Steve Albini: “No digital transfer was done prior to the analogue cut”
In a fascinating interview with Vish Khanna at Kreative KontrolIn Utero producer Steve Albini talks about working with Nirvana on the record, and his involvement in the remastering process for the 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition and Vinyl reissues.
Many fans were not happy with the compressed remastering on the Nevermind reissue, but Albini assures fans that “the new CD master is going to be a better transfer than was done in 93” and talks in detail about efforts that were made to create a first class vinyl version, using the original half inch analogue master tapes, “No digital transfer was done prior to the analogue cut”, he says. He also details the cutting process for the new vinyl record: Continue reading “Steve Albini allays fan fears over Nirvana “In Utero” remaster”
Fleetwood Mac‘s first four albums for Warner Bros. are collected in this rather fine vinyl box set. Then Play On, Kiln House, Future Games and Bare Trees all benefit from decent replica packaging, with heavy card sleeves and a couple of reproduced gatefolds. Also comes with a bonus seven-inch replica of 1969 single Oh Well – Pt. 1.
Travis / Where You Stand (CD+DVD deluxe edition)
The first album for almost five years for Travis, Where You Stand is available as this CD+DVD deluxe edition with two bonus audio tracks, videos and a making of documentary.
Never before issued on vinyl, Elvis Costello‘s Brutal Youth – his best album of the 1990s by some margin – gets a 2xLP reissue from Music On Vinyl. It comes packaged in a gatefold sleeve.
Fleetwood Mac / Then Play On Expanded CD
If you don’t fancy the vinyl box set, also issued today on CD is an expanded version of Fleetwood Mac‘s 1969 album Then Play On. This remastered edition features the original UK track listing on CD, with both parts of Oh Well, The Green Manalishi, and World In Harmony as bonus tracks.
Universal Music Catalogue have created Oh Yes We Can Love: A History Of Glam Rock, a new five-CD box set due for release on 28 October 2013.
This 91-track collection charts the life of the genre rather than just focussing on the usual suspects, so although you will find Slade, T Rex, Bowie, Suzi Quatro, Roxy Music et al on this set, disc one takes us right back to Noel Coward, Anthony Newley and The Velvet Underground. Later discs include songs by artists such as Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Morrissey and Suede. Continue reading “Oh Yes We Can Love: A History Of Glam Rock 5-disc box set”
Repertoire Records will issue an 81 track, four-CD compilation called The Zombies In Stereo on 23 September 2013.
The box set is an apparently comprehensive exploration of the English rock band’s stereo recording history, from the 1964-1967 period with all the initial true and fake stereo versions released at the time, right through to the very latest remixes from the master tapes of those original recordings. Below gives you an idea what to expect from each disc in the four-disc set.
Electronic pioneers The Orb celebrate 25 years of music with new four-disc box set.
History of the Future is released on 7 October 2013 and collects three CDs of singles, remixes, and live tracks, and then throws in a DVD of promo videos and Top Of The Pops appearances for good measure.
The Orb will also be touring the UK in October and November this year.
It’s that time of the month! SDE has been shopping for used records, largely in charity or thrift stores. Here’s what we’ve found…
Janet Jackson / Control The Remixes CD (1986)
There seems to be a few different versions Janet Jackson‘s Control The Remixes – different cover art, different track listings. This is the eight-track CD that doesn’t have any versions of The Pleasure Principle on it. It also has the “Cool Summer Mix (Part 1)” of Nasty, not Part 2. A nice find to go with the Japanese issue of the standard Control album that we found in May.
Nik Kershaw’s second album of 1984, The Riddle, gets a two-CD deluxe reissue. After some initial fan grumbling about the apparently not very comprehensive bonus disc, Nik himself came out with a defiant ‘buy it, or don’t buy it’ stance. Remastered with an additional CD of twelve-inch mixes and live tracks. Continue reading “Out This Week / 12 August 2013”
Thanks to Amazon France the track listing has been revealed for the two-CD deluxe edition of Nirvana‘s In Utero reissue.
