>In THIS case, the fans WERE asked. The consensus was that all previous 
>attempts at digitally remastering these albums sucked because the lower 
>volume was lower than the original vinyl....and subtle items were lost in 
>the '90s re-issues.

I'd like to chime in here in full support of Jaimie where the Klaatu 
reissues are concerned. For years various record labels have slaughtered 
the sound on these albums for their CD reissues. Some compressed things in 
a really bad sounding way and all you got was mud. Some de-hissed analog 
recordings to the point where all the high end and some of the mid was 
sucked out of the recording. Some just edited out things they couldn't fix 
or didn't realize was part of the recording.

When it came time for the Bullseye reissues, care was spent to get it 
right. Yes some compression was used, but it was also used on the original 
vinyl releases.  It wasn't like the vinyl master was further compressed and 
squashed, they went to the pre-EQ'd/pre-compressed master mix tape and 
started from there.  The one exception is Hope where that tape no longer 
(exists to anyone's knowledge) and they worked from the EQ'd and compressed 
LP master.  And in that case the original attempts just didn't cut the 
mustard and it was re-done with a different approach and the results are 
fantastic.

As for the band members, they weren't part of the stadium rock at 100+ dB 
scene, their hearing isn't shot. BUT, the remastered CDs were also 
subjected to the hearing of others intimately familiar with the way the 
albums originally sounded and gained approval from several others, myself 
included, before going to press.

These were remastered correctly.

And for those who love to call remastered recordings a "remix", you need to 
bone up on your language. These are NOT remixes, they are remasters.  And 
having some "DJ" (that title has obviously changed to mean something 
different than it used to mean) re-edit a track and add a drum loop and 
scratching effects also isn't a remix no matter how many releases claim 
that's what they are. That's simply a re-edit.  A re-MIX is when you go 
back to the original multi-track tapes and actually mix the song from 
scratch.  That was done to Help and Rubber Soul by George Martin for the CD 
releases. That was done by Yoko for several of the recent John Lennon 
"re-mixed and remastered" CDs.  That was done by Pete "I'm deaf in one ear 
and partially deaf in the other" Townsend (sp?) for one of the many 
reissues of the Who catalog.  That is definitely not what was done to the 
Klaatu CDs on Bullseye.

>Maybe "remaster" isn't the right term for what we did. I think 
>"restoration" is more appropriate.

Bravo. That's exactly what has taken place here.
---
webmaster, The Official Klaatu Home Page
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