Search - The Apples In Stereo :: #1 Hits Explosion

Hey Yep Rock - thanks for screwing-up the sound

Sir Grand Citizen | Earth | 09/09/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Re-released just one week after this new APPLES IN STEREO compilation hits the stands, the complete BEATLES catalogue has seen the light-of-day complete with remastered audio, lovingly arranged by an army of audio engineers who understand/appreciate that a music fan really CARES about the quality of sound, the richness and texture, the detail.

An interesting juxtapostion, listening to these re-issued BEATLES albums against the APPLES' "#1 Hits Explosion" compilation. You see, despite their age (and what could possibly today be seen as archaic equipment/recording techniques), the re-issued BEATLES albums sound fantastic. Great care has been taken to ensure that the sound-levels are realistic, the peaks are reasonable, and the details have been left intact.

"#1 Hits Explosion", on the other hand, is a lousy-sounding piece of crap. I have never - NEVER - in my life heard worse audio-clipping, or more cringe-worthy compression. The label, YEP ROCK, obviously could NOT CARE LESS about the quality of this material. And it shows.

If you compare the tracks on this compilation against the VERY SAME SONGS on their original issue (for example, "TIDAL WAVE" from their 1995 CD "Fun Trick Noisemaker"), the difference is night and day. The original track as heard on the 1995 release is clear, bouncy, full of detail and texture. The version on "#1 Hits Explosion" is so compressed, over-loud and clipped that it [...] THE FUN RIGHT OUT OF THE SONG.

Every single song on "#1 Hits Explosion" suffers this sad fate. The label has mastered the album according to the ridiculous rules of the current CD 'Loudness war', and because of that I now have a CD that is truly unlistenable.



So, congratulations YEP ROCK. You've just given people one more reason to download music - why PAY for music that sounds THIS CRAPPY?!!!







_______________________

********UPDATE*********







As an easy view into just how OVERLOUD and distorted the sound is on the CD, I have taken the song "TIDAL WAVE" from both their 1995 spinART CD "Fun Trick Noisemaker", and also from this new crappy "#1 Hits Explosion" CD.

I have captured a visual look at the sound through the whole song, so that you can see the levels on each respective release -- this will easily illustrate my point in regards to the "#1 Hits Explosion" CD being mastered TOO LOUD and distorted.



(see "comments" for link)



On the top is "Tidal Wave" from the 1995 CD. As you can see, the peaks are given plenty of room to breathe. No sounds are cut-off, nothing is pushed or distorted.



On the bottom is the same song from "#1 Hits Explosion". It's immediately clear that the song has been pushed SO FAR that the peaks have been completely clipped/compressed to such a degree that the sound is distorted. Hell, the song barely even has any 'valleys' as evidenced here -- everything is LOUD and as a result, the sound of the song is mutilated.



I really hope that this makes the case that this CD is a complete waste of everybody's time. All that this CD proves is that there is a reason people are downloading music instead of buying it -- because the CDs that are released these days sound like CRAP!!



"

#1 Hits Explosion Review - All Music Guire

Elbeam | new york, ny | 09/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Review by Tim Sendra



If the Apples in Stereo had only made Fun Trick Noisemaker and then quit, their legacy as a legendary pop group would have been secure. In 1995, nobody else was making records as giddy or as full of wonder as the Apples, and definitely no one was making records as exquisitely arranged and magical on a shoestring budget. The release of Fun Trick was a defining moment in indie rock that came pretty close to being a lo-fi pop masterpiece, and still sounds just as amazing. That the Apples couldn't top it is no cause for shame on their part; that they kept trying and ended up creating a catalog as rich in great songs and records is cause for celebration. The cheekily titled #1 Hits Explosion is just the kind of career-summing package the band deserves and it makes clear just how wonderful a band it is. Gathering songs in roughly equal numbers from all six of their studio albums (and adding the infectious rocker "Signal in the Sky [Let's Go]" that they recorded for The Powerpuff Girls' Heroes & Villains soundtrack), the collection focuses mostly on the ultra-hooky, power pop-influenced side of the band. Starting with the booming rocker "Energy" from their most recent record, New Magnetic Wonder, the songs fly past like gooey sticks of bubblegum, glowing and shimmering like the finest pop music of the '60s and '70s. "The Rainbow," "Go," "Shine a Light," and "Ruby" (just to pick four) could have easily been hits in 1967 given the right circumstances, "Shine a Light" sounds like a low-budget ELO, and there's absolutely no reason "Signal in the Sky" wasn't topping the charts in 2000. Only "Strawberry Fire" and "20 Cases Suggestive Of..." hint at the trippy, hazily psychedelic side of the group, but even then the hooks in the choruses are strong enough that you could hang a cement overcoat from them with no problem. The possible flaw with the collection is that -- as is the case with any such album -- one of your favorite tracks might be missing ("Glowworm" from Fun Trick, for example). Otherwise, it works as both an excellent overview of the band's career and as a document of some of the finest pop music of the alt-rock era (and maybe of ever)."

An excellent overview of an underappreciated band

Squidman | New England, United States | 11/11/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For anyone looking to check out a decent overview of Robert Schneider's wonderful band...start here.



You'll find yourself humming a number of these tunes after a few listens. Catchy, power pop, bubblegum...pick your adjective...it's just good, well crafted music.



For the record, I can't really say I hear the drastic sonic differences another reviewer hears. But then again, I don't have a high end stereo system which could make the difference."