judicata
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Metallica Reissues
Ariel Bitran
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I'm stoked. I'll wait for the "...And Justice For All" reissue though. I hope they turn up the bass so that album sounds like it deserves to.

judicata
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If the drums don't sound like foldgers coffee cans, we'll be in good shape.

mrlowry
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Quote:
If the drums don't sound like foldgers coffee cans, we'll be in good shape.

I must vehemently disagree, they were clearly Maxwell House cans. Clean out your ears once in a while.

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Well, I don't know about coffee cans, that was the St. Anger album, eek! But the Justice album is definitely, mmm, murky. I have the Rhino vinyl box (4155 of 5000) from a few years ago, and it seemed to be about the same sonically. Which is okay with me, because anymore if they "remaster" a recording, it really means "let's compress the crap out it." So which is better murky or bright and overly punchy? Somebody let us know how these new Master Of Puppets, Kill'em All and Ride The Lightning LPs sound, eh?

Ariel Bitran
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Well its MoFi doing the remasters so we can expect them to not compress the crap out of it. That would be a disaster.

I was wondering, with remasters... what can the remastering actually do? isn't it dependent on the quality of the sound that was captured at the time? So if those drums were captured poorly so that they sound like coffee cans, can they not sound like coffee cans after a remastering?

judicata
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The spotty production of ...Justice is well-noted. From the Wikipedia article on the album: "As said by the band in their magazine SO WHAT!, they wish that they could re-mix the entire album because the drums and guitar overpower the bass completely. The album was released on two LPs at the usual single-LP price, since the band thought that putting the album on a single record would have diminished its fidelity."

It is still a fantastic album, and I'll get the reissue - I seriously doubt mofi can do much to correct the problems noted above.

Second, I've listened to Master of Puppets now (the 45rpm edition), and it does sound pretty great. I had only heard the CD before, and it is definitely a step up. Everything seems to sound sharper (i.e. less murky, not that the album had any problems in this area to begin with), and there is more detail.

Lowry - I don't know how I could be mistaken. Perhaps they were Maxwell drums with a Folders bass?

Ariel Bitran
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Hey Judicata,

Can you give a final verdict on these reissues?

rbcohen
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I just purchased the non 45 rpm reissue. I hav'nt had a chance to really listen to it. I've been too busy with the new Beck and MMJ LP's. They are both great.

Rob

Ariel Bitran
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The new MMJ record is definitely growing on me. I liked it a little at first but now I find the songs really popping into my head every morning. I have one stuck in my head right now, the first track "Evil Urges," oh but wait, thats gone now, its "I'm Amazed" now.

Evil Urges just has so many hooks and an honest attempt at a new style/sound, what I love to hear from any band.

judicata
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Quote:
Hey Judicata,

Can you give a final verdict on these reissues?

With some qualification. I'm new to vinyl and hi-fi, and my previous experience with these albums involved the cassette tapes and then CDs when I was a kid, and then my ipod (from the CD). I now can only find the ...Justice CD and, alas, that hasn't been released yet. So I can't offer a side-by-side.

Both editions I have are the 45rpm - I ordered the 33 for Lightning, but got the 45. I'm not sure if this was a mistake or they were out of stock and threw it in as an upgrade.

Aesthetics: It is really great to see the old cover art true to size. I showed MOP to my friend, who was also a fan, and he had never noticed the dog tag or military helmet before. It is also great to see the old photos and liner notes. Really good job on that front.

Sound: Wow. Really. There is more separation between the different instruments, and even the different guitars. I can pick up on riffs (especially bass lines) that I never even noticed before. I've also discovered some riffs and lines I heard before only when everything else was quiet (e.g., during a bass or guitar solo) actually continue into the heavier parts. For instance, a bass line will start off against some quieter guitars, and then the guitars come in full force. I never noticed that, often, the bass line continues (I'm thinking Orion here).

Another thing I noticed, and this is going to sound very strange, is that it doesn't feel as much like an assault on my ears. I do NOT meant that it doesn't sound as hard or fast. It sounds richer and fuller, so I feel the assault that is supposed to be there, but it isn't like pins are being stabbed in my ears - even at high levels. I hope this makes sense.

It is a little annoying to flip every 2 songs, which is, in part, why I ordered the single LP for Lightning.

Ariel Bitran
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Looks like next pay day, I'm gonna be buying some records. Thanks for the review. Just what I wanted to hear!

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