I don't think you are lost. I have found very very few remasters that sound as good as the original, including those dreadful half-speed remasterings. There has been endless speculation on why this is, but IMO the problem lies not only with deterioration of the master tapes but also the loss of industry know-how, aging equipment,and the fact that virtually no one takes the time and effort in comparing reissues with originals. I spent a lot of time doing just this and quit buying reissues merely to confirm that they were in most cases the worst-sounding pressings I could find. Only today I compared a half-speed remaster to an original Bob James Sign of the Times LP and cannot for the life of me understand how anyone, including the record companies, could market something under the guise of "extended range recording", when it clearly had less extended bass and treble, not to mention a loss of dynamic range and immediacy. It sound like electronic equalization was applied to simply boost the bass and treble, i.e. the "smiley face" graphic equalization I used to do 30 years ago when I had one of these equalizers. It results in a loss of detail and extension, completely overwhelming the rest of the sonic spectrum and making the music unlistenable, IMO. The treble became white noise, like cans of spray mist being actuated, and the bass was all mid-bass and boomy. Get an original, especially one from the country of the parent record company (look on Discogs to find this), and ones with the independent mastering house like Sterling and Masterdisk are usually the best.
