I am usually skeptical about remastering. I’ve been burned with “remastered” classical discs too many times to trust anybody. Sure, there are exceptions in every genre, like the deluxe A Love Supreme, where the differences are blatant, but unless the disc has some great bonus material, I’ll stay away.
Enter the entire Can catalog, remastered in SACD hybrid form. OK, I had the whole set of original CD issues, I don’t have a SACD player, and there are no bonuses on these reissues, so I steered clear of them for about a year and a half.
After being told by people I trust that the reissues were worth the price, I broke down, took my old copies in and traded them for the new ones I really wanted, among which was Monster Movie. The treatment of “Father Cannot Yell” is worth every penny I laid down for the disc. Extra fizz and buzz, not to mention distorted grind, is apparent on the top end, severely augmented thump and bump down below. Searing guitars are punchier than before, raw-powered drums way up front, and is that some kind of rippling synth --maybe an Arp 2600-- that shrills the tune into existence? Of course, the rest of the disc is stunning, and the twenty-minute “You Do Right” still makes me wanna get up and dance!
They use some heavy noise reduction on these discs; you get about a second of hiss at the beginning of each tune before it drops out, which is a bit disturbing with headphones. That said, I’m not noticing any lack in range or color, and Monster Movie is a fantastic place to start for anybody who knows Can by reputation but not through personal experience.
~ Marc Medwin
Posted by derek on February 4, 2007 2:06 PMI’ve long dug the Galactus-style alien on the cover (actually, on closer inspection the comic geek in me concludes that it’s got a little ROM in their too). I mean if you're going to pick a monster then one of planet-eating magnitude is definitely one to pick.
Posted by: derek at February 4, 2007 2:14 PMyeah, they did a great job on these, the first five or so are all essential.
"once I was blind, but now I see, now that you're in love with me, you made a believer out of me, baby, YOU MADE A BELIEVER OUT OF ME!"
Posted by: jon abbey at February 4, 2007 8:28 PMI love that record... only have original cd version though... and yes "you do right" really gives me shivers and feel like dancing... some kinda sister of "Sister Ray" different style/way... YEAH... I really like the CAN albums with Malcom Mooney... he's so funky and warm and lyrics quite twisted... DELAY 1968 is also very very good for me... "LITTLE STARS OF BETHLEHEM... coat hanger should be upside down"... "silent invisible conversation"...
yeah, lets rocking!
GOOD MORNING
Alexandre
yes, Delay 1968 is also superb, 'little star of bethlehem' gives me shivers too, "froggie and toadie carried off the tangerine seeds one by one".
look at us agreeing on something, alexandre! :)
Posted by: jon abbey at February 6, 2007 12:12 AMSUPERB yeah
Well Jon... I'm fine, its always better to argue but speak honestly than the contrary... and its getting rare I feel... and its also possible to listen to each other and agree when its the case...
Best,
Alexandre
Posted by: Bellenger at February 6, 2007 3:44 AMAw you two ... I'm all choked up--could be that herb I'm smoking ...
Posted by: marc at February 6, 2007 5:01 AM.................................................. © 2003 - 2006 bagatellen ..................................................