[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by Peestie

I finally got my 3 CD copy of Solo Anthology finally arrived and I noticed a lot of differences between the album and compilation versions. I thought it would be good to have a list of all the differences people have notice. Here are mine to start out

First a couple of general notes, based on my memory of the originals and not on an A-B comparison:

• The remasters sound good. But the ones for tracks from the last 3 album are (mostly) significantly than on the original albums, especially the SWS ones.
• Several songs are shorter than their album counterparts, presumably to fit so many songs.
• In general, all of the songs have clearer and more pronounced bass than on the original versions.

On to specific tracks:

• Don't Look Down: Now the intro is officially combined with the rest of the song.
• Shut Us Down (Live): This has been sped up! I was disappointed he included the Bass Hall version of this as I think it is one of the weakest, but the higher tempo and pitch bring it to life for me. I'm not sure why he wouldn't just pick another version though... The one from the Small Machine DVD would have been great.
• IOOT & Illumination: These are good examples of where the remasters sound so much better than on the original CD. SWS is very thin and trebly sounding. Here the sound is much more balanced. Now I need a SWS with a proper mastering job, just like these ones...
• GOS: This one sounds more muffled than the CD version. The only misstep on the remastering of the whole set, I think.
• Down On Rodeo: Fades out earlier. Still one of the best songs ever recorded.
• Sleeping Around The Corner: Much better mastering. Way less compressed in the chorus so it breathes a bit more.
• Love Runs Deeper: Ditto to SATC. It sounds way less compressed and more open in the chorus.
• Big Love (Live at Saban): This has definitely been remixed from the DVD and I think the guitar part has been edited. There are a couple of small differences here and there.

What else? I think there must be a lot of other songs that fade out earlier but I didn't do an actual comparison yet.

Originally Posted by fleetwoodguy79

Interesting that the masters sound so different. Perhaps he's using a new technique or LB / WB wanted a particular feel on the master.

Stephen's a great guy and has known LB for a long time. Not surprised he continued with him for the mastering.

For me, this is almost like discovering some of these songs for the first time because they sound so good...

Agree!!