what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster?

It's fairly unlikely you'd have made it here without ever having heard of Jason's previous incarnation. So here you go, talk away...

Moderators: sunny, runcible, MODLAB

Post Reply
Kurious Oranj
Known user
Posts: 308
Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:56 am

what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster?

Post by Kurious Oranj »

this has probably been talked about before on here but i'm relatively new.. i've always found the sound quality to lack oomph and it feels generally quiet in comparison to their other albums.
runcible
Site Admin
Posts: 5443
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Yorkshire, England

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by runcible »

Word is that Fire lost the master tapes - hence their 180g vinyl reissues rumoured to be taken from a CD. So I'd say it's doubtful.

The album that needs reworking is Sound of Confusion which had totally the wrong engineer. Again I'd say that looks unlikely.
angelsighs
Known user
Posts: 4876
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by angelsighs »

out of interest, how would you say the mastering on Taking Drugs... compares to Sound of Confusion? I've got the former and think it sounds great, and I've never got round to getting the latter because of the large overlap in songs and the worrying that the mastering might be like PP.. which is just so frustratingly flat.
runcible
Site Admin
Posts: 5443
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Yorkshire, England

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by runcible »

SOC is, for me, essential. It lacks the rawness of TD but the music is blistering.

I'm totally biased of course - all Spacemen 3 is essential.
jadams501
Known user
Posts: 1261
Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2004 2:51 am

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by jadams501 »

I'm ordinarily a big critic of Taang but their version of Sound of Confusion (which also includes the essential Walking With Jesus EP) sounds great to me. I actually prefer SOC to TDTMTTDT -- it's so blistering you can hear the smoke in the studio. And to me O.D. Catastrophe tops Revolution and Suicide as the Spacemen's greatest rock 'n' roll freakout.

Even if Fire lost the tapes for Perfect Prescription, Sonic has got so much that I'd be surprised if an enhanced version of Perfect Prescription couldn't be put together. Doubt it will happen, as there's probably not enough money to be made, but I would certainly pick one up. The Taang PP is awful, btw, but the easiest for Americans to get ahold of.
angelsighs
Known user
Posts: 4876
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by angelsighs »

runcible wrote:SOC is, for me, essential. It lacks the rawness of TD but the music is blistering.
but would you say the mastering of SOC on CD is up to par? this is what im worried about.
runcible
Site Admin
Posts: 5443
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Yorkshire, England

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by runcible »

angelsighs wrote:
runcible wrote:SOC is, for me, essential. It lacks the rawness of TD but the music is blistering.
but would you say the mastering of SOC on CD is up to par? this is what im worried about.
No it's not - that's Fire's fault. You need the original Glass vinyl for the best version. Annoyingly there were catalogue numbers for Glass CDs for the 1st 2 albums but they never appeared. I was working at Virgin in Marble Arch at the time and we kept ordering them in the hope they might appear but...
Already There
Known user
Posts: 444
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2009 9:57 am
Location: Berlin, Germany
Contact:

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by Already There »

runcible wrote:Word is that Fire lost the master tapes - hence their 180g vinyl reissues rumoured to be taken from a CD. So I'd say it's doubtful.

The album that needs reworking is Sound of Confusion which had totally the wrong engineer. Again I'd say that looks unlikely.
I like the way Sound of Confusion sounds. It's very raw.

It was so much easier for me to like that album than any Spiritualized record.
W: What are we supposed to do with that?
M: Eat it.
W: Eat it? Fucker’s alive.
M: Yeah, you’ve got to kill it.
W: Me? I’m the firelighter and fuel collector.

Gigs 2010: http://www.last.fm/user/Colin_in_Mexico/events/2010
BzaInSpace
Site Admin
Posts: 3864
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: HELL

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by BzaInSpace »

O P 8
Shinesalight
Known user
Posts: 2460
Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:57 pm
Location: Brighton, U.K.
Contact:

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by Shinesalight »

I thought this has been re-mastered, or was this just merely a reissue of the original recording?:-

http://drownedinsound.com/releases/1484 ... ws/4138344
www.dronerockrecords.com
The Home of Drone
runcible
Site Admin
Posts: 5443
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Yorkshire, England

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by runcible »

Reissue, never remastered. Fire WAY too disorganised to get that sort of shit together.
Laz69
Known user
Posts: 2632
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2004 9:09 am
Location: Scotland
Contact:

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by Laz69 »

i love the sound of SOC as it is... the start.. .the feedback whistling up to the point of the first riff is just sublime.

