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Title: My favorite Ry album and the worst remastering job of the series
Review: Well, the packaging IS cool, with reproductions not only of the LP sleeve and disc label, but also the inner paper sleeve. However, the sound is a disaster. The entire disc has been given an extreme treble boost, which creates distortion and completely changes its character. On many songs the percussion (especially cymbals and snare) dominates the mix, making a song such as "Tamp 'Em Up Solid" sound almost like cocktail jazz. The old CD sounds muffled in comparison, but it - like the rest of Reprise's domestic CD reissues - was true to the original LP sound. Warner Brothers engineers (and Ry) had wonderful ears, and I'm sure the mix we heard in 1974 was close to the one they wanted. This is like listening to a band from inside the snare drum. I don't know how someone listening to this album for the first time would react to the new mix, but I can't handle it. Painful and disappointing.
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