Search - Return to Forever :: Romantic Warrior

DEFINITELY SUPERIOR TO THE 2000 U.S. DOMESTIC REMASTER

BOB | LOS ANGELES, CA | 08/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
"Romantic Warrior" has gone thru several audio iterations since debuting on CD. The domestic CD, which was the 2nd remaster of the album, is pretty good.



However, the benchmark disc is this 2001 Sony Japan-only DSD remaster, derived from a DSD-SACD release in 1999, now long out-of-print. The DSD-processing delivers quite a bit of additional clarity, and especially much better bass, than the U.S. remaster.



The DSD was also re-pressed in 2006. Both pressings have since sold thru, but some availability does remain.



In 2008, the Warrior album was also released, in its entirety, on the 2CD RTF Anthology set. However, that version is heavily remixed, which I didn't particularly care for.



The original's recording, engineering and mastering were, for all intents and purposes, perfect to begin with. After listening to original mix for the past 30 years, I found the remix to be very jarring: The main objective seemed to be targeted in increasing the volume of the solo'd instruments (check out Clarke's bass solo at the end of "Medieval Overture" on the Anthology disc as an example).



If you're looking for the best-sounding version of the Warrior album in its original mix, my advice is to buy this DSD remaster."

The epitome of experimental jazz/rock fusion!

BOB | 12/19/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Probably the most talented fusion group to come out of the seventies; each musician is a master in his own right. Clarke's "The Magician" is the craziest song I've ever heard and the rest of the album is a genuine masterpiece."