Don't really agree that the older cds were better either
No, this is not a better issue. It's music, subjective, how can we really talk about better?
My point is this: When we get into a band, there are specific things we like about that band. Their sound, their members, their point of view. Take The Beatles. Early days, great rock and roll. Now if they got a new member around '66 and just started putting out reggae tunes, would a Beatle fan be wrong to say "I liked them more in the early days"?
With New Model Army - the things that I liked were the savage guitars that knocked you out, the amazing rhythm supplied by the drummer behind that, the sharp songwriting, and most of all that bass. It was a bass unlike anything that was out there. Stuart Morrow is the greatest bass player no one knows. What he did on songs like "Frightened" defy description. It was bass playing guitar lines, it was a BIG sound, it was manic...it was basically like if you gave Keith Moon a bass guitar. Morrow created a controlled chaos that was absolutely extraordinary.
Now the drummer, the bass player, and the savagery of the guitar are no longer present in the band. Am I wrong to say I liked the band more back then? Those things - the drummer, bass player, and guitars - is what attracted me to the band. What I loved most about NMA.
Once again present NMA vs. older NMA is not about better. It is simply a matter of different. I was attracted to what older NMA put out, others may be attracted to what this version of the band puts out. No issues.