Marillion Fish - era remixed!

[incubus]

Hi there everybody!
It's been a while since I haven't been on these forums, but thank God, I remembered my password:)
It's been 17 years almost since the first time I heard Marillion. It was Fugazi, then I got them all. Then the Fish solo albums..and so on. And here I am....
Back in 98, when the remastered versions were released, I was quite happy about this, everybody knew that the albums needed some sound improvement. Then I got better audio equipment (I'm an audiophile and this costs me a lot, LOL), and realized that the remasters did not sound the way I was hoping they would. Some parts better than originals, some worse. Heard also other remasters, from other bands. Some OK, some terrible, some great. Until one day I was sitting with a friend talking about this, and he had the idea of ...doing the job the right way: remixing, where remastering can't do it. And one day last year the Doors albums were re-released remixed and remastered. Lord, that sounded good. Dave Mustaine of Megadeth remixed the albums and remastered them...much better, eh? Megadeth albums were a little bit over compressed, maybe a little bit more of dynamic range and openness would have helped.
Now....what I am looking at is:

1. Script: original - pretty good overall, kinda tinny and dry
remaster - much better, maybe too much bass, but just maybe
2. Fugazi: original - clean enough, but still that dry sound of some 80's released cd's
remaster - bass is oberblown, sounds hyper processed, not natural anymore. weird is that the Assassing alternate mix from cd 2 sounds pretty nice, while album version sounds overblown and..hm, sticky.
3. Misplaced Childhood:original - clean, but no punch
remaster - weird and sticky sounding, clarity of the original was lost somewhere in the "no noise" filtering by peter Mew. Not good...
4. Clutching at Straws: original - good
remaster - better, but not state of the art

As a die-hard fan, I would like to see these Marillion classics properly remixed and mastered. I think they deserve this, and if something would do them justice, this is it. Also released with some elegant packaging, they would make great sales! Releasing music purely for commerce, is something I hate. But this is the society we live in...for now.
So dear people, what do you think about this idea?

Daniel

P.S.: I also found in the singles box 82- 88 a lot of mastering inconsistencies from track to track, very different sounding ...Heart of Lothian from singles (different mix from the album) had the cymbals very clear, while the album version is muddy...Even old tracks like Grendel would sound great remixed. I know that such project will be lots of work but I guess it'll be all worth it at the end..

[JohnSReid]

So what are your thoughts on DVD Audio and SACD? Are these enough of an improvement in formats to warrant another run of remasters?

[incubus]

So what are your thoughts on DVD Audio and SACD? Are these enough of an improvement in formats to warrant another run of remasters?

My thoughts on those ...mixed. Don't like proprietary formats and DRM, so NO. If you're asking about high resolution, then yes, maybe. The CD, as it was designed back in the days, can provide more than our ears can hear. That's on paper, proven scientifically. Now the higher resolutions, if they are available...are ok. Don't think that you or me could make a difference between cd-a and DVD-a in a blind test. A dog, maybe yes
I don't like Sony, and i think that SACD was designed mainly for their copyrighted vision of the future. DVD-A, same. Some new disc to contain high resolution wav or flac files, not copy protected, would be ok. Personally, I use Foobar2000 on a computer, with a soundcard as a bridge and an external DAC. there are also a lot of network music players today, look at Slimdevices Squeezebox and Transporter. That's where the future is, not in optical discs, and in no proprietary formats. If i had a band, I would offer my music freely in different formats and resolutions, and sell high quality vinyl for fans, just for collectors (artwork and stuff)...
By the way, a lot of remastering is done for commercial purposes, not for quality....we've gone too far with what we'd do for money, honestly. Look at the loudness wars and where they ended with "louder and louder"...
What I was saying about remixing is about doing the job right, future-proof and without hypes and gimmicks. Just pure quality. And that will sell, too.

[docbob]

. If i had a band, I would offer my music freely in different formats and resolutions, and sell high quality vinyl for fans, just for collectors (artwork and stuff)...

Well i don't think your band would last long financially......

By the way, a lot of remastering is done for commercial purposes, not for quality....

yes of course it is done for commercial purposes.. that is how bands/record labels earn wedge..

wedge makes the world go round.. its a business not a charity.

[incubus]

unfortunately, wedge makes it go round. but one can make the wedge with quality products
anyway, my question was what you think about marillion remixes...wasn't trying to start a philosophical discussion here...

[docbob]

unfortunately, wedge makes it go round. but one can make the wedge with quality products
anyway, my question was what you think about marillion remixes...wasn't trying to start a philosophical discussion here...

well, personally, it would depend on the album and whether it was a remix, or a remaster..
Remastering I tend not to be able to hear any real diffrence, and have tended to buy them only to replace a worn out older CD or if there is the obligatory , previously not released bonus track...

Remixing, well thats another story...

I have all the Fish/Fish Era marillion remasters , and the originals of marillion up to but not beyod Somewhere Else, and I am perfectly happy with them as they stand, I would not consider parting with my wedge for Post Season's end remasters - but might consider a remix album,

but I have to say also its not the format that I buy it on that would count. but more the medium, as like, you , I play most of my stuff from HD, through Foobar 2000 and a sound card with optic output into a Bose System.