New reissue of Exile on Main Street

I'm listening to side two of the '94 Ludwig remaster now. Like Sit, I think this is a lousy, lousy recording. Some of us seem to find the murk and grunge appealing in a weird way, I just think it sounds crappy. I'm not the kind of listener that whines about "less than audiophile" recordings as a rule, but early Stone's recordings leave me so frustrated. Such great music, such crummy sound. Every remaster I've ever heard sounds like an exercise in polishing sonic t*rds I'm afraid.

Sounds great on my iPod and Sony headphones. Must be me, but I also love Iggy's Raw Power from the same era. Dank and murky has it's fans. Sorry it is not your cup of tea.

What version do I have? I've lost the inserts (doh!) and have only the disk. It shows: Virgin and 1972. Is this the '94 Ludwig remaster (holding out hope)?

Rockadanny:

It sounds like you might have the Ludwig remaster. When Virgin bought the Stones catalog, they initially remastered everything from "Sticky Fingers" up to "Tattoo You." (They later remastered "Undercover," "Dirty Work," and "Steel Wheels.") Ludwig did most of the remastering, and IMO did a great job. These latest remasters from Universal, though, are horrid: compressed to hell and piercingly bright. If you have the Virgin remasters, hold on to them.

Each reissue is a new opportunity to revisit Atco COC 2-2900 vinyl. A tad lite on bass, but generally fantastic, detailed, spatial recording with brass balls, Stones on top. If it sounds murky on your system it's your problem.