Fan site Nirvana Legacy offers some in-depth analysis of what’s on offer, but the long and the short of it is that disc one will contain the original remastered album, plus four tracks from the original B-sides /compilations, as well as alternate mixes of Pennyroyal Tea, Heart Shaped Box and All Apologies.
Disc two gives fans a ‘2013 Mix’ of the original album, plus a series of demo versions of tracks from various time periods.
The Super Deluxe Edition box set is widely expected to add the 17-track Live ‘n’ Loud 1993 MTV concert on both CD and DVD, to what is on offer on the two disc set.
Parlophone Label Group (now owned by Warner Music) will next month issue an expanded edition of The Shadows: The Early Years 1959-1966, a six-CD box set originally issued back in 1991.
This collection includes every studio title recorded by the group (and commercially released) from early 1959, right up to the very end of 1966. This new expanded edition contains 32 tracks in mono not previously available on CD, and three tracks which are released in stereo for the very first time (full track listing below).
The Early Years 1959-1966 is issued on 16 September 2013.
This September Sony will reissue three classic box sets from their archive, in compact ‘bookset’ packaging.
Bruce Springsteen‘s Tracks is one of the sets in question. This 66-song collection was originally released back in 1998 and consists of many unreleased tracks, demos and alternates. It came packaged in the old-style long, tall box. A highlights album 18 Tracks was later released, with the record company deploying the fan-fleecing tactic of including three songs on the single disc edition not included in the box set (Trouble River, The Fever, and The Promise).
The Do What You Want, Be What You Are collection from Hall and Oates is the ‘baby’ of these reissues, being only four years old. The four disc box set is filled to the brim with content, and features 18 previously unreleased recordings, rare seven-inch single mixes and choice album cuts amongst the 77 tracks. Respected engineer Vic Anesini mastered this release, so you can expect decent audio.
Finally, the third box being reissued by Sony is Metalogy, from Judas Priest. This is actually the third iteration of this particular set, having been originally issued in semi-lavish packaging in 2004. A bonus DVD made it a five disc set back then, but the Live Vengeance ’82 DVD was was dispensed with for the 2008 reissue. This new version maintains the four-CD approach and as you would expect, comes in the ‘bookset’ packaging just like Springsteen and Hall & Oates.
The all-important booklets are maintained, being bound to the middle of each package. These are all released on 23 September and will retail for around £18 in the UK. Full track listings at the bottom of this post.
Issued late last month, this limited edition three CD set, collects every 45 from soul legend Otis Redding cut during his reign at Stax Records. Every single, A-side and B, is included in its original mono mix and pictured in the included booklet. In total 70 tracks – the music as it was meant to be heard.
If you haven’t been keeping up with synth-pop wizard Howard Jones of late, then you’ve missed some quality reissues of his eighties output in recent years.
All his Warner Bros. albums have been licensed to his Dtox label and reissued in limited edition clam-shell box sets, including the CD debut of US-only compilation Action Replay (paired with The 12″ Album) and most recently a triple album box that featured One To One, Cross That Line and In The Running.
Like much of his recent output, these sets were primarily available through his website and came as limited editions with bonus remix discs.
However, if you prefer to do your online music shopping through Amazon, then you are in luck because it looks like Jones is starting to make these recent reissues available there too.
12 August is slated as a release date for Jones’ 2010 live concert where he performed his first two albums in their entirety. Live At IndigO2 is a double DVD complete with bonus features including the VIP soundcheck and interviews.
Many of the individual recent remasters are also available on Amazon.
Universal’s NirvanaIn Utero 3CD+DVD box (due 23 September) has dropped from £108 to £96 in the UK. It remains $150 in the USA. The best deal is Amazon in Germany where you can pick this up for €86 or £74.
