KeithyT said:

I think one day I'm going to have to just buy ONE to sort of itch the scratch. Probably Sign O' The Times, with the post card and the heart sticker the attention to detail on that one is really hard to resist. Plus I don't have any of that shit with my actual vinyl copy of Sign.

CDs Compared
"Parade" 1990 Warner US release (9 25395-2) vs. "Parade" 2009 Warner Japan SHM reissue (WPCR-13537).

Specific Tracks Compared
"Girls & Boys" [Track Length US (6:49) / Japan (6:50.64)]
"Mountains" [Track Length US (3:57.64), Japan (3:57.8)]
"Kiss" [Track Length US (3:37.8) / Japan (3:37.76)]
"Anotherloverholenyohead" [Track Length US (4:00.693) / Japan (4:00.666)]
"Sometimes It Snows In April" [Track Length US (6:49) / Japan (6:50.64)]

Notes
1) The CDs were tested and ripped as WAV files using EAC.
2) The songs were compared through AKG K271 Studio headphones.
3) The iTunes individual track "Volume Adjust" sliders were positioned at roughly +38% to compensate for the lower average volume of the original CDs.
4) The track lengths on both CDs differ by milliseconds; I do not know if a different source master or manufacturing process would necessarily alter the track length.
5) I am just a regular schmo in his 30s with a wife & a kid who happens to dig P's music. I do not have nor do I claim to have "golden" ears, so take this comparison with a grain of salt.

The Results
OK, this one suprised me a bit. With "1999" it was fairly obvious the songs were interchangeable between both releases. I did not find this to be the case with the "Parade" reissue. First, I had to bump up the volume on the US release a little bit more to match the "Parade" reissue (about 38% versus 35% with "1999"... I am guessing as the iTunes "Volume Adjust" slider only gives you increments of 20%). I then noticed the track lengths were all slightly different - in fact "Anotherloverholenyohead" contains a slightly longer snippet of "Kiss" on the front end. I do not know if a different source master or manufacturing process would necessarily alter the track length however, so perhaps it's best not to read too much in to that.

Listening blind, I heard versions of "Mountains," "Girls & Boys," and "Anotherloverholenyohead" that sounded slightly dull next to their counterparts, and every time they were from the US CD. "Kiss" and "Sometimes It Snows In April" were a tossup when done blind; however, once I knew which CD they came from, I could hear the differences (this is why it is important to do these blind because it is hard to remove the "psychology" of what you think something should sound like). When spot checking the tracks a second time, I honestly felt the Japanese reissue sounded a just a bit brighter and more open than the US version.

I do NOT want to overstate the differences however, because they are ever so slight. In fact, on a consumer stereo or through a pair of ear buds, I would bet they would sound exactly the same. Frankly, they would probably sound the same on most high end gear unless you were paying attention. But when really focusing and listening "blind" through my good headphones, I could hear a small difference and I preferred what I heard from the Japanese reissue.

These are obviously not remastered CDs and the differences are simply too subtle to be traced back to a new master source. If I had to guess, I'd say a "cleaner" manufacturing process and/or a hair of EQ had something to do with the miniscule sonic upgrade. However, there are people on this forum that seem to know a lot about mastering and the like, so I will leave it to them to offer a more informed opinion.

Well, I hope this was helpful. And for those that own the SHM-CDs, please feel free to contribute here, even if you think my review is wrong (again, we each have our own sets of ears and opinions, so feel free to chime in). In summation: don't buy this one for the audio upgrade because it is so slight you might not notice it; buy it for the packaging.

I will try to do ATWIAD in the next few days.
[Edited 2/15/10 19:03pm]

purplehippieonthe1 said:

I've read on more than one occasion that Euro Prince CDs are really bad compared to US pressings, for what that's worth. Also, the consensus seems to be that the Japanese "Forever Young" pressings are the best sonically. I have 3 or 4 Japanese "target" pressings and the sound difference between the US and Japan target discs is negligible at best.

BlackbeltJones said:

Thank you for that. The subtle differences that you point out are interesting.

One thing that I've heard is that some of these SHMs have an almost overzealous tweaking of the bottom end that becomes a distraction. It's possible that you can't pick this up on headphones, so what is your feeling while listening to them with room speakers and a subwoofer?

^^^I didn't try "Parade" out on my 2.1 system yet, but I can tell you both "1999" CDs sounded the same. Living in a high-rise condo, it's hard to really let the stereo system rip. I also have a pretty average 2.1 system... It's not a system to tell you much about subtly. However, consumer grade sub woofers tend to over emphasize low end (or at least tend to let the bass wander around the room), so it may actually be a good test. I think I will try this and upgrade my "Parade" comparison.

Those headphones have a fairly good flat frequency response and they generally just pick up what's on the disc w/o any extra coloring (they are designed for mixing and monitoring). Through cans, I noticed nothing extra on the bottom end at all. If anything, it sounded EQed on the high end of the spectrum. I am no expert, but I honestly think it is the same damn digital file on both CDs... the Japanese just happened to turn up the volume and perhaps EQed it a hair when they dumped it to these discs. I don't think the SHM "magic" coating has a damn thing to do with it (after all, I am listening to a WAV file off of a computer). On "Parade" this "EQing" (or whatever it is) sounded very subtle, but just slightly better... to my ears at any rate.

Here is the thing though... another person my hear no difference, and still a 3rd may actually prefer what is on the US disc. Listening to "Parade" made me realize that these comparisons may be starting to get a bit silly, as I am fairly certain I will be left discussing shades of grey. It is why I hope we have a few more critical listeners chime in.

Thanks BBJ. Looks like I'll probably continue to hold off on these unless I find them really cheap or need to replace a disc.