I suppose when you're so used to how an great album sounds, you can't imagine it actually being made better. Bit like Pavement's debut... sounds really rough, but i couldn't listen to it any other way 8)
Shinesalight
Known user
Posts: 2460
Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:57 pm
Location: Brighton, U.K.
Contact:

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by Shinesalight »

Laz69 wrote:Bit like Pavement's debut... sounds really rough, but i couldn't listen to it any other way 8)
I love that album too but find it really quiet in the mix. When I listen to the Pavement albums on shuffle on my I-Pod, the Slanted and Enchanted and songs are much quieter than any of their songs on the other albums. End up turning them right up only to be deafened by the next song coming up. I wish there was a way of equalising volume for songs on the I-Pod. Maybe there is and I'm just being rubbish.
www.dronerockrecords.com
The Home of Drone
jadams501
Known user
Posts: 1261
Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2004 2:51 am

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by jadams501 »

There's the volume equalizer function, but I don't think it really works very well. The problem is both volume and audio compression, so there's no real way to do it except by ear -- and even then headphones and speakers will adjust differently.
runcible
Site Admin
Posts: 5443
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Yorkshire, England

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by runcible »

Also all iPods in Europe have had their maximum volume drastically reduced somewhat recently.

My 1st generation was so loud I could never play it at full volume. The 120GB I have now is drowned out by the bus ambience as I go to work. The Bose ear pods I bought make it a lot better than those terrible standard iPod phones - mainly for bass - but I wish the machine itself was louder.
Already There
Known user
Posts: 444
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2009 9:57 am
Location: Berlin, Germany
Contact:

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by Already There »

Laz69 wrote:i love the sound of SOC as it is... the start.. .the feedback whistling up to the point of the first riff is just sublime.

I suppose when you're so used to how an great album sounds, you can't imagine it actually being made better. Bit like Pavement's debut... sounds really rough, but i couldn't listen to it any other way 8)
I have that feeling with Loveless and Lazer Guided Melodies. I can't imagine them being remastered either.

Personally, I like some of the Forged Prescription versions better than the ones on Perfect Prescription. Like Come Down Easy. The demo could just have stayed the way it is, to me that is perfect, but the album version is much too smooth. It loses some of its quality.
W: What are we supposed to do with that?
M: Eat it.
W: Eat it? Fucker’s alive.
M: Yeah, you’ve got to kill it.
W: Me? I’m the firelighter and fuel collector.

Gigs 2010: http://www.last.fm/user/Colin_in_Mexico/events/2010
BVCP206
Known user
Posts: 719
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Yorkshire

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by BVCP206 »

runcible wrote:Also all iPods in Europe have had their maximum volume drastically reduced somewhat recently.

My 1st generation was so loud I could never play it at full volume. The 120GB I have now is drowned out by the bus ambience as I go to work. The Bose ear pods I bought make it a lot better than those terrible standard iPod phones - mainly for bass - but I wish the machine itself was louder.
Could not agree more, I have a 5th gen nano which is a really nice piece of kit but I have to crank the volume up virtually to max when in public and if you are on a plane it's a non-starter :!: I currently have the standard ipod earphones but am looking to upgrade mainly for the volume issue. I am thinking maybe those that plug right in your ear (buds?) but not sure which to go for. Can anybody make any suggestions, could probably stretch to around £25/£30.

Any help appreciated.
'Remember, change is not good'
davew
Known user
Posts: 40
Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2009 12:09 pm
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by davew »

BVCP206 wrote:
runcible wrote:Also all iPods in Europe have had their maximum volume drastically reduced somewhat recently.

My 1st generation was so loud I could never play it at full volume. The 120GB I have now is drowned out by the bus ambience as I go to work. The Bose ear pods I bought make it a lot better than those terrible standard iPod phones - mainly for bass - but I wish the machine itself was louder.
Could not agree more, I have a 5th gen nano which is a really nice piece of kit but I have to crank the volume up virtually to max when in public and if you are on a plane it's a non-starter :!: I currently have the standard ipod earphones but am looking to upgrade mainly for the volume issue. I am thinking maybe those that plug right in your ear (buds?) but not sure which to go for. Can anybody make any suggestions, could probably stretch to around £25/£30.

