YES Japanese reissues July

So Isao Kikuchi was not involved?

 

Now that is interesting. Does it have the bonus tracks that the Rhino remasters have?

 

look here :
who cares about the sound ? (just kidding !)

http://www.minilps.net/yes/yessongs-wpcr-13517

 

Nice to hear about TFTO. Has anyone picked up both Yessongs and Yesshows? I am wondering how the SQ is on these two?

 

he is credited with these new masters. i've picked up the first two and they are quite heavily limited, so i won't be picking up any more.

this is Beyond and Before from "Yes".

 

I'd like to hear about those albums too. Not that i want to buy Yessongs for a third time on CD realmad, but if it's superior to the Gastwrit or HDCD versions then i have no choice. To tell you the truth, i really don't mind if Yessongs is tweaked and brickwalled as long as it brings some clarity to the original recording. Someone should remix it.

I got 9012Live - The Solos and it sounds quite un-Hoffmanian, if you know what i mean. Anyway, i'm glad to finally have it and it's nice to have those two single b-side live tracks for the first time on CD.

 

I'm with you Gary. I have the HDCD versions as well. Just go for the vinyl.

 

I know you have a lot to go through but if you have time can you post what you think are the best out of the lot- the must have's (Soundwise). Although one member said that Isao Kikuchi did the remastering and he also did the original HDCD one's as well.The same member said "they are quite heavily limited" - he only bought the first 2 and you said you didn't get those.

I appreciate that everyone has their own opinion of how things sound and respect that but if a fan were to buy just a few of these can you suggest which one's once you get a chance to listen to them or listen to a track or two from each.

Thanks

Scott

 

I have Yes albums in many formats and just purchased "The Yes Album" thru "Going for the One" on the new SHMs. I compared my Gastwirt, Diament, Hdcd, and Rhinos to the latest Japanese remasters. In most cases, the new remasters top the previous releases. They sound smooth and have more clarity and presence. The biggest improvement is the bass. The bass sounds super tight and is not muddy especially when compared to the HDCD and Rhino. Fragile does not come close to the job Steve did on vinyl but does have some improvement in the top end. The SHMs also tops the MFSL. I hear very little compression or brickwalling nastiness.

 

Got mine today, yeah on the back of the Japanese lyric inserts it states " 2009 DIGITALLY REMASTERED BY ISAO KIKUCHI ", however the colour booklets are the same as the 2003 Rhino reissues and even have the previous Rhino remastering credits listed. YESSONGS has the ISAO credit but no previous mastering credit listed that I could see, though there is a lot to look at, the mini-lp sleeves are stunning !!
Soundwise they sound good to me, I had to back the top end off a little, but detail is great, and as the previous reviewer said, tight bass, still got that Squire thunder but not overwhelming.
So whether he's just tweaked the Inglot/Hersch mastering, who knows but to me it sounds like a thumbs up, and as someone who's never owned the original vinyls the mini sleeves do the trick !

 

it's possible my decision to start at the beginning has worked against me, but the first two (Yes and Time And A Word) are notably limited/compressed. and judging from the noise at the beginning of Survival which is not present on the vinyl but is on the Rhino, i'd be surprised to learn these are anything more than Rhino's masters heavily EQd.

 

I agree with Mick D. that the Rhino masters are probably the source but I hear improvements to the mids which really bring out detail. The top end is not overly obnoxious. I could only hear a marginal difference in the dynamic range. It seems some thought was given to the remasters. The SHMs will be my first choice of listening but I will not give up my Diament or Gastwirt remasters.

 

I'd love to hear audio clips from Yessongs and Yesshows

 

You said in most cases the new releases top the previous releases.

They seem to be selling out very quick. Can you name the specific Cd's that you think sound better then the previous releases? They used the Rhino's for their source for all of the disc's that Rhino remastered back in 2003.


What are the must have as far as improved sound quality.

Many Thanks

Scott

 

As I asked in my previous thread.

They seem to be selling out very quick. Can you name the specific Cd's that you think sound better then the previous releases? They used the Rhino's for their source for all of the disc's that Rhino remastered back in 2003.


