Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
It's here! Our 15th and FINAL installment of the 2024/25 Restoration project π How fitting that we end on this note π
Firstly, this installment would not be possible without the help of CMI β Immense thanks to him for supplying the artwork used on the LP releases, as well as two bonus alternate (and very rare) "withdrawn" mixes π€« I put out the proverbial bat signal, and he was literally there in minutes with the necessary assets. What an absolute legend π
I've grown even more appreciation for this album throughout the process. What a beautifully-crafted body of work by Roger, John and Brian to honour their dear friend β€
In many ways, this was one of the most straight-forward installments to complete, but some significant steps were still necessary to get it across the finish line. Couldn't be happier with the result π
The comparisons video goes into an insane amount of detail so I highly recommend you head over there if you'd like to learn more about this one: youtu.be/XnpWAvblUc4
DOWNLOAD FOLDER:
linktr.ee/qlrvault
Full album YouTube playlist:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvYtqeUuiLs4b5wvIaEg7gfrfFRONlwn
The 2024/25 Restoration Collection:
Sheer Heart Attack - youtu.be/YWuGgZHHvII
Innuendo - youtu.be/iF537EjjzcM
The Works - youtu.be/iiq9A1XseL4
Queen II - youtu.be/K1mFRRLRy_c
Hot Space - youtu.be/7AuAEfxuuV8
A Kind Of Magic - youtu.be/0wnsVmHaWnE
The Game - youtu.be/5hCZ4xylu_4
Queen - youtu.be/JHy1XXVdkWM
Jazz - youtu.be/KZca62jaJBU
News Of The World - youtu.be/psxYh1Ne5J4
A Night At The Opera - youtu.be/zfgkTPPIayQ
A Day At The Races - youtu.be/OyNTCm0VPPM
The Miracle - youtu.be/SVPwF7H2eyg
Flash Gordon - youtu.be/fonQaYLQbNc
βΆ Made In Heaven
It's here! Our 15th and FINAL installment of the 2024/25 Restoration project π How fitting that we end on this note π
Firstly, this installment would not be possible without the help of CMI β Immense thanks to him for supplying the artwork used on the LP releases, as well as two bonus alternate (and very rare) "withdrawn" mixes π€« I put out the proverbial bat signal, and he was literally there in minutes with the necessary assets. What an absolute legend π
I've grown even more appreciation for this album throughout the process. What a beautifully-crafted body of work by Roger, John and Brian to honour their dear friend β€
In many ways, this was one of the most straight-forward installments to complete, but some significant steps were still necessary to get it across the finish line. Couldn't be happier with the result π
The comparisons video goes into an insane amount of detail so I highly recommend you head over there if you'd like to learn more about this one: youtu.be/XnpWAvblUc4
DOWNLOAD FOLDER:
linktr.ee/qlrvault
Full album YouTube playlist:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvYtqeUuiLs4b5wvIaEg7gfrfFRONlwn
The 2024/25 Restoration Collection:
Sheer Heart Attack - youtu.be/YWuGgZHHvII
Innuendo - youtu.be/iF537EjjzcM
The Works - youtu.be/iiq9A1XseL4
Queen II - youtu.be/K1mFRRLRy_c
Hot Space - youtu.be/7AuAEfxuuV8
A Kind Of Magic - youtu.be/0wnsVmHaWnE
The Game - youtu.be/5hCZ4xylu_4
Queen - youtu.be/JHy1XXVdkWM
Jazz - youtu.be/KZca62jaJBU
News Of The World - youtu.be/psxYh1Ne5J4
A Night At The Opera - youtu.be/zfgkTPPIayQ
A Day At The Races - youtu.be/OyNTCm0VPPM
The Miracle - youtu.be/SVPwF7H2eyg
Flash Gordon - youtu.be/fonQaYLQbNc
βΆ Made In Heaven
![Michael Jackson - Thriller [2026 Restoration]
Following Brad Sundbergs new Vinyl Battle series on YouTube, Ive been inspired to fast-track a restoration for this 1st portion of Michael Jacksons HIStory album, as a sort of companion piece π
At the time of writing, Brad (one of Michaels former engineers) has compared vinyl releases for two tracks - The Way You Make Me Feel and Man In The Mirror. On both occasions, the original HIStory vinyl has been his winner, with the original Bad vinyl coming in 2nd place. Thats mammoth praise π€―
I must admit, until a week or two ago, Id never given HIStory Begins a fair shot in terms of sound quality. This is because compression and limiting handcuffs the digital releases, making it harder for me to appreciate it in that aspect. But as the story usually goes, the original vinyl release wasnt a victim of the same hinderances. If you own that LP, huge congrats π Thats a very rare piece! But for most of us who dont, this is where the restoration project comes into play π
Fortunately, thanks to the MoFi releases of Off The Wall, Thriller and Dangerous, we now have perfect, dynamic digital sources for ALL versions of the tracks featured on HIStory Begins! For Bad, the initial CD releases from the late 80s/early 90s were already unhindered to start with, so no need for a MoFi release π
With the correct versions chosen, the work was more straight-forward than any other MJ album Ive tackled to this point! A teeny bit of volume fluctuations needed to be addressed during a few tracks, but other than that, all I needed to do was EQ the left and right channels of each track to mirror Bruce Swedien & Bernie Grundmans remastering for HIStory.
For this initial stage, I matched the EQ with the tracks from the CD, and waited til the very end to implement the EQ curve from the vinyl release across the whole album. I tend to trust this method more (depending on where I can source my vinyl rips). Inner groove distortion can occasionally affect the EQ curve for tracks near the end of a side. Referencing the CD first will ensure a 100% authentic result across every track π
Track-spacing is also an important step I often forget to mention on these restorations. I made sure the gap between each track was as close to the actual release as possible π On this occasion, my source for the vinyl rip is the same as our Invincible, Dangerous and Blood On The Dance Floor restorations, so Id already undergone all the steps to ensuring weve landed on an accurate (flat) EQ curve π
Can happily report this 2026 Restoration has a healthy DR value of 13, vs the original CD which sits at a 9 π₯
I must say, with the installment completed, I couldnt agree any more with Brads assessments π± This is one of VERY few remastered releases Ive ever encountered where the tracks actually benefit (IMO). As Brad recalls in his episodes regarding those two Bad tracks, he and the team were 7-8 years older and more experienced by the time they reached HIStory, and mastering preferences can change in that time. Every track has a super deliberate balance between the lows, mids and highs ππ
According to Brad, the initial remastering was done in-house by Bruce, before sending it off to Bernie. Lets not forget, these two guys had been on every MJ project from Off The Wall onwards! It could not have been in better hands π This is without a doubt the most carefully-curated MJ hit collection therell ever be. Michael and his team were apart of every single step, from the track-selection to the very end...
If these restorations are your cup of tea, youll likely be into Brads series too! He breaks everything down thoroughly, from both the listeners point of view, and the actual process he and Bruce underwent during the making of said releases, such as the original mastering stages and critically approving/rejecting test pressings. Intriguing stuff! Heres his page: @inthestudiowithmj
Check out the full album playlist here β¬
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOvYtqeUuiLtNCg8ybZJL2gkIkjkzHKTa Michael Jackson - Thriller [2026 Restoration]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zuqpXPHEAfs/mqdefault.jpg)