How Do You Compare Masters/Mixes on CD?

[EBES]

Which, for me, is why the VDGG Charisma Years boxset is so good. It has excellent remastering and then some excellent remixes. It took quite a few listens to be able to tell which "new sound" was a result of the remastering or the remixing.

I'd totally agree with this. I don't usually have great ears for mastering and I'm not as picky about sound as a lot of people but I had a great experience going through the new versions and I'm looking forward to many further listens of both the remasters and remixes.

[JJ88]

My older CD copy of A Trick Of The Tail is a plain Virgin/Charisma one- not a 'yellow rays' disc- and sounds great. I prefer almost all of those old Genesis CDs to what followed, although (save for exceptions like Trespass) the 1994 'Definitive Remasters' are OK. The problems started later, with the remixing.

As I understand it, when A Curious Feeling was originally being mixed, the faders controlling the room mics for the drums were inadvertently pulled down, resulting in a rather sterile drum sound. That was fixed on the remix/remaster, and now Chester T speaks with much more authority!

This remix is generally better thought of than the Genesis remixes but it still has too much of a modern 'pumped up' sound for me. I find the older mix a more pleasant listen.

[Zeuhlmate]

The remastered versions of Holdsworths soloalbums (Manifesto remastered by Bill Inglot, Dave Schultz) sounds better than the originals.
I have replaced some with these.

On the other hand the Focus box (Focus - 50 Years Anthology 1970-1976) was a disappointment.

Some of Wilsons remixes are a clear improvement, some are not.

etc.

[EBES]

On the other hand the Focus box (Focus - 50 Years Anthology 1970-1976) was a disappointment.

I find that quite interesting! I only know Focus from box sets, but I had purchased Red Bullet's Hocus Pocus Box (non-remastered editions) and enjoyed it well enough as an intro to the band but found my enjoyment somewhat blunted by the sound quality. Then when I got the Anthology box I thought it sounded much more full and vivid, I connected much more strongly with the material and understood much better why people love Focus. I haven't done a side-by-side (didn't keep the earlier box) so I can't speak to what, so it might be that my brain was tricked by nicer packaging, more familiarity with the music, or the knowledge that it should sound better.

There might be some generational effect where, having grown up on music produced in the 90s (I was born in 1984) I'm generally more comfortable with things that are a bit pumped-up & compressed.