What are the must have as far as improved sound quality.

Many Thanks

Scott

 

I just received today Big Generator & 90125 In SHM-CD Nothing to indicate what remaster was used but both disc sound incredable!!

 

So for those who are praising these, let me just make certain I am following this logic before I bother buying any. Help me understand this, please:

Isao Kikuchi (a guy often blasted here for horrible remastering on the last set of Japanese minis) has remastered most of these from the Rhino CDs (which are probably second only to his previous Japanese minis for enduring criticism here) and managed to create something "incredible," "stunning," etc...?

Forgive me if I find it hard to be optimistic and can't follow how this could be, but if someone would simply upload a one minute sample from one of these, it'd be great to hear that the guy has changed his ways.

I was going to try a couple of these out of curiousity but now I'm so utterly skeptical that they won't be to my personal taste I'm inclined not to bother.

Samples appreciated!

 

I agree with you Jeff that Kikuchi has not been impressive in the past. I have the HDCDs and they sound like junk even when played on my Rotel HDCD player. To my ears what he has done is similar to what Steve did to Fragile. He seems to have pumped the midrange which is what the recordings needed to really shine. Kikuchi's remsters are a bit louder and brighter but the mids really come through. I must admit that I had to go to a flat setting on my stereo so they would sound less bright however, the vocals, guitars and keyboards have the best definition that I have heard except of course for Steve's remaster of Fragile which is unbeatable. And as I mention earlier, the bass is the best I have heard yet on any release. This makes sense since Kikuchi has evidently focused on the mids and Chris Squires bass is in that range most of the time. I purchased The Yes Album through Going for The One. In my opinion Close to the Edge has the most improvement. In my opinion, they all sound different than the previous releases but better to my ears and with my system.

 

audio clips please!

that would end all speculation (good or bad) about sonics

 

Well, typically these things are always down to different taste, I guess. I don't really care about having any more "definition." I care about warmth, drums that don't sound tinny, vocals that don't grate, etc. Hearing a bass note with a little more twang than I remember is cool, but hardly worth suffering through the way drums often sound when mastering with added "clarity" goes a bit overboard.

And my concern about your comments as regards the mids is that with the exception of Relayer (which was done quite differently, iirc), most of the Rhinos already had pretty jacked up midrange compared to earlier releases on CD. This gave them clarity (at the expense of some other qualities, IMO) already and if this mastering goes even further with that then I can only imagine how much "air" they must have.

You said you have heard the Rhinos, right? Because what you're describing sounds like some of what people liked or didn't like about the Rhinos. And after all, with a few exceptions, these are presumably just tweaked from those very CDs.

 

I have the Rhino's and compared them. The new remasters sound great IMO and are a vast improvement over the Rhino and HDCD. They are an alternative to the Gastwirts and Diaments. They do not sound tinny to me and I am an advocate of Steve's remastering approach. Perhaps it is just the "Oh Wow" factor with the added clarity of the vocals, guitars and keys. However, I just listened to CTTE for the third time and Relayer for the second time and am still enjoying them compared to all of my older release which incude Diament and Gastwirt. The presence and clarity is great. Maybe my opinion will change in a few weeks but I doubt it. The SHM probably has nothing to do with the change in soundscape.

Hey try one and prove me wrong. For around 30 bucks it is worth it for the great mini sleeves.

 

My interest is peaked, but it would be really awesome to hear a couple of samples before taking the plunge.

There are a lot of albums I want in the $30 range, sometimes it's hard to play around.

Tim

 

for this ind of money I want definitive...

 

Okay, I can now help out thanks to a friend who has some of these...

"Beyond and Before"

Sample from original Atlantic CD (8243-2):
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=batch_download&batch_id=Y1RyTGt5Z2dqY3FGa1E9PQ


Sample from new SHM CD:
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=batch_download&batch_id=Y1RyTGt5Z2dsUjkzZUE9PQ

 

yes! and I want to hear from someone who sprung for Yessongs, the title which I think gets the most bad reviews of the whole group..........