REFUGEES: A CHARISMA RECORDS ANTHOLOGY 1969-1978

Various Artists (Label Samplers)

Various Genres

2.44 | 4 ratings

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Much of the music contained on this 3 disc set would surely earn 4-5 stars from yours truly. However, given that this release is a set of its own, I feel obliged to review it on its own merits.

What we have here is some of the worst digital mastering one is likely to encounter. While the credits state that fresh transfers were done, some of the tracks on Disc 1 clearly seem to originate from previous digital sources. For example, when Genesis hit their turn with "Looking For Someone," it appears to be butchered with the same no-noising problem for which the Trespass "Definitive Edition Remaster" is now fairly legendary. I do suspect most tracks here were from fresh transfers where necessary, possible or desired, but regardless ... everything is mastered in a manner where you'd never know how good some of these albums sounded. Tinny, shrill frequencies abound, and some tracks sound excessively dehissed to the point of rendering things downright lifeless. Dynamically it's fine, but the EQ moves and no-noising just ruin the party. Listening on headphones I almost thought somebody had to be kidding.

The extensive book is wonderfully detailed. Probably worth it for the Charisma completist. Just don't think for a second that this kind of modern digital butchery will give you any indication of what great music was brought to the world by Charisma.

Jeff Carney | 1/5 | 2015-1-7

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