Backstory:
The details are irrelevant (fascinating as to how this native Chicagoan-but-transplanted-to-Buffalo person with no industry experience got involved, but not relevant to this C/NC) - but somehow I found myself roped into the current Joy Division reissue campaign (out currently in the UK, 10/30/07 in the US on Rhino). I mastered - from the original taper's master cassettes - the live CDs in the Closer and Still CD sets. I submitted ready-to-release product to Warners UK, the surviving band members loved it, we were all set.
Come July (Warners had had this material for about 6 months from me) we hear "test pressing" CD-Rs. Our mastered material was sent to the Arctic Monkeys mastering house (seriously, this facility is one of the main loudness war violators) by Warners for "improvement" and, frankly, there's zero improvement from the submitted versions. Complaints were lodged but to no avail, and they were released as scheduled.
While I did get a credit in the final releases for Closer and Still ("Mastering by Drew Crumbaugh ... Final re-mastering by Jon Davis at Alchemy"), and I still feel greatly honored for being involved, it's almost embarrassing to have my name associated with the final product. The live discs for Closer and Still are **not** improved by Warners' actions, in fact what we submitted sounds absolutely stellar.
Summary version:
Joy Division CDs are being reissued on Warners/Rhino with bonus CDs as I type. Stellar bonus material, already mastered for release, was given to Warners to use with their full cooperation, yet they saw fit to muck with it and IMHO compromise it. I guess the final versions aren't "bad" per se, they're just not what I'd in a million years consider "great".
I guess having lived with this particular material for over a year (that's how long it's been in the works) it's particularly galling to me, and while what other people have said about the live material while not having heard the submitted version is all good, it's still annoying as fuck.
BTW - the packaging is stellar. Never in a million years would one think these reissues (deluxe 2cd digipaks with full restored artwork) are a product of a major label. And the album sides themselves sound fine, it's a miracle THEY weren't sent to Arctic Monkeyland for obliteration. Rant being said, highly suggested fans pick up these. And the vinyl reissues are stellar as well, only indication these are Rhino/Warners is a **tiny** Rhino logo on the vinyl label - NO Warners/Rhino label copy on the sleeves and in fact you'd NEVER know these aren't the Factory originals if not for the tiny Rhino logo on the label....
ACT: Major label screwing up Joy Division reissues
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Last edited by drew_Archive on Thu Oct 11, 2007 5:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.