I finally got around to getting the latest remix/remaster of Unfold The Future. So far I've only heard "The Truth..." which I listened to twice last night (but on different sound systems). To me, this is probably going to end up as the definitive version. To explain the main sonic differences I'm hearing in the different versions...
1.) Original release - obviously this is the one I fell in love with first. After getting the 2017 remix/remaster I realized how compression had glued the whole thing together, covering up some detail.
2.) 2017 remix/remaster - interesting to be able to hear some more separation between instruments, but what was revealed was not always (to my ears) all that pleasant. The drum sound just seemed a bit unpleasant and a few other things seemed a bit harsh at times.
3.) 2022 remix/remaster - this is a far more pleasant listen. The separation between instruments is even greater than before and each instrument on its own has better clarity, less harshness, etc. Yes, there are some obviously re-recorded or alternate takes going on here which come down to different artistic choices and we'll all have our various opinions on whether that is an "improvement" or not, but to me this version feels like the polished mix that the music deserved all along. As a whole, this somehow flows better than the original. Like any rough edges have been smoothed out and the various sections are glued together in a more natural way under one unifying sonic paradigm.
Or maybe I'll change my mind after a couple more spins....who knows?
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