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Customer Reviews:
- THE EMPEROR'S NEW, AND ONLY PARTIALLY-REMASTERED, CLOTHING:
Polygram ceased production of its portion of Van-The-Man's catalog, resulting in 29 titles, two-thirds of his entire recorded output, remaining frustratingly unavailable for the past several years. Even more regrettably, sixteen of those OOP titles had been fabulously remastered and re-released in 1998. Accordingly, prices for these had soared, especially for the remastered titles.
Then, in late 2007, The Announcement! All 29 OOP titles would be re-released in 2008! With new remastering! Extra tracks! Even mini-sleeve editions from Japan!
Well, fellow audiophiles and mini-sleeve aficionados, the hyperbole is unfortunately only half-true: Those 16 1998 remastered titles? Except for the bonus tracks, the 2008 re-releases are the EXACT same remasters, right down to the `98 silkscreen scheme on each disc, and the `98 booklets, with only minimally text-modified for the bonus material and production credits.
The `98 mastering work was performed by Ian Cooper at Metropolis Mastering in London. The `08 booklets credit another Metropolis engineer, Tim Young, for the new editions. However, the only effort Mr. Young expended on the sixteen 1998 titles was to sonically match the minute bonus content to the pre-existing `98 mastering.
So, in this first 7-CD set (Tupelo Honey, It's Too Late To Stop Now, Wavelength, Into The Music, A Sense Of Wonder, Avalon Sunset and Back On Top) of four 2008 scheduled catalog re-releases, only Avalon Sunset and Back On Top have been newly-remastered. As the Japan `sleeve version of Back On Top was delayed until April, I haven't had the opportunity to A/B that disc. The result of remastering the 20-year-old Avalon Sunset could certainly be more pronounced than redoing 1999's Back On Top, so that remains to be quantified. The Japanese also floated something called "high-quality SHM-CD format" on the mini-sleeve versions (which are always my CD's of choice), but I can't discern any audible improvement in that department, either.
(Although I have referred to my A/B set-up in other Amazon reviews, due to the subject matter herein, I should probably reiterate that my comparisons are made on two Sony XA7 transports, simultaneously running into a Camelot Uther DAC via matching Acoustic Zen coax cables, and monitored thru Sennheiser 590's).
This same existing-remaster+bonus-tracks scenario will apply for the other 1998-remastered titles to be released later this year: Saint Dominic's Preview, Hard Nose Down The Highway, Veedon Fleece, Period Of Transition, Beautiful Vision, Inarticulate Speech, Common One, Live/Belfast, No Guru, Poetic Champions Compose and Irish Heartbeat.
Don't get me wrong, these all sound glorious. Yes, it is wonderful to have these fantastic recordings readily available once more, and again, yes, it's great to finally have a newly-remastered Avalon Sunset. By the end of 2008, it will also be especially joyous to own the other 13 never-before remastered titles.
However, speaking for myself, who already owned all the remastered `98's, the mastering sleight-of-hand was NOT appreciated, especially at mini-sleeve premium prices. There is also Polygram's deplorable Enron-like tactic of taking the entire series out of production for an extended period of time to create demand, years longer than just the clearing of the older releases in the retail channel via sell-off would have required. As a retailer acquaintance once sagely observed: "Nobody wants to buy anything until it's deleted", a lesson the financially-struggling Universal Music Group (Polygram's odious parent) is obviously applying in spades here. The record labels bemoan the loss of CD sales, but it is exactly this kind of manipulative marketing ka-ka that provides impetus to consumer alienation.
So, if like me, you already owned the `98's, the only decision in reinvesting in the `08's are the a.) meager-two-tracks-per-disc "bonus" material, and b.) to-buy-or-not-to-buy the more expensive Japan `sleeve editions. The bonus tracks could have been released as a separate set (A "Philosopher's Stone Volume 2", perhaps?), but then, of course, Polygram wouldn't net the possible re-sale of 16 additional CD's per VanFan.
As for the desirability of the bonus tracks themselves, I'll leave it to others to opine on whether the return on such a substantial reinvestment is either a worthwhile, or foolhardy, expense.
WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?
Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.
Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 13.5MM X 13.5MM cardboard-sleeve, precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, everything else packaged with the original LP is precisely replicated and included, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and die cuts. An English-language lyric sheet is also included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.
Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have Japan-dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2 or K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.
Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "OBI" ("oh-bee"), a Japan-language promotional strip. The OBI often also lists the original album's release date, the Japan street date of that particular disc, the catalog number, and mastering info. Bonus tracks are always only listed on the OBI, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork.
The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake copies of Japan `sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs.
Also, there are older Japan mini-sleeve releases that have been supplanted with newer ones, usually with updated audio (such as JVC-Japan replacing older K2-mastered titles with new K2HD mastered releases).
All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common with some of the Japanese companies (but, again, not always). Mini-sleeve collecting can get expensive quickly, so, if you're a novice, it is highly advisable to seek the advice of an experienced `sleeve collector! - Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison: I really like this album. The songs and presentation are soothing to the soul. It is Van Morrison at his best.
- Wonderfully re-mastered.: This CD by Van Morrison was re-mastered beautifully.
If you once owned the LP of this CD, and wish to add the CD version to your CD Library, then this re-mastered version is just great.
I recommend it.
Even if this re-mastered version may cost a bit more than the regular stereo version, I recommend spending the extra dollar or so more and getting this re-mastered version of TUPELO HONEY. - A+: If you own the original classic, this is worth rebuying for the extra tracks. The alternate "Wild Night" sounds like a long version of the original but probably chopped for AM radio at the time. The long version is very cool and better than the original version. "Down By the Riverside" also is cool. The song's anti-war line probably kept it off the original LP to avoid controversy with Vietnam most likely. Very cool. Buy it!
- Amazing alternate take of Wild Night makes this essential! : I was focused on the sound quality of this before hand. Wondering if it would be "loud" and compressed to the point of ruining the actual dynamic range of the recordings, as many people are finding with many newly mastered cds (granted if you only listen on your ipod or on a car's auto sound system this is not as evident).
But thankfully the sound is not so loud and compressed as to be unenjoyable (at least for me, though there are moments when I was annoyed with the lack of a truely natural sonic field), and this allowed me to listen through the regular cuts and arrive at the miraculous version of Wild Night that follows.
Amazing! It's a much longer take, the vocal far more up front than on the original which opens the album, some quite different and great playing by musicians, and Van in top form taking the song all over town. You will actually hear Van "cooing" just a bit past the 4 minute mark (who'd a thunk it?). It IS a sound to behold.
This is a major release because of this cut - truly "found gold".
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