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Best-sounding album?


StellarJetman
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QUOTE (Majestyk @ Oct 5 2011, 08:22 AM)
QUOTE
Signals - Sounds so dead and lifeless to me, and painfully 80s.

Sad to hear someone say that, regarding my favorite Rush album. The MFSL version sounds incredible.

Really? It always sounded horribly muffled and muted to me; does the remaster really change that?

Edited by StellarJetman
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QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Oct 4 2011, 11:33 AM)

It's amazing with technology being what it is how new albums really sound like crap

This.

 

I don't understand why the studio "whizzes" keep messing everything up.

 

I had a long drive home yesterday and today (12 hours) and I was listening to several CDs. When my gold Permanent Waves came on it blew everything else away. It sounds like you are sitting in the middle of the band with perfect hearing.

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QUOTE (StellarJetman @ Oct 5 2011, 09:48 AM)
QUOTE (Majestyk @ Oct 5 2011, 08:22 AM)
QUOTE
Signals - Sounds so dead and lifeless to me, and painfully 80s.

Sad to hear someone say that, regarding my favorite Rush album. The MFSL version sounds incredible.

Really? It always sounded horribly muffled and muted to me; does the remaster really change that?

I was so surprised to see Signals on this list too. I had always been under the impression that the band didn't like the mix, especially Alex, so much so that they figured Terry Brown didn't know how to do keyboards and that was it for him.

 

I originally had the original unremastered CD and the MFSL version, and both sounded EXACTLY the same to me. Then I got the remastered version, which was a vast improvement. STILL, while it sounds great, it's no Moving Pictures in terms of instrumental clarity, etc.

 

Don't get me wrong, Signals is my favorite Rush album, but in terms of best sounding album by them, it's not that close to the top.

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I know I'm going to get alot of crap for this but:

 

Wait for it!

 

Hold Your Fire

 

I think Everything came to gether here, Keys included.Specially on Open Secrets, You can here a pin drop in the mix.

 

unsure.gif :

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Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures.

Easy Top 3.

 

I'd say the weakest would be Presto and Roll the Bones - they have no balls, no power.

 

S&A sounds good except the drums are too weak, especially the snare & some of the toms.

They get buried under the guitars.

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QUOTE (Rush! @ Oct 7 2011, 03:03 AM)
Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures.
Easy Top 3.

I'd say the weakest would be Presto and Roll the Bones - they have no balls, no power.

S&A sounds good except the drums are too weak, especially the snare & some of the toms.
They get buried under the guitars.

goodpost.gif

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QUOTE (rushgoober @ Oct 3 2011, 10:57 PM)
Admittedly, I only have a handful of the remasters, but remaster or not, there is no Rush album that sounds as amazing as Moving Pictures. The clarity and instrumental separation is stunning. I can't think of many albums by any other groups that come close.

goodpost.gif

 

My sentiments exactly!

 

For second place, I'll go with Counterparts.

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Test For Echo has always blown me away. It's not just flawless, but it really packs an extra epic cannon of a punch, on top of being flawless. The music itself isn't their best, but damn, you've just got to say "Geddy's bass is really dominating some serious ass right now."

 

Sure, Moving Pictures and Power Windows get the job done right, but T4E goes that extra thousand miles.

Edited by Steel Rat
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QUOTE (rushgoober @ Oct 3 2011, 08:57 PM)
Admittedly, I only have a handful of the remasters, but remaster or not, there is no Rush album that sounds as amazing as Moving Pictures. The clarity and instrumental separation is stunning. I can't think of many albums by any other groups that come close.

goodpost.gif

 

The new remaster is simply amazing. cool.gif

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MP no doubt, it is perfect in that you can hear everything, nothing is fuzzy or buried or too much at the front. The sound of Neil's drums on this are absolutely spot on.

 

I love Power Windows and it's clean, crisp sparkly sound, but MP is the perfect middle ground where the stars aligned and we got perfection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sonically...without question...

