The Benchwarmer - Reissues Can Be An Issue

You know that Pink Floyd album that you've played to death on your record player? It's scratched up and sounds like it's been through two world wars, but you have to admit that you still love the thing for it's sentiment. It's also probably out of print, so you know that hanging on to it is still worth it, even if you can't really listen to how it sounds anymore.

Now, you've just found out it's been reissued.

Reissues are usually an attempt by companies to sell the same product either because they didn't sound right when they were first released or buyer interest has re-peaked. A lot of reissues are also "remasters," in which sound engineers try to take the original master recordings and re-press them for rerelease so that new consumers can have a brand new vinyl or CD and have it sound exactly as it did way back when. I know, there's a lot of "re-" prefixed words in this blurb, but I believe the intention is obvious - everything is done again to make you feel comfortable.

This could be a generational thing, as I stated above that companies like to branch out to newer listeners. Other times, though, there may have been a pressing that may have done justice using the original production techniques, but now existing on newer technology sounds pretty weak and needs a few adjustments here and there.

When am I getting to the question, you ask? No, that wasn't the question, but in all seriousness, I'm interested in this sort of stuff. I mean, I'm only in my 20's, and I have grown up with a lot of older material such as The Beatles, the aforementioned Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin to the point that I realize that all I've been listening to are reissued and remastered recordings. I understand that I'm probably going to get sound that is as great as it was back then, but something feels different. Something isn't clear.

SO, if you knew that what you were listening to was your favorite and most cherished, but then it was just reissued with superior audio or with new or unused song material, would you still buy it? Do you get the same feeling as you did the first time? That's this week's The Benchwarmer.

-DJ