Here is my second review on Vol.2 (after my first review for the first 5 Original Albums Vol.1 of 28 August 2011).
As I have expressed myself in my first review already extensively for publication of Les Humphries albums and to the music of Les Humphries / Jimmy Bilsbury, I will confine myself today to the extensively tested by me remastering the present CDs Les Humphries Singers Collection.
Shortly after Christmas I stumbled upon the announcement of the continuation of the Original Album Series of Les Humphries LPs on Vol.2. This announcement was like a big, belated Christmas present. Warner Music has therefore yet again decided to bring out another packet of previously published on CD Les Humphries albums.
This is the first record of the Les Humphries Singers:. Rock My Soul (which originally bore the name of I Believe, from 1970. Class, take still incurred in the same year recordings on this CD as bonus tracks with the other CDs 2-5 are the chronological continuation of the albums of Vol.1. These are published in the September 1973 LP Carnival, in Feb. 1974 Kansas City, in October 1974 One Of These Days and published in March 1975 LP Live For Today.
But now the new remastering:
After my review of August 2011, I could not believe my ears when I starting with the CD Rock My Soul, the sound of me now present CDs perceived the date of publication. What I did not expect (but hoped) did, the entire series has been finally remastered for the first time tonally outstanding! Because I could not believe it, I got myself so far published by Warner Music CDs such as The Best Greatest Hits (from the year 2001, where you had applied unjustly even the label Digitally Remastered forth. The by Readers Digest the 40th anniversary of the Les Humphries Singers brought out 3-CD edition with a comprehensive retrospective of 66 titles, including many for the first time published Les Humphries songs, now served well for a comparison, but are then some songs that now to the Vol.2 find.
For every 5 remastered CD releases applies: optimum bass, balanced highs, and above all transparency, which can be found on any of the previously released CDs. As I have written earlier, the sound quality is finally uncovered that goes into the production of excellent engineers of studio albums of Les Humphries Singers. Just listen to the first CD Rock My Soul, here it is already almost towards audiophile. A joy for example to listen to the single-hit Kansas City in an unprecedented clear and crisp version. This 5 CDs have now truly deserves the designation Digitally Remastered, the sound engineer of Warner Music have finally done their homework! Here it is written on any CD, who is responsible for this remastering, but I thank you in this way in which or the person in charge!
Unfortunately, there is still an angry, incomprehensible to me, aspect on the CDs:
while listening to the CD I immediately fell to the extreme volume. Compared with the Vol.1 and a volume analysis I realized with horror that the CDs of the volume-average is about 99 dB. This is irresponsible for production in 2014 and thus spoils the otherwise very pleasing remastering, in recent years we are yet again dissuaded compress the recordings on CDs dead, which indeed at the expense of dynamics. What I mean by that, you are welcome to read times: the term Loudness War, there are this many publications (eg Wikipedia).
Conclusion: a great continuation of the publication of the Les Humphries-catalog, a remastering, which earned its name with a crying eye, for that matter unnecessary Lauter Make the CDs.