Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This review is for the 20th anniversary SACD edition and due to Amazon's system may appear INCORRECTLY with ANY version of this album for sale on Amazon. So please read my review carefully as I cover other versions as well including which is the best to buy. I purchased the original CD in 1985 and thankfully still have it. Out of interest I purchased the 2005 remaster to find out how it sounded and I was horrified to discover the amount of compression and clipping on the 2005 remaster. Initial A B listening seemed to indicate the 2005 version is brighter and has more punch. However upon further listening I found the 1985 version was more pleasant and has more musical expression, punch and feel. The 2005 version is strained and harsh, while the 1985 version is a extremely powerful. To get hard evidence I ripped both CDs to wav using EAC and then compared the wave forms in Audacity. This is when I became horrified. The compression and clipping in the 2005 version is extreme and this explains why it sounds so bad. I used a plugin for Foobar2000 to measure Dynamic Range of the first track on both CDs. 2005 version has a Dynamic Range of 8 1985 version has a Dynamic Range of 20! See image below. This explains why the 1985 version sounds soooooo much better and responds so well when you turn it up. 2005 version was mastered by Bob Ludwig, well Bob I think you or whoever made you do this should be arrested and locked up for crimes against music! Do yourselves a favour and find an original 1985 copy or one that has NOT been remastered or a copy of the 2013 Mobile Fidelity CD/SACD in the mini replica LP gatefold jacket. Trust me the 1985 version and the 2013 MoFi are so much better than the 2005 remaster. Any one that says the 2005 version sounds great has never compared it to the 1985 version on a decent stereo. UPDATE: If you are into vinyl and want to hear the best this album has to offer then get the Mobile Fidelity 2 x 45RPM LPs. I've done an A/B comparison of the 2013 MoFi SACD which is the best of the CDs with the 45rpm vinyl. The vinyl has a fuller richer sound and the bottom end is way bigger and makes the SACD sound thin and weak. I have played these two versions to a few friends now and their reaction has been the same… amazement at how much better the vinyl sounds compared to the SACD. Comments include “the vinyl makes the SACD sound dry”, “SACD sounds like a transistor radio”. So CD listeners do not know what they are missing out on until you've heard an A/B comparison.