So they mastered the master? That's kind of perverse; seems like they would want to just re-do it from the original cassette.

It'll sound really weird in a couple of years when they re-master the mastered master for the deluxe reissue of the deluxe reissue.

One thing to consider though is that **all** prior bootlegs of these gigs (and there were many) were NOT from the actual master cassette(s). The taper kept his originals in a closet for 27 years after initially making dubs off them in 1980 (from which dubs the bootlegs were sourced), these versions here are direct from his master cassettes - which in and of itself was quite a coup.

Have to say, the Warner-ified released versions still sound better than the old bootlegs... Just wish they'd have had the sense to use what was given them as-is, seeing as how even the band signed off on them.

And Steve, hehe. So true... Do I get some special club membership? Discounts? ID cards?

I just bought the closer reissue and was suprised at how shit the live gig sounded, made me think twice about getting Still. Still, I bet I do anyway.
That is shitty, still, you lucky fuck for working on these in the first place!

The suits know nothing about engineering and even less about the black art of mastering. I'm not surprised they chose the "louder" version.

This kind of suit meddling happens everyday.

Crap. Not surprized though. I'm just recording my original lp's on to cdrs. They sound great.

I saw Control and now I'm in a Joy Division frenzy.

Bonehead mastering moves like that are the very thing that make it hard for me to convince my clients that mastering will improve their recording. I'm still pretty new in the world of sound recording, so I work with a lot of young, green bands.

Typically what I find is that new-ish bands making their first recording a) see mastering as "a little EQ and compression" (true, but a reductionism) and b) don't know the difference between mastering and remastering, and thus when they hear a shitty remaster of one of their favorite albums, they think "well fuck goddamn, I don't want my music to sound that shitty."

Sometimes I still like picking up these remasters just for my own education, and I am often appalled. Bill Inglot has remastered some recordings that have turned out pretty well (with Quincy Jones' money behind it, they'd better sound like gold). But more often they give the mastering process itself a bad name.

I wish I could hear the work you turned in to the label. Fuck, dude. Why Joy Division?

anyone able to find if saville did the packaging for these?

garble wrote:anyone able to find if saville did the packaging for these?

Saville indeed did the packaging for these. I have to say, they look stellar. Fantastic job - and I'd go as far as to say they're even better than the Heart and Soul box set packaging.

Saville even went so far as to re-source the paper stock originally used for the LP issues, so the LP reissues now available are on the same original paper stock - textured for Unknown Pleasures, matte board for Closer and the Hessian style sleeve for Still.

drew

drew wrote:

garble wrote:anyone able to find if saville did the packaging for these?

Saville indeed did the packaging for these. I have to say, they look stellar. Fantastic job - and I'd go as far as to say they're even better than the Heart and Soul box set packaging.

Saville even went so far as to re-source the paper stock originally used for the LP issues, so the LP reissues now available are on the same original paper stock - textured for Unknown Pleasures, matte board for Closer and the Hessian style sleeve for Still.

drew

wow! that's excellent. Saville really is a nut sometimes, but there are certain things he always does right. really shitty about the mastering though.

BadComrade wrote:Imagine if your masters wound up, oh I don't know... on the internet somewhere, so people could download them and burn them and replace the crap masters they paid for with your master. "Must have been Peter Hook".

That would really be somethin' there.

Gosh, that would be unfortuante for the fans, wouldn't it?