Search - Siouxsie and the Banshees :: Juju

Album: Splendid. Remaster: Splotchy.

Terestai | Littleton, Colorado USA | 07/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I know you're not supposed to comment on other reviews when doing your own, but I've never felt more inclined to stand up and shout, "HE'S RIGHT, YOU KNOW!" than I do right now. Mr. Davies has hit the nail on the head with his review about the sound problems plaguing these reissues.



When I first read his review about the dropouts, I was skeptical because his was the only review of the three albums that talked about problems with audio quality; but as soon as I received my copies of the three new albums, I threw in Juju and listed for the supposed right-channel dropouts. There's no question about it - they're there. So the next logical step in trying to debunk his review was to rush straight back to my original (Geffen, not Polydor) CD that I bought 12 years ago to see if the same problems were present. Thanks to the not-so-subtle magic of having two CD drives on my computer, I was able to compare the same snippets of audio in rapid succession. The result: the original discs didn't contain the dropouts that are on the remaster. In fact, on "Into The Light," there's a crystal clear peak in volume on the original CD where the remaster's right channel gurgles.



When it comes to volume and clarity, this disc is all over the map (though not as extreme as the last two tracks on "Kaleidoscope" - How a demo version of "Happy House" can sound infinitely better than the remastered version of "Israel" is mind-boggling). To use just two examples on "Juju," the remastered "Into The Light" makes the original CD sound as though it's being played under two feet of water, and I'm not talking about the removal of producer Nigel Gray's "walking on the moon" sound that permeates the entire album. In contrast, there appears to be no upgrade in sound quality on "Sin In My Heart."



So do we blame another 15 years of master tape degradation for these anomalies or careless remastering? The tape sources in this case are Universal's vaults and Steve Severin himself, with Gary Moore as sound engineer. However, these are the same parties responsible for the brilliant-sounding "Best Of" album and the deluxe reissue of "The Scream." I think the answer is obvious, given one look at the packaging: budget. As mentioned in the review I'm referencing, so many other bands are getting the remaster treatment to their back catalog and the results are stunning. "The Scream" was equally stunning and its source material is older that that of "Juju" (and was probably in worse shape, as the first albums of every band - future legends included - tend to be when dealing with careless record labels with a new band on their roster). These next three... well... to put it nicely, they leave a lot to be desired. You can tell a lot of care and effort went into "The Scream," as did a lot of time. I can only hope they strive for that same standard with the next reissues so as to avoid making the same mistakes again.



Let's face it - the music deserves more respect."

Favorite

Edward Edwards | New York, NY | 08/14/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"JuJu is my 2nd favorite album by Siouxsie & The Banshees & the remastered sound is fantastic! The extra tracks on this edition are great (Fireworks is different from the Twice Upon A Time version & superior in my opinion). One of the remixes was featured on the 2 disc Best Of but it sounds better on here."

Probably their best album

Shinobi | The Shadows | 04/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I really loved Kaleidoscope too. I don't know which one I would say is better, because K is really colorful, kind of psychedelic and edgy. Juju is a great album, playfully dark and magical.



My favorite songs are Halloween, Head Cut, and Night Shift. But I can listen to the album from start to finish, it's amazing.



Check it out."