the *sparkle* of the old Hoffman mastering. As I haven't purchased this yet--think I'll wait for it used, if only for the bonus cuts--her remarks give me a bit of pause, though I'm not sure studio monitors or acoustics are to be any more trusted at times than our own home system setups. Given that Astley remastered the thing, and that he laid of NR for the most part, it sounds like a good package, an adjunct, as it were, for anyone who has the Hoffman version.
If they don't and haven't heard it, well, they'll probably enjoy it anyway.
At least this one wasn't mucked up the way other Who reissues have been, which, in a backhanded fashion, must be considered a major triumph.

ED
When remixing vintage tapes, imagine you are back in the time those recordings were made, and mix accordingly. forget Today's Sound Sensibilities....

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lukpac
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Postby lukpac » Sat Apr 05, 2003 10:54 am

"Sparkle" might be a good way to describe it. The Hoffman CD has a bit of a peak in the upper midrange which is reduced on the DE. That makes certain elements easier to listen to, but it also pushes back the vocals a little. A bit of a toss up IMO.

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Postby BradOlson » Thu Apr 17, 2003 10:44 pm

Great review Luke. I like it so much that I posted it on Amazon.com

BTW, you can go to the page for the Deluxe Edition of Who's Next and you will see it right there, bookmark my "Review" page and keep up on the votes if you wish.

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Ed Bishop
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Postby Ed Bishop » Fri Apr 18, 2003 9:38 am

Greetings, Bradley! I was wondering when you'd find Luke's little cyberpad; well, that's three of us from the BSN board(unless I'm missing anyone else). Yes, that is a fine review Luke wrote; you've given it a wider audience, which it certainly deserves.

ED :P 8)
When remixing vintage tapes, imagine you are back in the time those recordings were made, and mix accordingly. forget Today's Sound Sensibilities....

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Postby BradOlson » Fri Apr 18, 2003 11:32 am

That's exactly why I posted it at Amazon.com