The Three Sunrises: A Listener's Guide to The Unforgettable Fire remaster
@U2,
November 18, 2009
By: Mark Stevens
(Ed. note: This is a guest contribution for @U2 by Mark Stevens, one of our former podcast producers. Mark previously guest-authored our Listener's Guide to No Line On The Horizon.)
The above is a not-so-cryptic reference to the three versions of The Unforgettable Fire: the original Island CD released in 1984, the Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs version re-mastered from the original tapes in 1995, and the new 25th anniversary remaster released last month. I have gone through each of the three and cross-compared the 10 tracks in order to give us a complete picture of the differences between them, and discover whether the new remaster constitutes the "ultimate" sonic representation of the band's great leap forward as recording artists. A point-to-point test of each track has enabled me to give you timings in most of the tracks where you can hear the improvements, or lack of them, for yourself. The real test in any three source comparison is how well certain subtle passages in the master you're listening to are represented sonically.
For our purposes, I'm using these subtle details as points of comparison between all three sources. For example, in "Indian Summer Sky" there is a sub-mixed second vocal hiding under Bono's lead at 01:35-1:47 and again at 3:09-3:22. The second vocal is somewhat audible in the original Island release, is clearer in the MFSL disc, and has all but vanished in the new remaster.
Before we go through a track-by-track breakdown, let me give you a basic explanation of some of the sound factors that cropped up with this pre-digital album.
Signal-to-noise ratio is basically a technical description of how well instrumental details in the mix can be heard relative to tape hiss. It's particularly noticeable in the fade-ins and quieter tracks on this record, largely due to the mobile analog rig the band was using at Slane Castle. Mastering engineers have different ways to contend with noise, as you'll see in the analysis.
Tape degeneration is also a pre-digital term, which refers to the magnetic tape used in recording aging and "shedding" off some of its surface, which impacts the signals stored on the tape. Magnetic tape is essentially composed of a layer of oxide particles that are bound to a plastic base. Over time, that binding breaks down, and the magnetic particles can detach and flake off the binding, causing "drop-out" and signal loss. In our case, that appears to have occurred to a certain extent to the background vocals on "A Sort of Homecoming." Edge had to work with a 25-year-old set of tapes, where the engineers at MFSL had the same set of tapes at age 14, giving the MFSL the advantage on source but not on powerful digital mastering tools, which were still in their early stage of development in the mid-'90s.
With these concepts in place, we can now analyze the three sources and have an idea what to expect from the new remaster. In order to be as succinct as possible, I've focused entirely on the original album, but will say that the disc of extras released last month is very well handled sound-wise, and that the overall presentation of the remaster project treats the record with the respect and attention it well deserves. So, here we go:
"A Sort of Homecoming"
The remaster shows a loss of clarity in the harmony vocals throughout the track, as a possible result of the tape shedding mentioned above. The original Island CD quickly fell behind both the MFSL and the remaster in quality, with the MFSL source winning the race in that sonic detail of the background vocals is preserved, and the signal-to-noise ratio is more robust.
"Pride"
Edge fully embraces guitar overdubs on this track, taking them further than he had previously and using five tracks that move in and out of the mix during the course of the song. The simultaneous but distinctly different parts at 1:41-1:57 and the single-note, heavily chorused guitar part at 2:48-3:02 are handled best by the remaster, with enhanced clarity in the low end, particularly in the drums -- so the remaster wins this round.
"Wire"
The MFSL version displays improved clarity over the original Island source, especially in the hi-hats and snares, with a nice punchy bass drum and bass guitar. The remaster goes even further and improves both of these points to where the remaster outdoes the MFSL.
"The Unforgettable Fire"
MFSL outdoes the original Island source again with a good signal-to-noise ratio, better resolution on the bass guitar, treated guitars and the synths. The remaster has a bit more tape hiss than the MFSL, but improves the sound of Adam's bass and has even more detail in the treated guitars and synths, giving it the best overall rating for this track.
"Promenade"
MFSL again trumps the Island source (at this point, I was sorely tempted to drop the Island source out of the running, but kept it in on principle). MFSL has a bit more hiss, but the sub-mixed synths and treated guitars are improved in clarity and fullness. The remaster shows even more hiss, but compensates for that with slightly better bass drum and bass guitar sounds. The remaster sounds just a hair less full than MFSL, which produces our first draw of the record between the MFSL and the remaster, with poor Island left in the dust.
"4th of July"
MFSL displays almost no hiss, with beautiful detail in both the balance and the clarity of the source instruments and Eno's treatment of those instruments. The remaster has more hiss and favors Eno's treatments a bit more than the instruments, with the infamous tape edit at 00:56 more jarring than on either the original Island or MFSL versions. MFSL wins this round as the best-handled mastering of this spectral wonder.
"Bad"
The original Island source disqualifies itself right away on the grounds of a compromised signal-to-noise ratio leading to more hiss. MFSL source was tied with the remaster right up until the entrance of Steve Wickham's violin at 1:50, which the remaster handles with more clarity. Remaster wins, barely.
"Indian Summer Sky"
MFSL exhibits the best snare sounds and the best signal-to-noise ratio of all the versions. The sub-mixed second vocal I mentioned in the intro (at 1:35-1:47 and again at 3:09-3:22) has more presence on the MFSL version than the original Island source. That same sub-mixed vocal is virtually inaudible on the remaster, which also displays less clarity in Eno's Talking Heads-style background vocal in the left channel at 1:57-2:16. MFSL wins hands down.
"Elvis Presley and America"
The toughest comparison of the record, in that MFSL has a better drum kit sound while the remaster displays enhanced detail in Edge's strummed acoustic guitar part at 1:48, 2:01, and 4:12. I'd have to score this one a draw, as your personal taste will dictate whether you prefer guitar over drums or vice-versa. Guitar players will naturally be drawn to the remaster, whilst drummers will want to hone in on the MFSL version of this track.
"MLK"
Bono's mic in the ballroom at Slane picks up some background noise, which sounds to me like a cable brushing the hardwood floor, at 00:15-00:20. The MFSL version does a better job of hiding this, but the remaster has a better signal-to-noise ratio and displays the DX-7 synthesizer sound more fully than on the MFSL, so the remaster wins out on the final track of a modern masterpiece.
In conclusion, the remaster wins on overall points by a score of 5-3, with the original Island CD a distant third. MFSL manages to pull a draw twice with the remaster, and outdoes it on "Homecoming," "4th of July" and "Indian Summer Sky." If you own all three sources, you could compile what, in my opinion, would be the ultimate The Unforgettable Fire from the MFSL and remaster by switching out those three tracks (provided you don't convert these to MP3, of course). Given that the remaster has handled the extra tracks so well, and that the box itself is a work of art, it's well worth the money and is considerably less expensive than tracking down the increasingly rare MFSL version on eBay at $100 and up. Finally, if you happen to have an upconverting DVD player that will upsample CDs to 176.40 Khz, the differences between the three preferred MFSL tracks and the remaster become less of a bother.
(c) @U2/Stevens, 2009.
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