Achtung Baby is "NOT" Remastered!?

[@lmighty DS]

I finally picked up Achtung Baby Deluxe. Wow. After the other recent remasters this one is pretty disappointing in terms of the mastering.

It's nice to have the bonus songs on 1 disc, but I had many of them.

Hope they do a better job with the other 90's albums.

fixed. but seriously. they won't. id like it but they wont

That does make me wonder.  Deluxe packages are en vogue right now, and everyone's doing them--just like simpler "remasters" were the thing a few years ago.  Die-hard fans are re-buying the same album sometimes for the third time by now.  It makes me wonder how many more deluxe/remaster packages of each album will be released in the future--if U2 will see the missed opportunities for the JT and UF sets, and eventually release a 10-disc version of each, complete with a "Kindergarten"-style demo disc, 5:1 mixes, Blu-Ray video, unreleased live content, laminates, etc.  It's hard not to think they'll continue milking their audience every 10 years with more deluxe packaging and rarer content.

what do you think was missing? tbh i'd say that and Pearl Jam's Ten Redux set the bar high for bonus content/dvd content. I guess JT could of included demos album songs.

Personally?  I think very little was missing.  It had a nice new mix, a great DVD, all the b-sides, and unreleased stuff--though the several previously unreleased tracks I thought quickly dove to "mediocre or below" territory.  But it's more a question of what does the band--or their management and label--think they could get people to cough up money for.  5:1 mixes are popular, and are incredible if done right.  (See Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here and Dark Side Immersion sets.)  A full "kindergarten" style album of the Joshua Tree in "demo" form would probably be possible, if they wanted to.  Then there are trinkets like replicas of Bono's or Edge's hats or something.  I'm in no way encouraging this from them, mind you--I just see a pattern developing, and the Achtung Baby sets got us fans to plunk down like 3X (or FAR more) than we did for the JT set.  You wonder what the band thinks when they see what's possible with even more content and packaging than they tried for JT.

yea i've got them. i seriously can barely ever hear a diff between remasters etc and the original.

well, at the end of the day you have to realize the unreleased stuff wasn't even chosen for a b-side for a reason, it's just not gonna be on the same level as the album/b-sides stuff. i for one really really liked the unreleased stuff from all the deluxes

[Johnny Feathers]

I finally picked up Achtung Baby Deluxe. Wow. After the other recent remasters this one is pretty disappointing in terms of the mastering.

It's nice to have the bonus songs on 1 disc, but I had many of them.

Hope they do a better job with the other 90's albums.

fixed. but seriously. they won't. id like it but they wont

That does make me wonder.  Deluxe packages are en vogue right now, and everyone's doing them--just like simpler "remasters" were the thing a few years ago.  Die-hard fans are re-buying the same album sometimes for the third time by now.  It makes me wonder how many more deluxe/remaster packages of each album will be released in the future--if U2 will see the missed opportunities for the JT and UF sets, and eventually release a 10-disc version of each, complete with a "Kindergarten"-style demo disc, 5:1 mixes, Blu-Ray video, unreleased live content, laminates, etc.  It's hard not to think they'll continue milking their audience every 10 years with more deluxe packaging and rarer content.

what do you think was missing? tbh i'd say that and Pearl Jam's Ten Redux set the bar high for bonus content/dvd content. I guess JT could of included demos album songs.

Personally?  I think very little was missing.  It had a nice new mix, a great DVD, all the b-sides, and unreleased stuff--though the several previously unreleased tracks I thought quickly dove to "mediocre or below" territory.  But it's more a question of what does the band--or their management and label--think they could get people to cough up money for.  5:1 mixes are popular, and are incredible if done right.  (See Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here and Dark Side Immersion sets.)  A full "kindergarten" style album of the Joshua Tree in "demo" form would probably be possible, if they wanted to.  Then there are trinkets like replicas of Bono's or Edge's hats or something.  I'm in no way encouraging this from them, mind you--I just see a pattern developing, and the Achtung Baby sets got us fans to plunk down like 3X (or FAR more) than we did for the JT set.  You wonder what the band thinks when they see what's possible with even more content and packaging than they tried for JT.

yea i've got them. i seriously can barely ever hear a diff between remasters etc and the original.