High Vibration, the 16 SACD Japanese Yes box (4 September), has dropped by around £50 in the UK but remains an eye-watering £438. It’s slightly cheaper in Germany (€488/£421) but once you factor in shipping there’s little in it. The USA get the best deal at $563 / £367, but don’t risk importing to the EU, since you’re likely to get stung with import duty.
The Chic 12-inch vinyl box set (released on 26 August) was a lesson in getting your Amazon pre-orders in early. Originally retailing at just over £30 in the UK, it went up to its current price of £43 little more than a week later. It’s even more expensive in the USA at $80 / £52. Canadian residents get the best deal at the moment at $57 or £35.
The Beach Boys‘ Made In California 6CD box is due for release on 2 September. Originally just over £100 on Amazon UK, it actually dipped down to £66 for a few days early last month (something we alerted fans to on our facebook page) but has now increased to £83. For those in the UK we’d recommend ordering from Amazon Germany where it’s €76 (or £65) with standard shipping less than €4. Ordering from Germany might even be an attractive option for those in the USA where Made In Californiais a pricey $144.
Sound System the mega 13-disc set from The Clash (out on 9 September) started at well over £100 before dipping to £86. The current price on Amazon UK is £94, which is still massively cheaper than in Germany where you’ll pay €155 (£133). It’s only marginally cheaper than that in the USA, at $186 (£121) so for a change Britain is the ‘winner’ for The Clash box. Those in America can currently order from the UK and with VAT deducted pick this up for around $120, saving $66 on the US price (but remember to factor in shipping costs).
Elvis Presley‘s last major studio sessions are celebrated in this new 3CD set from RCA/Legacy. The King spent 12 days at Stax Recording Studios in 1973 and Elvis at Stax includes all the released takes plus 27 tracks of outtakes.
King Crimson / Red (Vinyl Reissue)
King Crimon‘s 1974 album Red gets a vinyl reissue.
Demon Records continue to produce some superb limited edition vinyl pressings. One from the latest batch of releases is Ian McCulloch‘s Holy Ghosts – originally issued on CD/Download in April this year – which pairs Orchestral Reworks From The Union Chapel with a new a collection of new songs, Pro Patria Mori.
The excellent orchestral reworkings of classics, including Bring On The Dancing Horses, The Killing Moon, Nothing Lasts Forever, takes up two records here, with the new collection completing the three LP vinyl set.
What’s extra special about this is that the music is pressed on stunning transparent yellow vinyl. This is very limited edition of only 500, which is exclusive to What Records.
All 25 tracks can be downloaded via a redeemable code provided.
Atlantic/Rhino will next month reissue a fully remixed version of Rush’s 2002 album Vapor Trails.
The band were never entirely happy with the original version of the album with Geddy Lee recalling that it was “made under difficult and emotional circumstances.”
The frontman adds, “mistakes were made that we have longed to correct. David Bottrill’s remixes have finally brought some justice and clarity to this deserving body of our work.”
This new remixed version of Vapor Trails is available as part of a seven-disc box setThe Studio Albums 1989-2007, which features every studio album Rush recorded for Atlantic Records. Refreshingly, it is also being made available separately on CD and heavyweight 2LP vinyl, so fans don’t have to stump up for the box just to get the newly remixed album.
The box set and Vapor Trails Remixed are released on 30 September 2013.
Universal Music will reissue Nirvana‘s third and final studio album, In Utero, on 23 September 2013.
The Steve Albini produced recording is being re-released as a 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition box set, which across three CDs is said to contain more than 70 “remastered, remixed, rare and unreleased recordings”, including B-sides, compilation tracks, never-before-heard demos and live material featuring the final touring lineup of Cobain, Novoselic, Grohl, and Pat Smear. No detailed track listings have been announced at the time of writing.
This box set also comes with a DVD of the complete Live and Loud show from Seattle’s Pier 48 on December 13, 1993 plus never-before-released bonus material.
The Super Deluxe Edition appears to come in the form of a book which slides into a slipcase and comes with a poster. Other formats include a 3LP vinyl set, a two-CD deluxe edition and a single CD remaster.
