You don't have to convince me. Now that you have pointed it out. I can hear it. Obviously, the sound of the guitar. The pick across the strings. The songs that I listened to didn't have much cymbal hits. A small crash cymbal here and there. But the drums themselves were very revealing. The initial impact of the stick hitting the head of the snare or toms is very revealing. Also, the vocals are affected quite drastically. It reeks of Dolby A decoding an unencoded recording. The best way that I can describe it is that it sounds as if you are squashing the highs out by applying too much compression. Not allowing it to breathe. If that makes any sense. Being a sound engineer, I have been guilty of that mistake a number of times. That isn't a great description. But, you get the picture. It sounds dull and subdued.
I got on Qobuz. Many times they will have the original and the remasters. The only original that they were streaming was TFTT. Which they were streaming at 192K/24bit. All of the other albums were the 2020 remasters. And are being streamed at 44.1K/16 bit??? They had to be supplied with a digital copy of the original production master. Because it is evident there as well. However, the 2020 remasters do not have that problem. They also have the 2020 remixes of the albums. Which if I am not wrong were only available on CD in the 50th Anniversary Box set. Yusof/Cat was very involved in all of that. The 2020 remasters, at times, sound more like a remix than just a remaster. In any case, I am almost certain that it was remastered digitally, not that that matters. But it would have had to come from the original master tape. And I am certain that they were aware of what Grundman had discovered. And did not make that mistake twice. And, of course, the remixes had to come from the original multi-track tapes. Which wouldn't have been subject to the decoding blunder. My point is that Cat Stevens' guitar and his voice and the drums, all sound the same in the 2020 remixes as in the 2020 remasters. Have you ever had a chance to listen to the Analog Production remaster, by any chance? Now I am definitely going to have to get my hands on a copy. Out of curiosity if nothing else.
Now the biggest question for me becomes: Was TFTT the only album where this blunder was made? I do not have an extensive Cat Steven's vinyl collection. However, I do have a 1973 A&M reissue of Mona Bone Jakon. And after checking it. I will bet you lunch that the same thing occurred with that album. In fact, it does more harm to MBJ than it does to TFTT when comparing it to the 2020 remasters. I have only one more Cat Steven's album that I can compare. A 1974 A&M CRC release of Buddha and the Chocolate Factory. I have not yet had time to hear if it also suffers from this expanding blunder. The only remaster that has been done with MBJ prior to the 2020 remaster. Was done by Island Records in 2013. Which would have been two years after the Analog Productions discovery was made by Grundman.
However, with TFTT. Mobile Fidelity released a 1980 half speed remaster from the original master tape. And a UHQR box set in 1982. Did they make the same mistake? Does anyone know?
There have been numerous remasters for CD.
The only other remaster pressed to vinyl prior to the AP 200g. Was done by Island Records in 2008 on 180g. And distributed in Europe. Is that remaster flawed. Did they even use the original master or a flawed production master?
@billpete
You originally said that you had a 200g Universal remaster. And then you said that actually it was 180g. Are you certain that it is not 200g. The only pressings that I can find tied to Universal are the Analog Productions remasters. And I can only find the 200g release in 2011, and the 200g double lp 45 rpm release in 2015. Is this the remaster release that you own? https://www.discogs.com/release/3101375-Cat-Stevens-Tea-For-The-Tillerman
And I agree whole heartedly with you as far as reference goes. When you have only one reference that you have been given. That is what you expect it to sound like. Had @bp24 not made me aware of this. I would have considered that to be the sound that the album was meant to sound like. With only other flawed pressings to compare it to, you will choose amongst your choices as to which one is best. It is a shame that your remaster pressing has the spindle off center. That is not the first time that I have read about that problem with some of those pressings. If it were playable. I would ask you to consider giving it a listen from a totally different perspective and tell me what you think. But you certainly can't judge anything if the spindle hole is off center. BTW, NM pink copies for sale are few. And scattered around the globe. And not inexpensive. And if they are also pressed from the flawed production masters. What is the point?
The thing that I find utterly amazing is that the sound of Cat Steven's that the world has become familiar with, is not the sound that Cat Stevens intended. Simply because of a simple technical assumption
I apologize for the length of this reply. But this has lit a fire under my a**..
