Megadeth Reissues (1 Viewer)

[Todd Stout]

Have any of you heard the new Megadeth remasters that will be hitting the streets this coming Tusday (7/27) yet? I have been a huge fan of Megadeth since 1986 and I am really looking forward to hearing these remasters. Dave Mustaine did wonders for Killing is My Business two years ago so I hold high hopes for what is coming out on Tusday.

Megadeth back catalogue to be re-released!

 

[Russell B]

Go to the barnes and noble website and they have soundclips from every track. Dave should have just remastered the albums and kept the mixing the same. The full songs i heard there were some improvements but overall i like the older versions.

 

[Andrew Bunk]

I have them on pre-order. I didn't order Cryptic Writings, Risk or the MD.45 record. Never heard the MD.45 or Risk, and never got into CW.

I've heard some advance clips, and while they sound great sonically (even at MP3 resolution), I'm a little concerned about the "George Lucas" factor here. For instance, in the verse for "Holy Wars...", the backing vocals on lines like "killing for religion" have been brought way up in level. It's kind of distracting. Like Star Wars, it'll be interesting to hear what's been changed, but it also kind of blows to not have the original versions remastered.

Wow that really sounds like a Star Wars complaint.

Well at least I'm getting them for under $12 each.

 

[AricB]

I was impressed with what was done with Peace Sells on DVD-A, so I'll be interested to hear more about these and how they sound.

 

[Todd Stout]

Well today is the day. I am going to go and try and find the remasters at the local Circuit City and/or Best Buy. I hope they have them in stock. I will likely pick up the first 3 or 4 (my favorite CD of theirs is So Far, So Good...So What!) And give them a spin. It sounds like the mixes may be completely new so I will be keeping my old copies as well. I think change is good... as long as the orginal versions are still around.

 

[Andrew Bunk]

Well just got these in the mail. Only had enough time to hear the first half of Rust In Peace on the way into work. I picked that since it's probably my favorite 'Deth record, and plus I heard it has the most changes. Here are my thoughts so far:

Holy Wars and Hangar 18 sound great. No big changes that I could really
pick out. Kick drum has a great punch now. Also the backing vocals in Holy Wars didn't sound as loud as in the advance mp3 clip-which is good.
Unfortunately that's where the non-tweaking ends.

Take No Prisoners sounds WAY different. First, the bass is way louder
in the mix, and I'm not entirely sure it's even the original bass
track. The vocals have definitely been recently re-recorded for this track. Some other minor changes as well, like one of the riffs doesn't come in until later now.

Five Magics also sounds different. Either the vocals were also redone on this or the remixing really made them sound different. When that weird voice comes in answering Dave on lines like "I master magics 5", that's definitely
different.

I know this record like the back of my hand, so it's a little disorienting to hear them sound so different. If the whole record camne out like Holy Wars and Hangar 18 I'd be really happy, but that doesn't look to be the case.

I have higher hopes for Peace Sells and So Far...

 

[Todd Stout]

Since yesterday I have had the chance to listen to all of So Far, So Good...So What! and I must say that it what an interesting experience.

The first thing I noticed were some new sounds added to Into the Lungs of Hell. They sound like someone playing a tune on the trumpet or something. After the shock of that subsided, I started noticing that the overall fidelity of the music was fantastic. The drums are now more punchy and modern sounding and overall the music is a bit cleaner than the original mix. Having heard the original proabably hundreds of times over the past 16 years, I noticed every subtle change in the new mix. There were a few times that I noticed that the guitar was buried in the mix compared to the original which was a bit jarring as well. The alternate mixes of 4 of the songs at the end of the CD are more faithful to the originals.

Overall, I'd say the new mix is a big improvement in terms of audio fidelity. The added noises and buried guitar (in the few short spots that it happens) I really could have done without though. I am glad I have added this CD to my collection but I will not be getting rid of my original CD anytime soon.

Now onto the other three remasters that I bought yesterday...

 

[Andrew Bunk]

Well, I've listened to all of RIP, Peace Sells, and almost all of So Far...

My opinion is they're not worth getting unless you're curious to hear what's different.

The vibe is just gone on all 3. There are few if any performance changes on the first two, but the difference in the mix is just as stark as any performance difference. Peace Sells used to have this really dark (and cool) reverb around everything, and that's gone now.

Don't get me wrong, as recordings they sound great-all the instruments are very upfront now. But the original mixes were part of the character of those records. I'm sure part of my feelings can be attributed the being intimately familiar with the originals, but even if I wasn't, I don't think these mixes would have as big of an impact on me. It just sounds dry and lifeless to me now.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[AricB]

Andrew, have you heard the peace sells DTS DVD-A disc?

 

[Philip_T]

AricB,
Im curious, I purchased this DVD-A when it was 1st released last year and had mixed feelings on it. The Hi-Res mix was brutal in some song, the DTS mix was actually better and the 2CH mix was the best overall. I was just wondering if perhaps you picked up a newer version that addressed some of the surround mix issues discussed here. Peace Sells DVD-A Since the 2CH mix on the DVD-A was outstanding, I dont think I will get the Peace Sells remix. However, for some dumb reason, I dont have a cd for RIP, just the tape, so I need to decide if I want the remix version or the original. Any thoughts guys? From Andrews review, looks like I might be better off persuing the original.

 

[AricB]

I have probably the same version, as i've had it for a while. and i dont own the cd to compare mixes. Also I am only listening to the DTS mix,not hires at this point. i was impressed with what they were able to do with this old of a title, that obviously isnt going to move units like dark side of the moon or anything, so given the genre, i was impressed with the extras and quality of the disc itself.

