I also love Its a Beautiful Day. I have a promo copy of the LP that plays very well indeed. Must play it - thanks for reminding me! I remember White Bird, is just mesmerizing.
Seventies - thank you - I think the issue here is that magnetic tapes detoriate over time, while vinyl records don't, unless you bring them to parties, everyone dances on them - or, more seriously speaking, they have been played with a very poorly setup cartridge, something you cannot see when visually examining the record. All this happens - as every vinyl collector knows. The LP may look pristine but it sounds grungy since the actual groove has been harmed. But - apart from such problems - vinyl is "true to the moment", as far as I know. Comparable to bread fresh from the bakery, versus something re-heated ten years after.. Take your pick. I have a lot of cases, now, in my LP collection, where I have bought more recent remasters, and yes, they are sometimes very well done, but they aren't as fresh-sounding as the originals. The sense of air and treble bite is usually where I hear this most clearly. It should be said, with the best of the remasters, it is not so clear, like with the recent Vanilla Fudge first album on Mofi. It is 45 rpm, which helps "lift" the treble a bit, even if its doesn't fully substitute for the original.
So, the remaster may sound better than the original (like the Mofi Vanilla Fudge), but it is very seldom that I sell my original or early reprint LPs due to buying a new remaster. The remasters often sound a bit "civilized" compared to the unruly originals, with all their grunge and so on. The sound is maybe updated for a new audience used to streaming. But the music from this period wasn't meant to be "civilized" or "nice". It was meant to be awakening, unruly, and even revolutionary. If in doubt, listen to Spirit, Twelve dreams of dr Sardonicus. Preferably the LP.