In general, I tend to agree, but I did think JT's remaster was a distinct improvement from the original--Exit was finally audible, for one.

But regarding those PF sets, I was talking specifically about the surround mixes.  Were you able to try those out?  I'd be surprised if you didn't notice the difference.  I now find the surround mix of WYWH the only way to go.

Er, sorry folks.  Thread hijack.  As you were...

[zootv]

I finally picked up Achtung Baby Deluxe. Wow. After the other recent remasters this one is pretty disappointing in terms of the mastering.

It's nice to have the bonus songs on 1 disc, but I had many of them.

Hope they do a better job with the other 90's albums.

fixed. but seriously. they won't. id like it but they wont

That does make me wonder.  Deluxe packages are en vogue right now, and everyone's doing them--just like simpler "remasters" were the thing a few years ago.  Die-hard fans are re-buying the same album sometimes for the third time by now.  It makes me wonder how many more deluxe/remaster packages of each album will be released in the future--if U2 will see the missed opportunities for the JT and UF sets, and eventually release a 10-disc version of each, complete with a "Kindergarten"-style demo disc, 5:1 mixes, Blu-Ray video, unreleased live content, laminates, etc.  It's hard not to think they'll continue milking their audience every 10 years with more deluxe packaging and rarer content.

what do you think was missing? tbh i'd say that and Pearl Jam's Ten Redux set the bar high for bonus content/dvd content. I guess JT could of included demos album songs.

Personally?  I think very little was missing.  It had a nice new mix, a great DVD, all the b-sides, and unreleased stuff--though the several previously unreleased tracks I thought quickly dove to "mediocre or below" territory.  But it's more a question of what does the band--or their management and label--think they could get people to cough up money for.  5:1 mixes are popular, and are incredible if done right.  (See Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here and Dark Side Immersion sets.)  A full "kindergarten" style album of the Joshua Tree in "demo" form would probably be possible, if they wanted to.  Then there are trinkets like replicas of Bono's or Edge's hats or something.  I'm in no way encouraging this from them, mind you--I just see a pattern developing, and the Achtung Baby sets got us fans to plunk down like 3X (or FAR more) than we did for the JT set.  You wonder what the band thinks when they see what's possible with even more content and packaging than they tried for JT.

yea i've got them. i seriously can barely ever hear a diff between remasters etc and the original.

In general, I tend to agree, but I did think JT's remaster was a distinct improvement from the original--Exit was finally audible, for one.

But regarding those PF sets, I was talking specifically about the surround mixes.  Were you able to try those out?  I'd be surprised if you didn't notice the difference.  I now find the surround mix of WYWH the only way to go.

Er, sorry folks.  Thread hijack.  As you were...

I also have those sets and  I think the surround mixes are excellent.

[@lmighty DS]

^Yea i don't have surround anything lol. The trinkets and bonus songs were great though.

as for AB and Zooropa, the consensus is little remastering was done thou? I fully agree Zoo needs it own release

[zootv]

^Yea i don't have surround anything lol. The trinkets and bonus songs were great though.

as for AB and Zooropa, the consensus is little remastering was done thou? I fully agree Zoo needs it own release

If it was remastered, I cant tell.

[Thunder Peel]

I have really sensitive hearing and I honestly had trouble hearing any difference between my original copy of Zooropa and the one included in the box set. I can tell the subtle difference with AB but Zooropa sounds the same, with maybe a HINT of cleanup, though that might just be wishful thinking on my part. In the end I can hear the cleanup in AB: I can't with Zooropa and it's the U2 album that, in my opinion, needs it the most.

[jw]

Edge himself has said AB was not remastered.  Hence the reason you don't see the words "remaster" anywhere in the release materials.  They felt the original recordings were done right.  All they did was "polish' it, though don't know exactly what that means.  Zooropa was never mentioned, so I assume Zooropa was not touched.