by patient_ot » Fri Nov 19, 2021 12:16 pm
As you may remember, I'm really not a greatest hits fan. You can buy that earlier comp cheaper if you look around. If you are patient enough to wait another year or more, odds are it will come back in print at MSRP. U2 is a very popular band after all.
I haven't heard any of the vinyl remasters, but they should sound good provided you get a copy without pressing defects. Most of them were cut by Chris Bellman after another guy did the digital mastering first. They aren't AAA if you care.
I have the first five albums on old LP editions from the 80s. I suggest looking for clean copies of those. A few years ago you could probably pick them up for $10-15 each with a little effort. Can't say how much they go for now with inflated pandemic pricing.
My personal favorites are Boy and the Unforgettable Fire. For Boy on vinyl I have an early UK copy. For TUF I have an early US copy mastered at Sterling. Now, I have heard the UK Townhouse version of TUF and although purists will say it sounds way better I disagree. It is EQ'd a little differently and sounds different, but it doesn't embarass the Sterling cut at all.
For Joshua Tree, the original copies were pressed on 1 LP and the album is too damn long for optimal sound quality on one piece of wax. My early U.S. edition is a Masterdisk DMM cut on Quiex vinyl and even then, either of my CD versions beats it. I'm not saying it sounds terrible but it's not ideal given the length of the album.
U2 sounds very good on both the old CDs and the remastered ones. The remastered ones are a bit louder but not completely destroyed like so many remasters. The earlier CDs need to be cranked more for proper effect.
I guess what I'm saying here is that despite what people say U2 is no great revelation on vinyl. Most of the early albums sound good on both vinyl and CD, with Joshua Tree being the one where CD has a clear advantage.