I've seen the RCA MWSTW on reel to reel, and lot's of 8-track cartridges.

I think it's just down to the actual original mixes having more density... the remastering process requires a stripping down of the tracks and rebuilding... in essense remixing it, and it is nearly impossible to regain the original mixes again, even if following to producer's instruction sheet down to the letter.

Even the RCA CD's have that unremastered sound that I'm talking about. The digital remastering has definitely taken off a layer of magic.