Any help appreciated.
You'd notice a massive difference from the standard ipod headphones by just using these http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electro ... Price&fb=0

or you could spend a little more
http://www.play.com/Mobiles/Mobile/4-/7 ... oduct.html
davew
Known user
Posts: 40
Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2009 12:09 pm
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by davew »

Just spotted these in the clearance section too
http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electro ... oduct.html#
Shinesalight
Known user
Posts: 2460
Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:57 pm
Location: Brighton, U.K.
Contact:

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by Shinesalight »

davew wrote:You'd notice a massive difference from the standard ipod headphones by just using these http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electro ... Price&fb=0
Fuck me, thats a good deal. I spent £30 on a pair of these in Richer Sounds. Good earphones though.
www.dronerockrecords.com
The Home of Drone
James T
Known user
Posts: 2162
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:00 pm

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by James T »

I spent £110 on some bose in-ears and they are like a dream. Steve RGC had some real expensive bose headphones though and they are the shit. I'm not a huge bose fan because they put out a lot of shit, but the good stuff is awesome.
BVCP206
Known user
Posts: 719
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Yorkshire

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by BVCP206 »

Thank you for all your advice it would appear as though I am spoilt for choice :?
'Remember, change is not good'
jadams501
Known user
Posts: 1261
Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2004 2:51 am

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by jadams501 »

Already There wrote:
Laz69 wrote:i love the sound of SOC as it is... the start.. .the feedback whistling up to the point of the first riff is just sublime.

I suppose when you're so used to how an great album sounds, you can't imagine it actually being made better. Bit like Pavement's debut... sounds really rough, but i couldn't listen to it any other way 8)
I have that feeling with Loveless and Lazer Guided Melodies. I can't imagine them being remastered either.

Personally, I like some of the Forged Prescription versions better than the ones on Perfect Prescription. Like Come Down Easy. The demo could just have stayed the way it is, to me that is perfect, but the album version is much too smooth. It loses some of its quality.
Agreed on Forged Prescriptions... I would take selected alternate versions from that and How The Blues Shoulda... over any of the tracks on Perfect Prescription itself. Classic record, but lots of superior takes sitting in the vaults. It's my favorite Sp3 release, but it boggles the mind how much better it could have been. Although perhaps with better mastering I would appreciate a few of the intricacies of the album more,
JPB
Known user
Posts: 548
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 5:31 pm
Location: South East UK

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by JPB »

Loveless has been remastered - twice in fact. There's one version taken from a digital source and one from an analogue source. I've had a promo of this for years but the official release just gets pushed back and back. Rumour has it it's because Sheilds can't be arsed to write the liner notes...
Already There
Known user
Posts: 444
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2009 9:57 am
Location: Berlin, Germany
Contact:

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by Already There »

Loveless might have the best production I have ever heard. It's not too much. It totally serves its purpose. Lazer Guided Melodies might be even more impressive because it is even more basic. I mean, look at Let It Come Down, how much it took to make that album and then listen to the first one. It doesn't make sense to me. It's far more epic in my opinion. Pure Phase is quite similar to that, but just a bit less spaced out.
W: What are we supposed to do with that?
M: Eat it.
W: Eat it? Fucker’s alive.
M: Yeah, you’ve got to kill it.
W: Me? I’m the firelighter and fuel collector.

Gigs 2010: http://www.last.fm/user/Colin_in_Mexico/events/2010
mh
Known user
Posts: 276
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: The corners where the idiot children call

Re: what's the likelihood of a perfect prescription remaster

Post by mh »

It would be a shame to lose the PP takes in preference to the versions on FP though; there's something beautiful about the more stripped-down and skeletal versions of these tracks. All that PP really needs is a bit more welly, a bit more clarity and a bit more immediacy in it's mix to overcome the sound problems, which I understand were caused by an experimental early digital noise-reduction system. Fire's shoddy CD "mastering" never helped much either, but there are fundamental problems with the overall mix that could be easily resolved these days if only those goddam master tapes were available (and the relevant parties could be bothered).
Post Reply