 

POWER WINDOWS

 

You can crank it as loud as you want...and it still sounds crisp and clear.

 

That, and Counterparts are both fantastic. It's one of the main reasons I have long said that they should try to get together with Peter Collins again. As far as sound goes, I'd say he's up there with Terry Brown.

 

Obviously, I also agree that PeW and MP are both fantastic sounding albums. But I always think PoW and CP when we are discussing the sound of the album.

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Actually, I've always thought that Caress of Steel had the nicest sound of all the albums! The cymbals sound especially "shimmery"!

 

I miss the old analog days when you could saturate the tape and get the TRUE sound! I think recording on TAPE and transferring it to digital makes a PERFECT marriage!

 

 

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QUOTE (Jaminbenb @ Oct 21 2011, 09:22 AM)
Actually, I've always thought that Caress of Steel had the nicest sound of all the albums! The cymbals sound especially "shimmery"!

I miss the old analog days when you could saturate the tape and get the TRUE sound! I think recording on TAPE and transferring it to digital makes a PERFECT marriage!

I just listened to Caress yesterday and e 100%. Love the sound!

 

 

Caress, MP and Counterparts.

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Let me preface by stating:

I don't have any of the remasters (except for Hemispheres because I couldn't find my original CD) nor do I have any audio equipment that could be considered decent.

 

But, I've always loved the sound of COS on vinyl. Prefer that to the CD. In my mind, COS should be listened to on vinyl (with the lights dimmed and some candles, cool10.gif)

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QUOTE (apetersvt @ Oct 21 2011, 10:35 PM)
Let me preface by stating:
I don't have any of the remasters (except for Hemispheres because I couldn't find my original CD) nor do I have any audio equipment that could be considered decent.

But, I've always loved the sound of COS on vinyl. Prefer that to the CD. In my mind, COS should be listened to on vinyl (with the lights dimmed and some candles, cool10.gif)

Funny you say that. My thoughts today were that it sounds like a warm buzz feels. Each note seems intensified on the album. Neil's drums sound great, the bass really thumps, and Alex's guitars, well they shine. The stereo crossfades are a nice effect, too.

 

I can listen to this one over and over. Van Halen's Women and Children First is the same way for me.

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In terms of production and sound quality,

 

1. Counterparts (up-front, raw, clean sound)

2. Power Windows (Perfect keyboard/synth album and composition of songs. A lot of musicality going on there)

3. Signals (Just for the sound alone. Listen to this one through headphones ;-) )

4. Moving Pictures (the miking of the drums is epic; tightness of the band)

5. Grace Under Pressure (composition of songs and drum parts)

6. Hold Your Fire (the quintessential 'Look how perfect we can be' album)

7. Hemispheres (For the composition of the songs, the 'treble-iness' of the sound (which I think is lacking big time in bass, or low end)

8. A Farewell To Kings (For Xanadu alone, but a TON of hits on that album)

.

.

.

Vapor Trails is last because it's shit. 2112 is close to the end (I cannot stand the EQing done on 2112. It sounds too 'Dolby Noise-Reduced' to me. And Neil's drums sound like he's playing on pillows on that album.)

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I would have to go with Hemispheres. To this day it is my favorite. The mix and mastering is brilliant. The sonic print captured the energy that the guys put into the performance. The material is the icing on the cake.

 

Don't get me wrong, the recent recordings have a texture and depth that correlate with where Rush is now in the world. Kinda like, they are so dressed-up they can't help sounding transcendental. They are almost perfect with all that frequency manipulation and placement on that canvas.

 

However, I really like the good 'ol jeans and t-shirt sounds of the analog recordings and of those, Hemispheres is the one I favor the most. I like to hear Rush as a 'garage band' and the recording technology today moves them so far from that point. Again, nothing wrong with that. I go back and forth in the discography (like today I went from 'Test for Echo' to 'Caress of Steel') and I love it all.

 

cat.gif

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