I've been giving these a listen recently and i was wondering what other peoples opinions were.

I'm afraid i prefer the originals i find the re-recordings far too busy IMHO

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Well i feel the re-recorded albums have a much fresher sound to them,some nice additional Guitar Sax and percussion amongst other sounds make them a very satisfying listen,but to be honest it does not make a massive amount of difference to me,i liked these albums in their original format especially Optical Race and Melrose,two very good albums from the PH period IMHO great listening

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RIP Edgar. I am going to miss you.

I actually prefer the Melrose Years versions but not by much. They sound a little less sterile to me and a bit more live, if that's possible for a studio album.

I think that the Melrose Trilogy re-release is one of the most successful examples of re-recorded albums. There is more 'space' around the instruments, the harmonies are not changed too much - new sounds only compliment the compositions rather than trying to change them.

My only complaint is the bongos that can annoy like an insect at times, and I can see no reason why they changed the running order... it unsettles me, having got so used to the Private originals.

All imho!

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He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!

Hmm... for me, it's quite the same... The Melrose Years sound very fresh, but it does have two unforgivable erros--- Ivory Town aka Ruling The Waves and Cool At Heart, however Pearl River is real synthrocking corker, and makes up for it, and this is triplet just as good as the originals...
Whatever you choose, it's not that different...

Have to say - I was very disappointed with MY.

I love the PM period and feel I can sum it up with one track Gadzal Love song -- absolute cracker --- What the hell did it end up like on MY - the CODA gone and faded way too soon ??????

The MY would have worked better with total changes IOW re-constructured songs. Cosmetic changes do nothing for me - Phaedra 05 being a case in point.

JS has re-done some of his CD's and I feel have worked out better ZOT and White out for example.

look this is personal and everyone will have opinions but if it aint broke do not fix it and if you feel you can do better start again !

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David Fox

I agree about fiddly cosmetic alterations. If you are going to revisit a piece of music, keep the central theme as the core by all means, but develop this with new ideas. Hyper Sphinx is a great example.

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"In the absurd often lies what is artistically possible." - Edgar Froese

Probably my fave albeit very breif period. The Melose Years re recs were OK. I like the Optical Race re do the best. Melrose itself doesn't sound like it's been touched much at all. LOTB does have more layers but on the whole I prefer the originals.

I prefer the originals, IMHO the remixes add little...but that's just my opinion

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Dont like the guitar intro on Marakesh on the MY

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RIP Edgar. I am going to miss you.

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The way a world of dreams is going on!

I Have the Originals CD and The Melrose Years (Collection Box set’s)




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I agree, especially at the moment.

I had a good oppurtunity to listen to Melrose, since I got a cdr I could take with me, since vinyls are more complicated to carry around.

Art of Vision really sums up what I like about the periode. Tightly programmed synth rock, actually too perfect, in a sense. Very dated, but totally kick ass synth rock. Pearl River on LoTB2003 is another masterpiece, as far as I'm concerned.

I can't get enough of that music at the moment. The Private Years had some very rocking tracks on some very uneven albums

Optical Race 5/10
Lily On The Beach 6/10
Miracle Mile 7/10
The Man Inside 6/10
Destination Berlin 3/10
Catch Me If You Can 4/10
Dead Solid Perfect 5/10
Melrose 7/10

I also prefer the original. It is not the best period of TD, but alos not the worst. Obtical Race and The Man Insode and Dest. Berlin are the best for me.

On the "rerecordings", echo/reverb seem to have been added across the entire mix, resulting in a very muddy sound. If this wasn't bad enough, the extra percussion lines very rarely relate to the underlying music.

There's also the infamous "CD skipping" sound on Cool of Heart, which has already been flogged to death in the past. TD's official explanation for this felt like a*s* covering I have to say (imho only of course).

As a fan of the original Private Music albums, sorry, but I absolutely hate the reworked versions.

Cheers,
Dave