 

[Andrew Bunk]

I have not heard it Aric, although I have thought about checking it out.

 

[AricB]

cant say its the 2nd coming or anything, but for a metal title, its pretty good, lots better than the metallica s/t on dvd-a. the opening of peace sells, rattles the windows on my house using the dts 5.1 mix.

 

[Todd Stout]

I listened to the remixed Peace Sells all the way through yesterday and have mixed feelings about it as I did with So Far, So Good...So What! There are things I like about the new mix and things that I don't like. It's just... different than what I am used to hearing the past 18 years I guess. It is cleaner than the original and I'll definitely listen to it again though to see if I can get used to it.

I just finished listening to Countdown to Extinction and I must say that I do like the new mix better than the original one. I was never at all impressed with the original mix on that CD. It always sounded a bit harsh and the drums were somewhat dull and lifeless. The new mix is an improvement to my ears.

I do find the new mixes on the first 4 reissues interesting so say the least (I am now listening to Rust in Peace) but I'll have to once again say that my original CDs are in no danger of finding their way to the used bin at the local CD store. They will be on my CD shelf for many years to come.

A bit off topic but this reminds me of the latest Ozzy reissues. I picked up Diary of a Madman and Blizzard of Ozz for the bonus tracks and the remastered sound and was shocked to hear completely new mixes with the drums and bass guitar all brand spanking new. What the hell was that all about? Are all the latest Ozzy CDs remixed like that or was it just the first two? My original Ozzy CDs will be on my shelf for many years to come as well.

 

[TedT]

They had a problem with a lawsuit with the bassist that played on those albums. They rerecorded the bass in order to screw him out of future royalties or something like that.

Got "Peace Sells..." the other day. It's been over 15 years since I've heard that album and I only have it on vinyl. I got to say that I love the remixes.

Are the only songs on these albums that are reMIXed the bonus songs? And then the core album (i.e. non-bonus tracks) are reMASTERed?

 

[Jamie Goff]

I picked up all of these this week, and I think they sound very good (though getting used to the changes). The biggest change however is on the MD.45 C.D., which Dave Mustaine now sings the vocals instead of Lee Ving. I played the C.D. in my car and I was like "huh"? Apparently the vocal tracks were done at a different studio and were lost. So it was either get Lee Ving to redo the vocals, or Dave do it himself. So he sang them. It also seems that Dave slowly lost creative control (from reading the liner notes) of MEGADETH, and the remixes are his way of getting some of it back.

On the Ozzy side note, what happened was Bob Daisley (the bassist) wrote most of the lyrics for Diary of a Madman and never got credit for it (even though those are his bass lines and songs on that album). If you think Ozzy wrote all those great songs (even throw Sabbath in here), the fact is he didn't. Lee Kerslake also plays drums on Diary, not Tommy Aldridge. So both Daisley and Kerslake sued Ozzy and won their case, both get credit on the new remaster of Diary of a Madman. However out of spite (and mind) the Osbournes camp, changed the drum and bass tracks on both Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman with his touring drummer (I beleive it's Mike Bordin) and bassist (Rob Trujillo). So get the older remasters with the blue (Blizzard) and green (Diary) covers. They both have the original performances .

At least Dave Mustaine kept the original members on the remixes.

 

[Andrew Bunk]

Well I've listened to the first four remasters, and in every case I prefer the originals. Haven't heard Youthanasia yet. I also wound up getting Cryptic Writings, Risk and MD.45, but since I never had Risk and MD.45 and don't remember much of CW, I'm hoping those will be more enjoyable.

I also just picked up the remaster of Killing Is My Business even though it's been out for 2 years. Haven't had the original in a long time. It was fun to hear those tunes again, all though the beeping on Boots sucks, but I understand why Dave did it. The remaster sounded great-I'm stil wondering if that album was also remixed as well as remastered.

 

[Todd Stout]

Dave Mustaine went back to the original multi-track recordings and created new mixes of all the songs on each album. The bonus tracks on each CD are different than both the original versions as well as the newly remixed versions.

Having heard these albums many times over the years I'll have to say some changes are very subtle while others just stick out like a sore thumb. In most cases I like the original mix better (I am guessing due to my familiarity with them) but the remixes give me something new to listen to (and spend yet more money on since Megadeth is still one of my favorite bands).

Thanks for the scoop on what happened with the Ozzy albums. I have 1980's vintage CDs of Blizzard and Diary as well as a 1990's remaster of Blizzard. I need to find a copy of the 1990's remaster of Diary and add that to the collection. The only thing that is keeping the newest versions on my CD shelf are the bonus tracks.

 

[Ray_Gootz]

No one has commented on Risk but I think the changes Mustane made on that one make it sound much more like a Megadeth album rather than the mess it was. He took out all the techno and studio effects brough up the guitar parts to make it sound heavier. It sounds like an album made by a band and not a mix board.

"I'll be there" gets my vote for chessiest megadeth however I really like it. Every band should try to do at least one love ballad. (I can't wait for Rob Zombie's turn)

 

[Todd Stout]

I'll have to go and pick up a copy of Risk then. I always thought the techno beat of Crush 'Em was a bit out of character for Megadeth. Hell, I'll probably have to pick up the other 3 remaining remasters as well while I'm at it.

Has there ever been any word on a DVD collection of Megadeth music videos? I could have sworn I read something about that somewhere but I'm probably mistaken.